Monday, December 19, 2011

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!



Hello there dear readers, we just would like to touch base with you. :) We are so sorry for the irregularity of posts this month. Like everyone else, we've been extremely busy this holiday season and creating a blog post couldn't even find a slot on our schedule. Boo hoo!

The Marikina Food Trip blog is just a year old but it has received overwhelming support over the last few months. (Check out our Fan Page on Facebook too!) So this coming year, we promise to give you more food, more photos, and more fun. Watch out for it.

For now, we wish everyone a happy holiday season and a blessed 2012!!! :)

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Even More Reasons to Love QIZIA CAFE



Every Marikenyo or Marikenya has probably visited this place at least once, and perhaps the people of Antipolo too. (I was told they have a branch in that area.) After all, who can resist good food, good prices and good service?

We were at Qizia Cafe again some weeks ago for our beloved Tita Amy's birthday celebration! I was really excited for this thanksgiving and for the opportunity to take lots of food photos since we were a big group. (More people = more food).

Some of us ordered dishes that I already sampled in our previous visits:

 SPICY SHRIMP PASTA

 GRILLED CHICKEN PIZZA

QIZIA'S SPECIAL PIZZA

Everything looking yummy so far? Of course. Now folks, here are photos of dishes that I tried for the first time. All of them were de-li-cious!

 CREAMY CHEESE PASTA. Creamy and cheesy! Yum!

 STIR FRIED BEEF WITH MUSHROOMS

 GRILLED CHICKEN WITH BUTTERED VEGGIES

My new favorite: CRISPY PORK BELLY WITH MANGO SALSA. So tasty.

Ren-ren (my bayaw's cousin) and I had an Iced Tea drinking contest. She beat me 7 glasses to 4, haha!

HAPPY PEOPLE AS USUAL! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TITA AMY! (She's the lovely lady second from the left)

Convinced? They're open from 9 AM to 1 AM so if you're hungry you have quite a big window to drop by Qizia Cafe. I still wasn't able to try their infamous cheese sticks though. Next time Qizia, next time. :)


QIZIA CAFE
SDS Medical Center Compound, Katipunan Ext. cor Pio del Pilar St. Concepcion II
Marikina City, Metro Manila
Tel. No.: (02) 489-0760
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP


Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Thursday, November 24, 2011

MAKABAYAN GOTO TAPSI



All I could remember about that night was the fatigue.

The whole family was really tired because of our 'activity' which we finished by midnight. Of course, it was too late when we realized we were hungry and almost all food places were closed.


Well, save a few. Like Makabayan Goto Tapsi!!! (We could all hear the Hallelujah chorus when we saw the sign "Open 24 Hours".) Our lives are saved! Anyway, what better fuel to feed your weary body than goto, right? Nothing beats warm rice porridge on a cold, fourth-quarter-of-the-year night.


We thought they only sold goto and its reliable sidekick tokwa't baboy. But we were wrong. They had a whole lot on their menu including silog meals and sizzling plates. They also have personal favorites such as okoy and saba con yelo.


We ordered the Kabayan Goto (35 PhP), which has all the best ingredients in the world: beef, isaw (pig intestine) and twalya (tripe). It was really flavorful, so perfect for hungry troops like us.

Want some? :)

Hello world: meet goto's ever reliable side kick - tokwa't baboy! (28 Php)


Half of the hungry troop ordered tapsilog (60 PhP) and according to them, Makabayan's "Kabayan Tapsi" is delicious, with lots of sauce (I can't say 'saucy', looked it up and it specifically means a totally different thing, hehe)

There's also puto available! Yey!


The good food served in Makabayan lifted off our stress and made us all guapos and guapas again. (Ruel, you are as always the most candid in the photo.)


And oh, I would like to revise my first statement: All I could remember about that night was the fatigue, and the comfort that hot food and an awesome family can provide.


MAKABAYAN GOTO TAPSI
Along J.P. Rizal Street, Lamuan, Malanday, Marikina City, Philippines
Near South Supermarket and Roosevelt College Lamuan
Open 24 hours daily
Munching Budget per person: starts at 12 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Friday, November 18, 2011

MOONLEAF TEA SHOP



I miss high school. I miss waking up each morning excited to see my crush. I miss my teachers (both favorites and terrors). I miss worrying ONLY about homeworks and projects, not taxes. I miss hanging out with friends after school almost every day - now I see them once a year, if I'm lucky. I miss the pasaway days when we passed around notes that meant nothing to adults but for us meant the world.


Moonleaf Tea Shop gives you that "high school" or "college" feel. You step inside their shop and you instantly feel like a student. OLOPSC students in Marikina are soooooo lucky to have Moonleaf right across their campus. Need an instant upper? They just cross the street. Hmph.


The mother branch in UP Teacher's village is way bigger, but when you talk about their unique brews, space size doesn't really matter. ;)

There's a student lounge at the 2nd floor. I'll take a look next time, promise.


A photo of their menu. Looks quite simple, right? For patrons, I am sure they can place their order in seconds. For first timers like us, it took us a good 20 minutes (*hears gasps*) before we finally picked out our mixes. I chose the Caramel Milk Tea, and sisters chose the limited edition Yoghurt Milk Tea. I wanted to try the Wintermelon, but I would like to try Spartea's version first.

Flavorful. Affordable. Big sizes. Just like how we want our milk teas to be.

I am sure you've noticed, the place is flooded with post its and artwork. While waiting for our orders, we took a good look around the shop and amused ourselves with the writings on the wall. You can see people's hearts posted on the boards. We love it!

 Moonleaf brings out the artist in you. :)

See the note "Pogi Ako"? If you know the post-it author please tell him he got featured here, hehe!!

Our favorite: the interactive post-it. Haha! It reads "Broken hearted? Drink Moonleaf!!", and then somebody writes "Yea right" on it. Haha!

For high quiz scores, chatting about your crush or even broken hearts, visit Moonleaf Marikina. Look for the green leaf. :)


MOONLEAF TEA SHOP
#25 Gen. Ordonez St., Concepcion, Marikina City, Philippines
In front of OLOPSC
For commuters, take the SSS Jeepney or FX, they pass in front of OLOPSC.
Opens daily from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM
Tel. No.: (02) 508-9371
Visit their website here / Their Facebook page here.
Munching Budget per person: starts at 45 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Saturday, November 12, 2011

PANCITERIA NI EDONG



And then there are times when you feel like eating nothing but steaming hot rice with your favorite ulam.

Nothing fancy, just something somewhat similar to what your mom would cook for you for dinner when you come home.

These are times when you don't really care about posh restaurant interiors, or air conditioning. All you want is real, good food. Period.


In Marikina, when we want meals with the "home-cooked" feel which are fast and affordable, we don't go to fastfoods, of course. We go to panciterias. These are small eateries that serve short orders, mainly variants of pancit, and can be found in practically ever other block of our lovely city.


One of the most talked-about panciterias in Marikina is Panciteria ni Edong, I could say in the same league as Tabo or Jesus panciteria. The owner of this place is Tito Japs, who is also the owner of Japs shoes. (Let me tell you, they make really mean customized shoes. You can even tell them your idea of the perfect shoe, or rip something off a magazine for their reference, perhaps?)

The other week, after scouting for the perfect toilet set (ooops, appetizing much?) to replace our existing one, we were very hungry and exhausted and we just wanted to eat. A lot. Since Edong's is just on the other side of Marcos Highway from Sta. Lucia and Robinson's Metro East, we easily nominated the place and found ourselves heading that direction within seconds.

Their menu is BIG. From pancit variants, to meat, or veggies, or seafood, you will feel your mouth begin to water as you browse their menu. After placing our orders, Mom began working on the sawsawan (dipping sauce) made of soy sauce, calamansi and chili.


And then our orders arrived. "Rawrrrr", our stomachs said.

 Hototay soup - always a perfect starter for a homey lunch (170 PhP, serves 6-8 persons)

Torta con Hipon - huge serving of crunchy on the edges, soft in the middle omelette of veggies and shrimps. Soooo good. (195 PhP)

Tokwa con Lechon - Tofu cubes with Lechon Kawali. Sarap. How can you go on a diet with dishes like this one? (Well, at least the tofu part is healthy.) (155 PhP)

And our favorite: Steamed Pla-pla served with Mayo-Crunchy garlic dressing. The fish was gone in 60 seconds - yes, just like the film. Really, really, good. (220 PhP)

The hot and humid weather that day gave us the perfect justification to order mais con hielo. :D (25PhP)

*Burp*. Enough said. ;)


PANCITERIA NI EDONG
#34 Pikador St. corner Dragon St., Midtown Subdivision,
San Roque, Marikina City, Philippines
Opens daily from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM / 4:00 PM to 11:00 PM
Tel. No.: (02) 645-1350 / (02) 903-7389 / 09192955555
THEY DELIVER! Minimum 250 PhP. Allow 45-60 minutes delivery. Delivery is limited to coverage area.
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Saturday, November 5, 2011

GENERAL'S PIZZERIA



Last week, we were looking for a Japanese restaurant along Lilac but ended up checking out General's Pizzeria instead. The place is one open dining area which mostly serves take-out orders. Dine-ins are also a good idea: their location is near the serene subdivision of Rancho and you can have your pizza without the usual city noise. Imagine being stressed, munching on your pizza, and staring into nowhere. Hehe!


Walking into the pizzeria, you will see the menu mounted on top of the see-through kitchen. The menu really caught my attention: I am such a sucker for fancy food names, and General's Pizzeria offers pizza variants such as Private Cheese or Lt. Gen. Makisig. Too cute!

'Maj. Vegetta' reminds me of my Dragonball days though! Haha!

Their pizza is made from scratch with no frozen doughs. The kitchen faces the dining area, so you can observe the staff while they are busy preparing your order.


We ordered Bgd. Gen. BCB and Major General Hungitalian. Their pizzas come in two sizes, the "Squad" which is equivalent to a 10-inch pizza, and the "Battalion" which corresponds to the 14-inch pizza. We are really impressed with the quality of the pizzas given the affordable price! Like any other pizza, theirs is also best eaten straight out of the oven.

 Bgd. Gen. BCB - bacon, burger bits and mozzarella cheese (10 inches at 165 PhP, 14 inches at 239 PhP)

Major General Hungitalian - hungarian sausage, Italian sausage bits and mozzarella cheese (10 inches at 165 PhP, 14 inches at 249 PhP)

We also ordered a pasta dish called Pomodoro. I liked it! It is al dente pasta with tomato sauce and basil. I always prefer my spaghetti sour and fragrant and not sweet.

Pomodoro pasta (95 PhP). Other pasta variants available are Al Pesto, Classico Italiano, and Pesto Neptuno.

Another good news that comes along with General Pizzeria's opening is that THEY DELIVER! See the details at the end of this post for the delivery number. :)


GENERAL'S PIZZERIA
Lilac Street, Hacienda Heights, Marikina City, Philippines
Right across Rancho Estate's main gate
Tel. No.: (02) 227-3253
Visit their Facebook page here.
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

More Reasons to Love CASA FELIZ



The area of Rainbow Street is one of the places to be when it comes to food trips. You find yourself in one foodie spot, and voila, you have walking distance access to several other grub hubs.

Most of us were sick the other week (Mom being the worst, haha!), well, except me who runs a lot (ehem) and ODs on Vitamin C. Thus, we decided Casa Feliz and its al fresco dining area would be a great option to munch and spend quality sick time together.

Look at Mom, full of energy! (Not.)

To get an idea of Casa Feliz' interiors - or exteriors, since they have open space, visit my first post on Casa Feliz here. Three things we love about Casa Feliz? The food, the price, and their support for the handicapped. When we were there the first time, the waiter who was with us that night was deaf, and we wrote our orders on pieces of paper. I love this advocacy of Casa Feliz!

Going back to the first thing that we love about their place which is the food, may I present to you our orders:

 Club Casa (94 PhP) - their version of the classic clubhouse with chunky chicken salad, sliced ham, cheese and scrambled egg, served with crispy French fries

 Kani Sandwich (84 PhP) - premium crab sticks with chili mustard sauce, tomatoes, cucumber, and lettuce served on sesame wheat bread, served with crispy French fries too!

 Beef Lasagna (94 PhP) - they were really generous with the sauce! Yum!

 Fish Fillet with Tartar Sauce (90 PhP) - the fish was moist and tender, and goes well with the sauce

Casa Burger with Crispy Fries (95 PhP) - Home-made beef patty with cheese, tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce. The patty was juicy and full of flavor.

We ordered two sweet endings to our meals:

Oreo Cheesecake (97 PhP) - our favorite cheesecake ever. Their cheesecake has just the right sweetness!

Vida Verde (90 PhP) - Layers of pistachio wafers with creamy green tea filling topped with seasonal fruits. Truly a winner from Casa Feliz. :)

Casa Feliz means happy home. Indeed, we left with happy tummies and Mom was already feeling better. ;) 


CASA FELIZ
95 Rainbow St., Hacienda Heights, Concepcion Dos, Marikina City
Tel. No.: (02) 933-6653
Open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
You can also visit wwww casafelizcakes.com
Munching Budget per person: starts at 75 PhP

My map of Casa Feliz made with love (click on the image to enlarge):



Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni
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