A Day in the Life: June 2012

Happy Father's Day treat at Poco Deli

June 17, 2012

This weekend was dedicated to Patrick because it was Father's Day. So, on Saturday, we planned to have Stanley's aircon checked at the shop next to Fusion R. Unfortunately, the shop was closed and was replaced by something else. It was disappointing to say the least because they were able to make Stanley's aircon cool and working perfectly the last time we had our check up.

So, instead we ate at JT's Manukan and Grille first before going to Abacus along West Avenue. Abacus was recommended by Patrick's friend and co-worker Paulo so we decided to check that out. After which, we trooped to Mall of Asia and just browsed shops and walked around :)

The next day, Sunday, was actually The Father's Day. We asked Patrick were he wanted to eat and he replied "Poco Deli: so he can also share with us the great food they have there .

It may be his day and his celebration but he really is a Family Man and he's just happy to be sharing a meal with his family. See his smile? :)

For those that aren't aware of Poco Deli, it's a small artisan deli in Kapitolyo, Pasig where they craft their own sausages and meat, have mouthwatering cakes and pastries, delectable Italian pastas and a great selection of wines and beer. It's rather small because it's a neighborhood place but that's the beauty of it. Patrons come to enjoy the silence and the warmth, all the more to savor the great dishes served.

Dana was really loving the interiors. She ordered their homemade Red Ice Tea and she listed it as one of the top Iced Teas she has tasted :) Dylan loved being seated near a "hidden door" which made him think of Harry Potter under the stairs :) We loved eating our appetizer - German Sausage Sampler which allowed you to choose 3 types of sausages to enjoy.

Patrick wanted to order their Bacon Slabs with Eggs and Rice but they were out of it, apparently all Dads wanted that dish that day :) So he settled for Kielbasa sausage with egg and rice. I tried their US Beef Tapa with Eggs and Rice. I think Patrick wanted that one too when it was served hahaha

Dylan and the "Hidden Door" on his Left

The Blackboard at the back can sometimes
show new dishes being served

Homemade German Meatloaf with 2 eggs and Bacon Rice

Dylan just shared with his Ate Dana

their drinks and spices/sauces on display

German Sausage Sampler
with Sauerkraut and New York Bagel chips

Gourmet Tapa with 2 eggs and bacon rice

Kielbasa Sausage with 2 Eggs and Bacon Rice

Their dishes can be expensive for some, because the German meatloaf was around P250+ but the thing is, it's really very filling. You're getting a huge slab of meat, 2 eggs and rice with bacon bits. It really is worth the price you're paying. If you're a light eater, you probably will be sharing this with someone else.

After this hearty meal, we all went back to MOA just to kill time. :)

Travel: Trip to Subic (Day 3)

June 10, 2012

Our travel to Subic is almost at an end. We're going back to reality in just a few hours. We spent the morning lazing around the hotel room, enjoying the airconditioning :) The kids woke up late because we didn't have any plans during the morning. They just feasted on cable's Cartoon Network for entertainment. Believe me, that's luxury enough for them since we don't have cable at home :)

After checking out, we headed to this spot along Waterfront Road to take pictures of Ghost for the article that Patrick will be writing. For a brief moment, we thought that we'd be in the middle of a thunderstorm because the clouds were really rolling and looked angry. There were raindrops for sure, as you can see. But the sky cleared in a jiffy and we were in the middle of a bright summer day in a few minutes.

Raindrops keep falling on our head! :D

Ghost and us :)

Can you tell how much he loves this car? :D

After the photoshoot, we headed again to Xtremely Xpresso because we simply loved the food! :) There weren't many patrons as of yet and the kids were able to watch Mr. Pizza Man craft the dough. We also drooled over the handcrafted ice cream but we weren't able to take pictures. We ordered the same stuff as yesterday, except for the chicken pesto sandwich which I had. It was really good! ::)

Chicken Pesto Sandwich

Dana and her bubblegum flavored ice cream

There were some misses on this trip but over-all it was still a restful vacation. The highlight was Xtremely Xpresso (for me, at least) but it's still the beach for the kids :) Patrick's just happy enough to sleep in an air conditioned room hahaaha Till Next Time! :D

Travel: Trip to Subic (Day 2)

June 9, 2012

Dylan waking up to Chips Ahoy and Milk

Day 2 of our Subic getaway started early. Everyone wanted to get a move on because our itinerary today involved going to the beach. We originally planned on visiting Sunset Cove in Morong, Bataan because we saw pictures of our friend who went there over the summer and we became curious too. So, we set off on our adventure for the day because we didn't really know where it was located because the directions and the map from the Net were a bit vague.

The travel from Subic to Morong was quite easy because the road was direct and Patrick was familiar with it having passed by this area on many occasions. However, finding Sunset Cove was a little daunting especially when you reach the part where you have to travel on a very narrow road, passable only to one vehicle at a time. The area on both sides of the road were occupied by residents so expect to see people, chickens, kids and dogs crossing in front of you. There was a part of the road that was cemented but by the time you reach the gate of Sunset Cove, it's no longer cemented and it was rather gravelly so you can just imagine our fear of getting the Subaru scratched.

When we got inside the compound, we were a little dismayed, although the people who came out to talk with us were very warm and accommodating. It wasn't the right time to be going there as the water was very high and there was barely any sand to walk on - not really the kind of picture we saw from our friend's trip. There were sandbags everywhere. They offered us a "family room" within a family bungalow but it was too narrow and really not worth the price. So, we just decided to leave and chalk it up to experience.

Our next stop was Dungaree beach in Subic. We went there before and we had a good time then so we thought it would suffice. We were surprised to find out that now, since it's under new management, everything is being charged and I mean everything! The cottage that used to be P1000 is now P1500 and you have to pay an entrance fee of P150/head. Even the floaties and the water toys that you bring in has a corresponding charge. The cost will be halved if you bring your own but you still have to pay a "corkage" since they're also "renting" these things out. In computing our costs, we would end up paying a lot more for a swim on the beach and as much as we didn't want to because of the prohibitive expense, the kids were really looking forward to it so much so we still went with it. I personally didn't have as much fun as before because this time the beach was rather dirty too. It was filled with lots of garbage and by garbage I don't mean the seaweeds that were everywhere. Rather, there was a lot of plastic stuff that must have come in by way of the tides. The kids though didn't mind and they loved being in the water and on the sand! :D

After burning ourselves up on the beach, we went back to the hotel to freshen up and then headed to a Subic staple, the Xtremely Xpresso Cafe, for lunch. Before the trip, we decided that we'd try eating at Subic mainstay restos so we can really appreciate the trip. Xtremely Xpresso was number one on the list since we already ate at Meat Plus Cafe in previous trips.

We were ahead of the lunch crowd and easily found a table for the four of us.

Dana had the Carbonara

Dylan had the Tuna Mayo Sandwich

I think Patrick had the Meat Lasagna

I had the Meatball spaghetti

Big Ben Pizza

Patrick was enamored of the Spicy Chocolate

We really enjoyed the food at Xtremely Xpresso. The cost of the food was pricier than "normal" restos but the serving on your plate and the taste of the food more than made up for it. In the end, the price was just right for the quality, presentation and ambience in the restaurant. You see even when the restaurant was filling up with its regular patrons, the service wasn't diminished. You didn't have to wait an eternity for your order. That in itself is a plus factor! :)

After a filling lunch, we just drove around Subic, testing the driving potential of the Subaru. We went up the mountains and looked at the interesting houses with their garages that are detached from the house. I don't know where that is exactly but it's really cool! :D All that driving around lasted a good couple of hours and by the time we got back, the kids were itching for a round in the hotel's pool. I've never seen my kids' feet so clean at the end of the day :D

their VERY clean feet :D

Travel: Trip to Subic (Day 1)

June 08, 2012

Our summer vacation came a little late this year but as they say, "better late than never". The kids, Patrick and I went to Subic for 3 days and 2 nights and we were lucky enough to be test driving the 2012 Subaru Impreza WRX STI for Top Gear Philippines in the same trip.

Our first stop on our trip was the Teriyaki Boy Restaurant in the Petron compound along the North Luzon Expressway. We all love Japanese food and Dylan especially loves California Maki as you can see from this picture.

The rest of us had Katsudon,gyoza and the rest of the Maki.

It's just great that my kids really love trying out new food for themselves. :)

After having that hefty lunch, we all trooped back to the Subaru STI we named "Ghost" in honor of John Snow's direwolf in Game of Thrones. Why Ghost? Well, he's silver (close to white) but he's so ferocious on the road. He can reach up to 200 kilometers per hour and there's not even a hint of hardship on the engine. He's as cool as they come. I didn't even know we were running at that speed! But sshhh! I don't think that's allowed :D I did have a problem with it being too sporty as I felt it was a bumpy ride. I ended up getting a headache upon arriving in Subic. This car is an animal on the road!!

We arrived in Subic in record time. We checked in at the Bayfront Hotel which was were we usually stay when in Subic. We were surprised to see a new hotel in front of Bayfront. It was still under construction when we last came to Subic. Now it was called the Terrace Hotel and it looked interesting from my vantage point. At first we had a problem with checking in because the room that they assigned was not the one that I requested when I made the booking. Then they couldn't accommodate the request because they were fully booked. Good for them so I settled with a different room. This one had twin beds which still wasn't what I asked for and not what I paid for. Eventually, they got it right. It was a good thing I was still in a good mood or else ... With this setback, I was considering trying out the Terrace Hotel on the other side the next time we came to Subic.

So we just rested for a while with the kids just watching TV. In the end, we opted to go to Royal Subic to buy our snacks for the beach trip tomorrow and to see if there was anything worth buying :)

Right after buying what we needed to buy, it really didn't take us long, we went to Meat Plus Cafe for dinner. It was a good thing we didn't take too long at the Duty Free because when we reached Meat Plus, there wasn't that many people lined up and we were able to get a very cozy table. Right after we ordered, the people started coming in...

Here are pics of us waiting for our orders at Meat Plus Cafe.