Merry Macarons best in the Philippines

No I am not trying to be precious or fancy by ordering several boxes of French Macarons. In fact I do not see the value in paying as much as $3 per piece (in NZ and AU).

Red Velvet, Cookies and Cream, Chocolate

But my attitude towards these little French delights changed when my good friend visited Paris and started making macarons in the Philippines as soon as she got home. I have known Maye since University....  She was one very close friend.  She would make picture collages of our girlfriend trips up north. We studied Psychology in UP Diliman but her creative inclination made me wonder if she made the right choice. :) Kidding, Maye!

She regularly attends food fairs to showcase her creations. Her prices are affordable but the value you get is much more than value of macarons you get at the local cafes.

She must have experimented on hundreds of flavors for her business Merry Macarons.  

My favourites are:
Coco calamansi
Cookies and cream
Red velvet

She does custom shapes and flavors too!

The presentation, flavors and price prompted me to give justice to her craft.  Every year,  on special occasions and for special people, I would order a few boxes of Merry macarons!

Recent feedback from people whom I have given these macarons are:
Soft filling, not dry like other Macs
Rich and exciting flavors! We want to taste all the flavors!
We didn't use to like macarons...
Can I have more? (after having 3 already...)

Follow Merry Macs on Facebook! 

My recent merry macs order!!

Super yummy Merry Macs!

Jollibee in Lipa City

There are five Jollibee branches in Lipa City: city center, hospital area,  inside SM, inside Robinson's mall, and the latest is next to star tollway.

This is the Filipino counterpart  for McDonalds. It is actually not that  bad.

I particularly like the 1 piece burger steak with rice. It is about 350 calories.  This is the only  meal I would think of buying.  Just like any fast food chain,  Jollibee  is not a healthy choice.  Gravy, fried chicken and chips,  sugary sundae ice cream,  white bread are killers if eaten daily. It is a cheap  alternative and a harmless meal twice a month.

There are no vegetable dishes at Jollibee.  It's  targeted towards kids and their parents.  The restaurant is a place where kids can be noisy and have fun with family.

They are also famous for jolly kiddie parties.

So if you are visiting the Philippines why not try them. Spend about $10 and you can feed a family of four!

Salmon Dish: Simplicity is the Key

I LOVE sashimi, grilled or baked salmon...but pan fried? Well not until I learned to make this salmon dish myself.

It took me four years to perfectly fry this succulent dish so do not be too hard on yourself if you don't get it right the first few times.

First, pick a fresh Norwegian or New Zealand salmon. Second, cut it right and pat it dry. Get a fillet cut if you are not very good with knives. Some people like me love to eat skin. Most do not. So this salmon I bought has the skin peeled off already. I bought this from South Supermarket in Lipa City. There is no other place you can buy this variety in Lipa, with this level of quality. The fillet is 225 pesos each.

Once the fillet is patted dry, cut in two. Salmon is rich and fatty so taste can be overpowering if served in too big a quantity.

Drizzle the fillet in good olive oil. Then season with salt and pepper liberally.

Heat pan, no need for extra oil in pan. Once it is hot, fry the salmon, 4 to 5 minutes on each side. That is it!

Place it on top of mashed potatoes!
This delectable dish is filling and it is healthy.

For my mashed potato recipe:
4 potatoes boiled
Two tbsp cream cheese
1 small tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley
1 calamansi or lemon juice 1tsp

I am so happy that I had a chance to make this meal for my parents! They loved it!

Smallest Banana in the World

I do not particularly love bananas but there are tropical varieties which I enjoy. One of them is the senorita banana. Small as it seems, it is packed with sweetness.  Cute and bite-size, it is a great healthy dessert alternative.

Bananas, like the cavendish variety, contain 90 kcal per fruit. 

This photo shows the senorita is no bigger than my credit card.

Antonio's Tagaytay Review

I've heard a lot about Antonio's in Tagaytay. Antonio's is known to be Tagaytay's #1 restaurant, serving gourmet food.

It took time for us to find the place. We were told the place is full so we really hurried to take the last spot.

When we got to the area, the gate itself was already impressive. It did look like a secret garden but instead of flowers, there were glaring SUVs and luxury cars and a noticeable helicopter on a helipad. Well that just meant maybe this place is really that good, I thought.

Upon entering the restaurant, the austere ambiance of old Spanish elaborate architecture engulfed me. With servers dressed in black and white, it seemed to take us back in time when slavery was accepted and not frowned upon. I wasn't a fan of their choice of uniform style.

One of the staff members handed me the menu, a little greasy and untidy but I thought, that's fine. The "servers" seem to know what to recommended and at least they know that the menu contains. They were able to describe the quantity of the meal, what it consists of etc. For example, I asked, "how do you make a flourless chocolate cake?" The server said, "we use mocha / chocolate powder instead of flour." Ok I can accept that but I am not sure if it can work yet.  Anyway they know what gnocchi is.

Quite remarkable are the huge windows and chandeliers and high ceilings. I loved the green surroundings. The weather was hot but I was comfortable with the breeze. The only discomfort maybe would have been the incessant fly-looking-bee.

Well we all ordered the set menu:
Lamb with Gnocchi side dish(1)

Crab Ravioli

Salmon and pasta (2)

We had salad, which was ok. A bit modest serving. Notable was the candied walnut.

Then we had soup which had a nice touch of coffee. They called it mushroom cappucino soup (something like that). Forgive me for not remembering exactly. I liked the twist in flavour.

Then we were given a complementary sorbet "to cleanse the pallatte". Well thank you. That just means that chef is sensitive with customers. Although that may also suggest the main course meals will be a tad bit delayed.

So the main course... well my Crab Ravioli was nice and tasty. I could have more though, not that I'm a pig but I thought the serving was a too small. My dad was so happy with his Lamb rack... my mom was slightly happy with her salmon... but my partner thought the salmon tasted as if it was frozen and not fresh. Well my partner's a bit picky because he's used to NZ salmon and it's understandably quite hard to source that fresh in the Philippines.

Since this is supposed to be gourmet food, I thought dad's and my main meal were the most "gourmet" of all that we had. The Salmon dish was not at all impressive. Even the pasta it came along with.

Then we had the dessert - a long awaited surprised. We were prepped first too, just before the start of the meal that we will be given a huge choice of dessert... so our verdict?

Again Dad picked the best dessert! Spicy chocolate - different and memorable.

My partner ordered chocolate mint, which he adored.

My mom ordered some kind of rich chocolate mousse with pistachios which she didn't really like.

I ordered flourless chocolate cake - yes it was the best chocolate cake I have ever had but too rich for me to have again ever in my life.

The table setting was great. Loved that they used the local flowers.

We even visited the rest of the area - Antonio's breakfast area, which had really creative furniture and interiors.

My verdict? Of course we will visit Antonio's again.

A little treat for all of us. The entire meal cost $40/person on the average. Still good compared to western standards for a three-course meal.

I would love to see some competition though. Surely someone else can create better food at a slightly lower price ;-)

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Marcia's Restaurant Tagaytay Review

This is my review of the little restaurant in Tagaytay called Marcia's.

Tagaytay is very close to Lipa City so it's a perfect spot for us to go to when we're tired of the cafes in Lipa, namely Coffee Bean, Starbucks.

I found out about Marcias from Tripadvisor. I became curious because I read reviews from foreigners, Filipino expats and picky locals. Marcias is located at the border of Tagaytay and Alfonso, specifically in Brgy Sikat. About 10 minutes drive from the Rotunda, just exactly after the usual arcs that welcome tourists to a new town, you'll have to go to Brgy Sikat. Marcias doesn't have a sign on its door so we almost missed it. Thankfully, I have a reliable photographic memory so I noticed the rustic door on one of the properties. Just remember, the property is almost right next to the entrance to the Brgy from the national road.

The immediate entrance is leafy which gave me a refreshing feeling. I noticed that there's a house next to the garden, probably the owner's house. There's also some noticeable development before we arrived to the main restaurant area.

The first thing I admired were the following:
1. The walls, cobbles which I don't know how to get in the Philippines
2. The exposed wood in the ceiling
3. The mud coloured flooring which I adore
4. The fresh flowers
5. The cool feeling

There are other notable areas of course. Every spot in the restaurant seemed cosy. It's just that I didn't want to sit so close to the bathroom and the area where there's a view of the fields seemed quite warmer. We opted to stay next to the entrance of the restaurant.

The place is decorated just pleasantly. Though I don't appreciate the stuffed animals, I liked very much the wrought iron decorations, the stained glass windows, the tiled tables, the different types of chairs on the table, and the table setting is a little bit more generous compared to other high end restaurants in Tagaytay.

This is almost like one of the garden houses I love in Queenstown, NZ.

So our group of four ordered our meal - as usual my meat lover parents ordered Italian pork and aromatic pork, while diet conscious people like myself and my partner ordered beef and chicken stew. For appetizer, we tried the salad, the shrimps, the bacon soup.  For desert, we tried the roasted orange with vanilla ice cream, fried banana in home made liquer, roasted banana with chocolate ice cream and lavender custard. We also tried the lemon lime drink which was recommend by the waiter.

The cost of the entire meal for four is Php 3900+ There is 10% service charge.

I was pleased with the experience and I appreciate that there's a place like this in the Philippines.

I wonder though if this is a viable business model or if the novelty of the experience will fade.

The price is affordable at Php 800 per person (including service charge and/or the drinks).

The question then boils down to the taste. The food is certainly presented creatively. Except for the main course... surprisingly plain (didn't bother upload my photos). The taste is ok, albeit amplified by the beautiful ambience. The food is filling.

To be more exact:
Appetizers - different choices, nice presentation - Salad is generous, loved the fresh leafy vegetables, the light dressing, the peach. The soup was ok, not very sure of the taste but it's due to a personal dislike of meats in soup (in general). The shrimp was spiced up, didn't like the wafer beneath, it was tasteless.
Main course - my beef stew - it was a generous serving, plain rice, plain presentation. Meat was tender. I preferred my mom and dad's pork dishes - both nicely spiced. But theirs too were quite heavy meals. My partner's chicken stew is interesting, it seemed to have 'bagoong' (not sure). Bagoong is some kind of local anchovy paste. Maybe that's why it seemed to salty.
Deserts - I had the roasted orange with vanilla. I loved my desert. Nice presentation. I liked the presentation of the banana split with chocolate too. I thought the fried bananas with liquer was quite plain and I didn't like the purple sauce (liquer). My partner didn't like it so much too. I think it lacks something as a package. The custard was not very interesting.
Drink - We tried the lemon lime drink, about Php 300 for a pitcher. We shared it. I didn't have much of it because I realized it's carbonated. I didn't like that. So this drink could be better and probably I'd rather have ginger beer next time.

So back to the question - the taste ... It's not uber special - so some people might not be raving about it. But bear in mind, the price is only about $20 per person for a 3 course meal! So I'm not sure if the other online comments are fair when they say that the food isn't authentic or special.

Anyway, I think it's best to compare also with the alternatives - Bag of Beans (Php 450 per head) and Antonios (Php 800 - Php 1000) per head. Just in terms of place and ambience, I'd visit Marcia's any day of the week. My last choice would be Bag of Beans but I think Bag of Beans quality has severely decreased (I had breakfast with family there 3 months ago). So safe to say, I would not go back to Bag of Beans for a year.

I would also like to share the comments of the other people I had lunch with:
My mom - She absolutely loved the place, very much inspired by it. My mom said very complementary comments about the talents and the courage of the cook - Marcia, noting her hard work and her attention to detail.
My dad - very happy with the desert, happy with this little trip, overall happy with the experience except of course he compared the price to having 4 meals at Yellow cab...
My partner - liked what they've done with the place. He didn't like the chicken stew, he thought it was a little too salty. Thought the place was overpriced for the food...and wasn't too happy there's construction going on.  My partner and I love cafes and always visit as much restaurants as we can in NZ, Australia, Philippines

Much more is to be said about the creativity of the couple - Marcia and Neil. My mom even said that Marcia is quite an inspiration having created and developed such an atmosphere in the Philippines.

The restaurant is only 2 years old. According to Neil, they started in 2010. They are growing and building a reception area and some rooms for a bed and breakfast accommodation. Exciting times ahead and we can only wish them the best.

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Cutest Coca Cola in the World

Sold in the Philippines for Php 10 or 20c AUD.
Isn't this too cute? :-)

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The Philosophy of Buffet Eating

I've had my fair share of ALL YOU CAN eat treats in the Philippines. For a minor expense of at least $10 to $35 (which was the most costly I had in Crowne Plaza's Seven Corners), Filipinos enjoy a massive calorie intake for 2 to 3 hours. 

My recent visit to ALL YOU CAN EAT treats in the Philippines were at DADs Buffet, Manila and VIKINGS Buffet Restaurant, Manila.

As a background, without calling to make reservations, we planned to try Vikings Buffet Restaurant in Manila due to its raving reviews from relatives. We had a feeling we were unlikely to get in when we saw the ant-army-like crowd who just discovered a pot of honey. We were told that we should have made reservations because their current system of having a long queue of guests wait outside is apparently a 'good problem to have'.

The food looked glorious on the tables and the place was impeccably cleaner compared to many Filipino restaurants I have seen. The young dining manager seemed very accommodating, apologetic in stark contrast with the older lady manager who seemed to listen in pretense while pushing that the current system *works*. She seemed to be a very detail-oriented woman, to her credit, making sure all food scattered on the floor were promptly cleaned up.

I personally would love to some time dine in Vikings but not in any urgency and not in great desire... more for reasons I will explain later.

Since our Vikings visit was thwarted, we decided to try Dads... our old favorite as it was closer to the place we intended to visit in Manila. 

My anticipation was quickly shrouded with disappointment as I saw a throng of people eating... voraciously... devouring... grabbing food while chewing. No this is no longer enjoyable eating. This is disturbing!

Vikings, I was told, is owned by a Chinese group, tied with Tom Yum.  This group has done a lot of things right. Surely the photos above appeal to all my senses! I know I will certainly enjoy the taste and variety and I am happy to pay the price of Php 1088 per person.  The issue is my preparedness to absorb the unforgiving 3500 calories (at least). Even before the 3500 calories is completely burned, I have to contend with  real threats to my health. 



26.6% of Filipino adults are overweight. Source.

1 in three Filipinos has high cholesterol. 1 in 4 Filipinos has high blood pressure.


"The data, presented by the International Diabetes Federation in their Diabetes Atlas for 2009, put the number of Filipino adults with Type 2 or acquired diabetes at 3.4 million out of a 51-million adult population, with 4.9 million more on the brink of developing diabetes." Source.

I propose a completely un-Filipino way of eating. I propose a culture of enjoyment of food as an art, an effort by careful thoughts of a chef or the cook, a high quality conversation time with friends and family.

The Vikings ALL YOU CAN EAT restaurant buffet or Dad's Buffet need not be another venue of uncontrolled, whimsical indulgence. 

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Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Lipa City

I visited CBTL - Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf Cafe in Lipa City yesterday.
There were 4 of us and we spent Php 735 or about $20 - still cheap by western standards however I think quite pricey already for regular salaries of Pinoys.

The chai latte was a stunner - Php 125 - a small cup. That's about $3 only.
I ordered a mocha latte, small size - Php 110 - $2.50 I think (all quoted in AUD).

Cakes were around Php 125 to Php 140 so around $3 to $3.50 per slice.

In terms of taste, the mocha latte was not exceptional... though I can sense more flavor in it compared to the regular mocha latte I get from Starbucks in Lipa.  The cakes were nice but everyone knows cakes are never healthy. Still to their credit, it's good and I think better than the pastries in Starbucks in Lipa or in Cafe de Lipa by a mile.

The biggest problem in this place even if it offers free wifi is the glaring sun. Hot Philippine weather and hot glaring gray skies hurt my eyes! This makes this coffee shop unappealing to me as I prefer something which is cosy. That being said, I think this place though is design more for casual business meetings instead of peer hangout or pocket book readers.

Will I come back? Well  maybe... with a few conditions:
1. If I have to pay for their coffee, I really would like to have a more relaxing atmosphere. A few in-house plants, fresh flowers would be nice.
2. Some shade and more relaxing music will help.


Perhaps next time, if I don't have a choice, I would order their meals... eggs benedict and some pasta. :-)



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Real Filipino Classic Foods

Pancit Bukid, mix of bihon and canton with egg on top

Kare Kareng Kambing

The noodles were great... just word of caution, it's rather fatty considering the meat. It's also always disappointing many Filipino cuisines do not have a lot of vegetables as part of the meal.

The Kare-kare kambing reminded me of earlier days when I used to see soldiers grouped around drinking beer with Kare kareng kambing in Mindoro. I used to live near a military camp. This dish seems to be a classic yet spruced up with cheese. The kambing (goat) meat was tender - but another caution: some parts of the meat are stretchy and indigestible yet most cooks still cook them. I recommend eating just the edible parts. This meat tastes like lamb "almost". However, I heard this meat is quite cheap. The kambing bones are quite brittle so they break quickly when cooked. Just be wary when you eat this as some sharp bones might get stuck between your teeth or you might hurt yourself.

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Good Bye Yellow Cab Lipa City

Shocked to see a cockroach suspended in ice. I took a video as I complained in the counter. The ice has already melted. The manager said they can only give us discount. Shocking service and shocking response. They said they can replace if there's an issue with the product so in this she meant transfer the ice. Yellow Cab Lipa City needs better quality control. I don't think I'll visit Yellow Cab Lipa in SM anymore.

New York's Finest Pizza, our order on the day of the Cockroach Confusion

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Talk about Fresh Seafood

Nothing tastes better than FRESH crab and prawns. Heavenly delight! These came from Pampanga, Philippines.

To capture the best taste of Philippine seafood, just boil these shelly beasts up with water, a bit of salt!

If you like a spiced up flavour, after boiling, re-cook for 5 minutes in water, butter, garlic and ginger. Add salt and pepper to taste. Personally, I'm happy with the simpler preparation.

It's best served with boiled rice and stir-fried kangkong! Eat with your hands! ;-) Finger-licking good!

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My less than $3 Starbucks Coffe

The only Starbucks in my known world which sells $3 for a regularly sized cafe mocha drink for less than $3. This is exactly Php 125 in Lipa City, Batangas, no whipped cream, non fat milk.

Is it a bargain? Not really. While it is relatively cheaper than the $4 mocha drinks I have in other countries for regular cafes, this drink is quite expensive in the Philippine setting.

However, there isn't much choice of boutique and cozy coffee shops especially in provincial areas in the Philippines.


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Krazy Garlik Restaurant

My parents, partner and I went to Resort World last week to look for a new place we haven't tried. There are so many choices in Resort World - all a little bit boutiquey but there are some common coffee shops, restaurants like Coffee Bean and Red Crab.

We chose Krazy Garlic. I love garlic personally so I was very intrigued to order some food (from appetizer to desert) that has garlic as a feature ingredient.

We started with the Salad - their recommendation. We share a huge bowl. It was absolutely yum! I loved the touch of crisps and the mild garlic sauce. The greens seemed fresh. Cost was about Php500.

We then had a garlic pasta (seafood) with clams and shrimp. It was good as well. The serving was a bit small (Php300). I didn't like the way the pasta stuck to each other but it was cooked 'ok' not superb. The sauce was just right. Flavour was just right so I loved it as well.

Then we had a garlic pizza which was sumptuous as well (Php 500). The garlic flakes were the feature ingredient.

Glad to have my parents really pick out the garlic taste and they appreciated the theme.

For desert, we had banana, guava smoothie, dragon fruit/strawberry smoothie and the highlight was some
sort of creamy custard with sweetened garlic!

So it was a taste sensation for all of us. The total bill was just about $40-$45.

We'll be back of course.

Had been informed by the pleasant waitress that Krazy Garlik has an American chef and it's part of the "Fridays' Group of companies".

I was too focused on the food to actually take photos :)

Tomatoes and oregano make it ITALIAN
Wine and tarragon make it FRENCH
Lemon and cinnamon make it GREEK
Soy sauce make it CHINESE
GARLIC MAKES IT GOOD.

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The Farm at San Benito, Lipa City, Philippines

Located in Lipa City, The Farm at San Benito, is a SPA and medical wellness venue - supposedly for people with certain ailments.

I visited The Farm with family and I'd like to share my experiences.

All services and food have 22% tax on top of the quote prices online. So a day's tour - spa and massage included - is around Php 4800 + 22% tax. 10% VAT and 12% city tax.

The meals are incredibly small and includes common Filipino cuisine which can be made for 10% of the price.

The venue is very humid, lots of ants on the table and in our experience, the rice is not properly washed that tiny stones are included in the meal. Not an issue if you have strong teeth. But it's a reminder not to bite too hard.

The place is clean and nicely landscaped, a notch about landscapes seen in Tagaytay spas. Having a walk around the place is pleasant.

I'm not saying the prices of food and services are too much. In fact, it's quite average considering the western prices.

There are a good # of customers when we visited. They are all talking loud enough to be heard. Topics involve weight loss, money, business - common topics in Snobsville.

There were notable people who made me smile during my visit:
1. The little girl (perhaps daughter of one of the workers) who just came home from school. She was carrying her back pack when she said good afternoon to me. That was pretty authentic.
2. The western manager - I don't know her position. I can't identify her accent. She could very well be European / Italian descent. She was friendly. She greeted me and I briefly told her I am having a good day.
3. Some staff who genuinely smile.

Will you really lose weight with The Farm weight loss programmes?

I think that people can definitely loose weight using their programme and considering the portions of food served. A tiny scoop of rice! However, I will argue, if you stay home and barely eat for 7 days, I will guarantee you will lose weight. Just view the photos of the food portions on this article. That's the correct portion you should eat per meal and you'll lose weight - guaranteed. Since you want to stay nourished, it would be good to choose fruits and vegies over junk food. With this suggestion, you do not need to pay $180 or Php 7000++ per day.

The reception area provides free wifi. So you can probably have Php180 cup of coffee and use their wifi.

So what is The Farm good for?

The Farm is good for business meetings in Lipa City if you want to create a great impression to a potential business partner.

Will I go back to The Farm? Yes, when there is a need.




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