Ben's Kitchen.

November 23, 2013

Saturday

Me and my sister decided to see our much awaited movie of 2013 - Catching Fire at Harbor Point Subic. The movie is really really awesome! I'll definitely going to watch it again. 

Anyway, when we went out of the movie house, we looked for somewhere to eat our early dinner. She remembered Ben's Kitchen where in the family dined in sometime this year. Since I haven't tried it yet, I said why not try it now?

I like the interior of the place, I feel like I'm in a doll house. The kitchen feeling is really there.

Time to satisfy our stomachs! We checked the menu and there are really plenty of choices. I don't know what to try first. So we come up with nachos - my all time favorite, their bacon cheeseburger, some chicken and frappe's for the drink. While waiting for the order and enjoying the ambiance, they'll serve one bowl of plain popcorn. Me and my sister (Hae) can't stop talking about how perfect the book adaptation of Catching Fire was. And finally, food's server. Time to eat! 

                                                                           Nachos

                                             Bacon cheese burger - it is really huge! We didn't expected it this big for a single served burger.

                                                                                                       The chicken

Frappes

We enjoyed the place really, talking about our favorite movie with some really good food. So when you got a chance to visit Harbor Point in Subic, try Ben's Kitchen.

                                                               my instagram (@iamkencastillo) post for this Saturdate with my sister.

 For today's outfit of the day (OOTD), a v-neck plaid top, my favorite mustache watch, a vintage belt - Mom's, brown pants plus boots!

Thank you!

All pictures in this blog post is under my ownership. Copyright on board.

The Beanery.

October 26-27, 2013

I'm really into coffee shops, because of it's relaxing feeling and I love breathing into the aroma of coffee. So when I heard that The Beanery opened their new branch in Orani, Bataan, I got excited 'cause finally there's a coffee shop nearby in our provincial home.

This is another shotgun moment for me, and guess what? I'm in The Beanery for two consecutive nights - the first time is with Ate Pet and the other night is with my highschool best buddies. 

On my first visit, we arrived at around 6:30 PM at The Beanery, the place is not really loaded that time. The first time I heard of it was way back in highschool and just recently was the time for to try this one out. We landed ourselves in the couch and took turns to order, it was another new for me so I asked for their best seller - frappe which is Java Freeze, it is like the coffee jelly of Starbucks but the sinkers are not really coffee cubes. I also ordered Cordon Bleu as recommended by Ate Pet and of course my favorite food in the world - Nachos! 

We talked about personal stuffs and of course dreamed of traveling together domestically next year.

They offer a lot in there, like some finger foods, main courses and of course the usual food served in coffee shops - desserts such as cakes, muffins and various kind of beverages - frappes, coffee, juices and many more.

                                                        Photo courtesy of Danna. L-R: me, Jaz, Danna, Renz

On my second visit, I tried their lemonade and I love it 'cause it is really refreshing - tastes fresh. We ordered nachos (again), cheesecakes and we enjoyed some really good conversations; laughing at the memories back on our younger years. 

I can say the place is a good one and it is somewhere I can stay in even when I am alone. If I want to relax, I'll definitely going to go back here. 

We left the place pretty late and decided to extend our night at Jaz' house. Fine, we drink and we got drank and passed out - end of the night. It feels great waking up with these guys again, had breakfast with them and chill for a while after a long time.

                                                                             Photo courtesy of Danna. L-R: Renz, Jaz, Danna, me

Thank you!

Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe.

October 26, 2013

After a stressful office day, catching up with friend/s felt really good especially when you missed and haven't seen each other for a couple of months. Yet, this is another shotgun coffee/dinner/bonding with friends. As suggested by Sherene (college friend/co-officer/classmate), we are trying Mom and Tina’s in Makati that night since she's really curious that the place is always loaded with people everytime she pass by. Meg Sherene went there first since I went for a quick workout before heading to the Cafe.

 Photo courtesy of Sherene, L-R: Me, Meg, and Sherene

Arriving to the place, I looked for my dates for the night and I spotted them outside already enjoying their food and good talk. Sherene had a Rum Butter Cupcake and Caffe Mocha as you can see on the picture above. The place looks good and sophisticated while Meg had lasagna (which unfortunately I wasn't able to took a picture) if my memory served me right. 

Since I am already starving, I already ordered. Since this is my first time I scanned the menu for a couple of minutes and finally chosen Chicken Relleno for dinner (I dunno if this is a recommended meal for post workout). While waiting for my order, we talked and asked how's life goin'. 

                                                                                    L-R: Me, Treng, Meg and Sherene

The Chicken Relleno is served with coleslaw, a choice of java rice (as recommended) or steamed rice and goes with an oil (dunno what it's called). While having my dinner and catching up conversations, I unexpectedly saw Treng (my forever seatmate in college) and Cheng  (Treng's boyfriend) maybe from the mall and on their way home. Literally, I ran and shout for them to notice me. Since we (me and Treng) missed each other, she couldn't help but hugged me and her usual squeak echoed in the place. They joined us for a while in our table and of course took a picture of this unexpected happening.

The food was okay for me - maybe I'm just expecting for more but I'm looking forward to trying other main course, dessert or maybe pasta from them some other time. The food is a little on its peak yet it was a place worth visiting and trying.

You can click here for their official website >>> Mom and Tina's Bakery Cafe 

Thank you! 

Cafe Breton.

October 21, 2013

A shotgun bonding with the best girlfriends in the world - Meg and Jhulz. We love doing this, shotgunning each other that made me believe that unplanned nightouts/dinner/coffee or whatever it is are always the best and ones which push through, do you agree? can you relate?

We are really fans of coffee shops and we love trying and exploring different things together. This time, it is Cafe Breton in Greenbelt 3, Makati City. 

Cafe Breton is known for their French crepes and fine coffee. So for the crepe fans out there, this is the place for you.

L-R: Jhulz, Meg and me

The place is nice and cozy, perfect for some deep conversations between friends, families and couples. The dim effect of the place made the environment to be somehow romantic.

 We tried the "fireball" - flaming crepe due to the rum added to it. I found it entertaining while the French dressed waiter lit the crepe and watched it until the flame was fully out. The white forest (frappe) is really nice and just mixed perfectly while my girls cappuccino is a bit strong so they needed some sugar (syrup) added to it to avoid them being up all night.

I can say the price of their dishes, frappes and crepes are just right considering the compositions of each crepe.

Thank you.

Caffe Ti-Amo.

October 15, 2013

Since it is a holiday, me and some of my office mates decided to relax and chill for a while after office hours and we landed ourselves in Caffe Ti-Amo located in Greenbelt 5, Makati City.

Caffe Ti-Amo offers Italian gelatos, caffelato frappes, waffle gelatos, sandwiches, coffees and teas. I can say that they serve a really affordable and good deal to satisfy your cravings for ice creams/gelatos with a wide varieties to choose from. The place is really simple yet the ambiance is perfect for chilling out after a stressful work day.

 

photo collage courtesy of Roselle. L-R: Roselle, Aprille, Erika and me.

 Mocha Frappe and Gelatos

Waffle gelatos, egg sandwich, tiramisu caffelato frappe

you can visit their facebook fan page here >>> Caffe Ti-Amo

also you can follow them in twitter @CaffeTiAmoPh

Thank you!

Exploring Pampanga.

October 19, 2013, Saturday

As we all know Kapampangan's are really popular with their great tasting cuisines and one of it is "Sisig". For today's post, I'll be featuring two (2) of the famous sisig houses in Angeles, Pampanga.

We supposed to leave home by 9:00 in the morning but since there's a little delay, I took my "selfie" shot and some random things in my aunt's/grandma's house.

 

  Me, Canvass pictures of my grandma, aunt (Tita B) and cousin Achee, Baby pictures, a view from my cousin's room window

Going forward, we started our search for the famous sisig. On our way, we passed by Bacolor, Pampanga - the sunken church (caused by lahar) caught my eye and my aunt asked me if I want to see the church, without any hesitation I answered her a big yes with excitement. She immediately maneuvered the car to our 'not in the plan destination' - the San Guillermo Church. This church is also featured/the setting of the hit tv show "May Bukas Pa" which more popularly known for its main child character named "Santino".

San Guillermo Church facade

Inside:

                                                                         The Blessed Sacrament's room

In one of the rooms in the church, you can pray at the Blessed Sacrament yet you have to stoop your head to the entrance since the church is half buried. Also, you should remove your foot wear before entering the room as a sign of respect to the Blessed Sacrament.

 In the other room, you can see some of the pictures of the activities/festivities they are celebrating at their parish, relics of the Santo Entierro, Nazareno and a beautiful picture of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane.

 The hallway of the museum to the church with the church's timeline and relics

 The church bells' room

 Inside the San Guillermo Church

 The souvenir shop just outside the museum and church

Outside the church

Hae (my sister) and me

A jumpshot for an awesome place

I never expected to stop over this lahar sunken church today but it is an amazing place worth visiting. It is full of stories to tell and culture to share.

Going back to the sisig hunt, we hit the road again for our today's agenda. Turning to the mega dike, we even stopped just to take this photo of mine. As per Tita B, they built the mega dike to prevent the lahar from reaching the other towns of Pampanga. Bacolor has been the sacrificial town for the lahar.

Mega dike - Pampanga

After several minutes of drive, we've finally reached the Mila's Store in Angeles, Pampanga where we took our lunch for the day.

Mila's Store

The place is really simple, but my concern is more on the food. We (me, sister, and Tita B) have sisig, tokwa't baboy (served with soy sauce and onions) - their specialty, chicharong bulaklak (served with a really good tasting vinegar) and rice. All good for sharing for reasonable price. The food is delicious and we are satisfied with the tastes of everything we ordered. Upon exiting the "carinderia" type store, we are really full.

Me outside Mila's store tokwa't baboy

We hopped our full stomachs inside the car once again to hit Aling Lucing's Sisig "The Original Sisig Queen".

Aling Lucing "The Original Sisig Queen"

As how Tita B described, Aling Lucing's sisig place is another "carinderia" type place and on the road side.  Since we just ate and really really full from Mila's, we just bought an order of the famous sisig queen's sisig. On the walls of the store are the pictures of Aling Lucing as well as the showbiz people who visited her sisig land.

After the quest, it's time for going to the malls. We went to the Marquee mall then to SM Pampanga to meet some relatives.

(L-R) Hae, Jethro, Dete Eyang, Dete Riva, Renz, Tita B and me - Having Krispy Kreme's Kroissants at Red Ribbon

*Outfit of the day (ootd) = Hipster look - Cray tank top, Uniqlo twill shorts, Chuck Taylor's converse shoes, m UST alumni Dominican cross, Forever 21 fashion ring, and a hipster eyeglasses.

***photos in this post are all under my ownership.

Thank you.