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Tagaytay Weekend: Shopping at Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm

May 3, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 8 Comments

Welcome to the third of my birthday weekend posts! Yes, my birthday was last February, and yes this post is long overdue. I actually am amazingly backlogged as far as my blog posts are concerned, which only means you’ve got a lot to look forward to from me in the coming weeks. Always look at the bright side of life, right? So my birthday celebration started with a Friday night dinner date with Mr C at Cafe d’Asie in the Bellevue Hotel. The night of my birthday was spent with friends, watching Razorback live at SanMig Alabang.

The next day, Mr C, the kiddo and I went off on a sunny Sunday Tagaytay adventure. Our first stop was the Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm for my supply of soap. I have very sensitive skin with a dash of eczema, and so commercial bath stuff don’t really agree with me. I discovered Ilog Maria soaps through my former boss who swears by it, and after my first few bars, which she gave me as a present, I was hooked. Apparently my dad is familiar with their products too, and has often visited the farm on his Tagaytay motorcycle escapades. He keeps a bottle of their liniment in his bathroom.

Red-faced from the heat
Tagaytay-bound!

[Read more…] about Tagaytay Weekend: Shopping at Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm

Filed Under: Travel

Panizza 101 at C’ Italian Dining

April 29, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Last February, when our family trooped out to Clark for the Hot Air Balloon Festival, our first stop was C’ Italian Dining for a very late lunch before checking in at Fontana. Like I always do before heading off to an unfamiliar place, I asked around about the best places to eat at Clark. C’ came highly recommended by a lot of my food-lover friends, and so I made sure that we stopped there to eat before our schedule got filled up.

Signage and Facade of C’

C’ is located outside the Clark Freeport Zone, in Balibago Angeles, Pampanga. The facade is pretty simple, and if not for all the cars parked in front of the restaurant, and even across the street (and of course the big sign in front of the building), I probably would never have realized that we’d found the place. I use the word found because we had made a number of wrong turns in search of the restaurant, and ended up lost and with no idea where to go, more than once. I’d never have guessed that such a nice restaurant could be found in such a shady place. Then again, I forget that a good number of Angeles’ residents are foreigners.

MrC at C’. Check out the walls!

The place has this rustic, old house, sorta cozy sorta creepy feel to it. I’m guessing this vibe is caused by a combintion of the stone walls, the big windows , the art pieces on display, and lighting of the place. The entire restaurant is laid out in various sections and rooms, and nooks and corners you could just disappear into, which kind of made me think of it as dungeon-like too. Then again, maybe all this was just hunger messing with my senses.

Rocky and Koko

My sister and her boyfriend actually got to the restaurant before we did, so we were expecting to have something to munch on while we ordered. Surprisingly, there wasn’t any food or drinks on the table. Since the two ordered ahead, they made a follow up while we placed our orders. My hunger was making me cranky, so I distracted myself by taking photos.

Obviously, Lola was already tired and hungry

Like I said, it took us a while to find the place. Ironically three out of four people in the car had maps and GPS apps in our phones. It was close to 3pm when we arrived at C’, so you can just imagine how tired and hungry we were by then. My Mc Donald’s Big Breakfast was long gone, replaced by gurgles and other similar complaints by my stomach.

Good thing these two were still in high spirits

When the drinks and bread arrived, we attacked like wolves. Pretty, composed wolves. I ordered a Strawberry Italian Soda, which was really refreshing. Their bread was super yummy, and I had to restrain myself from eating too much so as not to spoil my appetite. No, let me re-phrase that, my appetite is never spoiled. I just didn’t want to get full too fast. Bread is my absolute weakness, and C’s pesto dip was just too good to resist. Carbs, this is why I’m fat.

 

Strawberry Italian soda
Bread = LOVE!

Now here’s the problem. Because I’m blogging about this so late, I can’t remember what any of the dishes were called, and how much they cost. My bad. Lesson learned, write about things as soon as I can, or at least take notes for future reference. I’ll be sure to make a note of the names of these dishes if I ever get to pay a visit to C’ again. For now, photos and descriptions will just have to suffice.

Panizza with bacon and other toppings

We were informed by the waiter that the reason why my sister’s order hadn’t arrived yet was because they switched tables, and the servers got confused. Not a good enough reason, as far as I’m concerned, but lucky for them, I found myself to be extra forgiving that day. Maybe because I was on vacation mode and refused to be put in a bad mood. It could also be because the food was so good that it gave me an extra happy vibe. I kid you not, the food was that delicious.

Rolled up with arugula and alfalfa sprouts

We ordered two different kinds of Panizza, and two pasta dishes. Now let me tell you a secret. I never had Panizza before my visit to C’. Not even Yellow Cab’s Dear Darla. I think it’s a good thing, because I read somewhere that this is what inspired the Dear Darla, and I’m glad I got to taste the original first. Rocky and Koko chose one with the best tasting bacon ever, while mom picked a four (or was it five?) cheese panizza. Both were wonderful, but the cheesy one needed an extra sprinkling of spices for added umph.

Cheese panizza

Meanwhile, Mr C and the Kiddo chose to have Pasta Carbonara, which was also topped with the best bacon ever, and mom added an order of Spagetti Bolognese with Meatballs. The Carbonara was a hit. Their white sauce was exceptionally good, and that means a lot coming from someone who isn’t much of a fan of white sauce on pasta.

Carbonara

I expected more from the Bolognese, but it was still pretty good. After enjoying the bowl of bread so much, I hoped that the garlic bread that came with the pasta would be amazing as well. Guess I shouldn’t have expected much, since it turns out that all garlic breads are pretty much alike. Or maybe I feel that way because I don’t particularly like butter.

Spaghetti bolognese with meatballs

The food at C’ is really good. Too bad that it’s really far away, and in a place I don’t normally frequent. It’s also quite pricey. We ended up paying close to P3,000 for lunch for 5 adults and 1 kid. That’s more or less P500-P600 per person. Plus I got turned off with the slow service, although, I do realize it’s probably better on non-peak days. After all, we visited during Clark’s busiest season. This is exactly why I prefer not to travel when I know it’s going to be crowded where I’m headed. Yes, I can be antisocial like that.

For more photos from our visit, check out this post!

C’ Italian Dining
1210 Don Juico Ave. Clarkview, Balibago
Angeles City, Pampanga
(045) 892-4059

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Angeles, C' Italian Dining, Clark, Family, Pampanga, Restaurant Review, Road Trip

Cuyugans at Nuvali

April 2, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

I’ve been sorting my files and photos lately, and so I’ve been discovering all these folders of trips and activities from late last year that I have yet to post!

Last November, Mr C, the Kiddo and I spent the day in Tagaytay and Sta Rosa with my sister in law, Ate Baban. We had lunch in Cliffhouse, then we visited Residence Inn. On our way back to Manila, we passed by Paseo Sta Rosa and Nuvali for a little bit of retail therapy and more eating. Yes, this all took place last November.  So yes, this post is five months overdue.

Nuvali

Run, Kiddo, run!

 

Chasing after Ninang Baban

The little guy had some Frutti Froyo for meryenda, while the rest of us had Serenitea.

This was peanut butter frozen yogurt, i think

Playing Angry Birds while waiting for our food

Yay!

Okinawa with Black Bricks and Hokkaido with Black Pearls

Yummy Serenitea

Chicken Chops

Ate Baban and Me

We also had Hash Browns. Yum, yum, yum!

While Ate Baban and I were shopping, the little boy and his dad explored the area and took some really cute photos until we eventually got hungry again (yes, this is why I’m fat). We ended our day trip with dinner at Old Spaghetti House in Paseo Sta Rosa..

Filed Under: Travel

Laguna for Lunch

April 1, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Welcome to part two of my family roadtrip post! It was one of those days where we all thought it would just be nice to get away for the day, since we were all gonna be home on holiday. So on this day in November, we decided to drive all the way to Calauan, Laguna for lunch. The food was great, we got to go fishing, caught nothing, threw some plates and cups against a wall, and got stuck in the rain. It was a great afternoon. I’m glad my family enjoys doing things like this.

Welcome to Isdaan, Laguna!
Witty
Boiling and barbecuing huge batches of chicken, pork and beef. Yum!
We had lunch on a floating nipa hut.
And were entertained by three of the funniest singers we’ve ever listened to.

It was too hot to get out of the hut after we placed our orders, so we just took some photos of each other while waiting for our food to arrive.

MrC!
Little MrC!
My siblings, Boyong and Rocky.
Rocky and Dad.
The little kid who wanted to go out and run around.
Yep, this one is a daddy’s girl.
There’s my mommy!
The little boy and I.

We had steamed rice, snails in coconut milk, lechon manok, grilled liempo, fried calamari, red egg and tomatoes, and shrimp sinigang. Because we were so hungry, we were only able to take photos of the first few dishes that arrived. We were too busy eating already to pull out our cameras once the rest of the food came. Everything was really good. And I mean EVERYTHING!

Steamed rice
Fresh tomatoes and salted eggs
Fresh fruit shake to beat the heat
Kuhol or snails in coconut milk
Shrimp sinigang (sour tamarind broth), my super favorite!
Isdaan’s version of lechon manok.

One of the things I like most about Isdaan is there are a hundred and one spots to take a photo op. Silly as it sounds, our family loves taking pictures with statues, monuments and figurines. At Isdaan, they have huge mermaid statues, statues of celebrities and politicians, and a lot of random stuff all over the property.

Exchanging numbers?
MrC meets Erap
The kiddo and Tita Cory
Hi, boss!
Me being silly
My sister and the mermaid
Bewbs!!
Sisters
Batman is here too!
And so is Mickey!
And the Angry Birds
And of course the piggies
The Hulk, ready to do the tacsiyapo!
On our way to the tacsiyapo wall!

We finally got to try the Tacsiyapo Wall where you throw plates, cups, bowls, even old clocks and TV sets against a wall to release your anger. My friends and I keep trying to plan a trip up north to try this in the Tarlac branch, but we’ve never pushed through. It was fun, but a little expensive because you have to pay for the stuff that you break.

Super stress-reliever!

While the kiddo was fishing with his grandparents, it started to rain. Mr C and I got stuck waiting it out at the pasalubong area. There were a lot of native goodies for sale like garlic chips, peanuts, yema, polvoron, candies, tarts and a lot more. Prices were reasonable. I got to take home two pairs of platform wedges for only 700 Pesos! Apparently, shoe shopping is more fun in Laguna.

I love peanuts with toasted garlic chips!

When the rain finally stopped, we were all extremely stuffed and quite tired from our morning adventure. The drive home was just as pleasant as our drive to Laguna. That trip definitely gave us some much needed, and well-deserved family bonding time. The best part is kids who come to Isdaan get a free balloon and bag of goodies.

Yup, I felt like a little kid right there

Our family summer outing is coming up real soon, and I can’t wait! That’s gonna be a fun vacation for sure.

 

Filed Under: Travel Tagged With: Calauan Laguna, Isdaan, Isdaan Laguna, Road Trip, South

Roadtripping with the FamBam!

March 21, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan Leave a Comment

Last November, we finally had a holiday where everyone got the day off from work/school, dad decided we should go on a road trip. He led the way in his car with half of the family, and we followed in ours with our own set of passengers. It was a really fun an memorable day, as these photos will tell you. First stop, Rizal Shrine in Calamba, Laguna

Bright sunshiney day
The little guy
My dad, sister, Mr C and the Kiddo actually climbed to the top
Photo op with Rizal
Photo taken up there by MrC
Too lazy to climb (Photo by Mr C)
My brother and my mommy
Rocky
My sister
Boyong

After visiting Rizal, daddy led us to Los Banos, and we took a short nature trip around Pook Ni Maria Makiling.  I’m pretty open about not being an outdoorsy person, and you can just imagine how anxious I was during this stop.  I kept expecting some creature to jump out at me from the jungle.

Mom and Kiddo about to get out of the car
Not my idea of a perfect morning getaway, but what could I do?
At the parking lot, we were greeted by a duck. Notice mom’s face.
Quack quack
Mr C
My sister, with the tree boys in the background
Lolo, Daddy, Baby
Brother in douche-y pose
Rocky
More Rocky
The Kid and I
Husband
Husband again
Climbing up the steep slope
They found these giant kamias-looking things while walking around
Mom and Boyong being goofballs
Tired from all the walking
Donya in the Jungle
For some reason, Rocky thought it would be nice to take a photo in this spot
Copycat
Happy to be heading back to the car!!!      

After the Maria Makiling adventure, we were all hungry and excited for lunch. We’ve all been wanting to try out the tacsiyapo wall in Isdaan Restaurant in Gerona, Tarlac. On a recent visit there, dad discovered that they had put up a branch in Calauan, Laguna. Since he couldn’t get over how good the lechon manok in Tarlac was, he thought we should all drive down to Calauan for lunch. More about our Isdaan lunch experience in my next post!

Filed Under: Travel

Razorback for my Birthday!

March 1, 2012 by MrsC | Patricia Cuyugan 2 Comments

 

Celebrated my birthday the best way I know how, at a bar gig with one of my favorite bands on Earth.

When I found out that Razorback would be playing in SanMig Alabang, I asked the husband and best man to reserve a table for us right away. My brother and his girlfriend joined us as well, along with a couple of my best friends.

As I’d expected, the night turned out to be a reunion of sorts, and I’m really happy I got to spend time with some good friends whom I’d not seen in a while.

With my best friend in the whole world!

 

Me and the only remaining 28 year old in our group.

 

Pao, Mars, Me – Together in rakenrol since 2004!

A lot of people get surprised when they find out that I actually have some friends in the music scene. I had the privilege of meeting most of them at my first job, where I learned the ins and outs of organizing concerts and music events. I have such fond memories of those days, and I’m happy and proud to say that I worked with the best. I learned from some of the greatest in the industry.

Mr C and I with Kevin Roy

 

With my former big boss, and the best bassist in Manila, Louie Talan

I totally enjoyed the show, and I’m glad that Razorback played my faves Nakaturo Sa’yo and Diwata. Bonus feature, my forever crush Basti Artadi sang a few songs too, so I got to play fangirl for a night.

Mr C!

 

Not looking at the cam hehehe!

 

Wolfgang + Razorback

 

Of course I had to get everything on video

 

Razorback, still as good as I remember!

Highlight of the evening – I actually dared Mari to take a photo of Basti holding up a sign that says HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATTY if he happened to be at the gig. Didn’t think she’d actually do it (with a little help from Pao and Mr C)!

I’m still unable to act like a grownup in front of this guy hahaha!

I totally missed this. Thanks, guys, for a fun birthday! 

Filed Under: Events & Parties

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Hi, I'm MrsC, a happy wife and mom, a help-less but not helpless homemaker, who is learning to live simply in this complicated world.

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