Gourmet Gypsy Art Cafe

Sep 4, 2015. Chea and I were heading home but we haven't had dinner yet, so we decided to look around for a place to eat. I am actually craving for some mashed potatos.

I've read somewhere about a new restaurant along Roces avenue in Quezon City that had the word 'art' as part of the name. I recall seeing mouth watering pictures of their food, so we decided to look for it.

The menu

Just a few blocks away from RUB along Roces Ave, we did see a new establishment in the area: Gourmet Gypsy Art Cafe.

Parking area at night

There was parking for about 10 or so cars, so we parked and went in. It was almost 10pm, but we were told they were open up until 11pm.

Outdoor signage

Once you get inside, you'll easily note that it looks like a house that's been redecorated as a restaurant. You could probably figure out where the dining room and living room were used to be, as well as deduce that the room beside the comfort room was a bedroom at one time.

Our table viewed from near the main door with the pretty wifey

The place is painted mostly in white with paintings hanging off the walls. Some of the seats were made from wood carvings, so it does give off a little bit of an arsty feel to it. However, there's only a few art displays, so it still has that house vibe to it.

Their main counter

The door exiting to the garden

There was a garden out back where there were about 3 tables for large groups. Chea took a look and just described it to me as I was a bit tired to try and look outside.

the comfort room

Some of the decors

The menu is moderately priced, with their cheapest pasta at around 260 pesos while their cheapest main dish was at 320 pesos. They had Angus Steak at 1,500 pesos.

Some of their offerings

Chea asked for their best sellers for their pasta which was Seafood Chorizo Cioppino (380 pesos), but I'm allergic to shellfish, so we were recommended the Al Nero (280 pesos). I was thinking of the Five spicy pork belly (320 pesos) but their Dukkah Crusted Chicken (360 pesos) would probably be better for my heart. Lol.

We also ordered the Calamansi and Sour Plum Cooler (95 pesos) while we passed on the desserts as they looked a bit expensive.

Waiting for our order

The cooler

It was a bit of a wait, but the cooler arrived first. It was big enough probably for four people, as Chea and I managed to get several glasses out of it and there was still some left in the glass pitcher when we finished everything. The calamansi was a bit strong, so you could probably put in a little more water in there.

the pasta

The Al Nero arrived along with the Dukkah Chicken. The servings looked a bit small when they arrived. But with Chea and I just by ourselves, and each eating half of the dishes, we found ourselves pretty full afterwards.

Each dish could probably feed a very hungry individual.

It was weird looking at a pasta with mango chunks on it. 

The Al Nero pasta's sauce was squid ink with basil. There were chunks of squid and several cubes of mangos. It was a nice combination with the squid ink providing the saltiness, while the mango providing the sweet sour taste. I've been seeing this squid ink dish recently so i guess it's becoming a bit popular. But while the other versions I've tasted had their pastas entirely covered in black ink, Gourmet Gypsy's a tad restrained. The sauce were in small clumps clinging to the pasta. And you weren't overpowered by the squid ink's flavor as I could definitely taste the basil.

So just imagine a pesto sauce, but instead of green, it's black. I really liked this version.

the chicken. it's bigger than the picture suggests

Another shot

The Dukkah Crusted Chicken had a slightly thicker crust than the breaded chickens you'd find in fast food stores. You'd actually say it's crunchy rather than crispy.

Underneath the crust is lean meat with no bones. I wish I knew all the tastes of the different herbs out there, as the chicken flavor is overwhelmed by something I can't identify.

It came with haricots verts (per the menu), which I ignored, a little side salad which tasted sweet which I kinda enjoyed (though Chea didn't like it, and she's the salad person) and small mound of mashed potatos. Their mashed potatos had chunks in them and lots of peppers. Even without a gravy, it tasted great.

Without a senior citizen accompanying us, we ended up paying  around 800 pesos, and that's ordering some of their cheapest main dishes.

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Greenhills Shopping Center and Dong Juan

08/03/2015. Chea and I are heading out to look for this cabinet equipment hardware store that I found online. I'm still not finished with the DIY project I'm working on, but I'll post about it soon.

We brought Thirdy and Tita Fe along so we can have some time with our son. The online ad said they were located along Congressional Avenue. But when we arrived at the address, it wasn't there. We called their landline but nobody picked up.

We drove around the area while I did some online search on my phone. Eventually, I found a mobile number and called it. I managed to talk to the owner after several tries, and was told that their store was at the other end of Congressional Avenue towards Munoz. Ouch. And they were already closed as they decided to head out early. Double ouch.

So after wasting about 30 minutes of our life (and some gas), we headed to the columbarium to visit my brother. After that, we decided to head to Greenhills Shopping Center so Chea can finally get a case for her new Blackberry Q10.

We parked near the bridge way towards the celphone tiangge and wasted about an hour looking for a case for Q10. No luck. There are hardly any blackberry phones to warrant cases to be sold for them. Bummer.

Chea, however, ended up buying a couple of cases (for her iphone and some as gifts for her friends), and having tempered glass installed on her iphone.

After that, we went to Virra mall to look for some shoes. Chea found one at Payless store, and we bought Thirdy some socks (It had avengers on it, so Thirdy just needed to have it).

We also dropped by a CLN store where Chea managed to get a pair of nice looking dresses with a 500 peso discount on the second one.

After that, we decided to have dinner elsewhere, so we went back to our car and drove off to Q.C.

the signage

Another signage. In case you're having doubts this place is really Dong Juan. Lol

Again, Chea learned of this new place somewhere along Mother Ignacia in Q.C. It wasn't that hard to find, although it's at the other end of Mother Ignacia near St. Mary's College.

We parked on the other side of the road fronting the place. The road isn't that busy even on a Saturday night, although the area isn't that well lit.

View from across the road. Looks like a house doesnt it?

The place looks new and quite big. It's a two storey building in the shape of a modern house.

There are tables and chairs outdoors, most likely for the smoking crowd.

Inside, everything's well lit, with tables and chairs in what you might consider sections. There are booths to the sides where a party of three can sit, and there are tables and chairs to the left, then a little bit underneath the stairs there's a section where there's a table and chairs as well.

View from the top of the stairs

View to the left. Our table is to the right of the picture where there's a family already eating

View looking down at the stairs

Up the stairs, what look like rooms have been convered to dining areas, with their walls converted to glass.

Mama Chea, Thirdy and Tita Fe at our table

The other table beside us

The biggest one holds several tables. Since that one was full, we were ushered to a room adjacent to it that had 3 tables. One of the tables was already occupied with a family, so we were seated at the other one.

Another room

Everything's wood and glass walls, so it looked roomy and elegant. The best part is that the prices are pretty reasonable.

The menu

Pastas started at 199 up to 299. They had burgers at 179 up to 309 (Thirdy wanted some burger). They also had Pizzas starting at 279 pesos. One of their best sellers, the Baby Back Ribs was only 289 pesos.

I opted for the classic burger (Dong Juan Burger, 179 pesos) to share with Thirdy, while Chea ordered the Baby Back Ribs (289 pesos). It didn't come with rice so we ordered the Dong Juan Fried Rice  for Two(189). Since Thirdy also loves pasta, we ordered the Spanish Chorizo Pasta (209 pesos). Finally, we ordered the Herbed Iced Tea (a pitcher for 169 pesos) and a mug cake (199 pesos).

Minty Fresh!

The iced tea came first. As described in the menu, it had mint and basil leaves. I tried it out and it tasted new and different from the usual tea fusions. It wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't that good either.

Then after about a 15 minute wait, the orders all arrived at the same time.

A burger for my kingdom!

I went for the chips that came with the burger order. It looks like they make their own chips. It's a bit bitter but it was crunchy.

The burger was awesome. Patty was thick, so I think it's about a quarter pounder at least. I don't know if it was grilled, but it was still juicy inside.

Ugly shot of the baby back ribs. The plate itself is pretty big

The baby back ribs was also good. For 289 pesos, it's a decent sized serving and it was drowning in sauce. It was really tender and it practically fell of the bone with just a little prodding from a fork. Even the bone was tender. It looked more like cartilage than bone.

Since we're light eaters, there was still some leftover to take home.

There must be rice!

The rice serving, though intended for two, was enough for the three of us. If you're really hungry, then it could probably be just enough for 3. It had egg, some chopped vegetables, and a hint of tapa.

Hands down, best dish for tonight!

The winner I think is the Spanish Chorizo pasta. While Thirdy loves carbonara and other cream based sauce, he's usually put off by oil based pasta such as olive oil and pesto. But he just absolutely loved the chorizo pasta. The truffle oil is sublime, and the pasta wasn't overpowered by the chorizo. Even the chorizo is not that salty. Thirdy just ate everything up.

Cake in a mug = Mug cake!

The mug cake came after. It came in a mug as the name suggests. Chea ordered the deep dark chocolate which was at the bottom of the mug covered by a big serving of vanilla ice cream. It was pretty good and we were able to share it among the four of us.

We ended up with a total bill of 1250 after a 55 peso senior citizen discount. It's a bit expensive, but the food is worth it.

The place is very clean, located in a quiet stretch of Mother Ignacia. It's very relaxing and the staff are very courteous. Very ideal for a weekend family dinners (or daily, if you could afford it).

After eating, we went home and called it a day.

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Tara na sa Tagaytay (Taal Vista and Tagaytay Highlands)!

August 28, 2015. It's a long weekend since it's a holiday the coming Monday. Chea needed to go to an even in Tagaytay today, but she didn't want to go alone, so Thirdy and I had to tag along.

We left the house around 7am, and dropped by Chea's office first at Makati. After that, it's a straight beeline to Tagaytay via SLEX.

View from behind the Taal Vista main building on the way to their restaurant

We're heading to Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay for an overnight stay. Chea and I've stayed there already, I think before we got married, so that's years ago. We arrived in Tagaytay just a little after 10am.

We first dropped by a 7-11 so I could buy some snacks and drinks we could eat the entire time we're in our room. I bought Thirdy some donuts at a nearby Dunkin Donut.

Chea commented that we should have just ordered from McDonald's as it's cheaper and tastier. Lol.

We then looked for a place to buy our lunch since our stay in the Hotel only covered the breakfast. We're just ordering them to go, and eat in our room. We bought Beef Tapa and Papalicious Chicken at Papa Prito.

Thirdy stretching in front of the main building entrance

Checking in

Some poster/announcements

View of the lobby and the lounge (at the far end) from the entrance

Area in front of the function rooms

After that, we headed to Taal Vista Hotel and parked. Chea inquired for a while, and our room wasn't ready yet, so we headed to the area by the View Deck where they had a small area that housed a gym, a billiards table, and a small playroom for kids. These weren't here when we stayed a few years back, and it's a good addition, especially if you have kids.

On the way out of the main building towards the activity building

View of the old wing on our way to the view deck

The pathway to the old wing and to the activity building. I remember our old room is somewhere in this wing.

It's actually a short walk from the main entrance to this part. Im just taking too much pictures. lol.

Restaurant to the left, view deck right ahead

Quick picture of the restaurant

The view deck from one end, with the ferris wheel of SkyRanch just beyond the horizon

View of the main building

Another shot of Taza restaurant

Here we are, finally!

When we got to the playroom, there was a couple inside with their little girl. She was alternately walking and crawling so I guess she's a little over 1 year old. The dad's a white guy and the mom's a filipina. Thirdy and I stayed while Chea had to go back and register for the events.

Yep. it's really a corner.

To the right is the game room.

Too bad I don't have anyone to play with.

There's a gym too!

I should get one of this so Thirdy can run in place all day long so we don't need to chase after him

Thirdy in the play house. There's a little girl to the right who was a little more than  just a year old that Thirdy tried to play with.

After almost an hour or so running after Thirdy and making sure he didn't get hurt (or hurt the other kid), the other family left and said their goodbyes to Thirdy, while we stayed a bit longer. Chea called a bit later and asked to meet us at the lobby so we can go to our room. Our belongings have already been moved there.

On our way back to our room

Our room for the next 24 hours

Thirdy checking out the view. There isn't much as it's just the enclosed area in the middle of the buildings.

Chea unpacking while Thirdy played around in the curtains

The cabinet with our stuff, and a flat iron and a safety box.

The bathroom sink

The toilet

The shower at the other side of the sink

Just the basics

When we got to our room, Chea had to leave because their activities were starting already. I decided to eat the Beef Tapa for lunch while Thirdy munched on his donuts.

Along the wall, past the cabinet is a bench, and a desk with the tv. This is a pretty small room.

Thirdy trying out the bed

Watching tv

A long chair (chaise lounge)

The room is pretty minimal, just with the bare necessities that you'd need. However, it's pretty sufficient, clean, and quite modern.

The desk. Don't mind me in the mirror. Lol.

Window view.

We spent the early part of the afternoon watching cable the entire time, while I dozed on and off a bit. Chea had to drop by later because her running shoes broke (they're really old) and had to change to a pair of slip ons.

2nd round at the playroom. This time, he had the place all to himself.

Around 3pm, Thirdy was still awake getting fidgety in the room, I asked him if he wanted to to the playroom again, to which he emphatically said yes. So we went out and headed over the playroom.

It was empty that time so we had the place all to ourselves. Thirdy proceeded to run around up until a little past 5pm. By that time, I got a call from Chea asking to meet us at the lobby as they were finished with their afternoon activities. We went back to our room where Chea rested for a bit until around 6pm when she had to attend their dinner activity. Again, Thirdy and I were left in our room.

A surprise arrived while we waited for Chea

It was around 9pm when Chea got back and we went out so Thirdy and I could have a proper dinner. There are a lot of restaurants at Tagaytay but I didn't want to wait long for a meal, so we ended up at an Ersao branch at the SM condominiums..

Chea ordering my food

Some decors. Place is very clean and homey

I ordered noodle soup and a lychee pandan drink. I shared the noodle soup with Thirdy since he wouldn't be able to finish an entire bowl on his own, and Chea was already full from their dinner.

I cant recommend Ersao noodles after this

Lychee pandan is kinda ok. I wont mind ordering one in the far future

The ramen is a bit disappointing. The noodles tasted odd and the soup as well. Looks like this will be my first and only time eating at Ersao.

After that, we went back to Taal Vista and headed to our room and called it a night.

On the way to breakfast

The next day, we woke up around 7am and proceeded to their main dining hall and proceeded to have breakfast.

Very festive decors

Thirdy eating champorado

The area is rather big. It probably couldn't fit all the guests all at the same time, but people came and went that no one had to wait for a table.

There were a lot of bread varieties

Some of the jams

Wasn't in the mood for bread today

Just taking pictures

And some more

A grill to toast your bread if you want it that way

Although there was a moderate amount of selections, nothing stood out. We were told that a breakfast buffet normally costs around 800 pesos, but going around and looking at the offering, wouldn't convince me to pay for one if it didn't come free with the overnight stay.

Cereal and milk

Dried fish, mixed vegetables, Penne and Rice. Didn't like the penne.

Champorado!

The bacon tray. There's the juice to the far left

The bacon to the right, and some guys preparing omelette. I asked for a sunny side up egg

French toast to the left and some eggs and ingredients for your omelette

The juice station. Loved the cucumber juice.

One of them had baked beans!

Waffle station. Never bothered with it though.

Fruit station

my haul: bacon, baked beans, french toast, and fritata 

I just kept on coming back for the bacons and the eggs. I did like the fritata and they offered something I haven't seen at other buffets before: baked beans! I also liked their cucumber juice. It had a subdued sweet flavor.

Thirdy holding a rambutan

After eating, we went back to our room so Thirdy could get into his swimming attire and hit the pool.

We called for a shuttle to drive us to the pool area which was at the other end of the hotel from where we are.

Heading for the pool

A quick shower before hitting the pool

Trying out the kiddie pool

There were already a few kids in the pool when we arrived so Thirdy was in a hurry to get started. He stayed mostly at the kiddie pool with Chea and the other kids.

There were a couple of boys around 8 or so who was teasing Thirdy with a float board and kept on egging Thirdy to chase them. They didn't play rough but I was so concerned that Thirdy would run after them whenever they went out of the pool, and he'd hit himself on the edge of the pool. After half an hour or so, I asked Chea to pull Thirdy closer to the area near me and stop playing with the bigger boys.

At around 10am, we went back to our place so we could take a bath and get ready to head out. After taking a bath, Chea was still preparing herself so I again brought Thirdy to the playroom for a few minutes of playtime. Later, Chea called us so we went back to our room and packed our things so we could go.

Third round at the playroom for Thirdy. More hotels should have one.

Discovery Country Suites

T'was raining and Thirdy was sleeping so we stayed in the car

After checking out, we dropped by Discovery Country Suites so Chea could do an ocular of the rooms. Thirdy was asleep in the car so I had to stay with him while Chea took a quick look around.

First time in Tagaytay Highlands. 

Checking with the information desk

We then headed to Tagaytay Highlands so Chea can do an ocular again. If you know an account manager, you could get to rent some of the houses and other rooms in Tagaytay Highlands now.

Waiting for the AE

Still waiting

Inside the van starting our ocular

First stop

We went to the Golf Club House and waited for the account executive. She arrived after a few minutes, and we then got into a van and we got a quick tour of the available places for rent.

Inside the function room

The rest of the function room

First was a function room that had a nice view and enough space for around 50 or so persons. You could have a small party here and even do videoke.

Thirdy looking out at the view from the function room

Heading out

The room was stuffy probably because it's been days since it's been opened up. Most of the place is made of wood. However, it didn't feel premium to me. It's a bit underwhelming actually. When we went out, a light rain had started, and it was very gloomy. The road even started to smoke which was actually the fog starting to roll by.

Along the way, we passed by a medium rise building by the slope of the road. It looks like a condominium/hotel. Unfortunately, we won't be dropping by it.

We also passed the aerial lifts which was unavailable due to the weather.

Stop over so we can get the keys

Main entrance

Inside

Sweet view from the drive way

We had to stop by another building with rooms that could be rented out but only to members I think so we couldn't take a quick look.

Next stop is a private house that's being rented out by the owners. The housing areas in Tagaytay Highlands and bunched together like small subdivisions within the sprawling estate. You really need a car to get around.

The other houses

The living area

Thirdy doing some writing

Kitchen

One of the bedrooms. Ouch. Green walls.

Main bathroom.

The house we visited was named Neuchatel. All the houses there had its own distinct name. The place is pretty big, still, again, a bit underwhelming. It looks too homey, or too lived in. The colors are also pretty drab. Maybe they should consider changing the wallpapers to give it a more cheery feeling. It probably looks better at night, with the fireplace all lit up

View of the neighborhood. It's a ghost town. Probably bustling during the summer

The sign

The building

Next stop was the Highlands Inn. It's one of the cheapest options aside from our last stop. However, it's a bit far from the main buildings in Tagaytay Highlands and there's nothing much to do at this part.

The lobby. There's a reception desk hidden at the right

What we saw was a two floor building that gave off a dormitory vibe, or maybe a place for transients. It kinda looks ok from the outside, and even at the lobby. However, my impressions started going downhill once we hit the corridors, as it looks like those creepy hallways even though it's just a gloomy afternoon. Once we got to the room, I was shocked. The room looked like a dump.

The room

Beds. They could have at least used better looking beddings and more comfortable looking pillows

The place is small and a bit cramped, and it looks like a room from a lowly resort. Ones you can get for around 800 pesos a night and with access to a public pool.

My impression of Tagaytay Highlands has always been a place of opulence and extravagance, where the rich play golf and have fancy parties during the hot summer months. So this was a bit of a surprise for me.

It makes me even think that these might be employee quarters or rooms rented out by the members for their helpers, which, come to think of it, might be the case.

The cabins

After that, we went to our final stop, The Cabins at Camp Highland. By the time we got out of the van, rain was heavy and we only had one umbrella. So only Chea, Thirdy and the Account Executive made the ocular.

It's raining hard

The good thing about the Cabins is that they have their own pool, so if you can swim in the Tagaytay weather, it's a better option than Highlands Inn.

View from the top of the country club

After that, we went to the Country Club and checked out the reception area at the top. The view is great, and the place is roomy

Outside the function room

.

The function room

Another shot of the grounds

Probably looks fabulous at night

It's a nice place to have a nice small though extravagant party as I don't think the place is big enough to handle the big parties the well-heeled are accustomed to.

After the ocular, Chea, Thirdy and I went back to our car and headed home to Q.C.

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