Circles Café: An afternoon at the park

Menu on tarpaulin outside Circles Café.

Inside the café.

Nice country-style interiors.

My brewed coffee (came with my meal).

Tapsilog (well, almost), P100. Brown rice takes the place of sinangag (fried rice).

Spaghetti al Pesto with wheat bread, P125.

Mango Juice, P40.

Mango Cheesecake, P60.

My son loves the Mango Cheesecake.

My boy holding the candies given by the Circles Café owner.

As we eat, this is what we see outside. Nice view! I love trees.

This is Circles Cafe from outside.

QC Memorial Circle.

Fun time for my son at the playground.

It was a work and play Saturday for me and my youngest child. It was palengke day once again and I had to get our organic veggies for the week at the QC Memorial Circle, so I decided to have some fun whilst doing the chore. Fun, my son had (me too!), as I let him romp to his heart's content at the playground before picking up our veggies. This was, however, after we had a nice merienda at Circles Cafe, a quaint coffeehouse tucked into the bowels of the QC Memorial Circle. This side of the Circle was unfamiliar to me till we ate at Serye some two weeks ago. 'Twas good choosing to dine at Serye, it turned out, 'coz I discovered this side of the park, which is quieter than the playground side, where we'd gone picnicking a few times already. It was a major plus that there, too was a row of small eateries and coffee shops here that appealed to me because they looked cozy and quiet inside. Outside these establishments was even more appealing to me because there's a lot more greenery here than in the other side - more trees, more grass and more seats and tables where I imagined I would be reading a book while sipping coffee one day soon. But on this particular day, since I had a small guy with me, I could not, of course, just sit under a tree and read a book. I had to let him play and in exchange, he let me choose where we eat instead of at Jollibee or McDonalds, which are his usual choices. So, Circles Cafe, it was for the both of us. Looking at it from the outside, I thought it  was a "cute" coffeehouse and that it was cool and comfy there as it offered al fresco dining. At the entrance, there's this menu on a tarpaulin and the picture of pesto pasta appealed to my son. Inside, as I ran through the menu, I overheard the woman (I learned later that her name is Tess Garcolitos and that she's the owner of this cafe) telling another customer that their bestseller was the Vigan Longganisa and Lucban Longganisa meals. However, this was after I have ordered the Beef Tapa meal. Rowan, of course, went for the Spaghetti al Pesto. Minutes later, after having spoonfuls of my order, I realized it was wrong for me to say "Tapsilog" when I gave my order because what I was served was not sinangag (fried rice) but brown rice. I read the tarpaulin menu inside and yes, brown rice indeed it was. It was somewhat disappointing but I wasn't gonna fret, of course. After all, I was hungry and anyway, the tapa (beef) was good - well-seasoned and tender and I was happy with it. I asked my boy how his pesto was and he answered on the positive. However, as he went "deeper" into his food, he started tasting something "burnt' and refused to finish his pasta. Being the mom, I finished it for him, of course, and discovered that the "burnt" taste came from toasted garlic bits. This made me review my pesto recipe in my mind as I thought it didn't include garlic (Once I got home, I asked my daughter if she puts garlic in her pesto sauce and she said yes, only she doesn't saute or fry it, she just put it with the rest of ingredients in the blender). In truth, I liked the pesto here at Circles Cafe and  welcomed the nice twist that the toasted garlic offered, but you know how kids are. For dessert, the little guy and I shared a slice of Mango Cheesecake, which was good! My son liked it very much. As I paid for our food, I asked the woman who looked like the owner of the cafe if she was it indeed and she said "yes", and that the man who was there also serving customers was her hubby. She said that they opened Circles Cafe November last year. She asked my son if he liked his pasta but it was me who answered that he did, but not till he tasted the toasted garlic. Tess then asked the cook if she put toasted garlic in the pesto and when the woman affirmed she did, her boss told her not to put garlic next time if a child is ordering. Tess then apologized to my son, then, handed him some candies and Ben 10 stickers. My boy was delighted! Well, isn't that good service?. And yes, good food, too.

Back to basics

Donuts on the wall.

My daughter and her beau. Just to show how big those donut pictures at the wall are.

Blueberry cheese premium donut, P35.

The Blueberry Cheese up close.

Strawberry froothie, P70, small

Cafe Mocha Frio, P110, large.

BLT (bacon, lettuce, tomato) Bunwich, P50.

Tuna Salad Croissant, P70.

Brewed Coffee, P35.

That's a lot of blueberry!

Long before J. CO, Krispy Creme and even Mister Donut came here, Dunkin Donuts lorded over the donut lovers' world here in the Philippines. Coming ashore from the US in 1981, Dunkin Donuts, to me and my contemporaries, brings back memories of childhood. In 1984, me and high school barkada would often hang out in an outlet on C.M Recto Ave. My old favorites here were Boston Creme and Black Raspberry. I was already in college around 1987 when I first visited a Dunkin Donuts store in Quiapo, Manila. They were already offering croissants by then and with the Tuna Salad, it was love at first bite. The other croissant choices are Chicken Salad, Bacon, Coleslaw & Tomato and Ham 'n Cheese. I don't remember trying out any of these as Ive always ordered for the Tuna Salad. In recent years, Dunkin Donuts products grew in number and now they've got premium donuts which come in yummy varieties. Last Saturday, me, my daughter and her boyfriend tried one of these, the Blueberry Cheese and we loved it. Yesterday, I bought a Sansribav on my way to work and I loved it too. Next time, I will try the Black Forest premium donut. These days, some people may raise an eyebrow about Dunkin Donuts since J. CO and Krispy Creme are the "in" thing but to me, I'm happy going back to the basics of donut here in the Philippines, as I find comfort not only in my old favorites but in new yummy discoveries as well. :-)

Me - brekkie girl

Wheat pandesal, kesong puti and itlog na maalat

Daing, fried rice and fried egg

Arroz caldo

Longganisang Lucban, fried rice and fried egg

Corned beef, rice, scrambled egg

Tuyo, fried rice, sunny side up egg

Of all the meals I get to eat in a day (we Filipinos have at least 4 meals a day, right?), breakfast has got to be the most important. I never leave the house without having had breakfast unless I expect to be served it where I'm heading. It's the one meal I want to have peacefully, unhurriedly and preferably in our small garden where it's cool and where I have the company of plants and trees and on lucky days, butterflies. Well, what better way to start the day than with a nice, huge brekkie while enjoying nature, right? And what's my favorite breakfast, you might ask? It's tuyosilog - tuyo (dried fish), sinangag (fried rice) at itlog (fried egg). Daing (another type of dried fish) can take the place of tuyo but the latter is my ultimate favorite. I'm not very fond of American breakfast fares because in our household, processed meat is not eaten regularly for health reasons. Can you please share with me what your favorite breakfast is? I'd love to hear from you.

Good morning! What's for breakfast?

Obviously, I'm having breakfast by the computer. Haha! On my plate are seafood pasta, which hubby brought home last night from Galileo Enoteca restaurant, and two slices of buttered toast. Truth is, I rarely have brekkie in front of the computer, as I prefer eating in my little garden, where the cool breeze whets my appetite - as if I need that! Haha! On my next post, I will share pictures of breakfasts I have had in the garden. But for now, I hope you could share what you're having to break the night's fast. Have a nice day!

Missing coffee breaks at Kopimeyts

Baked Carbonara, P95.  for single serving, P165 for sharing

Tapsilog, P100.

Brewed coffee that came with the Tapsilog. Lovely saucer, isn't it?

Grandma's Chocolate Cake P100. I gotta make mano to that lola!

Cafe latte, P60. Like the leaf art :-)

There wasn't a single coffeehouse in the vicinity of our office along Visayas Ave. in Diliman, Quezon City till Kopimeyts was established last year. So one day, one of my closest friends at work and I jumped at the chance of spending our coffee break there. Since then, I'd been at Kopimeyts a couple of times, with  different company on each occasion. I loved their Tapsilog, a breakfast fare which you could order here anytime of the day. At P100., it already came with brewed coffee. Not bad, you might say. However, I loved their baked carbonara even more. They used penne pasta, which surprised me the first time I ordered it, since most restaurants use spaghetti noodles for this particular dish. At Kopimeyts, baked carbonara was heavenly. It had just the right creaminess. Hindi nakakasawa. Yum! It came with a halved slice of toasted garlicky tasty bread - a plus point for me since pasta is lonely food without garlic bread, don't you just think so? Just before I embarked on a joyful three-and-a-half-week vacation last May, I took two of my kids to work and to Kopimeyts and they too loved the baked carbonara. But when I reported back to work, I found out Kopimeyts was no more, to my dismay! A salon is now in its place. Oh darn, no coffee shop in the neighborhood again! Now all I have are coffee and baked carbonara memories. Sigh!

Siphon-brewed coffee and more at Serye Café Filipino

It was palengke day on Sunday so I hied off to the Quezon Memorial Circle with my daughter to get the organic vegetables which I had called to reserve for (I buy our veggies for the week at AANI, a store owned by farmers practicing organic agriculture, who sell their produce at the QC Circle). Earlier on, I had planned to dine at Serye Cafe Filipino across the Quezon City Hall since we would be in that area. I have long heard about Serye but haven't had the chance to go there. I had known about it at work. Whenever there were big events in the country like the President would deliver his/her SONA (state of the nation address), bigwigs would gather at Serye and we would deploy one or two of our reporters there. But now my daughter and I were finally here to eat.

The menu

The counter

Interiors - clean and simple

 It was nearly 3 p.m. We hadn't had lunch yet but because we had late breakfast (brunch?) and ate cornic on the way to QC, we weren't hungry at all. Still, we had to have lunch so after browsing through the menu, we ordered: 

Pancit Miki Bijon, P185, solo size

Barbecue Duo 1, P275.

Decadent Chocolate Cake with Caramel Sauce, P125.

House Blend Coffee, P85.

My plate.

My daughter used two servings of milk for her coffee plus 4 servings of the coco sugar!

Everything was good but nothing spectacular (at least at this point). The Pancit Miki Bijon was even a bit bland to me. The hefty serving was a plus point, though. What we ordered for was the solo size but we found out it was good enough for 2 persons who are not very hungry. It also came with buttered toasted pandesal. The Boneless Chicken Barbecue was delish, okay, and my daughter liked the sauce that came with it which was nutty and sweet. The pork barbecue, however, tasted ordinary and my daughter and I agreed that the ones we buy in the neighborhood are better (promise! that's at P15 per stick). The java rice that came with the barbecue duo was yummy as well, and so was the achara. And then came our coffee and choice of dessert - the Decadent Chocolate Cake with Caramel Sauce. It was moist, soft and delicious but for me, a tad too sweet. I originally wanted another kind of chocolate cake as I thought about a slice from Serye that hubby brought home one night. I've been thinking about that cake! I thought I ordered the same one but a different kind came to our table. Was I disappointed! But since it was already served, we settled for this one. It was okay na din although as I said, a little bit too sweet. But the coffee.. oh, the coffee! I forgot to mention that it was what I came to Serye for. I read that they serve siphon-brewed coffee, which they say, tastes more divine than regular brewed coffee. It was so sayang that I wasn't able to take a picture of the waiter pouring coffee from that siphon-brewing equipment that they use, into our cups. For those who don't know about the process of siphon-brewing coffee, sorry, i'm not explaining here because I haven't comprehended it. Haha! It looks complex to me. But I tell you, the resulting flavor is really good and strong! What added to my pleasure of coffee-drinking here was that it was coco sugar that came with it, which is healthy! If only for this coffee, yes, I will come back to Serye. They said the Boneless Crispy Pata here is so good, so might as well try that next time. And yes, I'll make sure to order the right cake!

A wonderful lunch at Kape Pilato Bistro Café

I don't know what's come over me. Everything about Kape Pilato Bistro Café was unforgettable yet for a few months, I'd totally forgotten to blog about it. Silly me, really, as I was totally smitten by the food, service and ambiance at Kape Pilato and every once in a while, I'd think of going back there. Still, it slipped my mind that I had to write about that dining experience. Anyway, it was last April that I and my eldest child went to Kape Pilato along San Marcelino in Malate, Manila for lunch. It was not very easy finding it because I was not familiar with the area, which, by the way, is residential (which brought a question to my mind: why would the owners want to put up an upscale-looking restaurant in this area that is not even a commercial one?). Well, we had to find it or the voucher that I purchased from a group-buying site would go for naught. Haha! And so after asking for direction, we went on, and found Kape Pilato not long after. As we entered, we were immediately impressed with the interiors such that we did not pass up the chance of taking each other's pictures in various parts of it - inside a room that's comparable to a house's sala in its coziness, at the mini-bar, etc. That was after placing our orders, of course. And by the way, the waiter was nice and patient, answering all my queries as to when they opened, what their best-sellers were, etc. And yes, I asked why the owners chose the area for their restaurant (I would not pass up that chance, too) and he said it was because the upper floors of the low-rise building were actually a hotel, so it was deemed there would be ready clients. When our orders arrived and we started indulging, I knew the food was the star at Kape Pilato. My soup, the Broccoli and Cream, was thick, tasty and filling. My daughter's soup, Corn and Cream, was not as good, though, for me at least, and I was glad I made the right choice. The Herbed Chicken Sandwich was good, too, the chunks of chicken huge and flavorful. However, it was the Sisig Pasta that was truly unforgettable. It tickled my taste buds to the max with the strong blend of spices and chili. It was so full of flavor that anything you would eat immediately after it could taste bland. Haha! By the way, my drink of choice was unforgettable, too - Guava Basil Iced Tea. It was quite a unique drink, healthy and great-tasting! My daughter had Blue Lemonade which was good as well, though I liked my drink a lot better. The barista approached us to ask my daughter how it was (the Blue Lemonade), to which she answered 'okay'. But when I tasted it, I found it a bit too minty and I thought, sayang, I was not able to give my opinion to the barista so he could make some improvements. After a long while, we ended our meal with a slice of Reese's Cheesecake that both my daughter and I loved, and with a cup of latte. What a lovely lunch that brought us to a new world of flavors!

We decided for the second floor and this greeted us upstairs.

View of the lobby from the second floor.

A cozy, homey room.

Broccoli and Cream Soup, P70.

Corn and Cream Soup, P70.

Guava Basil Iced Tea, P70

Blue Lemonade, P70

 

Herbed Chicken Sandwich with Fries, P135

Sisig Pasta, P170

Sisig Pasta, another view

Cafe latte, P50

Reese's Cheesecake, P98