PATIS TITO GARDEN Cafe…

Patis Tito Garden Cafe

“Good food is all the sweeter, when shared with friends.”

The word Patis Tesoro is a name I will always remember because of this fancy dream to have my wedding gown done by them. I wished for it because I learned that the whole entourage of my mom was by Tesoro’s. Her wedding dress was handmade and was a pina. It is a kind of fabric meant for gowns and “Barong Tagalog” for men.

June 30, 1968…

Said dream didn’t manifest but I could not exchange my wedding gown for anything.

(–,)

It was sewn by my mama and the swarovkis from Italy was carefully taken cared of my cousins. I wanted to do it but according to the elders, the bride is not supposed to touch her wedding gown, only on the wedding day itself when she’s about to wear it for the ceremony.

I wished I was already good at photography then.. I could have taught the photographers on angles, close-up shots, etc.

To their hearts’ content, I obediently complied. It’s just that they can’t stop me from monitoring everything from the veil down to the train of my wedding gown. Aside from swarovkis there are also showers of small pearls and ecru beads that came with it.

And I was supposed to be blogging about Patis and Tito’s garden restaurant in San Pablo.

Road less traveled…

Oh we’re here!

Yey!

Saw these across the parking lot..

It is such a happy feeling to land your feet on the ground of a place where an artist (s) lives. There is a different aura. Every corner will speak for themselves that the dwellers are lovers of art.

Life must be colorful…

That’s the couple behind me..

And not just art but nature itself and their love for food.

Second floor is as artful as the ground floor:

Goin’ up..

Intricate wood carvings…

They must be foodies. Plates are everywhere..=)

Our three muses…

The main dining area:

There’s a souvenir shop too:

Look at the door handle..

And to the loo!

Another wood carving… Is it a man pleading for a woman’s love?

Capturing the loo area from the souvenir shop…

They boasts their patience in preparing their food, mostly organic, cook them without the rush. Most were slow cooked and ingredients of which were sourced locally.

Have a peek:

Gastronomic delights!

Ensaladang pako,

Salad..

deep fried rolled heart of palm, ground pork with cheese, beef and pork balls and dips: tomato sauce, chili sauce or seasoned vinegar.

yummy..

There’s chili fingers too which according to them arent’ too spicy,

Good with the soup of chicken kinulob..

pan fried bangus belly,

chicken kinulob (it is a native chicken boiled in seasoned water, I saw chorizo de bilbao, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and the rest I hope to know, as this is “To die for” believe me!),

Filipino pork chop,

For meat lovers..

Mechadong baka or was it adobo?

Beef adobo..

Rice please..=)

Oh my eyes and not just my tummy were full.

My soul too…

Trees, by the way, have always been one of my sources of positive energies…

PS
The cafe is dog-friendly as long as they are leashed. I’ve got a new friend too. He didn’t left me all the while.

My new friend…

It is ideal for occasion, I saw this on one of the tables:

Calligraphy is in..

Patis Tito Garden Cafe is at:
285 Brgy. Sta. Cruz, San Pablo City

SULYAP Gallery Cafe…A peek of the past

Sulyap Gallery Cafe

For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.
~Virginia Wolf~

Sulyap gallery cafe is the second stop of our itinerary for our south bound trip. We spent the night here, and lunch at Patis Tesoro the day after and were off to home bound. Sulyap in the vernacular is a glance or a peek into a place or a different time.

Sulyap is a Boutique hotel…

At night…

It is a Gallery cafe,

It was a peaceful night..

Vintage switch behind the altar..

T & G…

I wasn’t able to capture the beautiful effect of the colored glass lit by the morning sun..

There are numerous wall-mounted clippings that featured Sulyap..

Intricate..

A B&B (bed and breakfast) for R&R,

A really old chandelier..

This you will see going up the restaurant..

My bed for the night..

They intentionally left some part unfinished in several parts of the hotel, just to showcase the antiquity of those huge hollow blocks.

My childhood days in Binan were made of Capiz windows..

This side belongs to my colleagues..

A museum,

The title is “Sabong” (cockfight)..

It’s a miniature living room.

My grandma has this.

Sungka. I eyed my grandma’s sungka. I intended to use it as something to keep my bling blings. However, another cousin took it right away.

I have been so fond of easels. I wish to have one.

Stairs turned into a display area.

Emerald green.

The museum’s hallway.

Wine dispensers.

A child’s room. I didn’t linger here fearing one of those wooden horses will move. =)

A very very old photograph of a lady.

A vintage sewing machine. It reminded me of my grandma’s sewing machine again.

Vintage stuff. I remember there are irons at Casa San Pablo as ornaments.

There are two subjects I aimed, the globe and the vintage car that I think my papa would love to keep.

And this I captured for Jen.

and a mini resort all in one.

The view from the azotea..

Traviezas..

I wish I can grow horsetails as big as this! ❤

Stones before are logoed..=)

Traversing my way to the pool…

There you go..

All those that I have mentioned we were able to maximize in our less than 24 hour stay at this ethereal place. What made it more exciting is that I was able to bond with my office mates, got to know them while enjoying my Tanduay Ice.

One for the road..

I seldom drink beer due to some allergies while with hard liquors, I can’t tolerate how I suffer from hang over the next morning. So I end up having coffee or iced latte or coke whichever is available.

The dinner that we’ve had reminded me of our ancestral house in Binan.

Seeing them, I missed to paint..

Are those pancit habhab?

The gallery at the cafe..

I saw an angel..

An old ad of Coca cola..=)

Downstairs..

Turon ala mode..=)

We used to live in this more than 400 square meters lot and similar finishes of Spanish houses are evident all around. The veranda, the azotea, the vast front yard, the windows in Capiz, the wooden balusters below the window sill, that vintage electrical switch, old paintings to remember as a few.

The big lawn that we used to maintain cultivated all the trees you could name: Caimito (star apple), Coconut tree, Guava tree, Santol tree and list goes on. The trees at Sulyap I think are as old as those. Oh I was just estimating. As for me to get the exact and accurate age of a tree, we need to count the rings of its trunk right. And then, I detest cutting trees, let alone, how old these trees are.

Come breakfast time the morning after. I literally enjoyed it with so much bliss.

Happy tummy! Rice please! ehehe

We have 2 choices then, an All American breakfast and an All Filipino. I opted to order an American breakfast with a twist. Along the crispy bacon, ham and eggs. I had this hot chocolate and a cup of muscuvado sugar which liberated me to get as many as I can.

Hot choco with muscuvado and fresh cow’s milk..=)

They kept on reminding me on my sweets intake as it might lead me to diabetes however my count is still good during my last check up. Let’s just say this happens to be my “cheat day”, besides I don’t normally devoured on sweets like candies or chocolates like most people do. So I guess, I’m off the hook. =)

Like the usual Summer get-aways, we were also able to dip in cold waters, played and had so much fun with my colleagues. Add a lively “Good morning!” from my boss surely completed one of my best weekends. =)

Sulyap Gallery cafe and restaurant is located at: Cocoland Compound, Barangay Del Remedio, San Pablo City, 4000 Laguna.

Contact number: 049-562-9735, 0917-5968760, 0920-9519185

Below is a map going to Sulyap from Manila:

Arabella Cafe…

Viaje del Sol is an adventurer’s road trip guide to the provinces of Laguna, Batangas and Quezon. List are endless when it comes to beautiful places to visit in these neighboring towns. As rich as its’ culture, each has a lot to offer fellow Filipinos and foreigner alike.

Arabella Cafe in Liliw, Laguna is on my 4th spot under Viaje del Sol. I am very intrigued with this small cafe painted in violet. (–,) First and second of which is Villa Escudero and Casa San Pablo respectively. I’m still choosing who will be taking the 3rd spot. Though, I did not expect to visit the place in no time soon like few weeks ago though due to my mother’s request to visit the town so as to find a pair of slippers that will finally fit her (Is it you Cinderella?) because her feet are unusually big. (–,) That weekend, I eventually gave in to her request and early morning we headed to the province. A total of almost 3 hours road trip which is not too tiring because you can pull-over from time to time to buy fruits or pastries along the way.

I am not much of a professional food critic. Though the food that they served is not too extra-ordinary (something you can also eat in the city), it’s just that you can be certain that they’re fresh (fish and vegees). Like the blue marlin was the best. My Aunt’s cream dory is also okay and tasty and creamy, mama’s salad is crisp and truly fresh, my son’s 2 orders of pizza (pepperoni and all meat), are like home-made pizza. Crust is not that thick and not that thin as well. My carbonara, I mean the pasta carbonara which I ordered for myself isn’t at par with my own carbonara (blog about my carbonara to follow and the ingreidients that I used). Nevertheless, I enjoyed it too. Of course, I would not miss my blueberry cheesecake. The usual. Only that they decorated the plate with chocolate syrup which prevents me from destroying the swirls (Obsessive/Compulsive at times), and we also got something like brownies topped with several kinds of nuts.

It didn’t surprise me on that Saturday, at past 1pm, the place is loaded. We had to wait for more than 10 minutes to be sitted. When I discovered Arabella years ago, they do not have tables outside yet, now, they installed 3 sets of 8 seaters round tables (skirted with white fabric) and other guests are still waiting nearby. I think one factor is that Arabella is very visible in almost all of the food blogs in the Philippines.

The interior of the cafe is very country. They used vintage stools, something that I can remember scattered around our grandmothers’ house, there are unique pieces of vintage items around, reproductions of some paintings mounted in their walls, and to complete the list. Their staff are very friendly.

If Arabella’s owner can read this, I might suggest a little renovation to make the space bigger to accommodate their increasing guests and relocate their comfort room. You have to pass by their kitchen (secrets exposed to guests), in order for you to reach the comfort room. And if you are tall enough like 5’5″ and up. You will not likely to fit in the door while standing straight! Good thing I wasnt’ that tall! Lol! =)

With the number of guests during our visit, Arabella is already famous! (–,) It’s time to branch-out! =p

Life is sweet!

While waiting for our table, I sat here and wondered what the antique house looks like at the second floor.

 

 

Chilling out at Casa San Pablo…

Chilling out at Casa San Pablo…

Casa San Pablo is actually the first on my list to visit with the help (and enticement) of Viaje del Sol. http://www.viajedelsol.ph/

Viaje del Sol is an adventurer’s road trip guide to the provinces of Laguna, Batangas and Quezon. List are endless when it comes to beautiful places to visit in these neighboring towns. As rich as its’ culture, each has a lot to offer fellow Filipinos and foreigners alike.

It was always dancing and prancing in my mind. And finally, I got there. I’ve first fallen in love with it when I saw it in a local magazine. It featured their Casitas, with those murals, and paintings of some famous Filipino painter, individually themed (very distinct from one another), decorated with hard to find antique stuff, and those clippings from magazine mounted in their walls boasting good reviews about this quaint B&B place. It is found at the heart of San Pablo, Laguna.

San Pablo is a jewel though a little city. It offers a lot of interesting places. It brings you closer to nature, closer to God. Casa San Pablo is in sync with that. It speaks of Summer. Some local artists assemble here maybe because they are anticipating that the beauty of Casa San Pablo will instantly bring out the best in them.

It is homey, and the inn-keeper as expected is so friendly, he has a way of connecting the guests with each other. Or if a guest would want privacy, he will know it instantly.

Everyone from this place (including myself), the whole time I was there, are all smiling.

I could have slept here…(–,)

So serene…

In deep thought! (i wanna go back here!)

Look at those cute vintage flat iron! (–,)

Each room is packed with interesting reading materials. I was actually tempted to sneak one (The Joy Luck Club), out of guilt), I ended up listing it down and was able to buy the same book from a bookshop cum cafe in Tacloban City. (–,)

The day trip includes a lunch and 2 snacks. This one I ordered separately. Iced cafe latte. The milk that they served was fresh cow’s milk..Oh, I love the province! ❤

Cool! ❤

Serenity…

Casa San Pablo is located at Colago Avenue, Barrio San Roque, San Pablo City. You can contact them at: 0917 812 6687 and  211 2132. You can also check the place  at: http://www.casasanpablo.com/

Villa Escudero…

Villa Escudero…

Mama and papa used to irked me (in a positive way) about visiting Villa Escudero Plantation and resort. And so one weekend, I decided to finally bring them there. At the same time, to keep myself sane, due to tons of stress from work.

It’s just a day trip, since papa’s not so fond of overnights, he will not be able to sleep thinking of his dog, his janitors and Kois and love birds as to whom will feed them during those hours nobody was at home. I am used to him being like that, he seems to be the same way even when I was a child.

We left early morning in time to enjoy lunch with our feet dipped in the cold flowing spring water. They call it Waterfall restaurant. They prepared a long table of several dishes (sitted on banana leaves) for the guests to choose from, there’s a table for main course, for drinks and for desserts. It was sumptuous. Though the feeling of being literally “cold feet” gets to me. I “Indian sit” instead the whole time I had my lunch.

Waterfall restaurant..

We had welcome drinks when we arrived, they were being served by attendants wearing Filipina dress with fresh flowers clipped in their hair. Some boys are also serenading the guests using a guitar-looking instrument. They achieved creating the feel of being in the province specifically in the Philippines.

I can’t remember why there is a plane here! =p

We were brought to the Waterfall restaurant by carabao-drawn carts. It’s actually a choice between that and a colorful jeepney.

We also visited the museum. It is actually an old church which they transformed into a museum.

Jars, jars, jars..

(–,)

It’s prohibited to take pictures inside. I got just one. Ehehe. Antique jewelry, clothing, jars and all those artifacts, they were able to preserved. It is one of the most impressive museums I have ever seen. Though, no chance to pose for a souvenir picture, Security guards manned the whole area, I guess, there’s one in every corner.

There’s a souvenir shop too.

Villa Escudero is a place so vast, a day isn’t enough to wander in it, the more you venture into it, the more interesting things unfolded. The long road to take with coconut trees surrounding the area are just hints of things to come.

The lake is surprising too. According to the life-savers, it is more than 10 feet deep. My son, only 10 years old at that time was so brave to do bamboo rafting. He was backed by his “lolo” (grandfather). They were actually a team. So loyal to each other.

Lake Labasin…

Echo is so brave!

We spent some time dipping into the pool as well. Served snacks and we called it a day.

Let me put it this way, I used to think vacationing usually take days, and rides via air or sea perhaps, but being here, I learned that some road trip is worth it. Especially if with your family. Having this weekend with them was truly a great day spent. I wish this will happen a lot. (–,)

A map to guide you just in case.

Road trip!