Lobby, Manila Peninsula

The Lobby of The Peninsula Manila turned 33 last Sept. 14, 2009 and the halo halo harana, pancit luglog and schueblig were highlights of its 33rd anniversary celebration. The "grande dame" of Makati offered the three dishes at their historical 1976 prices!!!

“The Lobby is known for its classics,” says the hotel food and beverage director, Laurent le Deu. “It’s what keeps our patrons coming back year after year. All three items are pure classics, they have been on our menu since day one.”

How much did the halo halo harana, pancit luglog and schueblig cost back in 1976? All three items were priced at P33 each in 1976. Last Sept. 14, 2009 the yummy trio was selling at The Lobby for only P33 each!!!

MAPSA: A surprisingly efficient releasing center

It was a monday afternoon when my wife and I decided last minute to pick up a few things in the grocery. We were at the junction of Pasong Tamo St. and Arnaiz Ave waiting for the stoplight and the next thing we knew, the Makati MAPSA officer walked up to my window and asked us very politely to surrender my license. The violation.. CODING! No excuses there.
The next day was a pleasant experience at the MAPSA releasing center along Malugay St. Makati City.
Altho most of the employees of the bureau working that day were also busy watching the Sen. Jinggoy Estrada's 'privilege speech' in the senate hearing.. It barely took more than 10 min. for me to go from window 2 to 4.. and finally get back my license. The fine, PHP 300.00

I went straight home.. and was able to catch this beautiful sunset from our balcony. All photos were taken using my Nokia 5000.

Buon Giorno! Cliff House, Tagayay

My wife and I really planned for this trip days in advance. from preparing expressed milk both ready to drink and frozen, to keeping track of weather and traffic on-line during the days leading to the target departure time. This was a restaurant that we wanted to experience as a family. Why?

Very good, down to earth 'traditional' italian cooking! This was the Canneloni Spanci. The method of cooking and ingredients used were so simple, you can easily figure out how to cook it at home. And yes, this is what good italian food is all about- simple, easy, basic ingredients.. full of flavor! No shortcuts or 'fusion' cooking here that's for sure...

Even our 2 month daughter agrees! She really enjoyed our seat outside. The wind was cool and we all shared just one large  sofa-seat. It was large enough that we were able to change her 'nappies' after we had lunch!

Again, the desert was fantastic! Pictured here is Buon Giorno's very own soft dark and warm chocolate pudding, topped with home made pastillas ice cream to die for! yummy indeed!

Finally! we have a picture of our baby amidst the famous taal lake view!

side note: all photos were taken using my wife's vintage nikkor lens.