ALEXEI'S DINER AND CAFE

And so begins a series of food adventure posts with the winners of my recently-held blog promo. For those who are catching up just now, everybody who joined won. Haha! Oh yes, I feel good. :-)

I was originally planning to take the first-ever winner, Alvin, to Good Thymes with me but thanks to Chad, I learned about another hidden gem in the Marikina-Bayan area so I quickly decided to change the venue to the said discovery: Alexei's Diner and Cafe.

Dearest readers, meet Alvin! :-) This picture was taken a few seconds before we devoured the food. Hehe! Alvin is an engineer currently working in Ortigas. He stumbled upon my blog while looking for date places (uyyyy) for him and his girlfriend. I'm sure by this time he has included Alexei's in his list (He told me he does keep a list on his phone!).

A little backtrack: While waiting for Alvin because he got lost (thanks to me, I didn't give him directions before the meet up! Haha! Sorry Alvin.), I took several photos of the place. I am quite happy to know about Alexei's since I only pass by its gate once in a while and I NEVER knew that such a beautiful dining spot awaited behind its green gates. (As usual, this is a photo-heavy post!)

 Dining area outside

 The main dining area (shot taken from the second floor) Very nice, right?

 Dining area at the second floor

 More outdoor seating

 The counter and bar

 Lots of magazines! Super nice.

Their infamous wall clock

At this point, I know that some of you are thinking about bringing your dates here, eh? :-p Let's complete your planning by sharing with you what Alvin and I munched on at Alexei's:

Alvin's super macho PINK shake. Hahaha!!!! Sorry can't help but laugh. We laughed about this all dinner. Tough men wear AND order pink stuff, right? ;-)  The shake's good according to Alvin. (Pink Banana Shake, 115 PhP)

Are you ready for the best pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes? I wasn't. Because this pasta is really good. They were very generous with the amount of Sun Dried Tomatoes they put in this dish. I loved it! Yummy yummy yummy. (Shrimps and Sun Dried Tomatoes Pasta, 150 PhP)

Alvin ordered the Angas Angus Burger (295 PhP). It was served with fries on the side. Thank you Alvin for splitting the burger with me, bwahaha! I was too shy to ask. I gave you some of the pasta, right? ;-) The burger was juicy and packed with flavor. Another must-try burger in Marikina.

The waiters said this is one of their bestsellers. So we tried it. with both dips available (ranch and barbecue). And they were right! The onion rings were crispy-crunchy-yummy. Other onion rings have soggy onions but Alexei's onion rings were cooked perfectly, with the dips serving as a great complement to the overall taste of this appetizer.

Hey hey hey, I ordered a shake too! Of course, it was yummy! (Tooty Fruity, 115 PhP)

Alvin and Roni, attack!!!

After five minutes, Alvin finished everything... Hahaha!

I had a really great time with Alvin. We talked about a LOT of stuff (yes, no dead air) from work to school to hobbies and music and life in general. And oh, I hate him too, because he has this photo:

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

Thank you Alvin for joining my blog promo and of course for sharing your time in discovering this new place with me. All the best! See you around Marikina!

As for you, dearest readers, I encourage you to drop by Alexei's grill and try their pasta, burgers, and onion rings (and pink shakes...)!

Alvin's entry: Roni, ako ang dapat mong isama sa iyong susunod na "pakikipagsapalaran sa pagkain" dahil mahilig akong kumain, haha. Also, gusto ko ring mag explore ng mga lugar where the food is great but at the same time is also very much affordable.
And another reason i can give to you para isama ako is that special day ko yung Apr 29. hehe ^_^

ALEXEI'S DINER AND CAFE

7 Gil Fernando Avenue, Sto. Nino, Marikina City

(Walking distance from Robinson's Blue Wave. Walk towards the direction of San Mateo bound FXs / jeepneys, not towards Sta. Lucia bound jeepneys.)

Tel. No.: (02) 901-4674
Operating hours: All days of the week from 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Visit their Facebook page here.

Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

DADDY BERTZ CAFE

Love is in the air, and I am sure you guys are looking for a cool place to take your date this Valentines. But first, let me thank all you dear readers for constantly giving me places to check out in Marikina. I have been quite busy the past few months and thank God you are there to do the research for me!

This cafe has come up in emails and messages several times, so one fine Sunday, I decided to check it out. Just like many restos and bars in the ever-growing Marikina foodie scene, no expense was spared for the interiors of Daddy Bertz Cafe. Take a look:

Great ambience? Check. Now let's check out the food:

 Creamy Pumpkin Soup (60 PhP)

Iced Mocha Frap (forgot to take note of the price, oops!)

Pasta Arrabbiata - wow this pasta dish stands up to its name. I have been quite immersed in Italian culture (hehe) and have come across pasta dishes labeled arrabbiata but do not taste like so. This however has the right spiciness which I love!

Another thing to love at Daddy Bertz is their thin-crust pizza! Yum! (Quattro Formaggi @ 235 PhP)

We love burgers, so this one is a must-order: Daddy Bertz' 1/2 pound Bacon Cheeseburger. Sink your teeth into this you hungry people! (230 PhP)

I am not sure if they are fully booked for Valentines yet, but you can contact them through the details I am providing below. Let me know how your food adventure at Daddy Bertz goes!

DADDY BERTZ CAFE

70 Lilac St., Brgy. Concepcion 2, Marikina Heights, Marikina City

Tel. No.: (02) 514-1853
Visit their Facebook page here.
WIFI - yes / Credit card - yes

Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Even More Reasons to Love MAMA CHIT'S

"Wonderful places" for me are places that make a person wonder, like Mama Chit's. One step into the coffee house and you are immediately transported five, six, seven decades back in time. And so I wonder: how was life back then? Cars without automatic transmission, social circles without social networks, marathons without timing chips... all these things come to mind when you view the photos mounted on the shop's wall. And no, I am not sharing them here. I'll leave everything to your imagination until you visit Mama Chit's! :)

The food of course, I will be more than happy to share photos of. :) I was in the area to check out the bicycle shop beside the coffee house. After the bicycle spare parts hunting, it was lunch time chez Mama Chit's!

Started off the meal with these huge onion rings! Yuh-meh!!

I always, always welcome a good bowl of pasta. Mama Chit's creamy pesto was truly delicious!

Mama Chit's Cheeseburger and Chips - never fails to satisfy the tummy!

The Combo Pizza! And since I love olives, I love this pizza. Hehe!

Thank you to places like Mama Chit's that make us wonder how it feels like to be part of the world's colorful past, even for just a moment. Pairing this wonder with really good food, every trip to Mama Chit's is a walk down a yummy memory lane indeed.

MAMA CHIT'S

278 J.P. Rizal Street, San Roque, Marikina City

Tel. No.: (02) 646-8547

Just across the Shoe Museum, near Our Lady of the Abandoned Church

Visit their Facebook page here.

Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

GOOD THYMES RESTAURANT AND BAR

(This restaurant is now closed - as of 26 February 2014)

On our way to church, every Sunday since last month, we pass by a new and eye-catching restaurant that goes by the name of "Good Thymes". This fresh foodie place is found along Gil Fernando Avenue (formerly Tuazon) and is quite impossible to miss since they are open practically the whole day. So if you're the type to crave food late in the evening or early in the morning, just drop by Good Thymes to make your tummy happy.

The first thing that caught our attention was the interior. The place is great for couple breakfasts, family lunches, barkada drinks (yes, they serve alcohol), or any gimmick you can think of. I have selected only a few photos to give you an idea of the ambience, but you can view more on their Facebook page.

 Love the tones of red and white

 This place gets full in the evening!

 I really love the contrast of red and white... Ooops, already said that. Hehe!

This is where you can make pa-cute to your date, he he he!

Love the wash station too! I love everything!

Now that you have taken a bit of a virtual tour of GoodThymes, let's get back to business and check out the food! Upon seeing the menu, the first word that escaped my mouth was "Wow.". The menu is quite extensive! It has salads, soups, sandwiches, pastas, pizzas, entrees with rice, desserts and a separate sheet for drinks. Guess you won't run out of choices here, right?

For starters we ordered the Fried Mozzarella (180 PhP) - yummy!

 My sister and her hubby shared a plate of Mushroom and Bacon Alfredo (180 PhP)

'Littlest' sis and I shared this delicious plate of Sardines, Olives, and Dried Chilies pasta (210 PhP). I love how the pasta was cooked al dente, and the simple but flavorful mix of olive oil, sardines and garlic pretty much reminded of my days in Italy when I was studying there! *Nostalgia*

Our troupe also shared the Pizza Bianca (160 PhP) - thin crust pizza with lots of cheese, mushroom and bacon bits. I love the crust! So crunchy! ;)

Meals where I'm present never conclude without desserts:

Brownie a la Mode (85 Php) - you'll never go wrong with warm, chewy brownie and creamy ice cream!

Mango Crepe (150 PhP)

So there, another good resto that we hope you visit when you can. As this blog promises - we'll keep on bringing you great food finds! Keep on sharing the Marikina food trip love. :)


GOOD THYMES RESTAURANT AND BAR
Gil Fernando Ave, San Roque, 1801 Marikina City, Philippines
Tel. No.: (02) 655-8801
Mon - Thu: 11:00 am - 1:00 am / Fri - Sat: 11:00 am - 2:00 am / Sun: 11:00 am - 1:00 am
Visit their Facebook page here.
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

DEE COFFEE HOUSE

Once upon a holiday, Sister and I were on our way to buy Aling Remy's puto and grab some snack at Mama Chit's. Walking towards the diner, we noticed that the gates of a garden beside Mama Chit's were open, those of Dee Coffee House. Since we haven't tried this place yet, it was a fairly easy decision to eat there instead.

We chose this cozy spot, to watch the scenes outside while munching, hihi

To order, go through the door that leads to a mini-counter and take your pick from their menu. Here is what we had at Dee Coffee House:

 Penne with Tuna Ricotta al Pesto, 120 PhP (A bit spicy, just inform them if you want less peppers on this dish)

Primavera farfalle, 120 PhP (Light creamy sauce with chicken, peppers, pancetta, mushrooms, and 2 kinds of cheese. This is easily our favorite!)

We also ordered their American Chicken Bacon Burger (75 PhP). This is really good - freshly prepared with flavors that perfectly blend together.

We also had bottomless iced tea (50 PhP) - which was really sulit because we were there for almost three hours, haha!

I am actually saving the best dish for last! As soon as we attacked this dish, Sister and I couldn't stop raving about how good it was. Thus, I unveil:

 DEE COFFEE HOUSE'S NACHOS!!! (115 PhP)

If there was only a way to extort the recipe out of them... Hehe! The ground beef had a unique and really good marinade, every bite was joy! One of the best I've had so far.

So if you're looking for a place to hang out (as usual), I recommend Dee Coffee House for their food and the cozy, private feel of the place - just like enjoying lazy afternoons in your own garden.

DEE COFFEE HOUSE (Since 1960's)
280 J.P. Rizal Street, San Roque, Marikina City, Metro Manila
Tel. No.: (02) 646-8549 / 09179130009
Open Monday to Saturday, 2:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.
Visit their Facebook page here.
Munching Budget per person: starts at 60 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni