Bisita Iglesia 2014

This year's Bisita Iglesia was on April 18. It was just my parents, +maria cessna galecio and myself. We left Thirdy at Antipolo with Chea's side of the family after his birthday party.

We were still a bit tired from the previous day's activities, so we woke up later than usual for the Bisita Iglesia. We're usually out of the house by 7am, but this year we already started at around 9am. So to make up for lost time, we decided to just visit 7 churches, and do 2 stations per church.

As usual, we started out with our own church, Parokya ng Pagkabuhay Parish. It was a quick 2 stations, both done for less than 10 minutes.

That's my mom and my dad.

Next stop was the Our Lady of Annunciation Parish along Mindanao Avenue, near my grade school alma mater, St. James College of Q.C. The stations were at the basement of the church. The first four were along the columbarium. After praying at stations 3 and 4, we also stopped by the candles for praying for special intentions. There were about 5 colors of candles, each for a specific intention. Chea and I took the blue one for health, the white one for the souls of our dearly departed, and green (I think) for career.

Stations 3 and 4.

I also bought a wooden rosary bracelet, as my last one was broken months ago.

After that, I said that we should go to the big churches with large parking areas and skip the smaller ones. We already had finished 2 of the 7 churches we needed to visit, and the last one was to be at the Garden of the Divine Word Columbary, so we just needed 4 more.

This is a very big church area. Nice to visit.

The next church was the Our Lady of the Consolation Parish. It's at Mira Nila village, along Luzon / Congressional Avenue which is now part of the C5 road. The road has been open for the last 2 years. Before that, the way to go there was to drive along Tandang Sora Avenue, go into Tierra Pura village, and then on to Mira Nila. I always looked forward to going to this church yearly, as it allowed us to enter these exclusive subdivisions.

As usual, the church grounds were nearly fully with cars and people. By the time we arrived, they were getting ready for the Senakulo. We left after finishing stations 5 and 6.

Always the mid point of our Bisita Iglesia almost every year.

Our next destination was the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice at U.P. Diliman. I always looked forward to going there, since there were street food hawkers nearby. We always have a little merienda here every year. So we make sure that this is the midpoint of our Bisita Iglesia. After praying at stations 7 and 8, we then went to the vendors.

Food!

I bought squid balls and karyoka (fried sticky rice balls). My parents bought a plateful of fishballs. We spent about 20 minutes there before leaving.

This was air conditioned, a year after we got married.

Chea wanted to visit the church where we got married, St. Ignatius Cathedral, in Camp Aguinaldo so we drove there. There were only one other car parked, and inside, there were only a few people praying. Most people probably don't know there's a church inside Camp Aguinaldo they can visit. We finished stations 9 and 10, and headed out.

It's a church, and there's a school inside as well

For stations 11 and 12, I was thinking of either Mount Carmel or Our Lady of Victories Church. But then, Mount Carmel is the church for most catholics living in New Manila. And since most of them are well off, parking is usually full. So we opted to go to Our Lady of Victories Church.

Inside.

It's a small church and it's inconspicuous because you will most likely find it's main entrance, a tall but narrow wooden gate, closed most of the time. What sets it apart is that it still holds its masses in latin. And they're also strict in regards to what you wear when you go inside the church.

There's no parking area as well, so we had to park along the street beside it.

Peaceful this year. 

After that, we finished stations 13 and 14 at the Divine Word columbary where my brother is interred. We spent a few minutes with my brother first, before heading out to have lunch. We drove around a while, looking for an establishment open on Good Friday. Unfortunately, the ones that we wanted to try out were closed.

So many to choose from, unfortunately, nothing I wanted to eat that time.

We eventually ended up eating at North Park Noodles.

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Makisushi Japanese Restaurant

April 16, 2014, Chea and I took a leave from work so we could prepare for Thirdy's 2nd birthday the next day. We were having a swim party at Nature's Land Camp Resort since Thirdy just loves the water.

First on our stop was Landmark at Trinoma. We were picking up a portable air pump we bought a few months ago. We had it returned and had to claim warranty since it broke the first time we were to use it. We would need it to inflate some of the bouncy play pens and inflatable animals for Thirdy's party.

After that, we were heading to Hi Top to buy some supplies for the whole day affair. We usually take the EDSA southbound lane and take a right into Panay Avenue, just right after McDonald's Quezon Avenue.

Everytime we passed there, I always saw this small japanese restaurant directly fronting McDonald's. It's really small, and it only has space for two cars to park out front. I was always intrigued by the place, as it had posters plastered out front of their meals starting out at 99 pesos. But whenever we did pass by, we had eaten already, or we were in a rush to hit the grocery on the way to somewhere else. So we never, ever had the chance to try it out.

But since it's around lunch already, we decided to check it out, right after we buy some groceries at Hi-Top.

So after that, we went back around, and parked in front of Makisushi Japanese Restaurant.

Behind that poster with the pictures is the cashier

We got inside, and found that it was really small. There were about 6 or 7 tables.The place could probably fit 20 or so people. There were already a couple of patrons there. It looks like they were regulars since they knew the staff. The place had airconditioning, and they had an LED tv that played locally stored media. The other patrons decided to watch The Croods while waiting for their friends.

The place was quaint. I think if you want a simple, no frills japanese dining experience, this place will actually do.

Front of the menu. There's a lot more on the back.

As for the menu, it's quite big actually. They had set meals at 99 pesos each, but they also had sushi, sashimi, maki, tempura, noodles and all other sorts of dishes I'm not really familiar with. Most of the prices ranged from 80 to 140 pesos, except for the noodles and the rice meals that cost as much as 300 pesos, depending on the size of the servings.

Two plates of rice.

I barely know anything about japanese dishes, so I was a bit lost on what I should order. Fortunately, they had set meals. We opted for the 299 peso meal which was good for about 2 persons. It had misono/teppanyaki and tempura along with 2 bowls of rice and 2 iced teas. We ordered the beef misono.

Iced tea.

The order took just a few minutes. We were served the iced teas first, and then came along the beef misono and the tempura. Looking at it, it reminds you of the Sumo Meals at Tokyo Tokyo which is cheaper at 285 pesos.

This is actually a big plate.

Makisushi had more vegetables though, so if you're into that, you'll like it here. The beef is more salty, and is practically swimming in sauce. Otherwise, it's almost the exact same thing as Tokyo Tokyo except Tokyo Tokyo's meal had unlimited rice for the misono meal before. I'm not sure if it's still the same nowadays. The prawn tempura is what you'd expect as well.

Prawn tempura.

I think what you'll appreciate more about the place is that it's secluded, especially if you're like me who's tired of the malls. So if you don't like the large crowds at the malls, and if you'd want some japanese food, this is one place that you could try.

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Selling disappointments

Last April 5, 2014, there were a couple of sales that we wanted to check out. Chea wanted to see the Sogo Home and Office furniture sale, while I wanted to check out the Abenson's open box sale, both happening on April 4-6, 2014.

Chea had a check-up during the morning, so we went to the sales during the afternoon. We brought Tita Fe and Thirdy along with us.

SOGO Furniture's ad you can see online.

After visiting the columbarium, we headed to Mandaluyong City. Since we didn't know exactly where the warehouse was, we again turned to Google Maps to find where Williams Street in Pioneer was. Turns out it was behind Unilab.

We parked and left Tita Fe and Thirdy inside the car as the kid fell asleep during the drive here.

The hallway directly from the main entrance

Upon entering, you'd probably get euphoric with the large assortment of items on display. But as soon as you start checking the prices, you'd get disappointed just as quickly.

The very dirty children's chairs you see in the above picture in the lower right cost 700 pesos. Amazing isn't it? You'd probably get that in divisoria for around 200 pesos or less.

Our main reason for coming here was to check out their sofas. And to tell you the truth, it was such a wasted effort. I couldn't believe the prices on everything that was on display. Chea and I even started thinking that everything was marked up, and then given a supposed 'big discount'.

There were sofas that were 'originally' sold for 45,000 pesos and above, but were given a huge discount to have a final price of something less than 20,000 pesos. But if you take a close look at them, you'd be surprised why such simple, plain looking sofas cost upwards of 40,000 pesos in the first place.

You'd feel incredulous at some of the more cheaper ones, that were being sold at a discounted price of between 8,000 to 12,000 pesos. I found their original prices quite incredible.

Pork here. Lol.

So after less than 15 minutes, we high tailed it out of there. Since it was past 3pm, and Chea didn't have her lunch yet, we looked around Kapitolyo for a place to eat. We ended up at Gostoso, a restaurant specializing in portuguese roasted dishes. I'll write about it in a separate entry.

After that, we headed to Abenson's Greenhills, since that was the SMS I got from BPI. Checking on Google Maps, it's along Missouri Street.

We were greeted by a fully packed parking lot. There were a lot of people inside, and most, if not all of the items on display were on discount. But again, I was disappointed. The SMS ad said it was an open box sale. It made me think that they were selling their demo units, or the ones with ruined packages. Because if they were, I found the prices unattractive.

I was hoping to get my hands on a 32" LCD or LED TV. Those cost about 10,000 to 15,000 pesos nowadays, depending on the brand. So a 12,000 peso 32" tv with around 30% discount (hey, they said open box right?), would come to about 8,400 pesos. Unfortunately, none of the 32" TVs were being sold even less than 11,000 pesos. So again, I was disappointed.

There was a 42" plasma tv being sold at around 18,000 pesos. But I'm not into plasma TVs, so that didn't tempt me one bit. There was a 50" LED TV being sold for a few pesos shy of 30,000 pesos, but again, I just wanted something inexpensive to watch movies and play games on, while Thirdy watches on our existing TV.

So with that, it was a pretty disappointing day. We then went to Cherry Foodarama to buy some groceries before heading home and calling it a night.

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Gostoso? Sim!

So last April 5, 2014, Chea, Tita Fe, Thirdy and I was around the Kapitolyo area when we decided to have a late lunch.

We've eaten at some of the restaurants in the area previously, although there are still a lot of places we haven't tried. However, there was one that's fairly new. Asking the attendants, we were told that the place just opened last January. The restaurant's name? Gostoso.

You won't miss that signage from outside. Which is how we found it in the first place.

The place had a signage outside indicating that they accept credit card payments. And since we didn't have enough cash on us for anything more than fast food, that easily helped us make the decision on eating there.

Once inside, you'll learn that it's a portuguese restaurant. They serve a few dishes (mostly roasted) using piri piri (chili).

Basically, it's a portugues equivalent of Kenny Rogers Roaster. But besides chicken, they also serve pork or shrimp as the main dish, which they serve with side dishes.

One wall is adorned with texts detailing the Portuguese' discovery of Piri piri.

The place is a bit roomy, especially compared with the other restaurants in the area. Although parking is somewhat limited to two vehicles.

Inside, the tables and chairs are mostly wood with iron frames. The tables are spaced well enough to leave enough space for people to walk around. And since it's the middle of the afternoon and way past lunch time, we practically had the entire place for ourselves.

Oooh. Beer. 

The cashier and order area was directly across the entrance. It's kinda like a self service establishment as you have to go to the cashier to order and pay, but the food will be delivered to your table after it's done.

That is one basic menu

We ordered the Half and Half, which you can order any 2 of their main dish, chicken, pork rib and shrimps. It's good for 2 - 3 persons. And since we aren't heavy eaters, it seemed the like the perfect choice. I ordered the chicken and the pork.

The order came with 2 olive rice and 2 side dishes. I ordered the Potato Gratin and Creamed Spinach. I was hoping Thirdy would eat the spinach but Chea didn't give it to him. I also ordered a can of Coke Light and an iced tea with mint.

They served me a glass with lemon in it. Oh yeah.

We got the drinks first, and then everything else came soon after.

I think that's quite enough for 3 persons

Creamed spinach

Potato Gratin

The creamed spinach was nice. It'll remind you of laing, except of course this is spinach and not taro leaves. It's creamy and sweet, and not spicy. So this is something your kids might enjoy (those who are not mortal enemies of vegetables, that is). The potato gratin were cubes of potatos baked with cheese on top. The chunks are small enough that you don't need to cut them into smaller pieces first. The cheese gives them that little bit of salty flavor.

I'm not familiar with the various types of rice , but the one they serve here are the white non sticky variant. Each cup is served with some chopped black olives on top. However, every spoonful has a hint of olive oil in them, so it tastes good.

Pork rib and half a chicken. Thirdy likes chicken.

As for the main dish? They're great. The chicken isn't what you'd ordinarily get by plainly roasting it. I'm not sure what the herbs they put on it, but it does give it a distinct flavor that you wouldn't mistake it as our local lechong manok. The meat is tender, and isn't dry. However, there are a few rare parts inside, especially near the joints.

And the pork? It's so soft. It practically flakes off when i start to carve a few pieces off using a table knife. The skin isn't crispy, but you wouldn't mind as it tastes great. The meat tastes great too. And even the fat. You may not even notice that you're eating it since it's also flavorful.

You're supposed to eat them by dipping them into the piri piri dip, which I did for the chicken. The pork was better off by itself. I didn't bother putting chili oil on the piri piri since I didn't like spicy food most of the time. The piri piri tasted to me like tomato except it leaves a bitter taste on the tongue.

Dessert. I don't know what it's called. 

What's inside. Wafer tasted like cardboard. The middle part's good but too hard. 

A bit later, Chea ordered their desert. I don't know what it's called exactly, but it's like an ice cream sandwich. It's a bit hard, so we were having a hard time cutting pieces off using our forks. I think you should eat it by hand, with the wrappings still around it.

So what can I say? The food is great all around. However, it is a bit expensive. A quarter chicken costs 190 pesos. It's 220 if you want a rice, and a side dish. The pork on other hand, costs 300 pesos without any side dishes. Adding a side dish sets you back 65 pesos (40 for the olive rice, I think). They have appetizers but they won't pass off as a real meal.

The fact that they aslo have a very limited menu, I don't think you'd find yourself any reason to try and come back to the place. Unless you find yourself craving specifically for their specialties, I don't think you'd consider driving all the way to Kapitolyo and shelling about 400 pesos to tide you off. So basically, this is just a one and done affair.

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A burger! A burger for my kingdom!

Lately, I'm finding myself terribly addicted to hamburgers. Might be, I'm just in one of my phases. There were times that I went on weeks eating siopao. Then the most recent would be my noodle craving days towards the end of 2013.

Hey, everybody's doing it for everything else, why not burgers?

And now, a few months into 2014, I'm on a burger eating roll. I've eaten at a few burger joints since last year, but I'll just list the ones I've had since this year.

Bodato Burger

On our way home, I saw this burger joint along Visayas Avenue in Quezon City. And since I was craving for some burger, we stopped by and tried it out.

It's literally a hole-in-the wall, as it's a wall with a big window, and just enough space on the other side for the grill and some table surfaces to work with. In front of it was a single table with two chairs if you decide to eat your orders there.

I had to wait a bit as the attendant was in another establishment (it's likely that the two places have the same owner/s).

The cute but complicated packaging.

I ordered two of their cheapest burger (the other one's for Chea), which was the Beef Burger without the cheese. It's a little above 100 pesos. I can't remember, although this says it's around 107 pesos but it's likely outdated. I'm not sure if it's a quarter pounder as I didn't ask.

It was also a bit of a wait since they're cooked as they're ordered. I think it took us about 20 minutes to get both orders.

Burger with lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes

As for the taste? It's pretty ok. It's better than the ones you get at fast food burger joints, so that's a plus. As for the price? It's tolerable.


Brother's Burger

I've never been a fan of Brother's Burger. I tried them out back when they just started here and found the grilled burgers too dry. I never tried them again since, even with their annual (do they still have that?), half price discounts.

But recently, I teased a co-worker to treat me to a Brother's Burger meal (it's the closest burger joint to our office) as I was still on a burger mood when I was helping her out with a programming exercise.

I'm sorry to say that they have the worst ketchup and mayonnaise condiments that I know of.

She bought me a Brother's Burger's Brother's Burger (Hey, don't look at me. I didn't name their burgers). I asked her how much it cost, and she said it was about 140 pesos. The cheese add-on cost another 35 pesos (for real?). I'm not sure if it's a quarter pounder (damn. I should probably start asking these kinds of stuff), but a 175 peso burger, without fries AND drinks, is kinda off-putting.

Still, the burger I got wasn't as unpleasant as the one I had years ago. It's still grilled, but it's not as dry as I remember.

Cali Burger

On our way to Antipolo a couple of weeks back, we passed by Timog Avenue. Since it was almost lunch time, I got hungry, so we looked for some place close to eat.

It just so happened that we were passing by CaliBurger, which was new to the area along with Highlands Coffee, so we decided to try it out.

The buzzer. 

The place looked pretty nice. Roomy and modern. But as soon as I laid my eyes on the menu, I wanted to get back to the car and drive away.

It's not that the menu's too expensive, I was just not in the mood to spend 195 pesos on a burger. But I wanted to try the place out, so we decided to stay. Chea's not that hungry anyway, so I didn't have to order ourselves separate meals. We could just share one.

This milkshake won't bring boys to your yard, or joint, or whatever.

I opted for the Burger meal with fries and a medium sized soda, which cost 295 pesos (so that's 100 pesos for fries and a drink). There were two other meals, but I was already put off since they cost more than 300 pesos each.

I also ordered a strawberry milk shake for Chea since it looked like one of their specialties. Unfortunately, there was nothing really special about it. It tasted like milk shake with strawberry syrup in it. If there were actual strawberries, we couldn't tell.

The fries was pretty ok. They were firm and tasted like they're freshly made.

This was pretty big. And tasted good too, although a bit too salty even for me.

As for the burger? Chea's impression was it was too salty. And for one of the few times in both our lives with regards to salty foods, I actually agreed with Chea. And that's coming from a guy who likes his food salty.

I can definitely say that I won't be going back. Not because of the food. The burger's actually good. But the price? Never mind.


The Snack Shack

I got introduced to The Snack Shack by chea. It's located along Maginhawa Street, Sikatuna Village. She tried it previously along with her siblings.

They serve charcoal grilled burgers. What sets them apart is the price. A quarter pound burger with cheese costs 70 pesos only. A half pound burger (with two slices of cheese) only costs 140 pesos.

There's enough space for about 5 or 6 patrons to eat

And since they're inexpensive, not to mention that they also taste great, they're quite popular around the area.

The grill

While waiting, I saw how burger patties were put on the grill by batches, cooked, removed and replaced with uncooked patties over and over again. I didn't count how many batches were cooked before I finally got my order, but it was definitely a long time.

They would actually advise you to call in your orders 20 minutes ahead of time.

The menu. Read it and weep, in pure burger happiness.

As for the burgers? They're great. I've never been a fan of grilled burgers, but they've made a convert out of me. And as for the price? You can't get anything better especially at this price. Unless you want to settle for a fast food burger full of meat extenders.

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