Had the pleasure of visiting Tagaytay once again and since I'm from QC, a trip down south doesn't happen that often. The drive was leisurely and stress-free. Twas in fact, the perfect lazy Sunday afternoon drive.

I've always seen Tagaytay as a food haven. Personal favorites are Antonio's, Breakfast at Antonio's, Sonya's Garden, and Santuario (before they moved to the Rotonda). I've heard very good reviews about Bag of Beans and decided to break my usual Tagaytay fare by checking it out.

Coffee was good a strong. Had the barako blend and til early in the evening I was still quite giddy from the caffeine. Barako, in my opinion, is best taken black --to get a better feel of the strong, earthy flavor which is muddled when diluted with cream or milk. We also had some of their desserts --chocolate mousse, pineapple pie (which was pleasantly sour. yum!), apple pie, and blueberry cheesecake. But the hands down winner was the cinnamon roll. It was generously packed with cinnamon and the bread was pleasantly soft. I was planning on taking home a dozen but they were sold out by the time we were about to leave. Yes, they're that good.

The only thing I didn't quite like was that service was slow. But then again, if you're in Tagaytay on a slow, Sunday afternoon, what's the hurry?

I've heard about these famous bibingcrepes for sometime. Both me and my friend Erica have been meaning to try it for some time but were never able to squeeze it in our perpetually busy schedules. So it was fate that I found their stall in Mall of Asia.

Bibingcrepe is actually a cross between the Pinoy kakanin Bibingka and the delicate French crepe. The concept itself is interesting --marrying two culturally different dishes. But the execusion is simple. A typical bibingka is folded in half & its center filled ala crepe.

I tried the cheese & chocolate version, their bestseller. I was a bit reluctant with the savory-sweet combination but it turned out quite well. The salty creaminess of cheese complimented the rich chocolate sweetness --resulting in a sort salty-sweet tug-o-war (which seems to be the current desserts' trend).

All-in-all it was an interesting food find & I do plan on trying out their other flavors. But I still wouldn't trade the good-ol'-fashioned bibingka with itlog na maalat (salted duck egg) & kesong puti (white carabao's cheese)

My mom has always been a fan of Vietnamese food. I think it all started when started going to the Vietnamese refugee camps in Bataan before heading over to Montemar. It was then that she was able to sample their cuisine and fell for that pho (noodle soup).

So ever since Pho Hoa became popular here in Manila (around 5 or so years ago), my mom has been frequenting it --with me in tow, of course. We've come quite a long way from just trying different kids of pho (we started with Beef Brisket then settled on our stample which is Seafood) and have sampled their different dishes. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Tofu with Vegetables. The tofu is soft while the veggies are crunchy. This is actually a rice dish and since it contains only veggies and tofu, it's perfect for the health buffs --best of all, tastes great!

2. Shrimp and Pomelo Salad. I love the sweet (from the pomelo) and sour (from the vinegrette) tug-o-war on my tastebuds. It's a refreshing and juicy type of salad.

3. Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls. What makes this unique from other spring rolls is that you wrap it in a lettuce and place a mint leaf inside. It totally alternates your idea of how a spring roll should taste like.

Of course, I also enjoy the pho, hehehe.