arabela

arabela cafe came highly recommended as the place to dine in liliw by tahanan ni aling meding's helpful and friendly desk clerks. so what are we to do, but to take their word for it?

the interior of arabela is a delightful sight to behold upon entering. lovely paintings and vintage photos decorate the walls, kitschy items adorn the tables and ice cream counter (you just gotta love the cute stuffed gingerbread doll topper and the carousel!). sorry no photos of them because at this point, we are more interested in the eats that we're going to... well, eat. ;p 

it was love at first bite.

seafood pasta

cute decor. just gotta love that gumball bottle topped with the stuffed snowman. :)

pasta pancetta. pasta with just enough pancetta to fill the palate, and parmesan that doesn't overwhelm the overall flavour. basil gives it a cool contrast to the light saltiness of the dish.

green salad with pecan crusted chicken served with caesar dressing

.

four-cheese pizza. nice thin crust pizza with just the right crunch to it. i like cheese, but sometimes it can be overwhelming so i put some hot sauce. arabela's hot sauce (the one pictured with the snowman) has a hint of lime. dee-lish!

the prices are very affordable; they range from 100 to 250 at most. the pasta is good for at least 2 people, and the salad good for 4.

======================

arabela
503 rizal st. liliw, laguna
proprietors: bobby and tonet camello
tel. nos: (049) 5632495 / (049) 5730692
closed on mondays except holidays

southern comfort: the viaje del sol experience

this post kicks off the series of the awesome road trip down south. 

whenever i think of laguna, the hot springs (los baños and pansol), jose rizal's house (calamba), uplb and mount makiling immediately come to mind. i've been to these places many times before, so i felt like there's nowhere else to visit in laguna that's exciting. i mean, yes, there's also paete, the lakes of san pablo, and liliw which i haven't visited yet, but aside from those... um, laguna? honestly i hardly consider going there an "official" out-of-town trip due to its very close proximity to metro manila, and the only thing there that gets me excited is a visit to the dairy at uplb where they sell carabao's milk (i LOVE the chocolate flavor) and kesong puti (fresh white cheese). hoh-kay, before throwing me in the boiling mud pits of mount makiling, please do read on. :)

that kind of ho-hum thinking changed drastically when some friends and i recently went on a road trip to san pablo city with side trips to liliw and tiaong, quezon. little did i know that it was going to be one big culture and food tour which i would be very proud to recommend to everyone. it is just the beginning of this series, but i'll say this right away: near, far, wherever you are... visit laguna!!! 

======================

we arrived at san pablo city 4 1/2 hours earlier than the designated check-in time at our hotel (2pm) and hotel policy being hotel policy, we opted to visit liliw first, a 40-minute drive from san pablo. on the way to liliw though we passed by the underground cemetery in nagcarlan so a short visit there is in order.

the nagcarlan underground cemetery was built by franciscan missionaries in 1845, and in 1896 the rebels of the revolution against the spaniards used this for their meetings. in 1973 the underground cemetery was declared a historical landmark. burials in this cemetery continued up until 1981. 

the gate to the underground cemetery. at the dead smack center of this photo is a small chapel where visitors sign their names on the logbook. the visitors are also given a short, interesting history lesson of the place.  

down once more to the dungeon... err, i mean to the underground cemetery.

just some of the niches above ground. they're very similar to that of paco park in manila.

the underground cemetery is really quite a small place, so the visit was a short one. based on photos i've seen of friends who have been there before, i thought it was big. it turns out that thirty minutes is a long enough visit unless you decide to have lots of photo ops. by the way, this last photo shows just a very tiny sliver of the grounds, but i can assure you with conviction that the whole place is very well-kept. :D

======================

everyone knows that marikina equals good quality footwear. but in laguna there is a town that is also synonymous to shoes, and that is liliw. liliw is a quaint town that is a shoe maven's haven; it has a whole street dedicated to all kinds of footwear, and one will go gaga over the different designs and colors. yours truly didn't buy a pair though. too lazy. heheh. 

just some of the numerous shoe stores. 

shoes, sandals, espadrilles, etc, etc.

bags!!! and of course slippers and sandals. 

it was a nice surprise to see that old houses still abound in liliw, which reminded me of taal town in batangas where a lot of the bahay-na-bato still stands proud and graceful. while some houses are solely for family use, a lot of the businesses in others are conducted on the ground floor of the house; the proprietors live on the second floor.

i call this the sans rival house. this is in front of arabela, the cafe where we had lunch. 

a beautifully maintained house. 

if only we had more time i would make all of us walk around town checking out more of the beautiful old houses. bwahahaha~!

======================

oh. here's a very useful tip when going on a road trip: if you are riding a car and you and your companions are not sure how to get to your destination, it is always best to ask the locals. don't be too proud to ask for directions shy. compared to most city folks, people in the provinces are generally friendlier and more helpful especially when giving directions to hapless travelers. amazingly, even if majority of the directions went like "derecho lang kayo" (just go straight) and "tapos kanan sa x na kanto" (then turn right at the x corner), we got to all our destinations with very little problem.

======================

thanks L for letting me use your photos (paco park-like niches, shoes and bags photos)

next up: our lodging, and a gastronomic tour of the south. what are they? stay tuned. ;)

foodtripping: eat fresh

nestled in one of the buildings along masangkay st. in tondo, manila, is this small eatery called eat fresh. this place has been serving stir-fried noodles before all the other stir-fried noodle stalls sprouted all over the metro a few years back.

along with stir-fried noodles, eat fresh also offers noodle soups, dimsum, squid balls, kikiam and stuffed tofu (which i so, so love). also a must-try are their XL white and black gulaman for only P28 and their curry siomai at P12/3 pcs. (thanks P for the recommendation!)

a large serving of stir-fried noodles costs 38 pesos. here's the lady's hand in action, preparing my and a friend's stir-fried noodles with bean sprouts and green onions.

top: stuffed tofu (pork), P15 each. middle rack: dimsum, lumpiang shanghai, squid balls. bottom rack: more dimsum

lotsa bowls waiting to be filled with delicious stir-fried noodles

stuffed tofu frying

a selection of sauces: (l-r) oyster sauce, soy sauce, chili sauce, sweet chili, sweet and sour, peanut sauce, sweet sauce, hot sauce

in true miss lamon tradition (?), any food trip i go to would not be complete without a scrape or two. heheh. well, i just thought that i would like to have a bit of spice for my noodles so i also added chili sauce aside from the sweet one. little did i realize what effect 2 teaspoons of that chili would have.

l: stuffed tofu. r: stir-fried noodles. i declare temporary insanity when i took this pic. cos after taking one bite of my stir-fried noodles the heat seared through my throat down to my chest. man, was that spicy or spicy? only one remedy available at the moment: ice cream! :D

btw, eat fresh does not franchise so if you would like to try their yummy treats, go hie yourselves off to masagkay street :D

eat fresh food deli

1278 masangkay st., tondo, manila
in front of st. stephen's high school

miss lamon's top food trips for 2009

posts were very rare in this blog last year, except for some adventures and misadventures around metro manila and in a couple of provinces. food trips were not posted here for lack of time and brain cells (lol) but thank heavens the whirly-girdy of last year has subsided a bit. there are some restos i still intend to write an individual post on but for now, i present my top food trips and discoveries for 2009. listed in no particular order. :)

- creamy chicken crepe served with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables, new horizon hotel. (29 juin 2009). this one is a winner. flavorful creamy chicken wrapped in a delicate crepe AND topped with more creamy sauce. (just the way uh-huh, uh-huh i like it!) the light flavors of the mashed potatoes and steamed veggies complement the dish. this is one of the full-course chef's specials in new horizon; it comes with the soup of the day, potato lyonnaise salad and dessert. all for P295. yeah! ♥ (thanks beng for suggesting the place!)

l-r: royce, calamansi dacquoise, strawberry chantilly. (patisserie caroline, 17 m. paterno st., san juan). these three are just some examples of patisserie caroline's selection of yummy cakes and pastries. they are not too rich and the sweetness is just right, which is why my cousin b and i keep coming back for more when we crave for sweets. patisserie caroline's mini cakes are good for 2 people and at P85 per cake (or higher depending on the type), it's already a steal. :)

fro-yo!!! (any frozen yogurt from californiaberry, white hat, red mango, etc.). whether eaten plain or with toppings, frozen yogurt never fails to delight my palate with its cool tangy-sweet flavor. this is something i treat myself to on rare occasions that i go to the mall.

the next three fotos are from jack's loft. (any branch around the metro: wilson st. greenhills, robinson's galleria, eastwood, tomas morato). known for its delightfully sinful desserts, jack's loft also offers a selection of sandwiches, pastas, entrees, smoothies, etc. twice i've eaten at jack's loft and twice i wasn't disappointed. large servings at affordable prices rank high on my priority list along with great taste, of course.

vegetarian panini. i am not a fan of veggies, but with this one i'll make an exception.

steak and mushroom gravy sandwich. i was quite apprehensive when i ordered it, as it might not meet my expectations. one boo-boo was enough. anyways, i so love this sandwich coz the steak slices that are slathered with rich mushroom gravy are tender and juicy and absolutely have no litid. the side of potato chips are sliced thinly, adding that crunch which complements the sandwich. each bite is relished up to the last.

next two fotos are from max's restaurant. for the longest time the only items i ate at max's were the chicken (of course), lumpiang shanghai and pansit canton. so these next two items are definitely new for my palate. many thanks to my friend M who introduced me to these.

veggie lumpia bites. light, crispy pillows of veggies with mayo mustard dip. again, no fan of veggies here but this dish sure is a fun way to eat my vegetables.

bangus spread with pita chips (31 mai 2009, dimanche). the pate has a nice smokey flavor that will make you come back for more. goes really well with the light, crisp pita chips. winner. winner. winner.


these next two behemoths were featured in my subic road trip post june of last year. both are served in xtremely xpresso which is located in sbma.

big ben pizza. a 22-inch thin crust pizza loaded with sausages, ham, olives, onions, green bell peppers, mushrooms, and cheese :)

ben's delight burger: one kilo of beef patty in a huge bun served simply with lettuce, tomatoes and bacon. for only P280, this burger is really easy on the pocket.

curry siomai, wai ying (benavidez st. binondo, manila). F introduced me to this intriguing combination of fried siomai semi-drowned in rich curry sauce. hmmm, i want some more.

sit-ka-long (sitaw, kalabasa, longganisa), 1521 restaurant (547 shaw boulevard, brgy. wack-wack, mandaluyong city). this is just one of 1521's delectable filipino dishes which are served with a twist. the longganisa which is fried to a crisp gives a new texture to the ginisang kalabasa at sitaw (sauteed squash and string beans). the sauce is thick and rich, with a touch of bagoong.

cheese steak sandwich from a sandwich vendo machine. no joke! it is such a unique way of getting a sandwich, my friends and i got a big kick out of this. imagine, one can now get a sandwich this way. just put in some money in the slots, press the button for the sandwich of your choice, wait for a few minutes, and voila! you got yourself a nice, hot sandwich. who knows, maybe next time there will be a vendo machine that sells sinigang in cups. hahaha.

yummy cake with strawberry and cream filling and buchi with sweet bean filling and topped with desiccated coconut from gduho bakeshop in manila. gduho is a new chinese bakery located in 1113 narra street, manila. just make sure you can speak chinese or you have a chinese speaking friend with you just in case your curiosity is piqued at the items.

soto ayam (makansutra asian food village at manila ocean park). nice refreshing and mildly spicy soup with thick noodles, bean sprouts, shredded chicken and fried potato. garnished with fried garlic, scallions and cilantro leaves. the soup was hot but it became cold quickly due to the noodles which weren't even warm. the flavors are meshed just right, though, and the bean sprouts give a nice crunch to the dish.

happy new year, people! :)

subic road trip

i didn't expect to be back in subic after 6 months. if the last time was all about celebrating the new year with family, this time it was about four adventurous, (single) ladies (moi, l, mm, mj) out to have some crazy fun. ;-) and by crazy fun i mean spur of the moment, taking whatever comes our way and no-extra-clothes-except-for-the-ones-we're-wearing. (and risking the wrath of some people, which made it even more exciting lol)

when you're out on a road trip with friends, it seems like the world is opening up to you. the road stretches out, beckoning you to go on until you reach your destination. and wherever we looked as we drove along the highways (nlex and sctex), we were like, wow. everything. is. so. beautiful. our raucous conversations were peppered with moments of silence as we took in the sights.

we left manila at 3pm and arrived in subic at around 5.

driving along the nlex. as far as the eye can see

adventure...?

once we entered sbma we just followed the arrows to the different attractions (in the direction of ocean adventure). as zoobic and ocean adventure are situated at the far ends of the earth, we opted to go to treetop adventure instead. treetop adventure is located at the JEST area and has four kinds of attractions: tree top adventure, where one can enjoy trekking and taking a leisurely motorized cable ride among the highest branches (P350/person); forest trekking adventure (P100/person); superman ride (self-explanatory :-), P200/person); and tree drop adventure, where one can descend the 60-foot tree any way he/she likes: by rappelling, the lizard, or the australian style, in which you drop face first. sweet! (P150/person)

because the four of us are adventurous, we decided to try the superman ride. and because we arrived late in the afternoon, the ticket booth was already closed. end of supposedly first adventure in subic.

we contented ourselves with pictures :D

thataway!

food trip, as always.

well, we had another agenda on our list anyway. what adventure is complete without a food trip, right? so we headed out to xtremely xpresso, this ultra-cozy coffee shop that serves a wide range of items, from pizza, pasta, sandwiches, coffee and pastries. xtremely xpresso is also the home of the humongous big ben pizza (P699) and ben's delight burger (one kilo of beef patty! P280). eating at xtremely xpresso is one of my unfinished business from last december/january as i really wanted to try their ben's delight burger after being able to try the normal-sized burger with wasabi dressing (a juicy 1/3 pounder for only P80).

so yes. as we sat comfortably on the couches, we ordered the big ben pizza and ben's delight. it was funny to see the eyes of the other patrons follow the journey of the pizza and burger to our table, and seeing four ladies making a noble attempt in finishing off such large portions of humongous grub.

big ben pizza. 22 inch thin crust pizza loaded with lotsa toppings: sausages, ham, olives, onions, green bell peppers, mushrooms, and cheese!


ben's delight burger, before we had it sliced into 6. for a 1k of beef patty, it sure was juicy even after it was grilled. served simply with lettuce, tomato and bacon. are you up for the challenge?

almost homeless

we enjoyed our time at xtremely xpresso so much that we realized that it was kind of late to be heading back to manila. and because that day was a holiday (june 12, philippines' independence day), most of the lodgings around sbma are either fully booked or the room available does not fall within our budget. the four of us trudged along waterfront road trying to find a room to no avail. as we neared the lighthouse (the last inn along waterfront rd.), we again bumped into some friends from church (we saw each other in xtremely xpresso earlier) and we hung out together at the lighthouse for a while. we then went our separate ways but not without them promising to contact us if they found a place for us to stay.

the lighthouse. the topmost part changes colors.

friendships

when we were sure that we won't find any room to stay, we decided to head back to manila. we haven't gotten far when one of our friends called to say their group has found a place for us, a condo for rent at 2k per night. sweet.

the place is subic world plaza, a new korean-owned three-storey condominium near subic international hotel. 2k per night, P300 for an extra person. the room is quite large, with enough space for a kitchen and living room. it is airconditioned and it comes complete with 2 twin beds, tv, mini refrigerator. it also has a nice bathroom with hot and cold shower.

@ the 3rd floor front desk

everything was well and good, until i got into bed. for almost immediately, i started to sneeze and sniffle nonstop.

seems like the room wasn't occupied for quite some time, and the sheets remained unchanged until we got there and used them. when i woke up early the next day the sneezes started again. oh, glorious dust galore.

will be posting more pics soon :)

note: cheers to mm for the other pics :)

look-alike

donita rose? audrey hepburn? nope. she's none other than shirley gorospe, a fil-am beauty queen-turned-actress during the late '50s up until the early '70s. her on-screen loveteam with zaldy zshornack eventually blossomed into marriage which lasted 44 years until zshornack's untimely demise. click here to read the article about ms. gorospe (by ricky lo).

note: pic was taken in mowelfund's paradise of the stars. if there's anyone who knows how to erase the line under the eye, please let me know.

update: many thanks to mimi for fixing the pic! :-D

Summer in November Pt. 6

food trip galore alla ms. lamon

we originally planned to eat at cyma for dinner on our first night in boracay, but the restaurant was already full by the time we went there (we made a reservation for the next night but still we didn't get to eat there but that's ok). so we went over to true food indian cuisine. since this is our first night, we were already tired by this time. the big fluffy cushions we sat on in true food just about made our stay there oh-so-fine. and the food? it's a bit pricey (about 200 pesos up) but if you're adventurous enough in trying out different types of cuisine, then you'll love this place. sorry there ain't enough pics for this as we were all too busy eating (did i say we were very hungry?) to take pictures.

sweetened lassie at true food indian cuisine. lassie is a really nice drink made from yogurt and can be drank plain, sweetened or even salted. they also offer variations with fruits, but i think if i ordered that it might taste like the commercial yogurt drink.

pat's creek. i was so sleepy by this time (about11pm) but since my bro and cousins were there already, i opted to go too. had only one piece each of the calamares and onion rings and a sip of san mig light from my bro's cup... then the singer's voice woke me up from my lethargic state.

this is rush, a huge lab-golden retriever mix in the restaurant we ate in at d' talipapa. of course we did NOT eat him. he is the pet of the owner according to my bro. isn't he cute? anyway, we bought fish, shrimp and chicken at the wet market and had them cooked over at this resto (just like dampa in parañaque and pasay)and i was more interested in looking at this dog. but hey, the food we had--sauteed ampalaya with egg, sinigang na talakitok, garlic and butter shrimp and adobong atay ng manok--yummeh!

jonah's fruitshake and restaurant. i've heard so many praises about this place so i just had to try it. yep, it's really nice to be sipping a big cold glass of thick, creamy milkshake while stretched out on the beach chairs and tune out the sounds except for the waves, night or day. the milkshakes cost from around 60 pesos up. i ordered banana choco peanut shake (P75)

mañana. this is where we ate on our second night in boracay. we ordered different items and had a taste of everything--nachos, burritos, tacos, enchiladas, fajitas and flautas. i love the side of mexican rice which is quite small, but it's good enough for moi. everything is soooo dee-lee-shus!

mañana restaurant in the daytime. what a happy, happy day, just look at that cloudless sky! me likey!

for our last meal in boracay, we ate in lemon cafe, a restaurant in d'mall where they serve mediterranean food. but since we had to leave early, we opted for brunch and ordered from their breakfast menu. cuz O and i had the big breakfast (which as a really big serving... duh!) which consists of potatoes, bacon, egg sunny side up, sausages and very yummy warm bread which i slathered in butter *drool, drool!* the rest ordered pinoy tapa. i must say, their tapa is one of the best i've tasted. not only has it a really big serving too, but also the meat is very juicy and tender, the flavor is salty-sweet and dip a piece of that in vinegar, ahh, heaven. :-) cuz M couldn't finish hers so i got the last piece and put it in the remaining roll from my breakfast, and had that as my baon on the way back to roxas. :-P

note: the restos mentioned here are all located on the beach front (except for d'talipapa), hence, they are quite pricey for a cheapskate like moi hehehe (think greenbelt, eastwood, and their ilk). but ya know what's the best thing about this food trip? having guy cuzes who get the bills! LOL

well of course not all of them bills but still...

thanks guys! =)