With the unbridled congestion of the metro and the widespread contamination of our surroundings these days, i would sometimes pray for the abundance of old-fashioned things like fresh air, sunshine and farm lots. Why not? Perhaps, its the most luxurious boon that i can give to myself so i could breath obliviously. Well, talking about fresh air, on one of my occasional explorations, I've discovered a ranch house turned cafe somewhere in the sleepy town of Taal, Batangas where lush greenery and a breath of fresh air was very ordinary. 

I always believed that Sundays are for the family. If you follow me on Instagram, Twitter and other social media pages, you'll notice that i always use the hashtag #SundaysBest. Basically, because it's the first day of the week and starting it right makes it the best! First, by going to church to declare my faith and thanksgiving and to enjoy quality time with my loved ones. In my context, quality time also means eating good food and trying out something new, given enough time and resources.

Balay Dako is the latest Filipino restaurant in Tagaytay owned by the famous Chef Tony Boy Escalante, . If you have tried its sibling restaurants like Breakfast at Antonio's and Antonio's Fine Dining in Tagaytay, you'll probably get a hint of what food is like, heavenly!

Somebody said that, "One should not attend even the end of the world without a good breakfast". This sounds true to me. I'm a breakfast person, be it toasts and coffee alone or perhaps, a hearty brekky with rice, bacon and eggs. Breakfast is the most important meal and skipping it can make me useless for the entire day.

If you'll notice my Instagram feed, the past weeks of my life was spent food hunting, cafe hopping and indulging into different family occasions. The flooding of food is just so hard to resist! Have you ever been into that situation? How do you manage? Ako? I just give in! Kain lang ng kain! Hahaha! 

Kidding aside, there comes a time talaga that you'll really feel like craving for something extra special than the usual. Or perhaps, getting bored sometimes, resorts to some sort of binge eating. I, for one, loves the idea of checking out new cafes once in a while and coddle myself with good food or coffee, coupled with a nice and cozy ambiance where i could set the mood for some random musings and think about something that i wanted to write.

Oftentimes, they say that good food is all the sweeter when shared with good friends. I agree! Once in a while, it is always, always a good idea to visit new places, where good to great food is served paired with a good laugh with friends. One of the highlights of my September was a short and sweet fun away with two of my close pals. Our itchy feet brought us to the laid back district of Silang, Cavite where a nice European dining experience took our breath away!

If i have foreigner friends who'll visit and would have to bring them out for a quick lunch in the metro or somewhere in the province, i wanna bring them to Buddy's. This all Filipino-Quezonian restaurant is one of my favorite. Their concept from interiors, all the way to their food is simply Pinoy. And it's so relieving to see the pride of Lucban, Quezon, making a  good name in the food business around the city today with over 11 branches.

Last time, i blogged about my gastronomic experience at a bus-inspired cafe in my "When In Batangas" series. If you haven't read about it yet, please check it here. This time, on my occasional explorations around the nearby towns and provinces of the South, my itchy feet brought me and my family in the city of Tayabas, Quezon. Have you been there? Tayabas City was proclaimed as the City of Festivals, as they celebrate quite a number of festivals all year round. It is also known for some ancestral houses and old churches, native restaurants, resorts and my favorite from this part of the province, the Budin! (Cassava Cake) 

There's a hidden cafe that i used to frequent lately along San Jose, Batangas. I was itching to go home as quickly as possible after a series of client meetings in the city of Lipa when all of a sudden, i got sleepy along the way, and obviously, it was not a good idea to continue driving. Thankfully, i spotted a commercial complex and saw Tuesday Cafe, so i stopped by for a while to take a dose of strong coffee.

(An Honest Review + a Side Story)

I am amazed how cafes and food hubs are cleverly designed nowadays. For the past years, I've seen how these coffee shops and newly opened restaurants were slowly filling up the spaces in cities like Lipa and Batangas. Some rainy days ago, together with my foodie son (yes, he's a foodie now!) and my favorite cousin Josh, we braved the heavy rains, drove around the city of Lipa and found ourselves chilling like wet chicks in a "bus station", drinking some frappes and eating some pastas.

If there's a restaurant that i would love to frequent most when in Tagaytay, it would be The Bag of Beans. I simply love the rustic surroundings of this restaurant, the colorful, vibrant feel of the whole place and most of all, the food! Plus the crisp and chilly Tagaytay air makes this place my favorite weekend or holiday destination.

As i have said earlier on my previous blogs, garage burgers and other burger joints were popping everywhere in the city. While everything that they offer are burgers and burgers with added fries and drinks, still, there's one burger joint that never fails to tickle our tummies.

If you'll notice, my posts about food trips and restaurant reviews is centered in Batangas. Yes, because i'm a proud Batangueña who hails in the traffic capital of the province! (Hulaan nyo kung saan yun) My advocacy for entrepreneurship (mompreneurship) goes out to small and medium enterprises and that includes budding businesses that suits my lifestyle. That's the reason why, once in a while i give them some space here in my personal blogsite, lending them the chance to shine and to entice more people to visit Batangas as well. So here i am again with my When in Batangas series!

Perhaps, a long drive and a pleasurable staycation wouldn't be complete without a gratifying gastronomic experience. Agree? On our recent romantic escape (which i shared on my previous blog), we reserved a table for two in one of the quaint restaurants in Tagaytay City. The Pamana Restaurant, which has rave reviews from food bloggers is just a tumbling away from our hotel, and so i thought of giving it a try.

"What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?"  

Last Saturday, I was invited by a dear friend to come over to the grand opening and blessing of the newest "tambayan" in town. Guess what? If you think that only burgers are popping out today like mushrooms in every corner of the streets here in Batangas, don't you know that coffee shops are also massively penetrating at every town nowadays? These coffee shops excites me so much! For the love of coffee, yes it is!

I love Burgers! 

If there would be one specialty that me and my hubby would enjoy the most, i think that would be a platter of seafoods garnished with the most delectable flavors of butter, garlic and chili or maybe a bowl of  crabs cooked in creamy coconut milk that is hot and spicy. Yes we love "maanghang", but he likes it more than i do.

Just recently, our busy Monday schedule transported us in the city of Lipa, Batangas, reason for us to check out a new place to dine-in, just in time for lunch. The wheels of the car went fast as we approached San Jose, and slowly till we reach the city where we spotted Seafood in the Bucket by Chef Jonas. Actually, i had been seeing this resto for quite some time now and the name sounds familiar. On my frequent googling, i stumbled across this site and thought that oh! it was in the middle east! How am i goin' to try that? But that was just the name similar to this and how happy i was to know that the concept of seafoods inside a bucket is now here in Batangas.

It was a gloomy Sunday afternoon then. The kids were off on a short vacation at their granny's place due to a long weekend celebration once again. While me and my all time favorite cousin Josh were left in the house and that day seemed to be a lazy, sleepy, kind of Sunday. Still, we managed to get up in the afternoon and attended the 4pm Sunday service in our local church. I love Sundays, probably because it's the kind of day when i had the excuse to not cook or prepare any dish for lunch or dinner (we usually eat out). I love it too because it's that one day of the week where i can be on the lookout to try new restaurants or cafes around the city or maybe in the nearby towns after attending church.

Aside from coffee shops and cafes who offer delicious pastas and sandwiches for the foodies, don't you know that burger joints were also popping-up like mushrooms, everywhere in Batangas? In my town alone, i think i can count five (5) garage burger stalls (if i'm not mistaken) or more! And they offer nothing but BURGERS! The slowest kind of poison for the health conscious buffs but perhaps the most satisfying comfort food to many.

Restaurants and cafes are opening one by one  in our locality nowadays and it only signifies that our community is gaining progress. Going back to our days, i remember how we drive all the way to Alabang just to meet up with friends over a cup of coffee and a plate of scrumptious dish while setting the perfect mood to start a nice chat in a sound ambiance. But now, coffee shops and a lot more of chic restos are here! Thanks to social media buffs for putting the limelight on these establishments that are now gaining popularity.