'Ruby' may be big, but GOD is bigger!

Everyone is so afraid of typhoon "Ruby"! And understandably so. "Yolanda" last year left such a huge devastation to lives and properties and a big heartbreaker. But amidst the fear, let us not forget that we have such a huge GOD. Remember that heaven is His throne and the earth is His footstool. Storms do not worry Him! Remember Jesus sleeping through a storm in the sea and His disciples waking Him up? He chided them for being deeply troubled and unbelieving. So while we have to stock up on food, candles and batteries and stay indoors, let us not live in constant fear for the Lord has promised to never leave us nor forsake us, even through the storm! Let us all pray and believe for His protection for our lives and properties. 

Have a blessed day!  

Maginhawa St. Gastronomic Walk #4: Casa Quesadilla

Last time, I shared about our delicious lunch at Cafe Quezon on Maginhawa St., that long stretch of a road in Quezon City that has grown famous because of the so many restaurants that have opened up there over the years. As we were there waiting for our order, I looked out through the glass door and saw another foodie place on the other side of the road - Casa Quesadilla - and I said to my daughter, "Next week, we're there." And so it was that exactly seven days after, we were on Maginhawa St. again, in Casa Quesadilla and feasted on - what else - Mexican food! This is a charming place - really small (only four tables) but cheery because of the dominant orange color of the interiors and two colorful art works painted on the wall. Too bad my camera memory card got corrupted and some of my shots vanished, including those of the interiors of Casa Quesadilla. Good thing my food shots remained. These were our orders:

Ultimate Nachos, P130.

Mexican beef burrito, P130. 

Crispy Tacos, P75. each 

Mexican beef quesadilla 

The counter 

Menu

So how was our Mexican food trip? Deliciously great! The nachos, tacos, quesadilla and burrito were all yummy but for me, the quesadilla was the standout . The bits of beef had the perfect blend of spices for a burst of flavors, nicely intertwined with the creaminess of cheese. Yummy! No wonder the restaurant itself was named after their quesadilla. I wanted to try their dessert quesadilla with banana and Nutella but alas, we didn't have any room left for it. We were full to the brim! It was too late to realize we 
ordered more than we could eat. Haha! 
Folks, I suggest that you visit Casa Quesadilla at 176 Maginhawa St., Sikatuna Village in Quezon City for their delicious and very affordable Mexican food. You won't regret the trip!
Happy eating, everyone!

Maginhawa St. Gastronomic Walk #3: Cafe Quezon

Where I come from, beaches are beautiful, sceneries are picturesque, life is good and simple and food is divine! I'm sure people who hail from other provinces would say the same thing about their hometown but hey, I love my own! Haha! Anyway, I'm speaking about Quezon, that coastal province at the southern tip of Luzon quite close to Marinduque and Bicol Region although separated by sea. Whenever I go there for much-needed respite from work and city life, it's the food and everyday walk on the seashore that I cherish the most, aside of course, from being with my folks. And if there's one thing that reminds me of my summers spent as a child in Quezon, it's the crispy tapa which my father would painstakingly make - from slicing the beef so thinly, climbing up the roof to dry the slices on a bilao under the sun for several days and then striking them flat with a hammer, before my mom could finally fry it for breakfast. 
Many years later when my dad couldn't do all those work anymore because of old age, my mom would just buy the crispy tapa two towns away in Catanauan. Only, it is so expensive! Today, it costs about P1,400 per kilo. Why so expensive, you might ask. Because when fresh beef is dried, it drops in weight, such that two-three kilos might end up as just one kilo of tapa. Though that is just my estimate, at least you get the idea. And because of the price and the distance my mom has to travel to buy it, we don't get to eat crispy tapa very often these days. So I was just so delighted to find out that there's one restaurant that serves crispy tapa - Cafe Quezon on Maginhawa St. - that strip in Quezon City that's famous for the great number of foodie places that you can find next to each other. Last Saturday, my daughter and I hurried off there and found out that aside from the Crispy Tapa, there are other Quezon specialty dishes that could be found here like Pilipit and Pancit Habhab (also known as Pancit Lucban). I felt so at home! My daughter and I had these for lunch one Saturday this November:

Quezon Crispy Tapa meal with iced tea or coffee (coffee is till 12 noon only), P150.

Longganisang Lucban meal with iced tea, P130.

Pilipit, P80.
This is kakanin made from malagkit (sticky) rice, drizzled with caramel and chocolate sauce. Yummy!

Our drinks - brewed coffee and iced tea

                                                                       Interiors

                                                                     
                                                                       Facade

I would definitely want to go back to Cafe Quezon for their great food that reminds me so much of my beloved hometown. They offer other Filipino dishes too aside from Quezon province specialties, like nilagang baka and pork sinigang. If you want to give Cafe Quezon a try, (and I suggest you do), it's at 179 Maginhawa St. in Quezon City.