Tuguegarao Cathedral - St. Peter Metropolitan Cathedral

Our hosts took us on a technical and cultural tour on the last day of the conference last week. The technical tour was on the Cagayan State University Carig Campus where they have the Electric Mobility Center. The cultural part of the tour took us to the Tuguegarao Cathedral and Cagayan Museum. Here are some photos of the cathedral.

The cathedral formally known as St. Peter Metropolitan Cathedral was host to the pilgrim image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The plaza in front of the cathedral is spacious and has a monument dedicated to the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The cathedral feature the red bricks known as ladrillos. These represent local craftsmanship and industrial history or heritage of the Cagayan Valley.

Historical marker in front of the cathedral

The original church was completed in 1767. The current building was constructed after World War 2.

Interior of the cathedral featuring a long main aisle leading to a relatively simple retablo. Note the ornate ceiling that now also includes large fans to help in ventilation. Tuguegarao, after all, can be very hot during the dry season.

Another view of the cathedral interior with the piligrim image of Our Lady of Guadalupe featured on the right. There was a novena when we arrived at the cathedral.

Details on one of the main doors of the cathedral

 

I wasn't able to get more photos of the interior as there was a service ongoing and we were led by our guide to the Cagayan Museum, which already awaited us (we were already running late at the time we arrived at the cathedral).

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Breakfast at NAIA Terminal 3: Cosina Ilocos

We checked-in early for our flight to Tuguegarao last week. After checking-in, we decided to have breakfast at the newly renovated food hall of NAIA Terminal 3 at the ground floor level. What used to be a spacious duty free shop is now a spacious food hall with many options for travelers and well-wishers (i.e., fetchers and those sending-off relatives and friends). After going around to see what's available, we decided to have our breakfast at the Cosina Ilocos especially after seeing the lonnganisa on display.

Classic Ilocos longganisa and longganisang hubad (without the skin)

Ilocos empanada - I must admit I was amused with the term "warming showcase" for the food on display

Cosina Ilocos' menu

My breakfast was the classic longsilog with hot chocolate for my drink

 

I will write about the food hall in a future article here. Some stalls have no concessionaires yet and most people tend to congregate at the areas near the hallways, escalators and elevators. Cosina Ilocos is located further inside and there were less people there so it was less crowded and noisy. Some passengers and airport terminal staff we saw there were just lounging, catching up on work, having meals or even sleeping on the seats. The comfort rooms were also renovated and are very clean.

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Snacks: Ja! Zartbitter Schokokeks

I just came back from a trip to Tuguegarao City in Cagayan Province in the northern part of Luzon Island. There's so much to share from that trip including food and places visited. But before those, here is something about a delightful snack; thanks to our friend from Germany who gifted us with this pasalubong earlier this year.

This is basically a box of chocolate covered biscuits

Details about the chocolate at the back of the box

Nutrition information and ingredients. The chocolate claims to have 50% cacao.

 

Inside is a plastic tray with several pieces of the chocolate-covered biscuits

 

This was an enjoyable treat for me. It reminded me of the Alfort chocolate-covered biscuits I enjoyed while in Japan that are now generally available here. It also reminded me of the Knick Knack snacks we used to buy and eat when we were in grade school. That was, of course, on the sweet side of chocolate snacks.

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Chocolate review: Yummy Deserowa dark chocolate

Sharing another chocolate I picked up from one of my sorties at Clark.

The brand is Yummy. 'Deserowa' actually translates to 'dessert'

Details on the chocolate at the back of the package

Nutrition information

This is supposed to be a dark chocolate but ingredients state only 18% cocoa powder. Information here also states the chocolate to be produced in Poland.

The chocolate was okay but it is not at par with the finer chocolates we've tasted that were produced in Europe. This was more of the more basic types that I probably will classify with the local chocolates I've tasted from Bicol, Iloilo and other provinces that are not Auro, Malagos and Theo & Philo, for example. There are, of course, the small batch makers that I appreciate (and have posted their chocolates here before).

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Satisying Thai food cravings? Disappointment at Thaiwadee, Robinsons Antipolo

I usually crave for the dishes that I regard as comfort food. These are usually Japanese, Italian and Thai (not in any order). I didn't include Filipino food because these are, of course, generally available so I can have inasal, grilled fish or molo in many places. While I have my 'go to' places for Japanese, Italian or Thai food, they are not usually easy to go to. Yes, there is the Grab or Food Panda option but it is usually a better experience to eat at the place rather than have them delivered. Mas masarap kumain ng gyudon sa Yoshinoya mismo imbes na via delivery. 

As we have tried the food at the Thaiwadee at the food court at the Robinsons Antipolo annex, we ordered there again. This time, I got the chicken kra pao and the mango & sticky rice. 

Mango and sticky rice at Thaiwadee, Robinsons Antipolo

The disappointing Chicken kra pao at Thaiwadee

I was disappointed with the chicken kra pao because they didn't use ground chicken, enough Thai basil, and chili. The rice also looked and tasted like it was cooked around lunchtime than dinnertime. You look at the photo above and perhaps the first thing you will think of is one type of silog meal rather than a Thai dish.

The mango and sticky rice was also not as good as I wanted it to be. I should have just gotten the one by Cha Tra Mue though it was across the other side of the mall. 

I hope they improve on their food considering they're the only Thai food option at Robinsons Antipolo. I am not sure there are good Thai food options around that will satisfy my cravings for Thai food. Some restos serve Tom Yum, Chicken Pandan or Chicken Satay but those are quite common like sinigang or inasal in our case.

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My Wilson Hyper Carbon 4.0 badminton racket

I got this racket in Bangkok, Thailand during one of my annual trips there a couple of decades ago. At the time, it was not difficult to handcarry rackets during flights even though these were post-911 travels. I believe I got this racket at one of the sports shops at one of the malls at Siam Square. 

Relatively pristine racket head and strings. I use Wilson strings for my Wilson rackets. I also am very conscious about scraping my rackets on the floor when playing.

Model printed on the racket

This is more like the between the common and state of the art materials back in the day; combining carbon fiber and graphite to produce a lightweight but also durable racket.

The racket had this somewhat shock-absorbing feature. I'm not really sure how it affected my game but for a relatively short racket, this one was a pleasure hitting shuttles with.

I have a good history with Wilson rackets. My tennis rackets have always been Wilson rackets though I was tempted to get a Yonex racket one time. This badminton racket is shorter than the usual rackets, which probably gives the user more control. 

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Chocolate review: The Good Chocolate Dark Chocolate with Himalayan & Sea Salt

This is another late post of something I started writing last year but due to procrastination, I only got to finish now. We start the last quarter of the year with some really good chocolate - literally and actually. The brand is "The Good Chocolate" and we just had to know if it were when we finally opened the package.

This is a dark chocolate with Himalayan and sea salt.

The chocolate claims to have a minimum of 65% cacao and uses erythritol and stevia instead of sugar.

Nutrition information on the chocolate

Ingredients indicate this to be vegan, having zero sugar and keto. I was also amused by the statement in bold letters - "Does not promote tooth decay."

The chocolate is good. I was a bit surprised about that considering my experience with zero sugar chocolates (or those that used alternatives to sugar). Perhaps it was the Himalayan & sea salts that blended well with the cacao? We got this chocolate at a Healthy Options branch (I think this was at Ayala Feliz) so I know where to get it in case I want another. I forget the price but this was on the expensive side of chocolates that are locally available.

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Theo's Restaurant and Bakery at SM City Iloilo

This is another late post. I started writing this earlier this year but just can't seem to finish it. I finally convinced myself to finish and share it here. Today, after all, is September 26 and the anniversary of Ondoy. It's a feel good post for me.

We tried a new place the last time we were in Iloilo earlier this year. The restaurant was located in SM City Iloilo and looked popular based on the number of people eating there. It was also recommended by a friend there who liked to eat out.

We ordered salad to share as appetizer

We ordered two pasta to share - one was this olive oil based dish with shrimps and garlic

The other pasta was pesto with grilled chicken

I ordered their version of molo. It was really good!

I found this lamp interesting so this is just an extra photo I took at the place.

The restaurant reminded me of Wild Flour with many of the items in their menu as well as the breads that they also sell. Still, the local items they integrated in their menu gives them an edge and something to offer those who want to have something Ilonggo to eat. I highly recommend this restaurant though there are definitely many others to try in Iloilo when you are at this gastronomic city.

 

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Last week's sunset

I have not shared a sunset photo for some time now. The last I shared here was probably taken months ago before one of my evening classes. I glimpsed the sunset as I turned towards our village and decided to drive towards the nearest place where the view is still unimpeded. Here's the photo I was able to capture last week:

Sunset over Metro Manila

More sunset photos in future posts! 

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Departure area eating and tambayan at NAIA Terminal 3

I just want to share here the photos I took of the newly renovated spaces at NAIA Terminal 3. These include the eating/dining areas where one can also use as a waiting area prior to boarding their planes. There are more spaces now where you can squeeze in some work or perhaps chill while waiting for your flight. I took these months ago so now I assume there would be more eating options aside from what you will see in the photos.

There are also many new concessionaires and I assume that many shops have opened or reopened. I hope NAIA's terminals continue to improve. They are, after all, our gateways to other countries.

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Musings on a Sunday evening - Ma Mon Luk's closure

I learned this morning that Ma Mon Luk, the old restaurant along Quezon Avenue that was famous (or to some, infamous) for their noodles. Mami as we commonly call the noodles with the soup is somewhat a comfort food to many people especially during the cold or wet seasons. "Masarap humigop ng sabaw at kumain ng mami pag tag-ulan." Sanitation and conditions of the interiors of the restaurant were cited in the various reports and write-ups circulating on the internet especially social media. There was even mention about the smell at the place. 

I wrote about Ma Mon Luk a while back after we had lunch there one time we were in the area. I shared photos and mentioned how dated the place looked like. I, the wife and my daughter certainly didn't notice anything pungent or repulsing about the place. Was it perhaps partly because in our travels, we've tried similar restos or eateries in other countries? The only comment by our daughter was that it wasn't airconditioned. She certainly enjoyed her food and we went home with full stomachs. We didn't get sick though we shared the tales about their food to our amused daughter.

Did they offend someone? Was there a case of food poisoning? Were some entitled person, some self styled influencer decide to throw their weight around? Hopefully, this is indeed a temporary closure and the owners treats this as a challenge to upgrade and make their restaurant better in terms of their interiors and even service. As for the food? I think it should stay the way it is and how people remember it to be. It certainly is not your regular noodle house like the ramen shops that now dot the city. You go there for sentimental if not heritage reasons. You go there for the regular food that the place transforms into something remarkable.

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Tuna melt on regular monay bread

"Monay" is a popular bread in the country. It has several if not so many variants including the size of the monay. It can be a small piece or a whole loaf that can be sliced like the regular bread used for sandwiches. You can buy the large monay loaves (usually sliced) in supermarkets, groceries or bakeries. The bread can be soft on the sweet side or it can be hard/firm and on the neutral side as breads go. I tried the monay to make a tuna melt sandwich for my daughter and the result was good.

Monay slices in the toaster oven with the usual tuna flakes and cheese slice. One slice has butter on it.

The slices out of the oven and before I bring them together.

Tuna melt sandwich for breakfast and baon.

I got the monay loaf from a bakery near the site of a project we are working on somewhere in Balintawak. I like checking out the local tinapayan (bakery) wherever I go; when it is possible.

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