Foodieplorer: Pan de Xocolat

For more than a year now, I have constantly told myself that I should explore all the restos that are 'endemic' in the Metro. AND FOR MORE THAN A YEAR NOW, I have constantly told myself that eating at McDonald's or KFC would suffice my ambitious goal. How pathetic.

Not to disappoint you guys, I have recently been to two really cool food hubs. And I must say, these are not your run-of-the-mill restos.

First up, Pan de Amerikana.

Located along Gen. Ordonez Avenue in Marikina, this restaurant combines the rustic vibes of the country side and the authentic ancestral life feels. (What did I just say?)

It would not really be that hard to miss this restaurant because of the humongous windmill outside Pan de Amerikana. And the mill actually turns like a legit windmill! Coooool, right?

The interior of the resto is such a wonder, filled with emporia of all sorts of things. I mean, who ever designed the place thought of making it look like a cross of a museum and restaurant. From the hardwood furniture to the photo gallery of celebrities who must have visited the place back then, Pan de Amerikana simply takes you back in time.

A menagerie of photos

Yup, they have a large chess piece you can play.

Venetian columns add to the uniqueness.

Recycled bottles as chandelier

So contemporary and innovative

They also have a tree house with a bridge!

Daily events in Pan de Amerikana

The place really feels so natural.

The food in Pan de Amerikana are a must-try! Aside from being affordable, the quality and service are worth the travel. 

Chicken Pandan

Everlasting - A signature 'meatloaf' dish of Marikenyos

If you're looking for a new food experience and you don't want to spend much in fancy restaurants, Pan de Amerikana is the place for you. 

~~~

For someone who's studying or working in the Katipunan area, you might have been to this cafe so many times already. Well if you haven't, then you should get the hell out from the cave you're living and head out to Cafe Xocolat.

Just a few steps away from the Regis Center fronting Ateneo, Xocolat is one of those 'hipster' vibe cafes--minus the hipster dudes--that one should definitely check out. They offer a variety of dishes from pastas to salads and full-meal dishes. They also boast their coffees which will make those caffeine savvies wanting for more. Not to mention, their cakes which are the center piece of wonder and drool are a must-try as well.

Chic menu board

Cakesssss

Frozen Milk Tea

A box from heaven. ;)

And...more cakesss

Vanilla Cake with Caramel? lol #sorry

Yummyyyyy

Now, what are you waiting for? Head on to chocolate heaven and sratch off Xocolat from your bucket list.

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Credits to my good friend, CJ, for the Xocolat pictures.

The Parallel World Dora: Stranded, Squished, and Stuffed

I'm never forgetting July 5, 2013.

Due to my unbelievable randomness these days, I did a last minute plan with my sister for a movie out. Since it was Friday and Despicable Me 2 was already showing in theaters (I cannot, for the life of me, measure our love for minions) we decided to watch the movie in Glorietta. Here's why that day became memorable in a very 'unique' way...

Stranded

To get to Glorietta, or any place in that area of Makati, a person coming from Katipunan (lol QC student perspective here) will have to take the LRT from Katipunan Station to Cubao Terminal. And then take the MRT from Cubao to Ayala Station.

Or, you can just take a cab. 

But if you're tight on the budget and want to be adventurous. I dare you to take the road commonly traveled  (see what I did there? Makes total sense though). Anyway, just a word of precaution, if you're commuting at around 5 pm onward and ESPECIALLY on a Friday, be ready for some squishy salmon can-like train ride. For daily MRT commuters though, this is just a typical day for Superman.

So what's with the bold "Stranded" heading? Well, this happened...

I was in LRT Katipunan Station at around 4 pm, since I knew very well that if I went later, I would be dealing with the rush of commuters going home or going out. There was a moderate line of people buying 'tickets' in the station, which was bearable enough. From Katipunan, the train made the usual stop at the next station, Anonas. This is the station before Cubao. 

Anonas Station, this is where I got stranded. 

When the driver (is he even called a driver? whatever) announced that there was a minor technical issue and that the trip would be delayed for five minutes, I thought, "Okay, I can wait for five minutes." but then the same announcement was made after five minutes and I was getting impatient already...and scared! During the whole time, I was imagining the following scenarios: (I made them into bullet points just because.)

- There was a bomb in the train.

- There was a terrorist in the train.

- There was a bomb AND a terrorist in the train.

Also, I was scared because a major accident might happen. Again, bullet points:

- A fast moving train might hit our train from the front.

- A fast moving train might hit our train from the back. (I was hoping this won't happen since I was at the far end of the train.)

Thank God none of these happened, and after ten minutes of waiting, they asked everyone to step out since service was temporarily available.

And I was like, How am I getting to Cubao? Again, my options were the following (with cons this time):

- Take a cab. CON: The driver might take me somewhere far and salvage me.

- Ride a jeepney. CON: I don't know which jeepney to choose and I might end up in a faraway place.

- Walk to Cubao: CON: I might get nabbed on the way. OR WORSE, it rains. (I didn't bring my umbrella.)

Considering all these, I decided to take a leap of faith (A BIG leap of faith) and prayed to God for guidance.

I ended up riding a jeepney.

It was a nitty-gritty process of choosing the right jeepney, I had to choose the one with a vacant seat behind the driver's seat so I can ask for help. Yes, it was an arduous task but I was able to perform. I befriended the driver and asked him to drop me to the area nearest to Gateway Mall (to Cubao Station). Good thing he was kind enough to help me and he even gave me instructions on how to get to the mall from my drop-off point. 

Thank you, Manong! 

Memorabilia from that mishap

Whew! That was long, but my adventure wasn't over yet.

Squished

Since I got delayed by that mishap, I got to the MRT Cubao Station half past 5. There was a steady amount of commuters already. I'm not saying it's a good thing. MRT steady is not equal to LRT steady. To cut the long story of my MRT trip short, I was literally 'sardine can' squished the whole duration of the trip (there were 6 stations from Cubao to Ayala, a 'good' 20 minutes). I finally got to Ayala Station, passed through SM Makati and then went into Glorietta where my sister was waiting. 

We went to the cinema booth only to find out that Despicable Me 2 was already sold out even up to the last film showing of the night. Just. Perfect. We tried to check in Greenbelt, but the same story. There was just no way we were gonna see the minions on that day.

Stuffed

To appease our hearts and more importantly our stomachs, we went to this gelato place in Greenbelt called Gelatissimo Cafe. They offer a wide range of gelatos to choose from. And swear, the gelatos really pay off the price!

You can combine two flavors. 

I had Forest Berries and Panna Cotta. Perfect combo.

And finally, capping off the experience was a dinner at Cabalen, an all-pinoy cuisine buffet restaurant. Two words: bulalo, longanissa. 

from Google

That is all. 

Simple Joys

A month into this semester, my majors are causing a major major headache, heartbreak, and stomach ache (since I'm forever hungry after my back-to-back-to-back classes every day). Plus, all the other subjects that need my equal attention and effort (gee, thanks for the help) are also there to add to the much needed stress (yes, I need moooore) hashtag masochist. Despite all these, I am proud to say that I have been studying more than I did in high school. But I still flunk my quizzes though. I know, AMAZING.  

School is officially sucking the life out of me. 

Yet I can't help wondering how wise this school is. They must know that I have been struggling in my academics that they decided to give me a reason to not hate them (lol just kidding, don't kick me out). What I'm really trying to say here is this:

Sorry about that, I have to protect my identity. AS IF

What's this? Well, I got featured in the school's website! *cue applause* Not only that, I got featured in the school primer for high school seniors who are planning to take the ACET.

*cue applause* again

Oh well, this is me sharing to you my 15 minutes of fame. Honestly, I just needed something to remind me of the awesome things that have been happening in my life right now. More than anything else, we really have to look at the brighter side of life. 

P.S. Don't underestimate yourself. You might surprise yourself of the things you are capable of. TIWALA lang. :)