Tim Hortons opens at SM City San Lazaro

Me and my friends had been eagerly anticipating the opening of Tim Hortons at the SM City San Lazaro and finally, the long wait is over. Canada's favorite coffee shop opened in this mall in Sta. Cruz, Manila on Friday, Aug. 17, 2018. 

On my birthday last Monday, Aug. 20, I chose to have brunch there 

with my good friend and we both loved the place. Unlike the small, cramped UN Ave. branch where I used to spend Sunday afternoons after our worship service nearby, the Tim Hortons store at SM City San Lazaro is spacious and airy, very welcoming 
and homey. It's a place most suitable for hanging out either 
to work or have a chat with friends. 

Anyway, it was brunch for us, as I mentioned, and we had:

Crispy Chicken Ciabatta combo, P230.
This would have been a great sandwich, chicken being my favorite but the patty was dry, sadly. I hope this isn't always the case 'coz I still want to have this next time. By the way, a combo comes with a small drink, either hot or iced coffee, and a serving of Tim's delicious potato wedges.

Italiano Grilled Bagel combo, P270.
My friend's. I forgot to ask her if she liked it but I loved the bagel when I ordered it at the UN Avenue branch. There was a lot of filling and the ham was great-tasting and fresh. (The S'mores Pocket is a separate order.) 

S'mores Pocket, P35. 

Small original blend coffee, P70.
I ordered hot coffee (with cream but no sugar) after nearly two hours of exchanging stories with 
my friend and I was really feeling cold inside the store.

Well, what do you know, I was back at Tim Hortons just five days later after having a much-needed pedi and bag-shopping. Oh, I wanted to celebrate having scored a nice tote at 50% off from Charles & Keith and ordered:

Steak and Cheese Panini combo, P250.
Loved this one! There's a huge mound of thinly sliced beef as you can see. No scrimping! It's cheesy, too and with some slices of red onion. The only thing I didn't like so much was the bread (ciabatta, I think) 'coz it wasn't as soft as I wanted. This combo is very filling, aside from yummy!

In and around Tim Hortons at SM City San Lazaro

 Counter

Desserts!

Weekend crowd! 
No vacant table on a Saturday afternoon.

Just over a week after it opened, Tim Hortons is already giving coffee shops at SM City San Lazaro stiff competition. It was jam-packed last Saturday! And I can't 

blame all those people, both young and old, for trooping to this place 

even if it's hidden, tucked away on one far end of the mall. 

This place is lovely, very comfy-looking and the coffee is really good! The sandwiches could still improve but the pastries are crave-worthy. I've tried

their muffin and donuts at the UN Ave. branch and I loved them, 

especially the red muffin (blueberry, I think). 

If you haven't been to Tim's Hortons, I highly recommend this store 

at SM City San Lazaro. You'll love it here. 

That's a guarantee!

Sands Cafe at The Lighthouse Marina Resort in Subic

If you read my previous post about a restaurant that we loved in Morong, Bataan, this is some sort of a sequel to it. Coming from Morong on our way back to Manila, we passed by Subic and decided to go see The Lighthouse Marina Resort. We went around, enjoyed the scenery and took some pictures. The weather was much better unlike the previous day in Morong. The sun still wasn't out now, but it wasn't raining either. 
The Lighthouse Marina Resort looked to me as a really nice place to stay and unwind. I would love to be back and stay a night or two with family. Anyway, we checked out 
Sands Cafe and decided to have some snacks. 
Our orders:

Complimentary bread and butter
The bun was so soft but not airy. Really, really good and perfect to pair 
with a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

Clubhouse sandwich, P280.
Everything on this plate smacks of freshness. I loved that the clubhouse comes not only with chips but also with some greens, adding some nutrition. 
Yummy and filling!

Pancit bihon, P250.
Meaty and with lots of veggies, this pancit was really enjoyable, not to mention filling. We were supposed to have a light meal as it wasn't long since we had breakfast but this pancit plus all our other orders and complimentary bread filled us to the brim!

Chicken fingers (kid), P190.
My youngest child's order. What child doesn't love chicken anyway? The kid enjoyed munching on these boneless chicken fingers plus the chips, of course.

Pepperoni pizza (kid), P195.
My nephew had this one. It looked really good but we let him 
have this all to himself.

Grilled Cheese sandwich (kid), P160.
My daughter immensely loved this. She let me have some and it was delish! Had it been served with a bowl of tomato soup, it would have been the perfect comfort food.

Fresh four seasons smoothie, P170.
Not canned but made out of fresh fruits so it's healthy, 
delicious and very refreshing.

Melon smoothie, P170.
My sister's choice. She loved this one for the fresh melon taste.

Brewed coffee, P80.
As always, my poison. I loved Sands Cafe's brew. 
It was bold, strong, and smooth. Great-tasting!

Inside Sands Cafe

Al fresco dining area

View of the lighthouse from the beach

The Lighthouse Marina Resort inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone

It was a lovely meal that our family enjoyed at Sands Cafe. With a nice ambiance, great food and service, this place won't leave you wanting a lot more. 

It's definitely a must-visit when in Subic. 

I hope to go back soon!

Apo Mayang's Kainan sa Kubo in Morong, Bataan

Before school opened this year, our family went to Morong, Bataan in an attempt to have a last hurrah for summer. A failed try it was, though, because it was raining almost all throughout our stay there. We lost our zeal to go for a swim at the beach or even the pool because it was already wet all around. Even going around Morong to find a nice place to eat was a hassle. Good thing there was this restaurant very close to the resort where we stayed that served really good Pinoy fare. Amazingly, they also have Vietnamese fare on the menu such as those fresh spring rolls and noodle soups. The owner was so accommodating he made us feel more "at home" even though we were feeling uncomfortable because of the constant raining. The place is called "Apo Mayang's Kainan sa Kubo" and is so-called because there are several huts all around where customers sit and dine. There's only one huge place that's enclosed for big groups and it's where we ate twice in a day, for lunch and dinner.

These were for lunch:

Grilled pusit
My favorite! Tender, juicy squid grilled to perfection. Yummy!

Sinigang na tanigue
The hot, sour soup brought comfort to our tummies, perfect 
for an exceptionally rainy day!

Crispy pata
Always a crowd favorite and it's no different with our group. Everyone was excited 
to dig into this one, which didn't disappoint.

Inihaw na liempo 
Delicious with a perfect smokey flavor and meat that's tender and juicy.

Chopsuey
Quite good but some of the veggies are a bit overcooked.

Mango shake; Guyabano shake
Fresh and natural! They even made shakes without sugar when 
my sister and I requested.

And then, these were for dinner:

                                                 Calamares

I loved that the batter wasn't too thick, making this calamares crunchy 

and thankfully, not dripping with oil.

                                                 Buttered shrimp

Love, love, love! The shrimps are fresh and the addition of garlic

and butter enhanced its flavor.

                                               Lumpiang shanghai

Crunchy and not too oily. We all loved this one.

                                              Pesang lapu-lapu

This is sooo good! The soup is flavorful without being salty. I suddenly remembered our lola who always cooked pesang isda.

                                                      Menu 

                          In and around Apo Mayang's Kainan sa Kubo

Our group inside a huge hut.

My sister and kids were looking outside, trying to spot the frogs 

that were making such thunderous sounds.

We were impressed by the good food and fast service at Apo Mayang. All of our orders were yummy and fresh. And even though we were a huge group (there were 11 of us), and ordered quite a lot, we didn't have to wait long for our food. 
The cooks and servers were impressively efficient.
By the way, they also have rooms for rent. Too bad, we had booked for a place to stay nearby, which, sadly, fell short of our expectations.

 Rooms for rent here

Kudos to the hardworking staff at Apo Mayang's who seem not to mind serving customers, walking under the rain to bring their orders from the kitchen. 
Such dedication to work!
I sure hope to eat here again and maybe stay a night or two.

*Apo Mayang's is at Burgos St., Poblacion, Morong, Bataan. 

Visit their FB page for inquiries.

Queen Margarette Hotel in Lucena City

Our family stayed for a night in Lucena City last summer to rest from the trip coming from Manila to Taytay, Rizal to attend an aunt's wake, and before proceeding to San Francisco, Quezon. We checked into Queen Margarette, as recommended by a friend based in Lucena. There are two branches of this hotel in the city: one along Diversion Road in Barangay Domoit, and the other in downtown Lucena. We went to the one in Domoit, which, we learned, is the original, and bigger one.

Though I'm a native of the province, it was my first time at Queen Margarette and i had a good impression of it when we checked in.

The lobby

True enough, we had a splendid stay. The hotel, even if it's just 3-star, got all our needs covered, from food, to massage, to comfortable sleep and even for a wheelchair for our mom who was then about to turn 90 in a few days. The staff were just wonderful. They were all friendly, courteous and helpful. I guess those are inherent qualities among us Quezonians. Ehem! Haha!

Anyway, i didn't have high expectation for the rooms because as i mentioned, we were in a 3-star hotel but I was floored by the beauty and modest elegance by the two rooms that we had for the night. They were even lovelier than the room that we once checked into in a 5-star hotel in the heart of Manila. The toilet and bath had all that we needed from the toiletries to towels to hair dryer and most 

importantly for me, hot and cold shower. 

Take a peek into our rooms:

But before we had to take rest, we had to have dinner. Good thing, we didn't have 

to go out as Queen Margarette has its own very spacious restaurant called Emerald Green's Cafe that serves surprisingly good food at reasonable prices. The ambiance is, shall I say, business-like, with almost a 5-star hotel feel except that the restaurant is not air-conditioned, sadly. Good thing there's good ventilation because 
of the vast space and open walls.

Our orders:

Bistek Tagalog

Sinigang na bangus

 Bihon Guisado

Clubhouse sandwich

Menu

We really enjoyed our dinner as everything was yummy. We were full to the brim! Well, we really had to fill up because we weren't ready to retire for the night just yet. My two kids took the opportunity to swim at the hotel's pool, which wasn't so big but nice, nevertheless. There's a kiddie pool aside from the one for adults.

Meanwhile, my sister and I opted to relax at the jacuzzi, then have a steam bath and full-body massage. The experience was so wonderful for me. It was a fantastic first time for me to have all three services on one occasion and for only P600+ per person! I slept like a baby the whole night, very relaxed and rejuvinated. There was, in fact, a glow on my face when I got up in the morning. Well, at least that's how I felt. Haha!

 My sister checking into the spa

And then, it was time for breakfast! Queen Margarette offers breakfast buffet to its guests. Though there isn't really a lot of dishes in the spread, 

breakfast was nevertheless filling and enjoyable.

My breakfast: fried rice, scrambled egg, danggit, chami, a piece of pandesal and butter, and
longganisang Lucban (I didn't get everything from the buffet. There was also arroz caldo which one of my  my sisters relished). All washed down with 
a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

After breakfast, the kids and one of my sisters had some time at the pool while the rest of us sisters had a lovely chat at the restaurant. And then my sissies had ice cream and bought pasalubong at the store there. Before noontime, we returned to our room to pack our things and get ready to leave. But before we checked out, I took some more pictures around the hotel. The cleaning staff let me into a suite, 
which was huge and beautiful.

I took this picture after we had breakfast. I found the glass parts of the walkway interesting because there's water underneath. 

It was a lovely, memorable stay that we had at Queen Margarette Hotel in Lucena City. The place is well-appointed, the staff are all nice and helpful (they won't even let us push mom's wheelchair 'coz they did it all the time) and the prices of everything from the rooms to the food to massage won't break the bank. I guarantee you'd still have some moolah left for a few dozens of Lucban longganisa to bring home. 
I would love to be back someday soon when we're in Lucena.

.