Just Like in "Ratatouille"

Have you gone lately to St. Francis Square in Ortigas? Most likely you have seen the Manila Scramble near the entrance. "Scramble?" you might ask. Yes! That pink glob with crushed ice that we enjoyed when we were kids (yes "we" -- you and me)! I know it's street food, but it was one of the best street food back then.

When I first saw the stand the other day, I couldn't believe that it was THE SCRAMBLE with the oh so familiar pink color. My friend R bought one for himself but I was so full already (this was after lunch). I told myself I'll comeback to try it one of these days.

When my sister and I went to SFS this afternoon, we tried it and all I could say was, "The taste brought back so much memory" with a big grin, of course. Sayang, I wasn't able to take pictures.

By the way, you can also choose a topping or 2 (or even 3) to go with your scramble. We ordered the regular (no topping), too bad, it did not come with the red sago (tapioca!). That would have completed my raving.

You should go and try it yourself...and you know what, they also gave a small spoon, but I remember "drinking" it with no spoon. HA! Now I remember, it's the original BRAIN FREEZE!

Batangas Weekend

J invited us for a relaxing weekend in her hometown in Batangas. Unfortunately, only the 2 of us (P and I) were available. K was needed by her household (and husband), M was going to be busy preparing for her son's birthday party that same weekend, G was going to watch Cats, and R wanted to just rest over the weekend. So it was just the 3 of us. They'll just see our pictures in FB. Ha!

We left Manila around 5:30am to avoid the weekend traffic and to catch the early morning chill of Tagaytay.

Our first stop was breakfast in Tagaytay. After an hour and a half of driving from Manila, we finally arrived in the second summer capital of the Philippines (also called the Philippine's Best Kept Secret). The road was covered in fog and it was very cold! Brrrr!


We had breakfast at Pancake House. We had pancake (what else!) and shared a large plate of pasta. Yummy! After breakfast, we moved next door to Starbucks. It was still foggy and it rained a bit. After some time, it cleared up, still a bit foggy but clear enough to take pictures of Taal Volcano. Did you know that its a volcano within a lake?

J pointed to us Mt. Makulot, which is the mountain behind Taal Volcano. Now we know.

Next stop was Sonya's Garden but before leaving, I bought 2 scarves at the souvenir stand near the parking area. One red for my sister and another one for myself :)

At Sonya's Garden, before buying goodies from their Panaderia, we went around the garden and took pictures. It's a good thing they now have the Bed and Breakfast. Oh yeah, we bought spanish bread, pan de coco (E said it should be Pan de Pandan because of the green color of the "coco"), and hopia. I also bought their bottled Tilapia in Olive Oil (Rose said it's good).

Around 11am, we left Tagaytay and drove to historic Taal. Aside from being known for Taal Volcano, it is also home to famous people in Philippine history. We first went to the Agoncillo House, the ancestral home of Dona Marcela Marino de Agoncillo, the principal seamstress of the first and official flag of the Philippines, gaining her the title of Mother of the Philippine Flag. It was sewn in Hong Kong and the same flag that General Emilo Aguinaldo waved in Cavite in 1898 during the independence of the Philippines. The old house is big, spacious, and well kept. The first floor had been converted to a museum, with the basement used as a location for exhibits and storage of more old stuff.



Next stop was the Don Leon Apacible Museum. Don Leon Apacible was a lawyer and judge. He was appointed finance office of Batangas and delegate to the Malolos Congreess. This ancestral home of Don Leon Apacible was converted to a museum with the first floor showing old pictures during the American period and family treasures on the second floor.

Next stop was the Basilica of St. Martin or more popularly known as the Basilica de San Martin de Tours, the biggest Catholic Basilica Church in the Far East. I've heard of the name of the church before but its the first time I visited the church. Within the vicinity of the church is the Taal Park.

By 1:00pm, we arrived in J's family's Pamintahan ni Ka Andoy in Alitagtag, Batangas, better known as the Pepperidge Farm, for lunch.

After a long siesta at the Pepperidge, we went to Valentino Resort and Spa, a 20+ minute drive to the neighboring town of San Jose, for a much needed massage. After all that walking and talking the whole day, we needed that massage.

The next day, we were back in Valentino Resort and Spa to bask in the sun and, oh yeah, to swim ;)

After swimming, we left San Jose around 1:30pm to look for Batangas' version of Lomi. We found a small carinderia along the long highway going back to Alitagtag. J ordered inihaw na baboy and rice that came with free soup and after P and I were already busog, the lomi came, served in a medium-sized bowl but was filled to the rim. Shamefully, we didn't finish the delicious lomi (the lomi itself was a full meal already) --- there's always a next time ;)

After that stomach filling lunch, we went back to Alitagtag for siesta.

At around 4:30pm, we had to bid the Pepperidge goodbye. J stayed behind to be with her family and will just come to the office the next day. On our way to Manila, we stopped by Tagaytay to have dinner at Cafe Breton. I had Deja Vu and P had La Pinay and coffee.

To cap off our relaxing weekend, we stayed a few minutes more to soak up Tagaytay and Taal Volcano.

At 8:30pm-ish, we were back in Manila! Back to reality! Back to the GRIND!