Sweet Goodies from Rowena's

From Tagaytay, we took the Sta. Rosa road and passed by a little pink shop with a number of cars parked on the road side. I recognized the name as an officemate had previously brought chicharon and buko tarts to the office before and she made us taste them then.

I told DH to stop so I could buy some sweets.

Rowena's is famous for its buko tarts. Inside the shop are an assortment goodies which are perfect for pasalubong.

I decided to get a box of blueberry tarts,

Box of 6, Php 160

chocolate fudge brownies,

Box of 16, Php 180

and a couple of silvanas.

Php 40 each

Mmmmm... sweet tooth satisfaction! :)

I will definitely come back for more goodies on our next trip to Tagaytay.

______________________________________

Rowena's

#152 Brgy Francisco,

Tagaytay City

Tel: (+46) 860 2481

Mobile: +63920 9080318

rowenas_tarts@yahoo.com

Day 2 in Club Balai Isabel

On our second day in Club Balai, I spent a good part of the morning strolling and taking pictures of my younger girls. The resort is filled with snippets of artfully-arranged plants and the girls gamely posed for me.

There was also a bit of history lesson for my girls. We noticed that the first three clusters of the Lakeside and Lakefront Suites were named after national heroes born in Batangas.

We found this bit interesting.

Then we all had breakfast and the girls went swimming afterwards.

We promptly checked out of the resort at 12 noon as we had a lunch invitation elsewhere in Talisay.

We all thought that this was a good way to kick off the start of summer... The fresh air and cool breeze was just what we needed as a breather from the sweltering heat of Manila.

A good time was truly had by all.

Want more proof? Even Fiona's furry friend had a blast! ;)

Milan's Restaurant

For our dinner last night, DH and I ventured out and went to Milan's Restaurant along the National Highway in Talisay. Coming from Club Balai Isabel Resort, it's past the Talisay Municipal Hall on the right side of the road.

We ordered crispy tawilis, inihaw na liempo and garlic kangkong. (We took out the food and ate at the resort. The food was put in styrofoam containers and I failed to take pictures.) Food prices were very reasonable.

DH and I sooooo loved the tawilis! We both loved it so much that we ordered it again for breakfast, haha! We even bought fresh tawilis from the Talisay public market so we could replicate the dish back in Manila, hahaha!

Kickin' Off Summer at Club Balai Isabel

Located in Talisay in Batangas, Club Balai Isabel boasts of a fantastic view of the Taal Lake and volcano.

We got a Lakeside Suite

which comes with 2 double-sized beds and a mini-kitchen which is quite right for us.

After unloading and unpacking our stuff, our girls excitedly changed into their bikinis and hurried out to the pool which can be viewed from our room.

the pool

our bikini girls :)

There were preparations for a wedding late that afternoon. The pool was closed from 4-8 pm and we were directed to their other pool which was quite far from our room. Good thing, our girls were all game enough to walk to the farther end of the resort.

When I chanced upon the wedding at sunset, I was awed with the play of colors.

Even when darkness fell, the mood was quite romantic.

We strolled around the resort some more and took pictures. We also rode the resort's roving shuttle which toured us further around.

This was a happy time for us all!

The Raves at Kanin Club

For lunch, we stopped by Paseo de Sta. Rosa and went straight to the popular restaurant called

This restaurant is known for serving Filipino dishes with a modern twist. We came in at 11:am and there were already 2 tables occupied. We know that this restaurant has a couple of branches in Metro Manila but this Sta. Rosa branch is where it all started.

restaurant interior

We've heard so much about their crispy dinuguan and this was our chance to try it.

crispy dinuguan, Php 233

Their other highly recommended dishes include

crispy liempo, Php 127

Thin strips of pork belly fried to crispy perfection. My eldest daughter found it too hard though for her braces.

crab omelette, Php 213

The omelette was our girls' hands-down favorite.

We got iced tea and five cups of plain rice and we paid a total of Php 887.95 , which is inclusive of 5% service charge. All their prices are already inclusive of 12% VAT.

Good Filipino food at reasonable prices -- now we know what the rave at Kanin Club is all about!

______________________

Kanin Club

Paseo De Sta.Rosa

Sta. Rosa City, Laguna

(049) 544-0332

Westgate Mall

Commercial Ctr., FAI Admin Bldg., Alabang

Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila

(02) 771-1400

UP Ayalaland TechnoHub

UP Ayalaland TechnoHub, Commonwealth Ave. Brgy. UP Campus Diliman

Quezon City, Metro Manila

(02) 332-5978

Burgoo - Our Family's Fave Restaurant

For several occasions over several years now, our family celebrates special events in Burgoo restaurant in Tomas Morato. My girls love having their birthday dinners here because the waiters would surprise them with a dessert and a round, or should I say medley, of "happy birthday" songs.

Last February 11 was Zoe's 10th birthday. She chose Burgoo.

Today, after Fiona's graduation program, she said she also wanted to celebrate in Burgoo.

We usually order their carbonara pasta and baby back ribs and shrimp platter. But today, we tried something else.

Pizza Sampler, regular, Php 375

Oklahoma Ribs, regular, Php 580

Seafood Jambalaya, regular, Php 285

And because we had a "graduate", they gave us a free dish :)

Supreme Sampler (buffalo wings, spring rolls, onion rings and mozzarella sticks)

Here's to more celebrations in Burgoo!

Our Palawan Underground River Experience

(Note: This is a long overdue post. Our trip to Palawan was taken February 8-10, 2009. A major part of this post is my entry in my virtual tourist page.)

The highlight of any trip to Palawan is the tour to the Subterranean River. Touted to be the longest navigable underground river in the world, this tourist destination is currently vying for a spot in the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Our hotel made arrangements for our tour. For P 1,500 per person, the guided tour package includes a 2-hour van ride to Sabang port, a 15-minute motorized banca ride to the Underground River Park, the boat ride inside the Underground River and lunch in Sabang Beach.

Our tour began as early as 5:30a.m. when we were picked up from our hotel/resort. The ride took about 2 hours with almost half of it on rough roads. We got off at Sabang port and lined up to take a short ferry ride to get to the Underground River Park.

The short banca ride accorded us majestic views of limestone formations.

After 10 minutes, we docked at the Underground River Park. From there, it was a short walk on a trail

to get to the mouth of the cave/river.

There was already a long line of tourists waiting for their turn to get on another banca which would take them inside the underground river. We fell in line and whiled away the time by taking pictures of the girls making silly poses. After about 1 1/2 hours, it was finally our turn.

Our boatman/tour guide took us on a canoe-type boat. Motor-powered boats are banned inside the cave to preserve nature in all its glory. Our guide injected humor in his narration and pointed out the various stalactite and stalagmite formations.

stalactite formation called "Dory" (a character from the Disney movie, Nemo)

stalagmite formation called "holy family"

The trip inside the underground river lasted about 20 minutes. Upon exiting the cave, this view came into sight.

where freshwater meets saltwater

It was a one-of-a-kind and truly memorable experience. We witnessed nature at its best.

our souvenir shot

Ka Lui Restaurant

Another popular restaurant in Puerto Princesa in Palawan is KaLui. Diners are accorded a different experience as guests are asked to leave their shoes or slippers before entering the main dining area. Yes, guests go barefoot when they dine.

Reservations are necessary as the resto is always full.

While waiting for our food, the flowers on the side of the table (marked on pic above), which I think were meant to be a centerpiece, found their way on my girls' hair.

To cool us off, we ordered iced tea and fruit shakes.

For starters, we were given an appetizer of seaweed salad.

We got the house specialty called the seafood platter which consisted of steamed fish, grilled squid, grilled tuna and shrimp.

seafood platter

For dessert, slices of fresh fruits topped with brown sugar, served in a coconut shell.

Mmmm, everything was good! No wonder, KaLui is a must-go-to restaurant when in Palawan.