Happy Foodies

<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-Hq8duJfZWZWbT6Hbm8TbGCDbtSBggkibRselIYjoOL2GeV_mCt4xaaDtCRNrsMaHURO-qcQsZzdqiInbjzUjLSgq53s6IgIWpvjp8nlaYJ-WC99St_bWK0h8bWWvL3LUs1juDU6NwFvBcB3Laua6GOicZD-ndWVjE-sLjY_u_QfOkNkgF6uIXYlsu0/s600/cocoon-boutique-hotel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-Hq8duJfZWZWbT6Hbm8TbGCDbtSBggkibRselIYjoOL2GeV_mCt4xaaDtCRNrsMaHURO-qcQsZzdqiInbjzUjLSgq53s6IgIWpvjp8nlaYJ-WC99St_bWK0h8bWWvL3LUs1juDU6NwFvBcB3Laua6GOicZD-ndWVjE-sLjY_u_QfOkNkgF6uIXYlsu0/s16000/cocoon-boutique-hotel.jpg"></a></div><br>It's not every day that you can dine surrounded by the very herb plants that season your food.  But at <strong>Cocoon Boutique Hotel</strong>'s rooftop restaurant, that's what you experience exactly with every meal.  Call it an organic experience but for those old enough to remember, this is what our parents and grandparents used to do way way back when most houses still have backyard gardens and seasoning as well as whole ingredients are plucked from just outside the kitchen, not the nearest supermarket.<p></p>

<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ05IY0r_b1CjQHE3qD33O4lHXOv3bENSIWJhaH7szY9iKk5icZhAd0bynUctW3l56KgY0iDAD_ZvaxeiJgcun80FpnOk6OPgfKrpMTTIafdMS8u-FJK8axc6KGbZSyy_23TknazRH83Ug8OQlOwC8p9e5l0WwdlnMDzTiN1EOi3u9S6W-Se85I8L9slg/s1280/poco-deli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ05IY0r_b1CjQHE3qD33O4lHXOv3bENSIWJhaH7szY9iKk5icZhAd0bynUctW3l56KgY0iDAD_ZvaxeiJgcun80FpnOk6OPgfKrpMTTIafdMS8u-FJK8axc6KGbZSyy_23TknazRH83Ug8OQlOwC8p9e5l0WwdlnMDzTiN1EOi3u9S6W-Se85I8L9slg/s16000/poco-deli.jpg"></a></div><br>I will never look at bacon the same way again. While I love my thin, crisp and crunchy bacon, the savory thick slabs of cooked bacon at <strong>Poco Deli</strong> changed my cholesterol-charged preference. The Bacon Slab (Php 320), coupled with bacon rice (bits of bacon on rice) and sunny side-up egg on top have a really intense flavor that I was at a loss for words to describe it.  It's just pure enjoyment with every bite. I tell you, Poco Deli is a haven for bacon lovers and it is found on this artisan sausage deli in Kapitolyo, Pasig. But the fun doesn't stop there as we tried their other offerings begging to steal your attention.<p></p>

<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-oPokcAvpEKjlenufsumRjOPtPM279HaLWfOys5aJfWI5VP_1XeEC33Cc8414b-mioMGpeXViJRd2s0ZBZeF58xs-qNSIwpIHVxwxyTqtXYjn3LY5NZwcvSxM1t4MIhcDfXn8W4cbEy7ZWBmPD96BwY9S73G4DTaSTWL3u5TWVbflj2muYah7Af1A3g/s800/bawais.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ-oPokcAvpEKjlenufsumRjOPtPM279HaLWfOys5aJfWI5VP_1XeEC33Cc8414b-mioMGpeXViJRd2s0ZBZeF58xs-qNSIwpIHVxwxyTqtXYjn3LY5NZwcvSxM1t4MIhcDfXn8W4cbEy7ZWBmPD96BwY9S73G4DTaSTWL3u5TWVbflj2muYah7Af1A3g/s16000/bawais.jpg"></a></div><br>It's way off the main road and open only for lunch and dinner three days of a week.  But the gathering buzz on <strong>Bawai's</strong> is proof that good news  do travel fast.   To paraphrase Kevin Costner in "Field of Dreams", if you cook good food, they will come.   And visitors do hie off all the way here to dine.  We visited one hot Sunday afternoon as part of a small contingent of Summit Ridge's Tagaytay weekend getaway.<p></p> <p>The location is actually in Silang, Cavite.  To get there from the ridge, we head back to the rotonda and make a turn near the Aguinaldo highway and head through a smaller road, passing through hilly terrain planted to pineapple.  We take another turn on a smaller road and stopped at a non-descript, two-storey house that looked nothing like a restaurant.</p> <p>Coming in, we espy a garden at the back where an alfresco dining area beckoned under the shade of trees and a profusion of plants.  We were ushered to the upstairs dining area instead, greeted by the pleasant aroma of something delicious simmering.  The place feels more like a home than a restaurant, The dining area isn't much bigger than those found in other ancestral houses, with several tables that can accommodate no more than a dozen diners at any one time.  Well, the diners ahead of us seemed to be in a jovial mood -- always a good omen in any eating place.</p>

<p><strong></strong></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtW9JlQqllcIElvDfIONPQPWojr2djTIXUYYUSDP1Lfp_RT_JYrMd6U-L-HvWx4bjVvP41U3MZvL5PRvlLcRRW3ewFzFNftY85xox1cEbizwGeFnBc8Gq1MmxV4hUCimrtPBWWxTLjiZt-D7I7oo_4HZzCTqvpjc79TYiEYxOYDGoGxvzh-MLCMBIqbQI/s667/masfere.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtW9JlQqllcIElvDfIONPQPWojr2djTIXUYYUSDP1Lfp_RT_JYrMd6U-L-HvWx4bjVvP41U3MZvL5PRvlLcRRW3ewFzFNftY85xox1cEbizwGeFnBc8Gq1MmxV4hUCimrtPBWWxTLjiZt-D7I7oo_4HZzCTqvpjc79TYiEYxOYDGoGxvzh-MLCMBIqbQI/s16000/masfere.jpg"></a></strong></div><strong><br>Masferre Country Inn and Restaurant</strong> has many draws. For the tired of feet, it's just a few steps from the municipio. For the photography- and culturally-inclined, the dining area is literally a feast for the eyes with Eduardo Masferre's works on display. For the hungry diner, the restaurant has been a staple among Sagada repeat visitors because the food is predictable -- in a good way. It's rare that either of your Happyfoodies have ventured to Sagada without at least eating a meal here and this most recent visit is no different. The homey interiors of mostly wood material always makes dining a real pleasure.<p></p>

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_k3V7RhuajN2PizGwEJrX6H_e-Yc0KKNLzskQiB0d_gBYeRfVqv1UvRlngkp4N1G-YqaA7xOubWH_rdC82Zyk1_JBo_UDh_d4axBRfBtxm8_JBO6ew29sHxLjipDK5bZ7qOQ6zmwr120mKupxNVWXfM3rmz-3LfYtXJDVQ4jfq7wBZJD7xpB30nnykk/s667/miisty-lodge-cafe.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_k3V7RhuajN2PizGwEJrX6H_e-Yc0KKNLzskQiB0d_gBYeRfVqv1UvRlngkp4N1G-YqaA7xOubWH_rdC82Zyk1_JBo_UDh_d4axBRfBtxm8_JBO6ew29sHxLjipDK5bZ7qOQ6zmwr120mKupxNVWXfM3rmz-3LfYtXJDVQ4jfq7wBZJD7xpB30nnykk/s16000/miisty-lodge-cafe.jpg"></a></div><br> <p>The perpetual nip in the air is simply made for good eating.</p> <p>One of the finer pleasures of Sagada is gustatory in nature. Everything -- the weather, the elevation, the views -- seem to inspire indulgence. Dunno but there's something about hieing off to the boondocks that make even the mundane special, like ordinary coffee or instant noodles become a treat especially after a hike.</p> <p>Perhaps, by stroke of serendipity, <strong>Happyfoodies</strong> found accommodation in the town outskirts some 1.5 kilometers from the sentro. Meaning yes, we're away from where most of the eating places are but by luck, very, very close to <strong>Misty Lodge and Cafe</strong>. Our host, Derick, of Yabami Lodge recommended it as we were looking for somewhere closer to eat apart from <strong>Rock Inn's Bodega Cafe</strong> some 350 meters away. Smoked out from the Panag-apoy rites, we decided to drop by at dinner time as the cafe was on our way home anyway. So, did we like the food? Well, we came back a second and third time during our three days in Sagada. It was that good.</p>

<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjYjWRlPi5g7fVu8KrWvpkh2gmfA5QHLEYn2QPFAu6-87_FVPs7g6vlBj-5cf49CTndvdYTtTgGevoJqH8_0B1lKiiuBgOanfwmAUVlpKYtaU1jIojlr3aUrBIxCLAoZgDj2E96Pf_SF8x5EOCeTfYusdJZHrCyfREzd28PepLBuHAnzIrJYk4VtxyLo/s667/bale-dutung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbjYjWRlPi5g7fVu8KrWvpkh2gmfA5QHLEYn2QPFAu6-87_FVPs7g6vlBj-5cf49CTndvdYTtTgGevoJqH8_0B1lKiiuBgOanfwmAUVlpKYtaU1jIojlr3aUrBIxCLAoZgDj2E96Pf_SF8x5EOCeTfYusdJZHrCyfREzd28PepLBuHAnzIrJYk4VtxyLo/s16000/bale-dutung.jpg"></a></div><br>Considering the fact that Anthony Bourdain had to travel thousands of miles to feast at <strong>Bale Dutung</strong>, Happyfoodies' return trip to the wooden house in Angeles City was comparatively, a small sacrifice.  Nay, call it miniscule especially considering the gustatory reward which is, following the Kapampangan stereotype, lavish.<p></p>

<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhmHOZTtAUyM5YSsfU9i0X7W5PymxNYN5MeZpI9PW_3dsQFeiCQPIUA8Q9ctY9RdGp6kiDG14xYBzljjRd8hsxws_nIXyoLbU_V3iRv7BMxOz7nLK5ph7RRepRp9VTmVPaUDFQ74YVj9iG0fCycLB4pT97Ss-DLsWvgrGLF_4GFH1BFhlje3teEcfwj8/s800/boracay-breakfast.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhmHOZTtAUyM5YSsfU9i0X7W5PymxNYN5MeZpI9PW_3dsQFeiCQPIUA8Q9ctY9RdGp6kiDG14xYBzljjRd8hsxws_nIXyoLbU_V3iRv7BMxOz7nLK5ph7RRepRp9VTmVPaUDFQ74YVj9iG0fCycLB4pT97Ss-DLsWvgrGLF_4GFH1BFhlje3teEcfwj8/s16000/boracay-breakfast.jpg"></a></div><br>I'm not into the party/gig thing so the times I found myself in Boracay, I'm almost always an early riser.  That means I have to have coffee and chow to perk up my morning while looking out to that postcard-pretty beach before launching into work or heading for a swim.  Hard to imagine that years back, there's not a lot of good breakfast places to go to along White Beach.  Not anymore.  Hmmm, maybe not everyone parties all night after all (or maybe, all- nighters head straight to grabbing breakfast before succumbing to sleep).   I figure it might be a helpful idea to share nice places to get breakfast in arguably, the Philippines' most popular beach.<p></p>