Category Archives: Travel

Q Proudly Quezon Made

By | Foodie, Giving Back, Proud to be Pinoy!, Travel | 3 Comments

 Another young and beautiful lady, Anna Villaraza Suarez.  Anna is the wife of one of the best friends of my youngest brother, Quito.  She is First lady to Governor Jayjay Suarez and helps him promote the people and the products of Quezon Province.  When JayJay became Governor in 2010, She would attend the annual week long Agri -exposition and the Nyugyugan Festival in Quezon where members of KALIPI ( Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina, of which she is the honorary chairperson ), farmers and fisherfolk would sell out all their good to buyers from manila and neighbouring towns.  She told me that they would sell a lot during the festival though she wants them to have continuous income throughout the year.   Anna visited the 39 municipalities and two cities of Quezon where she had the chance to taste and try the different food products made by the locals.  She says ” A lot of these products are excellent.  The packaging just needed improvement and the producers given market access.”  And this is how Q Proudly Quezon Made Products was born!   Ultimately the goal of Q is to establish a federation of Q product manufacturers in the province to sustain the production, promotion and marketing of the products 

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One need not go far to taste the flavours of Quezon province.  Anna has brought them closer to us and has made them available for more people to try.  She branded the products under the Q label.  Anna did the minimalistic and clean looking logo.  ” We want the look to become more appealing to the Manila crowd, to upgrade the look of typical locally produced products.  It has to be attractive because we are carrying the name of the province and we want people to have a positive impression of Quezon Province as a whole.”  That statement alone tells me positive things about how the couple is running the province….and I like it! 🙂  

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Arrow root ( uraro ) cookies made by the wives and children of a farmer’s cooperative and developed with the Department of Science & Technology ( DOST ) , The Department of Trade ad Industry, and provincial and municipal local and government units

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Q corn coffee made by KALIPI members from roasted corn grits
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Yellow ginger tea by KALIPI and Rural Improvement Club members
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  The Milkfish in oil is the result of an oversupply of the fish during harvest time.  And to protect the farmers from lowering their prices, the lady members of the fishermen’s cooperative decided to make a product out of it

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  Shredded smoked fish flakes, produced by the fishermen-husbands of KALIPI members using tamban and galunggong and ideal for any pandit dish, monggo, pasta or rice

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 Pickled garlic made by the Federation of Farmers Association and best served with grilled foods as an appetiser and as part of a cheese platter
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 Small time enterprises and simple families, known for their commitment to quality and time tested recipes, are behind the best selling shrimp paste shrimp-paste.JPG

 Pancit habhab

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 Anna told me this is how they eat the pancit – they roll it in leaves and then slide it down their mouths from the leaf 
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 Longganiza which I love!!  
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 Beef tapa – a different kind of tapa – it is dried and you just have to fry it quickly in oil until brown and crispy – Yum!
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 And finally the Crispy pata! YUM!!  Keep frozen and just bring it out of the freezer before frying and fry in hot oil so it will be crispy ( DO NOT DEFROST  before cooking )

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 Available at ECHOStore Serendra ( Bonifacio Global City ) and ECHOStore Centris ( Quezon City ).  Orders can also be placed at 0928-524-2753  or 0917-817-2552 or ( 632) 779-7249 or through email at proudlyquezonmade@gmail.com.

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San Mateo foodie

By | Foodie, Travel | No Comments

We have been wanting to book in this place but it’s so difficult!  It’s the Jiro of San Mateo 🙂  

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 We tried an Italian restaurant in the area and loved it 🙂  Osteria Coppa 

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Fritto Misto

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Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter

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Housemade pork sausage, speck and Crimini mushroom

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Another restaurant we tried was 321 Ellsworth, quite good for San Mateo standards 🙂  

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AC Batch 87 Reunion SF Chapter

By | Foodie, Travel, Velada 2012 | No Comments

 Thanks to my friend and batch mate, Triccie, for organising this reunion!! Clarissa, Joey and I were in the Bay Area so Triccie gathered the batch mates and chose the venue.  It was a sunny beautiful Sunday and Joey picked up Triccie, then Clarissa then me 🙂  

We were early so we got a good parking spot right in front of the restaurant!!  Not to mention that Joey got a parking ticket for not parking within the space!

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Loved our restaurant venue!  It was by the Bay Bridge!! That’s all of us 9 + 1, Joy,  who had to leave and catch the train back to Sacramento!  Missing a few who could not make it that day.  Marichit, Joey, Triccie, Sheryl, Me, Clarissa, Camille and Cindy

So happy to see Cindy Manalo Plantilla. She’s like me – we are the only girl in the family- the only difference is that she has 4 boys and I have 3! She lives in Castor Valley East Bay and is a nurse. She visits her patients in nursing homes and does therapy for them and monitors them

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So happy to see Sheryll Garcia Tirona! She lives in East Bay near Cindy  She is also a stay at home mom with 3 beautiful daughters!!!   Just seeing the photo of her girls made me so so happy for her – You are so blessed Sheryll just having them!

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So happy to see Joy Laurente Lallana! Joy used to lived in Hanover for 7 years. Her husband is a physician who worked for Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Joy worked at the Multiple Sclerosis Research Center for Dartmouth Hitchcock as well doing research for the clinical trials. Dartmouth Hitchcock is the hospital for the Dartmouth College. Two years ago they moved to Sacramento and now Joy is a stay at home Mom with two kids!! 

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So happy to see Camille Bustamante Consunji! She had a girl and a boy. She lives in Daly City now around 10 minutes away from SF and works in Charles Schwab in the risk department

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So happy to see Marichit Bantug Mendoza! She has two girls who picked her up after lunch together with her husband.  Marichit lives in Menlo Park and is a pediatrician.

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We ate at the Waterbar

Here we are 🙂  FUN FUN!!!

Our view from our table

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It was restaurant week in the city and there was a Dine About Town promo so most of us just ordered the Dine about Town menu 

Others ordered from the ala carte

And of course we ordered desserts to share 🙂

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Quince

By | Foodie, Travel | No Comments

One of my favourite dining experiences this trip!!  I love the entrance of the restaurant!  I don’t remember if there was even a sign.  

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It was rated a One Star Michelin in the 2013 guide but last October it was awarded Two Michelin Stars!!

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On the left side of the entrance is the kitchen where you can take a peek at whats happening.  On the way out I peeped and later on realised that Chef Michael Tusk was right in front of me! I would have wanted to take a photo but I did not know it was him when I was peeking!  

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 Beautiful interiors

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 Private dining room

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 Main dining

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 Love the centrepiece and the crisps

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 Three menu choices though they ask that everyone in the table gets the same

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 So we got the tasting menu.  I loved every single dish that was served!  

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 Love the canapés!!!  

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I asked our server to list it down 🙂  

Cranberry and parsnip bavar, Farro cracker with red kuri,  squash truffle,

Ricotta tartlet, delicate squash chips, chiogga beet chip 

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Calamandine sorbet with black tea and honey liquid nitrogen dipping dots – what an invention! 

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 My birthday cake 🙂

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Love the tea service

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Aside from all the elements that make a restaurant a Michelin Star rated is the service.  To prove that point, James told us he was going to the restroom and to watch his napkin on the table.  There was no server around us in sight but as soon as James stood up, put down his napkin on his table, immediately our server came and folded it and placed it on the table!  Amazing! 🙂  Well earned Michelin Stars 🙂 

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Beautiful entrance to the restroom area. I love the Italian chandeliers all over

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Hot chocolate on your way out!!! I love it!!

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Click below to go to their website

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On the very left after the open kitchen is another restaurant by Chef Michael Tusk.  It’s a more casual dining place  I am definitely coming back to try this one!!

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Sightings in the Bay Area 2014

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We were in California in January and all the stores were on sale!!  In some stores, it was the entire store on sale!!  

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LOVE! Mac store in Stanford Mall
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Spotted near the Apple store – GP Rufino!!  I did not recognise him at first when he called my name!!!  So happy to see you GP!!!  Looking forward to our next visit! 
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OMG!  SUPER TARGET!
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Unique Pringles flavors
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James would like this 🙂
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WOW! 🙂
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Cupertino. Home of the mothership!  
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Pink bubble wrap in Staples 🙂
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Teuscher store in Stanford Mall! Love the valentine decor
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I can’t believe it!  A Doll Hair salon in American Girl store!
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Interesting!
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Everytime I go, there is always a new flavour! I love Lindt Truffles
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Cake mixes 🙂
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Silver House

By | Foodie, Travel | No Comments

We discovered a Chinese restaurant from Tito Ato, Tita Ate and Clarissa!  We love it!!!!  

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We let Tito Ato do the ordering since this is one of his favourite places
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Deep Fried Flounder! YUM!
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Fresh lobster
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