IN RANDOM views of a city-bred and a promdi.

A Philippine Italian Experience at Abbodanza!!!

A Philippine Italian Experience at Abbodanza!!!

Jul 22, '08  4:24 PM for everyone

My friend Ia Lee, is one of the owners of this relatively new resto in ortigas area. I just went to Italy last summer and I have been missing and craving for its gelatos and pizzas since I stepped on the plane coming back to the Philippines.

And ofcourse, when I arrived home I was thrilled upon seeing blog posts and photo blogs of people about this Italian pizzeria ristorante which is located only at the Ortigas area. This is good news for people not only within the vicinity but also for people from nearby cities like QC who wouldn't have to experience traffic and long hours going to makati or the fort to have an italian gastronomic experience.

Food is very very good!  And Affordable!

We had:
Pizza Four Seasons - which is a huge pizza and already good for 4-6 people. P285 (price for all pizzas)

Risotto Con Osso Busco - loved the meat!!! for only P280.  It is Italian rice with saffron and beef shank, milanese style

Minestrone - as I am a zuppa (soup in italian) person, I cannot afford not to have a soup. I give this soup 5 stars. For only P120!!! and my friend joyce and I decided to split it into 2 for marami na sa isang bowl.

Cannelloni agli Spinach - is very good but i prefer them to be more generous with the white sauce next time. P195

Tiramisu -- for dessert for only P95 :)

Thanks Ia Lee and Abbodanza people for this italian food experience. Can't you open another branch in areas like QC (like somewhere in Katipunan)? Students need more restos which don't only serve good food but affordable :0)

Abbodanza is located at the
G/F of Crescent Condominium
San Miguel Ave. and Amethyst Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City
Tel. 6336336

abbodanza here we come!!!
 

food getting ready
 

food blow up
 

the resto
 

pizza!!!
 

hey kunan mo ako
 

hehehe
 

bite for Joyce
 

yummy!!!
 

The Osso rissoto!!!
 

zuppa delicious!!!
 

yum!!!
 

spinach... not enough for popeye
 

yummy
 

tiramisu!!!
 

enjoyed the food..!!!
 

gelatos
 

gelatos
 

abbodanza i shall return
 

Tags: food, friends

Gaining Weight this Holiday Season... thank you nonetheless :)

    For the past "ber-months" I have been coming back-and-forth Manila to Ilocos.  I had a great time in my short stay in Ilocos for my brief internship at PAO and ofcourse, most of the the time, as it is my fave activity, I ate with family and friends.  And yes, I gained weight... for a few pounds.  I am now a bit worried if my gown for my friend's wedding (which is 2 weeks from now) would fit my body still. (For recent foodtrip pictures at Dawang's click here, and for Isdaan click here)

with Jomai getting drunk with Dawang's Sukang Iloco

    Nonetheless, gaining weight is no problem at all... for despite the pounds gained, I earned a lot of unforgettable moments I will cherish and for this, there are so much I need to be thankful for...

    for gift of love, family, and friendship.

Peechurs!!! with my fans (ahem )

    Thank you for my highschool friends who made my stay in Ilocos worthwhile.  I know this will repeat as it does every time I am home.  Thank you for lending me money Jovi as we shopped and dine as I always forget to bring money with me.

Panch, Mia, Me, Jovi and Tricia -- kisses for you :)

My Confirmation with Ninang Zenny Agapay and Ninang Edna Marana
(with me is fellow kumpilmate Kristine Agapay and
Ninangs Tricia and Dr. Coloma)

Miki time at my house in Batac with Kristine buted at extreme right

We miss you Jovi!!!

 
Happy Birthday Ava with proud parents Kit and Ace!!!


My favorite Bombay ... Ruchi Handa

with Jollibee and friends, with Manager Cherry

   Thank you for my collegues at the PAO and Fiscal's Office.  Thank you for having me as a volunteer and intern.  I learned a lot and I hope to work with you again.

with Fiscal Chan and Fiscal Barba

with Atty. Tin Fausto and Fiscal Pascua (extreme right)

with Atty. Balucio, O.I.C. of PAO Laoag City (in white)

UP's pride, PAO Lawyer Atty. Leavides Domingo-Cabarrubias

Another UP's pride, Judge Francisco Quilala -- adjudged as
BEST MTC JUDGE 2005 BY THE SUPREME COURT
(now an RTC Judge at the age of 37... idol!!! )

A maskipaps Judge

Another impressive Judge

    Thank you for my family.

with my talented pamangkins Neena and Abei

My best cuz Nako Niko

with my parents' apos

my crazy pamangkins

Corpuz clan

    Thank you Lord for keeping my loved ones safe and happy.  And thank you for keeping me well.

    A Blessed and Joyous 2008 to All of You!!!

    And btw,


Don't make it too loud this New Year.  No to banned firecrackers please...

Tribeca coffeeshop in Ilocos Norte - impressive

   

I am usually not used to going to coffee shops in my province, particularly in Laoag where coffee shops started to sprout for the first time in Ilocos in my college years.  My friends and I started to visit the first few coffee shops when we're home on a schoolbreak, like the one near Laoag's Provincial Hospital (which closed later on) and La Preciosa - a resto and later on included coffee in their menu.  However Manila's Starbucks, Coffeebeanery, CBTL, Figaro and Seattle's Best's coffees can't still be matched.  They still serve much much better coffee than Laoag's coffeeshops'.

But now it's 2007 and Laoag City has improved a lot - with a wider list of fastfood chains, restos and coffeeshops.  To my surprise, I didn't expect that the coffeeshop that can compete with Manila's standards is TRIBECA located in the newly built 365 plaza mall in San Nicolas, just before Nangalisan, Laoag City. 

So what is Tribeca?  Tricia, a highschool ka-berk told me it is an abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street."  I said to myself, "Huh? What could that mean?  A triangle below a canal?"  Soon as I arrived home and faced my laptop after my visit at Tribeca, Google gave me the answer to my questions:

TriBeCa is a neighborhood in lower Manhattan, New York in the United States. The name is a syllabic abbreviation of "Triangle Below Canal Street." It runs roughly from Canal Street south to Park Place, and from the Hudson River east to Broadway. TriBeCa, once an industrial district dominated by warehouses, has undergone a major revitalization. Warehouses were converted into loft apartments and new businesses emerged, making it into a mixed zoning neighborhood. (Source: Wikipedia, 2007)

The definition above explains why there is a huge painting of the map of a Manhattan on its wall.  As to why this coffeeshop is named Tribeca, the definition above wouldn't explain it.  Probably for some reason, the owner has an affinity to the place (?).  Well, that is only my guess for I've never heard of a coffeeshop named Tribeca.  But what I am sure of, this coffeeshop serves the best coffee in Ilocos Norte. 

At the back of their calling card. 

Other than that, they serve coffee as low as P75 compared to Mocha Blends at the centro in Laoag that has P120 for its lowest priced coffee.  E di saan ka na pupunta? Shempre sa Tribeca -- sa price pa lang, hindi ba? Tapos masarap pa.

 

I have been an avid coffee drinker since Starbucks invaded Manila.  But I was only hanggang kape.  I don't usually order their waffles, salads and pastries.  Other than being too expensive for a student - hindi sila sobrang napakasarap para bilhin ko with my allowance.  Tribeca however, surprised me with their cakes.  They serve as low as P98 for a huge slice of BTS (Better than Sex) Cake. Gayuma, a resto along Xavierville Ave. Katipunan QC also has BTS but Tribeca has a better version of it.  It is not too sweet, hindi masakit sa lalamunan ang tsokolate that melts in your mouth.  Naubos namin kaagad for a few minutes.

We liked their BTS cake very much so we ordered another cake - which is Blueberry Cheesecake for P120 at laking gulat ko -- pinaka masarap na blueberry cheesecake na natikman ko! It can beat the blueberry cheesecake of Chocolate Kiss in Manila and the resto in New Jersey known for its cakes.  The lady asked us to answer a survey questionnaire for Tribeca's breakfast which they might serve in the future.  I am not sure though if breakfast would be a hit, but I am sure that their cakes will.  They had about 4 different types of cakes on display when we got there... in case they will add more cakes in their menu considering they make very good cakes, I am sure the others would also be a hit.

Going here with my three friends is not my first time... it is my fourth time actually during this short sembreak.  I drop by as much as I can when I visit Laoag as I come home to Batac.  Their coffees have similar taste as Figaro's.  Their Cafe Mocha tastes as good as Figaro's Caramel Mocha, my fave which I usually order when I am in Manila.  My brother's favorite on the other hand is their Chocolate Mint Frappucino.  Their other coffee & pasta with prices are:

I am glad to know that Tribeca is a WIFI ZONE (and I think the only wifi zone eating place in Ilocos).  I was also impressed with the interiors.  The lighting, brick walls and their comfy couches make it homey and relaxing.

Tribeca is also filled with many interesting magazines,
(and not just any magazine) to read.   

They also sell the Coffee table book The Ilocos Heritage by Chit De La Torre for P3890. Though this book, which is also sold at National is expensive -- I am glad they have one copy available for reading inside the coffee shop.  Being able to view a few pages will encourage buyers (if they have money).

 

 

  Tribeca's personalized coffee thermo mug is only for P 165.

Chocolate bars (P25) and snack crackers (P26) are also sold at the counter plus lollipops and Ilocano music cd's.

This coffee shop is strategically located at the first floor of 365 plaza mall  -- which is usually the diners' choice to drop by after having lunch or dinner at the restos of the mall.  Unlike other restos and coffee shops in Laoag City which open late (lunch or afternoon), Tribeca is already open in the morning.  And doesn't close early.  It was open when we left at 12 mn sometime I went there.

The coffeeshop is too small though.  Inside, it could only occupy 3 small groups. I heard that a call center will be built in the future beside the mall. Expectedly, Tribeca would have more coffee drinkers coming to its doors soon.  And that would mean -- mas maraming kakompetensya sa upuan.  I hope they could find a way to maximize the available space if they don't plan to expand it sooner. 

I also hope that the ladies at the counter would be more polite next time.  We ordered 2 coffee mocha and 1 cappuccino.  When I ordered I said,  "dine in, Coffee Mocha."  They ended up serving "decaffeinated coffee mocha" instead.  Since when did "dine-in" sound like "decaffeinated "? The girl at the counter even insisted that I ordered decaffeinated at tinanong pa ako na malakas ang boses, "Gusto nyo po palitan ko !?!"  Ahem... kung matalino ang tao hindi na dapat nya tinatanong kung papalitan niya, but instead she should have voluntarily offered to change it.  I also suggest that they repeat the order of the customer so that the latter can make changes or corrections incase mali ang rinig sa order nya.  Anyway my friend already had a gulp of her "decaffeinated but shouldn't be decaffeinated" coffee mocha so we didn't argue any longer.  I just hope that they will be more cautious in treating customers politely and... properly.  If they will, I am sure they will be more inviting to customers and so, more profit. 

Tribeca is at
LG 8 365 Plaza, The Center Complex
San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte
(077) 7813199
tribecacoffee@gmail.com

FOR MORE PICTURES,
CHECK TRICIA'S SITE
AND MY ALBUM
    

Our Favorite Food Places in Ilocos Norte

   Arriving Ilocos is my most awaited time of the year (other than my birthday and x'mas season).  I can only come home when there is schoolbreak since I started studying in Manila  in year 1999.  Manila has taught me about diverse cultures, being a melting pot of people  from different places. It has also opened my mind to religious and political differences in society. And ofcourse, what my alma mater U.P. taught me -- which is not what to believe in but rather how I can defend my own chosen beliefs. 

  But most of all, (and allow me to digress ) what I love most about Manila is the colorful lifestyle and the wide array of of entertainment and activity – from the movies, to theater, to sports and most of all… food . Hahaha.

  

    However, despite the many different restos and wide selection of food that Manila  has to offer – there is always a longing to be home. Like what my friends from Ilocos who studied in Manila  say, “There is no place like home… especially when it comes to food.” (Right fwends?) The first time I registered as a user in friendster, the first thing I wrote for interest/hobby category is eating Ilocano food – which is why my kindergarten classmate Dannah Rubio, a fellow Ilocana from Batac and my neighbor in the province was able to locate me in the friendster network. She told me via email that when she typed the term ILOCANO in friendster’s search engine, I was the only user who appeared in the search results for the phrase I wrote for hobbies/interests: I LOVE TO EAT ILOCANO FOOD.    
 

 

  And indeed I do. Not only my mom and dad would attest, but also our cook Nana Sepa who has been with us for more than 30 years that among the 4 siblings ako ang hindi mahirap pakainin for I literally eat anything served to me.

 

 

 

If you care to know a list of my faves, read below:

   

My favorinate hard snack – is empanada and isaw

   

My favorite soup snack – miki

   

My favorite breakfast – (other than longganisa) is imbaliktad and singkutsar of Nana Sepa

  

My favorite salad – pakpako (with freshly sliced tomatoes, bagoong, kalamansi juice and ginger)

   

My favorite ilocano dish – always and forever Ilocano Pinakbet

   

My favorite food places – turo-turo and carinderia

 

 

 

 

    Now why am I writing this? I, being a woman who is expected to be slim, coy and must NOT eat too much? My bestfriend Myra  told me that she liked my pics with family and friends in my friendster but said, “Naomi, halatang matakaw ka,” regarding the pictures of the food also posted in my profile. E di shempre sinabi ko sa sarili ko, “Eh ano ngayon kung may pagkain sa photos ng friendster ko? Hindi lang naman sceneries o tao ang magandang kunan ah… pati pagkain din!” Hindi ba mga ka-berks kong kasama at kadamay ko sa kainan at kagutuman?  And one more thing, not because there are pictures of food in one’s account it doesn’t mean matakaw siya (all the time). And I keep myself fit by working out in the gym, engaging in sports and making sure that I have a balanced diet – that is kung may karne at taba, kailangan may prutas at gulay din. Kaya niyo ba ang 104 lbs? Yup – this is my current weight despite eating good food most of the time (but in small quantities - which is my secret; if in large quantities – which must be seldom and incase you ate a lot for 2 or 3 consecutive days – you can lose the calories by doing cardio exercises such as walking or running on a treadmill and using the stationery bike even only for 1 hour.  Incase matakaw ka talaga and you crave for midnight snack while working or studying late nights– instead of chocolates or carbo food - -try shifting to apples and grapes.. basta sa prutas hindi ka tataba kahit midnight snack pa yan.  So, alam niyo na sikreto ko?

 

 

 

    Shempre intro ko lang yan why I am writing this article.  One of the main reasons is to share the food places I and my friends frequent to have a taste of these Ilocano food when I am home that even fellow Ilocanos might not know about:

 

 

 

1. My favorite hard snack – is empanada and isaw

 

WHERE: BATAC’S  GLORY'S EMPANADAHAN

 

 

at Batac Crossing (along the highway) turn left (if you are from Laoag) on Marcos Highway.  Go Straight until you reach the Batac Catholic Church.  Facing the church, the Batac Empanadahan is on its right beside the bridge.

 

    I've been here countless times with my family, barkada and some friends from Batac and Manila:

 

 

   hi-skul ka-berks

 

   friends from Batac (usually with Odie in yellow and Genny who's not in the pic)




   Celia (one of my 12 UPM kabarkada who have been there once except Cel who has been there twice in two separate visits)

   


Nothing can beat the original empanada of Batac particularly Glory's empanada. Though some have tried serving the Ilocos empanada in Manila (along Katipunan, QC and Market Market)... Batac still has the best tasting empanada, far better than other parts in Ilocos Norte and  Ilocos Sur.  Empanada has its origins in Spain and actually from the Spanish word empanar which means  to wrap or coat in bread.  If you google the word empanada, the first search result would be the definition provided by wikipedia which describes the empanada from the northern part of Ilocos region to be uniquely different:

... empanadas in the northern Ilocos region are very different.

  

...These empanadas are made of a savory filling of green papaya

...and, upon request, chopped Ilocano sausage (longganisa) and/or an egg yolk.

...Rather than the soft, sweet dough favored in the Tagalog region, the dough used to enclose the filling is thin and crisp, mostly because Ilocano empanada uses rice flour





...and is deep-fried rather than baked.

    Wikipedia failed to mention though that our empanada may also include hotdog and the secret sauce of batac's empanadahan -- that is mixing ketchup and sukang iloko --> try it guys, and I swear you will make use of this sauce for your other food.  Special empanada is for P25 while ordinary (plain - without longganisa or hotdog) is for P20.  Other than the empanada are so many other tinuno that you will enjoy eating with the secret sauce.  These are the:

crunchy isaw of Glory's like no other!


Glory's longganisa on stick


Squid on stick


Kwek-kwek (wrapped quail eggs)

For other food in Glory's menu with prices, see below:

2. My favorite soup snack – miki

WHERE: LAOAG'S CHRISTINE'S

at Paco Roman St., Laoag City.  From N.Corpuz Paco Roman Branch, go straight and after 2 blocks you will see the signage "Christine's."

at my fatter times with Kitz (an old pic)


eating with a smile

    Though Batac is also well-known for its miki, the best miki in my opinion, same as my highschool friends' is Christine's Miki Haus in Laoag. 

For some reason the soup of the miki is better plus
the boiled egg compared to the miki in Batac (P28).
Nadurog din ang chicharon kaya masarap.


To my non-Ilocano friends -- the miki's sauce is always
the Sukang Iloko with sili as an option. 






Other than miki they also serve asadong siopao (P25)


siomai (P15 per 3 pcs.)
& fried lumpia stuffed with potatoes (P6/pc)

3. My favorite food places – turo-turo and carinderia

WHERE: BATAC'S DAYO
                      others:
                  LAOAG'S DAWANG'S (to write about in the future)
                  LAOAG'S IVAN DOMINIC'S (to write about in the future)
 
DAYO
From Manila - before reaching Batac's main crossing is the huge Globe's antenna located at the facade of Batac cemetery.  Across is a cockpit where the turo-turo of Batac, popularly known as Dayo is located. (Open only on Sundays)
Other Branches: in Napu, Badoc near the market (Open on Wednesdays)
                    in Sinait, Ilocos Sur fronting the market (Open everyday) 

It has a very spacious parking lot...

& from afar you will see waitresses with their red checkered aprons.

carabao meat for kilawen (raw meat)

    
    I have been asking around the precise definition of the Ilocano term Dayo since it its an ambiguous word - which could mean stranger or let's go/pumunta tayo but I didn't know that it could also mean a place where cattle is sold according to my Dad.  Tin, a good friend and fellow law student from Piddig informed me that it can also mean an event where cattle owners convene at a certain day, at an early hour, at a given venue where they trade cattle; they check out, buy, sell, barter cows or carabaos usually tapos may nagbebenta na dun ng paksiw, imbaliktad and the like na usually masarap.

    I always eat in Laoag's turo-turos for genuine Ilocano dishes until I was first introduced to Dayo ti Batac by Genny and Odie, (my two neighborhood childhood friends) a few years ago which I never knew existed.  The first time I went here was at an early Sunday morning, around 830am and I was able to taste for the first time the reddish carabao meat for kilawen.  Usually I eat goat's meat for kilawen but never carabao's meat and when I tasted the latter for the first time, I told myself that I will be back to Dayo for this!

    Unfortunately when my Dad and I went here last Sunday for lunch, there wasn't red carabao meat available anymore .  Darn. Darn.  The women in-charge told us, "Sapay ngamin itatta lang kayo Sir ket alasais adut mangmanganen." (Why did you arrive late?  Many people are already coming to eat as early as 6am).  So lesson no. 1, don't arrive late like lunch time dahil mauubusan kayo.  So we ended up eating other Ilocano dishes:

We had Insarabasab (tinuno with freshly sliced tomatoes), Igado (which is our favorite among those we ordered.  It is the best Igado I've tried -- manamis-namis), Dinuguan (but Laoag's Dawang's is better and crunchy while this isn't.  And I still like our Nana Sepa's Dinuguan better than this.  It was too oily). Each dish is P35. Rice is P5. Softdrinks is P10 each.

Ofcourse. in any carinderia or turo-turo -- the singkutsar or pinapaitan will always be available. P35 each. This tastes better with sukang iloko.

So there you have it.  I hope you can visit these food places yourselves when you have the chance to be in the two cities of Ilocos Norte, Batac & Laoag.  Happy Halloween!!!

Emerald Garden Resto at Roxas Blvd.