The thriving of Ka Tunying's Cafe

I first blogged about Ka Tunying's Cafe (KTC) in 2015 when this restaurant was just a newbie on Visayas Ave. in Quezon City. Since then, how fast has Ka Tunying's grown! Not only has it opened a branch on Timog Ave. also in QC, and another one at NAIA Terminal 3, it also has expanded its menu from just all-day breakfast to now include traditional Filipino dishes (some of them with a new twist!) 
that are well-loved for lunch and dinner. 
There is now lechon belly, embotido, and sinigang, among other entrees or ulam (viand) that are best for lunch and dinner, and pasta and pancit bihon for merienda. There are some rather unusual and interesting (and not to mention healthy!) dishes, too, such as the Pasta Ashitaba (a medicinal plant) and Kalabasa Lasagna. All these, perhaps, explain why Ka Tunying's Cafe has now become a must-visit for many balikbayan 
(returning overseas Filipinos), I read recently. 
Personally speaking, this restaurant is one of my favorites not just for the food and different coffee concoctions but also for the simple but classy, 
homey and quiet ambiance. Because Visayas Ave. is where I go to work, the branch there is the one I frequent, together with my friends in the office. I also would sometimes bring family - sometimes my kids, the other times my sisters. 
Here's what we've ordered over the past few months:

Tinapa Chowder
This soup is so delicious it's become one of my top favorites at Ka Tunying's Cafe. Why, there's my favorite Tinapa, creamy and flavorful soup and bread on which I lavishly spread butter. 
Just this and coffee complete my afternoon work breaks.

Tinapa Carbonara

As I've mentioned, Tinapa is one of my favorites and I eat it with fried rice any time of the day, even for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner. Yup, I can eat it the whole day! Even if Ka Tunying would put Tinapa on pasta, I'd still eat it! And guess what, he already did! Tee-hee. Kidding aside, this dish exceeded my expectations. It tasted way better than I thought! Imagine lots of flaked smoked fish and a balance of spices in a creamy sauce swirled all around all dente 
fettuccine. Served with a piece of cheesy bread, 
this Tinapa Carbonara is a winner!

Fish Fillet and Salted Egg Rolls

My BFF in the office ordered this one time when she was with another friend and she came back to the office, she was all praises for this dish. When we came back together to Ka Tunying's, she ordered this again. I then understood all the rave. This was really good! It's deep-fried cream dory fish with salted egg that's crunchy on the outside and soft in the center, and served with a tartar dip. My friend ordered a cup of rice to go with it but I imagine as I write this post that this would go so well with my favorite tinapa soup! Hmmm...Anyway, there are six pieces in one serving, laid over lettuce leaves that make a perfect  

fresh salad side dish. 
 

Chicken Tocino

If you love Tocino but want to cut down on red meat, like what I'm trying to do, this one is the perfect choice. The chicken is really tender and flavorful. Perfect for this plate of Tocilog that's great whether it's brekky or dinner time. 

Longsilog - Hamonado

There are three kinds of longganisa available at KTC - recado, batutay and this, hamonado. My sister and I ordered the hamonado and batutay one lunchtime. I can't remember who had which kind but we exchanged a piece so we could taste both. Well, the two longganisa are delicious  
and sis and I loved them.

Longsilog - Batutay

This is beef longganisa, the recipe for which originated from Cabanatuan City 
in the province of Nueva Ecija.

Pancit ni Nanay Benny
This was yummy but a little too salty. Maybe it's not always the case? I'm optimistic 'coz pancit bihon is among my comfort foods and I'd definitely order this again 
in one of my future visits to KTC.

Pandesal Platter
Love, love, love this! Four pieces of healthy turmeric pandesal, each with a different filling. There's Spanish sardines, corned beef, adobo and fried egg.  Served with crunchy camote 
(sweet potato) chips.

KTC Fried Chicken
My all-time favorite food! Ka Tunying's version doesn't disappoint. It's not thickly battered so more of chicken, less flour.

Daingsilog

My friend's order and it made her happy and full.

Ham croissant
When you aren't up for a full and elaborate meal, just bread and coffee (or hot chocolate) might suit you just fine. One of my office friends had such pairing one afternoon and she was happy with it.

 Carrot cake, P125.

This has got to be the best carrot cake I'd had in a long time. It's soft, moist and not too sweet -- the perfect after-meal munchie to have with coffee.

Chocolate cake
This would have been a perfect dessert when my daughter and I had lunch one time but we were not very happy with it because it didn't seem freshly baked  because then. We would have wanted it to be moist and soft but it was anything but such. 

Pudding
This is one extremely yummy dessert or light snack that's perfect with a steaming cup of coffee. It's firm but still soft, milky and just rightly sweet. And at just P25., it never fails 
my heart and taste buds sing. 😊

 Citrumeric Milkshake

My sister's drink. Fresh oranges with turmeric and milk.  
Refreshing and healthy!

Kape Berde
Truth to tell, this is one of my top reasons for coming back to Ka Tunying's Cafe. Whoever created this drink deserves a pat on the back. Lots of people love coffee, and green tea is fast catching up as a drink of choice so it's one commendable idea to put them together in one glass. What a genius! I sooo love this! Healthy, delicious and refreshing! 

Spiced Cocochino

This is coffee with a kick! --  cappuccino blended
with coconut syrup and siling labuyo (bird's eye chili). It's truly something different and unique to spice up a rather ordinary working day.

 Mochabayan Frappe

This coffee and chocolate drink would have been so loved by me had I not forgotten to tell the server that I didn't want any sugar in it (that's how I order all of my drinks in any restaurant). So while this was delicious, I cringed at all the sugar I was taking in!

Dalandan Ginger Iced Tea 

BFF's choice on one visit. Quite a unique concoction, isn't it? 
Great tasting and refreshing, too!

Ligaya

BFF's drink another time, paired with her Daingsilog. This is melon juice 
with milk, a little lemongrass and red pandan-flavored jelly.  Delicious! 

Menu
(From KTC's Facebook page)

It might seem I've tried a lot of dishes, desserts and refreshments at KTC but really, there's still many more I have yet to taste like the Kalabasa Lasagna and Pasta Ashitaba that I mentioned. So the crew there at Visayas Ave. 
haven't seen the last of me yet. He..he..

If you haven't been to Ka Tunying's Cafe, you're missing out on a lot, so come visit soon. If you're lucky, you might bump into Ka Tunying himself -- the witty and charming broadcast journalist Anthony Taberna. See you there 
and happy eating!

Visayas Ave. comes alive with Grub Hub

Visayas Ave. in Quezon City has practically been my second home as I have worked here for almost 13 years now. Though it's not exactly near our residence, I love this place and wouldn't want to trade it for any other in the metro. For one thing, because there's a lot of spaces planted with plants and trees here, pollution isn't much of a problem. I love going out of the office to take a walk after it rains to take in 

the fresh smell of wet grass! 

What's more, the whole stretch of the road is fast becoming an "eat street" with a lot of restaurants opening up in the past few months. Now, there are even two food parks to embark on a food trip in -- one opened last November while the other one is yet to start its operation as of this writing. 

On the first working day of 2017, my daughter and I went to the already open food park called Grub Hub at the corner of Visayas Ave. and Congressional Ave. This place is very impressive - well thought out, I could say because of its clean lay-out and orderliness. The colorful murals speak of the owners' artsiness and give vibrance to the park. I love, too that there are two mini bahay kubo or nipa huts that can seat four people each. I'm a rural person, that is why. I love anything that reminds me of my coastal hometown in Quezon province. This week, I went back there twice, with my youngest child the first time and with an office friend on the second, so I was able to try 

more offers from the other stalls. 

There is about a dozen food stalls at Grub Hub offering various cuisines like American (burgers, fries, waffles, etc.); Italian (pizza, pasta), Mediterranean (kebab, shawarma rice), Japanese (sushi, etc.) and Filipino (bagnet, inihaw na isaw, etc.) 
So far, these are what we've had:

California Rolls from Aji Sushi, P89. 

Taco Lumpia from Mrs. Lumpia, P159. 

Assorted "ihaw-ihaw" (barbecue) from Mang Larry's, P10. each

Tinapa Lumpia from Mrs. Lumpia, P129. 

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings from St. Mick's Wing Bar, P180.

Chicha Bagnet from Chica's Chicharronia, P165.

Beef Shawarma Rice from Mrs. Lumpia, P145.

                    Banana Caramel Waffle from Vinsky Big Tummiez, P120. 

                           Filled Churros from Vinsky Big Tummiez, P115.
               

                      Lust vanilla milkshake from Wicked Kitchen, P170.

                                                 Some of the stalls inside Grub Hub

                                      In and around the food park 

                                             Air-conditioned area                                         

                                                                 Open-air back area

             Grub Hub on Visayas Ave. corner Congressional Ave., Quezon City

We loved the Shawarma Rice from Mrs. Lumpia but forgive me for saying I thought the Tinapa Lumpia was a hoax because while it was indeed flaked fish that was inside the fried rolls, there wasn't any of the smokey flavor of "tinapa" (smoked fish). Maybe they ran out of it? In that case, they should just have said it was not available. Tinapa is one of my top favorite all-day breakfast fares and I was so looking forward to having it lumpia-style so it was disappointing to learn I got duped. 

Thankfully, my daughter loved the Shawarma rice, which I tasted and approved of. Days later, my son and I ordered the Taco Lumpia also from Mrs. Lumpia and we both loved it, having lots of meat and cheese toppings. We thought, however, that it was wrongly named. It should have been Nachos Lumpia or Lumpia Nachos because it was nachos using fried lumpia wrapper instead of corn chips.

Anyway, the fried chicken wings from St. Mick's Wing Bar lacked in oomph because there wasn't any crunch to it like it had been cooked for some time before it was served or it wasn't fried long enough, but at least the garlic parmesan flavor 
was present and it was good.
Mang Larry's is of course that popular ihaw-ihaw (barbecue) stall at UP Diliman and its patrons are surely happy to find it here, too, at Grub Hub. My daughter and I loved the "isaw" (chicken intestines) and "tenga" (pig's ear) bathed in lip-smacking, spiced vinegar. I saw fellow diners in the other tables having lots of these ihaw-ihaw with beer. Perfect match, I know, although I shun alcohol. 
My friend ordered the bagnet with rice and had churros for dessert. She said the bagnet was good with crackly skin. She wanted her churros with vanilla filling but it wasn't on the menu so she settled for chocolate and cheese. 
I had the Banana Caramel Waffle topped with a scoop of green tea-flavored ice cream and felt the sweet guilt afterwards. Tee-hee. The lovely milkshake adorned with a beautiful marshmallow crown and unicorn lollipop was my son's and he raved about it for being not too sweet but uber delicious!
I must admit that some of the food we've tried at Grub Hub aren't great but good enough to fill up. However, the place itself compensates for the lack in the taste department. There's good feel all around because there is art, nature (there's plants and trees although some are faux) and yes, nipa huts, which, for me, give the place a relaxing vibe. Overall, I consider Grub Hub a great food destination to bring family and friends over for a time to bond and catch up over a meal. 
Fortunately for me, I could be there any work day!

Maginhawa St. Gastronomic Walk #14: Provenciano (A Christmas celebration)

How do you bond with your friends? Me and my group in the office, we eat, eat and eat! We even aptly call ourselves the Kain Club -- a parody of Kanin Club, which is the name of a popular Filipino restaurant. Irony of ironies, we haven't gone to Kanin Club as a group, and we usually go to restaurants either on Maginhawa St, in our office "neighborhood" in Visayas Ave. , or at SM North Edsa. 

We celebrate milestones such as birthdays, or even the inauguration of a newly elected President of the country, and receiving bonuses by eating out.  Sometimes, we eat out even if there's no occasion to celebrate and we simply want to chat while filling our tummies. One time, a power outage caused us to stop working, and we decided it was 

a good opportunity to have some ice cream at a nearby restaurant. 

Two months ago, we even turned an "adversary" into a happy occasion. Our building (as well as other government buildings in our area) received bomb threats that turned out to be a hoax, thank God, and we were sent home early so it gave us 

another reason to eat out. 

Last December, our group celebrated Christmas by having lunch on Maginhawa St. It was Provenciano restaurant that was the choice of one of us, and we all approved. The name refers to any person who hails from the province. If you would browse 

the menu, you would discover that it comprises dishes that 

come from different provinces of the Philippines. 

Very aptly named, this restaurant is.

Our orders:

Molo ni Lolo, P270.

Provenciano Ensalada, P240.

Sinigang na Baboy, P325.

Adobong Kalding, P330.

Crispy Pata, P610. 

Pusit sa Bawang, P280.

Hardinera, P310.


Guinumis, P95.  

Condiments galore 

Inside Provenciano

Christmas 'kakanin' station

We had such a festive, delicious and enjoyable lunch apt for celebrating the happiest time of the year. All the dishes we ordered were good except for the Molo soup. Well, it could have been really tasty were it not too salty! Thankfully, there was the sinigang which sourness provided some balance. The Adobong Kalding (kambing or goat) was something different, even a little exotic for me 'coz it's not everyday I get to eat it, but I enjoyed it. The meat was tender and without any unpleasant smell as some people who shy away from it might be thinking. 
The baby squids were really tiny but the dish was big in flavor - with the sourness of the vinegar and saltiness of the soy sauce effectively doing a balancing act. It was the Crispy Pata, however, that I loved the most. The crackling of the skin under my teeth was both fun and pleasure and the meat dipped in my mixture of vinegar, soy sauce and chopped green chilies that I made from the "Sawsawan (condiments) Bar" 
were pure bliss to my taste buds.
To provide a sweet ending to our lunch, we ordered Guinumis - a dessert of sago and coconut milk that originated from where my roots came from - Quezon Province.
Speaking of the "Sawsawan Bar", it's the first thing I noticed inside Provenciano, where there's an assortment of sauces, which Pinoys love dipping their bits and pieces of meat or fish into. Outside, however, one wouldn't miss the mini-Bahay Kubo where bibingka and puto bumbong were made and sold. 
Very Christmas-sy!
Visit Provenciano, folks and enjoy your favorite Filipino comfort food with family and friends any day of the week. If you have visitors from abroad (balikbayan), it's the perfect place for bringing them for lunch or dinner. It could get jam-packed like during the time we were there so make a reservation if you're bringing 
a group, especially on weekends. 
Happy eating!