Shot First, Eat Later: A Taste of LA Cafe

The usual traffic woes when you're in Metro Manila would surely bore you to death. Imagine this: it's 8:30 in the evening, and you still haven't eaten your dinner and you find yourself in the middle of a worst Friday Night rush hour. From the City of Manila, we traveled north, specifically in Quezon City, where it took us one hour and 15 minutes to drive--too far from the usual 30 minutes without the annoying traffic.

But never mind because I found out later that we were in for a real treat.

Our group chose to dine in probably one of the best restaurants I've been to: A Taste of LA Cafe. Located specifically in Roces Avenue. cor. Tomas Morato, Quezon City, this restaurant boasts of mouth-watering menu that had left me in eternal craving.

My colleagues were right. This restaurant shares a resemblance with my hometown's Kamalig Restaurant but the only difference is that the latter is more classy. One would surely be amazed with its romantic ambiance but more than that, it's their food that would surely make one crave for more.

Operating since 1995, the A Taste of LA Cafe gained its stature as a world-class restaurant when it was declared the World's Best Restaurant in an international food conference held in Barcelona, Spain two years ago. This place has also became a favorite place for hangout among the country's brightest stars. The restaurant's manager who is a Tagumeño and an alumnus of the University of Mindanao told us their regular costumers include Kim Chui, Kris Aquino, Korina Sanchez, Chiz Escudero, Coco Martin and the late Rico Yan. After the Inaugural Concert held in the Quezon City Circle during his swearing-in as the President of the Philippines, President Aquino went to this restaurant to eat, especially his favorite in the restaurant: the barbecued US baby back ribs.

When we were there, some of the stars we spotted were Gerald Anderson and Dingdong Dantes. Senator TG Guingona was also there when we dined.

In a scale of 10 as the highest, I should give their barbecued US baby back ribs, the asian salad, the oxtail karekare and the old-fashioned bibingka a rate of 11. The dining experience was really great but their best-tasting food is truly the restaurant's jewel.

If there's one lesson I had re-learned from this experience, it's that patience, indeed, is a real virtue. The moment I disembarked from the car after that traffic-infested trip to Quezon City, I knew then I was in for a real treat. And it was, it really was.

Louie.

Manila by Storm

Typhoon Pedring is ravaging Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon when I visited her this September. Our flight to the nation's gateway capital to the world was delayed two hours because of the weather conditions in Metro. It's actually my nth time to visit Manila but it's my first time to fly at night.

When we arrived at 11:30 in the evening at NAIA, strong winds welcomed us. When we traveled to our Hotel in Quezon City, I did not appreciate Manila that time because the power is down (it's dark because of the total blackout from Pasay City down to Quezon City) and the gigantic billboards are off. But I must admit that Manila looks cool without those towering billboards. I swear.


Because we're on official business attending the 2011 National Literacy Conference where Tagum City will be bestowed the much-anticipated Hall of Fame Award in Literacy, we can only roam around when it's free time. We're first billeted at the Great Eastern Hotel across Quezon Avenue but we transferred to the Imperial Palace Suites in Tomas Morato the following day, just across ABS-CBN. During the opening ceremony, we;re very lucky because no less than Mayor Herbert Bautista of QC welcomed us.

For me, the most memorable experience I had during this trip is our trip in the City of Makati, considered to be the country's foremost financial district. With Sir Edwin Lasquite and Madame Grace Terante of Tagum City Economic Enterprise Office, we roamed at Rockwell Powerplant Mall.

But it was our Trip to Makati City Hall that surprised me. It's huge and simply amazing -- with 28 floors! We are also granted permission to go to their helipad, a thing not all employees of the city hall are allowed to do so. From there, the Makati Skyline and the view of Mandaluyong by the Pasig River look so amazing!

Not bad experience for a typhoon-battered Manila.

Louie.

Stranded at Davao International Airport

Traveling at night is cool. You are forced to relax.

Makati Skyline from the Helipad of the Makati City Hall

Office of the City Mayor of Makati

Rockwell. Derek Ramsay is in the house.

It's great to be back in Mall of Asia

EDSA Kamuning with GMA Network Center as the dominant landmark

I took this while our van is traversing the North Luzon Expressway bound to Tarlac City, Tarlac.

Kape na muna.