Tradisyon Restaurant: Pinoy Comfort Food at Azalea Baguio

You know a Filipino restaurant is good when their food reminds you of your mom’s cooking and you feel right at home. There are but a few restaurants in the country that were able to make us feel that way, and we never really thought we would find one tucked inside Azalea Baguio Tradisyon Restaurant.

Tradisyon Pinoy Comfort Food Restaurant

If you’re looking for good eats in Baguio, you don’t really have to go far, really. One elevator ride from your hotel room in Azalea Baguio is Tradisyon Pinoy Comfort Food Restaurant, where they offer their guests a good mix of all-time Filipino favorites, local Baguio fare, and a few international dishes.

Tradisyon delivers a homey feel with colors and textures similar to that of a bahay kubo. The plush chairs, bright yellow lighting, and intricate wall decor all contribute to that appeal. The restaurant has a seating capacity of 70 persons, which can easily handle the influx of diners during their operating hours.

Breakfast Buffet at Tradisyon Restaurant

Guests staying at Azalea Baguio can fuel up and jump-start their day at the hotel’s daily breakfast buffet that starts from 06:00 to 10:30 in the morning.

They have all kinds of breakfast food you can think of – from breads and pastries to fresh salads or from piping hot arroz caldo to delicious Pinoy delicacies.

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Highway Ribbery Grille: Haven of Criminally Delicious Comfort Food

After a long and exhausting day at work, most people combat stress by stuffing their mouths full of delicious and filling food. We are guilty as charged! My sister and I are big stress eaters, and itâ€™sÂ a crime weâ€™re more than happy to repeatedly commit at restaurants that serve straightforward comfort food like Highway Ribbery Grille in Quezon Cityâ€”the latest brainchild of Chef NiÃ±o Runas, who is the same chef behind El Cangrejo in Tomas Morato.

Highway Ribbery Grille

Highway Ribbery Grille first opened its doors May of 2015 and has become one of the newest and hippest hangout place to hit La Loma, Quezon City. Its industrial-themed interior design, together with the wooden tables and chairs, delivered a rustic yet modern appeal. The restaurant is not air-conditioned, but donâ€™t worry; they have enough cooling fans to keep the area at a tolerable and comfortable temperature. They also have more tables on the second floor, including a rentable function room that can accommodate up to 35 people.

For our refreshments, my Nanay and I ordered two glasses of their House Blend Iced Tea (PHP 125), which arrived ice-cold and had this super refreshing citrusy flavor. Mhel, on the other hand, asked for a bottle of the Belgian craft beer, Brew Kettle (PHP 55), that turned out to be incredibly light and tasty. Highway Ribbery Grille has a limited line-up of alcoholic beverages, since they want the restaurant to become more of a dining joint than an inuman spot. Aside from Brew Kettle, the other beer they offer is San Miguel Light for PHP 50 a bottle.

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Contadina Easy Spaghetti with Meatballs Recipe

In culinary school, we were taught that great food begins and ends with the ingredients. The dishes that you prepare will only be as good as the quality of the ingredients you put in them. Using fresh meat and produce is ideal in cooking excellent meals, but most of us simply do not have the time to do supermarket runs daily and cook from scratch. Thankfully, there are high-quality food products out there made with premium ingredients which can cut cooking time in half but do not jeopardize flavor and nutritional value. One prime example of that is Contadina.

Contadina came from the same makers of Del Monte, one of the most trusted brands for high-quality culinary products. Contadina is an Italian word which means â€œwoman of the fields.â€ It symbolizes the care and compassion that these women pour into making flavorful and authentic dishes. They adopt the Mediterranean philosophy of cooking meals with passion by using only the finest and freshest ingredients which are harvested from the worldâ€™s most abundant regions.

The new Contadina product line consists of basic Mediterranean cuisine essentials:

Olive Oil

Sourced from Andalucia, Spain, Contadinaâ€™s Olive Oils are extracted from freshly-pressed Hojiblanca olives, hand-picked from 100-year old trees cultivated under the Mediterranean sun.

Pasta

Their beautiful pastas are made from premium-grade 100% Durum Wheat Semolina, straight from the Western Prairie provinces of Canada. Firm and bouncy, each piece is a delectable bite worth savoring for a truly authentic Mediterranean pasta experience.

Pasta Sauces

Made in Italy, Contadinaâ€™s pasta sauces use fresh tomatoes, herbs, and authentic cheeses. Each pasta sauce is thoughtfully prepared, following a traditional recipe to reward you with authentic flavors that are undeniably Italian.

Tomatoes

Grown in California, their Roma Tomatoes are made with love and an abundant supply of sun and nutrient-rich soil resulting in firm cuts that aren’t lost after cooking and a delectable, fresh tomato flavor that enriches your recipes.

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Taal Vista Hotel Tagaytay: A Relaxing Escape from Manila’s Summer Heat

Aircon on full-blast and electric fans on their maximum speed, yet here we are still soaking wet in a pool of our own sweat. It is days like this that a quick getaway to some place colder like Tagaytay is more than a welcome respite from the scorching heat in Manila. And that is exactly what we did last March when we packed our bags and fled to spend a weekend at one of the oldest and quintessential hotels in Tagaytay City, Taal Vista Hotel.

Taal Vista Hotel, Tagaytay City

From the year it was established in 1939, Taal Vista Hotel has been recognized for having the best vantage point to enjoy a mesmerizing view of the Taal Volcanoâ€”famous for being the worldâ€™s smallest active volcano within a lake, which is within a volcano in the middle of a larger lake. Itâ€™s truly a breathtaking sight that has never failed to amaze foreign and local tourists alike.

The English Tudor Mansion-style hotel perfectly marries timeless architecture and design with modern amenities. The spectacular view of the Taal Lake and the crisp, cool climate of Tagaytay just add to the magical appeal of Taal Vista Hotel, making it the top choice for a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of Manila.

Rooms at Taal Vista Hotel

The rooms of Taal Vista Hotel are divided into two areas â€“ the Lake View and the Mountain View wings. The Lake View Wing, the older between the two buildings, boasts of rooms with a gorgeous view of the Taal Lake. Â The Mountain View Wing may not have a view of the lake from its windows, but it makes up for being located closest to the hotelâ€™s amenities like the outdoor swimming pool, gym, playroom, spa, game room, the view deck, and itâ€™s only a short walk away from Taza Fresh Table Restaurant.

We stayed at the Deluxe Queen room in their Lake View Wing. Our room had one single bed and one queen-size bed with clean linens and plush pillows.

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Claude’s Le Cafe de Ville for USPB Potato Safari 3

Last December 2015, I was invited by the US Potato Board (USPB) to join theirÂ Potato Safari 3 in Davao City. After a briefÂ introduction to frozen US Potatoes, we were thenÂ into vans,Â traveled back in time, and landed at the front gate ofÂ Claude’s Le Cafe de Ville Restaurant.

Claudeâ€™s Le CafÃ© de Ville has become a household name in Davao City andÂ DavaoeÃ±os recognize it asÂ theÂ quintessential fine-dining restaurant in the city. A colonial house transformedÂ into a dining spot, its atmosphere evokes a laid back and relaxing feel. It is known for its unparalleled French and Mediterranean cuisine and excellent service.

Chef Claude Le Neindre

After looking around this Instagram-worthy locale, we were introduced to owner and chef, Claude Le Neindre, from Loire Valley in France. HeÂ started his culinary careerÂ at the Hotel de Lâ€™Univers and the Lâ€™Etoile dâ€™Potel in Paris. He soon went on to work with five-star chains such as the Hilton, the Inter-Continental, and the Sofitel and Novotel of the Accor Group. After a short three-year stint managing a 16th century property called Hotel Du Dauphn in Lâ€™Aigle, Normandy, Claude sold his shares and decided to settle down in Davao City with his wife. He worked for two years as the resident manager of Pearl Farm Resort before he started building his namesake restaurant in November 1995. The restaurant officially opened on the 1st of May 1996.

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Chicken Curry with Carnation Evap : A Creamy New Tradition

Since I moved out of our home in Malabon and started living alone, I always look forward to the days when I pack up my things and go back home to spend long weekends or the holidays with my nanay and bro. It’s not only because I miss spending time with them, but also because I long for my nanay’s cooking. In the past year, I actually found a way to satisfy my craving for her cooking â€” recreating her dishes in my own little kitchen. One of my all-time favorites is her Chicken Curry, which is one of the dishes she usually serves for Noche Buena.

My nanay uses fresh coconut milk to prepare her Chicken Curry. When I tried cooking this dish (with Ken’s help), I found out that Carnation Evap actually works well too! It gives my version of nanay’s Chicken Curry a rich yet unique taste and flavor, and I also noticed that Carnation Evap made the dish even creamier. I’m sharing the recipe below for you to try it yourself and taste the difference. My nanay already had a taste of this dish (she let me cook it this year for Noche Buena!), and she gave me a thumbs up. 🙂

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Noche Buena Ideas with Alaska Crema from the Merry Cremas Festival 2015

When December comes and we all start feeling the cool breeze, I can’t help but get all giddy with excitement for Christmas. Ken and I always look forward to Noche Buena because that’s when our nanay prepares extra special dishes for the whole family to enjoy. In the past few years, nanay and Ken have made it a habit to prepare something new every Noche Buena. This is why we always look forward to the annual Alaska Merry Cremas Festival where we get to see what new dishes we can add to our Christmas feast.

This year’s Merry Cremas Festival was held at the Trinoma Activity Center. As expected, there was quite a delicious lineup of sweet and savory dishes made using Alaska Crema All-Purpose Cream. We weren’t able to taste everything, but it’s fun to see how creative you can be and how one ingredient – Alaska Crema – can be incorporated in a variety of dishes to give them that extra creamy goodness. Let’s start off with our top favorites from the 2015 Alaska Merry Cremas Festival.

KISS’ Mille Crepe Cakes

During our first round of food sampling, KISS wasn’t open yet. Good thing we came back because we would’ve missed their creamy tower of mille crepe cakes. From the endless stream of people crowding their booth, I can say that their cakes were on the top of the best-sellers at the Merry Cremas Festival. We bought a slice of their Salted Caramel Cake. They used Alaska Crema in their buttercream, so it was oh-so velvety! Since I don’t have an oven now in my condo, this is one dessert I can’t wait to recreate! 🙂

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Make Someone’s Christmas Delicious with Mondelez

It’s a few weeks before Christmas, and I haven’t done any gift shopping yet. Thankfully, I share many interests with the people I’m buying gifts for, particularly, my love for chocolate. If you’re in the same situation as I am, you’d be delighted to know that Mondelez Philippines has a lineup of goodies that you can give away as instant gifts this Christmas.

I love receiving and giving personalized gifts, and in the past years, I can no longer count with my 2 hands the number of times I’ve received and given personalized Toblerone bars as gifts for birthdays and the holidays. It’s cute, personal, and, not to mention delicious too. I especially love the Crunchy Almonds variant. 🙂

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Dencioâ€™s Bar and Grill: Chillax Inuman Spot For The Barkada

Thereâ€™s no better way to blow off some steam after a hard dayâ€™s work than chillaxing with your barkada over good food and strong booze. That is exactly what we did when Dencioâ€™s Bar and Grill invited me and my friends to visit their Eastwood branch to try their bestsellers and latest food and beverage offerings!

Dencioâ€™s at Eastwood Citywalk has a simple yet inviting faÃ§ade that attracts big groups of friends or officemates, who are out for a few rounds of drinks. But that doesnâ€™t mean you canâ€™t drop by just to have lunch or dinner because, after all, do they have a sumptuous line of dishes and drinks that greatly appeal to the Filipino appetite.

The interior is very straightforward with its harmonious combination of wooden furniture with natural design pieces, giving it a comfortable and very Pinoy atmosphere. The al fresco dining area is ideal for groups with smokers. For non-smokers like me, they have two spacious air-conditioned rooms on the second floor, which can also be booked for private events.

Dencio’s Bar and Grill

Now onto our drinks! We were quite parched when we arrived at Dencioâ€™s, so we ordered four of their bestselling fruit shakes (PHP 85 each). One sip and we knew that they use only the freshest fruits and ingredients in whipping up these refreshing beverages.

Canâ€™t decide between ordering nachos or pork sisig? Donâ€™t fret; you can now enjoy both with Dencioâ€™s Macho Nachos (PHP 175). At first, we had no idea why it was named as such, until we took our first bite and realized that the dollop of meat on top of the nacho chips was actually made with sisig.

The next dish that landed on our table was the Pancit Dencioâ€™s (Platter PHP 205 | Bilao PHP 449). Itâ€™s a plate of canton noodles with fresh vegetables, pork, and seafood, all tossed in a thick and super flavorful sauce that I seriously wanted to eat it with a cup of rice. Haha!

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Master Garden: Authentic Filipino Food in Malabon City

In the 8 years that weâ€™ve been living here inÂ Malabon City, we witnessed it transform into one of the hottest foodie spots in Metro Manila. What this city lacked, however, was a casual dining restaurant that we can proudly call an original Malabon food concept, until Mr. Ernesto Chan, the genius behind the Master Siomai dynasty, has decided to establish Master Garden Filipino Specialty Restaurant, with the ultimate goal of putting our humble city on the Philippine culinary map.

Last week, we were invited by the Master Garden team to visit their restaurant and try their sumptuous dishes. Of course, I said yes! We only live 15 minutes away, so I would be crazy to turn down that offer!

Their spacious dining area blends natural furniture and design pieces with modern architecture, creating an inviting and cozy place to enjoy authentic Filipino food. The similar design concept can be observed at Master Gardenâ€™s second branch, which has recently opened last October 9th in Tomas Morato.

We began our lunch with a plate of their PinakbetÂ (Php 175) with a generous mix of vegetables sautÃ©ed in their homemade bagoong and crispy pieces of lechon kawali, making it the perfect dish to jumpstart anyoneâ€™s appetite.

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