koko & everything else

koko & everything else

Monday, February 21, 2011

Shepherd’s Pie worth a thousand sheep or more!

(Photos by Hazhazie: http://hazhazie.multiply.com)



I do love food, and I think everyone else does! Who couldn’t resist good food after a long day at work? As for me, I love good food anytime of the week, the month, the year. I’ve been cooking and baking myself, though I am no professional but when I taste something extraordinary I go flipped!

And that was what happened to me last February 21, 2011. We (me and my gf) were searching for a decent place to have our monthsary dinner. And one of our friends suggested that we try Mom & Tina’s.




Since the place was in the Makati area, we just decided to watch a movie at Greenbelt before heading there. After an almost two-hour movie and a short walk from Greenbelt to Mom & Tina’s, we finally arrived at the packed restaurant on a Monday night.

That was really something. Mondays, as we all know, is a slow day. But for them, I don’t think Mom and Tina haven’t even heard of what a “slow day” meant coz the place was filled with people, for dine in or even take out.

Just before ordering, my friend Maiers (http://maierz.blogspot.com) texted me to try the shepherd’s pie which was also Karla’s suggestion (http://www.foodtrippings.com/american/mom-and-tinas-bakery-cafe/). And knowing both of them, I think I wouldn’t go wrong with this choice.

So after a few minutes of browsing over and over the menu, Hazel (my gf) decided to just ask the server about their best sellers). The server suggested beef stew and callos, and so we ordered those, plus the shepherd’s pie, coke zero and carousel for me (since I’m naturally fickle minded, I decided to try it all).

And voila! Good food served in less than 15 minutes!

(Carousel - had three servings of Iced tea in red, green and blue)




(Presenting... the Mom & Tina's Shepherd's Pie)


(Callos)


(Beef Stew)


(Freebie! I dunno if it comes with the pie or what... but i loved it nonetheless)


I loved the shepherd’s pie so much that I ordered another one to go and bring it home for mama and yaya! That I ended up sharing with them coz I just couldn’t resist! Sorry about that!

For your own Mom & Tina’s experience, here’s a bit of info:

Mom and Tina’s Bakery Cafe – Makati
G/F Unit 14 Tropical Palm Plaza, Perea cor. Dela Rosa St., Legaspi Village
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 840-4299
Store hours: Monday to Sunday : 10:00 AM to 10:00 PM (though I think they are supposed to close up at 11PM, but based on my experience, they close up just before 10PM)

Monday, February 7, 2011

CASA FUERTE: My Palawan Home away from Home

(PHOTOS BY Hazhazie: http://hazhazie.multiply.com)

It was during the last part of 2010 that I’ve finally decided to take that offer of going to Palawan. I have always dreamed of Palawan ever since… I always planned but it remained just a plan for so long. Maybe one thing that stopped me before was the EXPENSES… I’m a little tight with money so I don’t like to spend so much but this time, I don’t really know what made me say OKAY but I AM SO GLAD I DID.

January 19, 2011 – the plane fare was a bit cheap… Php 2,000 something round trip was fair enough. But since we didn’t really know how to get around in Palawan, we decided to just find an all-in package: accommodation and tour.

One of our friends was the one who took charge of finding the best package available. She called up one day and told us about the Php 5,600 something package.

Four days; three nights package includes:
• Airport transfers
• Accommodation
• Welcome Drinks
• City Tour plus permits
• Honda Bay Tour plus permits, boat transfers, and lunch
• Underground River plus permits, boat transfers, buffet lunch
• Daily Breakfast
• One night Dinner at Tiki Bar and Resto

Imagine that! It was too good to be true that got me goose bumps. But since it’s really cheap… I just gave in and booked the package. A week before the trip, I went online and checked their website out. I am trying to figure out what’s wrong with the place. But the more I checked it out, the more perks I found, like the free wifi!

So on January 19, finally arriving at Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan, I silently prayed for our safety, security and comfort. I prayed so hard to make CASA FUERTE at least a livable place to stay.

We were picked up at the airport with a nice, well-maintained van that I didn’t really expected coz I was really expecting a rusty van since we went for the cheap package.

Then to my surprise, CASA FUERTE! It was a “Tiki”- inspired lodge with a nice reception area where we quickly took pictures of. The rooms were spacious enough for us and the bathrooms were finely decorated. It was a real cozy place that really would make you feel that you were there for a vacation!

Well words just couldn’t really define how great the place was. Just look at the photos below. I don’t really recommend much on my blogs, but I tell you… IF YOU’RE GOING TO PUERTO PRINSESA?

GO TO CASA FUERTE (http://casafuerte.awardspace.info/) oh and btw, it’s just around 5 to 10 minutes away from the airport and all the nice places to eat like KINABUCH, KALUI and TIKI RESTO & BAR. I am not lying about this… it really is!