But that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped eating in different places. We haven’t had a chance to blog as much lately, but we’re still enjoying different eating places such as the following:

Q-kebab. Okay, so we’ve eaten there a number of times already. Their meals are delightful. I tend to order the Q-kebab Basmati Bowl and Tj likes their chicken shawarma. Next on our list: the Lamb Rice Bowl and the Kofta Bowl.

Chef Diego’s Lord of the Wings. The name made us laugh appreciatively the first time we saw it. We only actually ate there just last week after a trip to Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar in Bataan. We ordered a pitcher of red iced tea, honey barbecue wings, and…beef steak. Everything was YUMMY, and we certainly didn’t expect to be amazed by the beef steak–it was perfectly tender and, well, just really highly recommended. We will definitely return.

Paire Cocktails and Pastries. I had sampled their hot chocolate at an event and found out where the restaurant is located. I’m sorry to say I forgot the exact names of what my mother and I ordered, but she had beef salpicao and I had fish. Both were pretty good. We probably should have tried the desserts paired with the recommended cocktails–which is what Paire is all about–but we’re not at all big on cocktails anyway.

Relish: Hello, Happiness! I was aimlessly driving around and passed through the Scout area; Relish is located along Scout Limbaga. I took my mother there a couple of days later. Very pretty interior, and the food is somewhat pricey, but nicely portioned. It looks like a great place for tea, and it just so happens that they offer afternoon tea, too.

Kulpy Chicken. Located along Holy Spirit Drive in Quezon City, this place offers affordable, delicious chicken, to put it simply. Tj had the seasoning chicken and I had the honey crispy chicken, which was pretty spicy. This post over at Writings and Rantings has more pics of the food and the place.

Pio’s Kitchen. My yoga classmates like it when we get together for lunch every now and then, and I join them from time to time. A couple of weeks ago, we had lunch at Pio’s Kitchen along Scout Fernandez. It’s basically a house made for private dining; there’s an upstairs dining area which could only accommodate you and whoever you’re with. You have to make reservations five days in advance. Pio is named after St. Pio of Pietrelcina, so please don’t make the same mistake I did; the chef is Chin Gallegos and her boyfriend Mon opened the door for me, so I asked him, “Are you Pio?” Heh.

The meal started with a pitcher of sangria and freshly baked oregano pandesal with three kinds of spreads. Chef Chin surprised us with gazpacho afterwards.

The rest of the meal was insanely filling: Ubod ng Sarap salad, which features alfalfa sprouts, ubod, orange slices, and mango; Roasted Rosemary Chicken, which was probably among the most nicely cooked chicken I’ve had in a while, and the sweet potato was lovely, too, and; Paella Negra, which I didn’t have because I’m allergic to squid. But everybody loved it.

We then had dalandan and mint granita, which was tasty and refreshing. Dessert was Churros with a Twist, the twist being that it’s made of puff pastry and filled with manchego.

So that’s only a small helping of what we’ve been stuffing ourselves with. Hopefully, we will be able to blog more often soon.

When I was little, I used to see a place called Steak Town along West Avenue, corner of del Monte Avenue in Quezon City all the time. It looked like an old-timey Western saloon and I was really eager to check it out, but I didn’t really know how to invite my family to eat there, or even if they would like it.

Fortunately, when I was in sixth grade, my sister and my mother took me there for lunch, and I was immediately hooked. That was when I realized that I’m a bit of a carnivore, ordering a filet mignon and finishing it off all on my own. I also loved the place itself, because there were signs that look like the usual “Wanted” signs in Western shows and movies, lots of quirky decor, and a toy train that would pass on the track over our heads from time to time. Since then, we ate at Steak Town fairly regularly, even when they moved to Quezon Avenue and then back to West Avenue. There was even a time in high school when I made sure to save my allowance religiously so I could blow it on a post-quarterly exam steak lunch.

Eventually, Steak Town moved to a building in Sgt. Esguerra. Tj and I ate there a couple of times, and he fell completely in love with their London broil. Then a few years ago, it was gone and was replaced by Wil’s Steak Town, which is owned by Willie Revillame. Wil’s Steak Town is decent enough, but it’s no Steak Town.

Fortunately, I soon heard that Steak Town was setting up shop at The Lake Hotel in Tagaytay. We only got the chance to eat there a couple of weeks, though, and I’m glad I finally had the chance to see Steak Town alive and well again.

The place looks a lot more sparse than its previous incarnations. The main highlight is the ever-present salad bar, which offers the usual salad ingredients, three types of dressing, potato salad, and macaroni salad.

The main dishes come with unlimited soup and salad, and you also get a scoop of ice cream for dessert. My mother ordered Beef Steak Tagalog (P450) and I had a filet mignon with pepper sauce (P650+).

In my book, the place can still do no wrong. Who could ever be disappointed by tender, flavorful beef? It’s also a plus that the price hasn’t leaped up as much as I had expected. I suppose the only complaint I have is that the food presentation could be better. That, and the fact that Steak Town seriously needs more Metro Manila branches.

My mother and I used to eat at Breakfast at Antonio’s nearly every time we went to Tagaytay. Here are a few pictures from our first visit to the place back when it was still along the highway; these were taken in 2004. I had the four-cheese omelette and she had the sausage omelette.

Breakfast at Antonio’s eventually moved to where Antonio’s is located, which meant that we got too lazy to make the trip there over the years (yeah, I know it wasn’t all that far, but eh). So I was pretty surprised and pleased to hear that the restaurant has returned to its old location. We were in Tagaytay a couple of weeks ago, so I suggested that we grab breakfast at Breakfast at Antonio’s.

The place is done up in minimalist black and white this time around, and feels a lot more spacious than the original. Upon entering, you’ll see a shop on the right side which sells various products, from fruit jams to vegetables to bread, among other things. We got a table by the screened windows, always the best place for people who want a view of Taal Lake and the volcano or to be regularly treated to a cool breeze.

We were pretty hungry and just wanted a really basic breakfast, so my mother went with the pancakes (P180), which came with a grilled pineapple and banana, and a cup of hot chocolate. I ordered a pot of herb tea, which is basically the tarragon tea that appears on so many menus in various Tagaytay restaurants, and had the roesti with bacon, egg, and cheese (because a typical breakfast for me involves bacon and eggs) which came with a panini. The waiter even offered me some apple jam to go with the bread. I ended up buying a jar of apple jam (P120).

If you’re visiting Breakfast at Antonio’s for the first time, be warned that the portions aren’t enormous. They fill you up just fine and the food is honestly wonderful. This isn’t food that you should be wolfing down and which is meant only to fill your belly, however. It’s the kind of breakfast you should savor, something you should be eating on a relaxed morning (or noon or early afternoon) with friends or family.

For a couple of days in Sagada, Tj was trying to convince me to sample pinikpikan because it’s a local specialty. I didn’t want to at first, because of the method used to prepare the chickens for cooking, plus the sight of the fluffy white chickens made me go, “Awwww, so cute!” I gave in eventually because, yeah, I was in Sagada and it’s only right to try the food–and that means not only food from the popular spots.

Tj had eaten pinikpikan on his first trip to Sagada and actually saw the preparation, and he thought the dish was all right. So on our last day in Sagada, we had a light dinner at Pinikpikan Haus, which was established in 2011.

You can’t miss the place because it’s right underneath Alibama Inn, plus there’s a chicken coop right by the sidewalk.

Tj and I decided to split one order of pinikpikan (P150) which came with red rice. It turned out to be a good decision because the bowl of pinikpikan was enough for two.

So what do I make of the dish? It’s good, basic Filipino food, a bit like tinola, actually. Given the manner of preparation involved, the dish’s simplicity was a bit of a surprise. Portions of the meat were red, which is the result of the beating done to the chicken, and some pieces were dark–give them a try and you’ll find that they have a smoky, woodsy taste coupled with a bit of spice. I recommend trying it both for the novelty and because it’s a decent dish. Those who are squeamish can still enjoy Pinikpikan Haus because of its affordable Filipino fare. Pinikpikan Haus also serves a buffet dinner every Friday night.

We saw Gaia Café and Crafts on our way to check out Sumaging Cave on our first day in Sagada and wanted to check it out, but an enthusiastic dog stopped us because we weren’t sure if she was friendly or aggressive. The same dog appeared as we walked further along the path, and she was happily bounding alongside a guide and two foreign tourists. I was getting worried when she was getting closer to me, but one of the tourists said, “Friendly dog” and the guide told me that she came from the café. So when we finally decided to stop to eat at Gaia the next day, we weren’t worried when we saw the dog again. Her name is Isis because “she thinks she’s a goddess”, according to one of Gaia’s servers.

Gaia Café and Crafts appears to be a favorite among foreign tourists, at least based on the guests we saw there every time we passed by the place. Gaia serves vegan and vegetarian food and is a lovely dining spot, featuring a nice, quaint appearance, a small shop, a library, and a great view of Kapay-Aw Rice Terraces. A brisk wind was blowing when we stopped by Gaia for a snack, so the fresh air is another plus for the place.

While waiting for our food, Tj went down to check out the terraces, and I flipped through a copy of Death and Beyond: Death & burial rituals & other practices & beliefs of the Igorots of Sagada, Mountain Province, Philippines by Dinah Elma Piluden-Omengan. I wanted a copy of that and very much regret not having purchased it.

I ordered a bowl of Creamy Potato Soup with Lemongrass (P70), made creamy with a nut-based cream. I thought it tasted a bit like arroz caldo, and the soup was tasty and warming which I really needed given the chilly wind. Tj had the Vegetarian Adobo (P100), which consisted of seitan, carrots, and potatoes cooked in naturally brewed soy sauce and organic vinegar. It tastes pretty close to the real thing. I’ve never had seitan before, but it’s a great meat substitute. We also split a plate of Gaia Camote Fries (P55) and ordered ginger tea (P30) and fruit vegetable juice (P50), which is made from carrots, cucumber, and other vegetables.

Isis sat next to us as we ate. Okay, she did more than sit. She rested her head on our laps and prodded us, asking for food. She was a cute, irresistible dining companion.

Aside from the great food, eco-friendliness is another notable feature of Gaia. They use organic ingredients, serve MSG-free food, and find various ways to operate in an eco-friendly manner. For example, edible food scraps are fed to their pig, and non-reusable biodegradables are composted. They also have a rainwater collection system in place.

Gaia Café and Crafts is a little bit out of the way especially if you’re staying closer to the town proper. But there’s really no rush if you’re in Sagada, and a leisurely walk will easily take you to Gaia. It’s a great place for having some nice food and for simply sitting back and watching the day go by.