Rustic Mornings with Friends

Since October 15, Tuesday, was a holiday, it was a perfect time for me and my friends to finally meet-up.  It was a very belated birthday blow-out of iMom.  We agreed to go at Rustic Mornings located in Marikina City.  The place was jampacked when we arrived around 9:30 AM.  It took almost an hour before we were given a table for five.  It was a bit hot but we were all in a pretty good mood so we patiently waited while standing near the counter area. We understood it was a holiday and breakfast seems to be their peakest hours.

What made the waiting more bearable was the friendly staff.  They are genuinely friendly, move swiftly attending to customers, composed, neat, with genuine smiles. For me, I spent my waiting time checking the place, and of course, taking pictures of the place, my friends, and myself. :)

The food was fine, nothing spectacular but presentation is good. The price is almost the same compared to other restaurants, about P150 - P300 per head.

Shared by all, Bread Basket, with fruit jam, and butter, p150

iMom's Sausage Platter (Bratwurst and Cheese Sausage,  Toasted Rye Bread, 2 Sunny Side Up Eggs, P215

CessnaPlane's Frankfurter, Cheese Omelet, Garlic Rice, P220

Teacher Julie's All-Veggie 3-Cheese Omelet (with Tomato, Zucchini, Onion, Green Bell, Mushroom), P195

President Mama's Waffles, Buffalo Chicken Strips, Salad with Marinara Chipotle, P250

Mine, Country 3-Egg Cheese Omelet with Bacon and Potatoes, P185

Everyone had coffee of course. It's good, priced at P65, with one free refill for the Americano.

As the name tells it, rustic, the place makes use of crude materials as their decorations which blended well giving us a countryside ambiance. I like it. Electric fans are provided for each table if I am not mistaken, for the al fresco dining area.

Yes, the place is full of plants but good that I did not see mosquitoes or other insects flying around. :)

This is where the dining area starts. 

This is the counter area, also al fresco. I like the masks hanging on the wall.

One side of the wall in one of the dining sections is peppered with framed paintings, pots, and synthetic crustaceans. 

This is yours truly in one of the interiors of the restaurant, with my OOTD, haha. I blend well, right?

I like the embossed flower in yellow paint finish. It's nice, dainty.

Us Girls: TeacherJulie, iMom, Me :), CessnaPlane, PresidentMana

I want to go back here with  my family. It's a bit far from our place but we can schedule. :)

Rustic Mornings
#11 Isabelo Mendoza St., San Roque,
Marikina City
Business Hours: 8 AM - 4 PM
Contact #s:  5106914, 6812461, 0917-7005810

Adarna Food and Culture

So it came to pass my family opted to have dinner last night at Adarna Food and Culture. We wanted to dine somewhere near our place. The first option was to go to TOSH (The Old Spaghetti House) but my husband said it was already closed, as in permanently closed.

I searched on the web where we can have dinner aside from the usual TGIF, Fish and Co and the like. I checked spot.ph and Adarna Food and Culture got my attention. The name of the restaurant is quite enticing too. It's a good thing it is near our area.

My camera's battery got drained after a few shots so I was not able to capture the facade, the patio and the whole dining area and function rooms. But the pictures below will tell you that the restaurant is cozy. It will transport you back to the 1960s. We had dinner and we traveled back in time.

From Adarna's website:

Adarna Food and Culture is a restaurant that celebrates Filipino culinary heritage by serving historical, regional and heirloom recipes in a warm, elegant and homey setting. Every table offers a special view of the place with its collection of Filipino memorabilia.

True enough it was a visual treat. We were seated at what seems to be an extended dining are because it was full inside.


My husband orienting my daughter on the different soda bottles used during the 50s to the 70s.


There's one I recognize, choco-vim! I remember this but I did not drink much of this but the Magnolia Chocolait which comes in a bigger bottle peddled around the neighborhood. Do you have that in your area back then? You have to give back the empty Magnolia bottle before buying one. :)


I have never used a jukebox but I fancy this. I would like to have a vintage jukebox at home, haha. I am a child of the 80s so back then it was the Sony Walkman or the cassette player.

My daughter had a good time tinkering with it together with my husband. It's really a novelty for her. As we all know, the kids have the iPod for their music gadget now.


There is a mock-up sarisari store (variety retail store) inside the restaurant. Pure collector's items. According to one server, some items were donated by loyal customers. Friends from Facebook commented that they do read Liwayway and komiks when they were young. I do read those movie magazines that you see, Orig and Kislap. Haha.


Customers can get any of the candies from the garapon (glass jars) for free. This is cute. :) Remeber white rabbit?



Dama (board game or checkers) is a common sight in sari-sari stores played by manongs (old men). My daughter is at a lost how to play this game. Husband walked her through it after a bit.


I just have to take a picture of this one. I was compelled to because this reminds me of my maternal grandmother's mirror mounted on her closet. It has exactly the same design. I guess it was the design of most mirrors then.


Adarna Food and Culture is very interesting. It will be great to dine here with my parents. I will definitely bring them here when they visit the country.

My review about the food will be posted later tonight is posted in my food blog, Beyond Fried Eggs.

***Check out more weekend sharing at Pixel Bug Weekend.

Kombi

Ang litratong ito ay kuha sa Cocorama, isang restaurant sa Shangrila. Maganda ang tema ng lugar na ito. Psychedellic, dekada sitenta. Makulay, flower power at ang isa nilang atrakasyon ay ang kombi - isang van na gawa ng Volkswagen na usong-uso noong panahong 70s.

(This was taken at Cocorama, Shangrila. The theme of this restaurant is psychedellic, back from the seventies. It's very colorful like reliving the flower power culture. One of its attractions is the kombi - a van manufactured by Volkswagen which was a hit in the 70s.)


Maganda ang pagkakagawa nila sa kombi na ito na ginawang dibisyon ng counter at kitchen. Cute at makinis ang pagkakapintura. Maitatanong mo sa sarili na luma na nga ba ito? Maganda ang pagkaka-restore. Nakatuwaang mag-pose ng aking anak sa harap nito. Peace sabi ng kanyang mga kamay. :)

(The combi serves as a division between the counter and the kitchen. It's nicely painted in red and has a very smooth finish. You would want to ask yourself if this is really an old car. Restoration is superb so to speak. My daughter fancied posing in front of the car. Peace men.) :)

Check more pictures here at Litratong Pinoy.

**********
Mood: Giddy.
Music: None. Am alone in the house and it's really quiet.

Castle and Clouds

I was looking for a happy picture where clouds are highlighted. I checked my hubby's computer because all the pictures of sceneries are organized in his folders. And there it was, folders of our summer outings. This was taken at Club Manila East where kayaking is also an attraction. Kayaking on a pool that is.

I love the water's royal blue color, a reflection of the clear sky. I love how colorful the cabanas are, slightly seen here with yellow and blue roofs. I also like the landscape with a castle on top of an improvised hill with bright clouds over it. This is such a happy place. :)

Here is a picture of my hubby and daughter having the pool all by themselves and kayaking all the way. I have posted this one several photo hunts ago for the water theme.

And here are the other guests of the resort enjoying their colorful kayaks. This resort now provides a venue for those who want to learn how to surf if you must know. Interesting isn't it? Surf on a pool.

Please see my streaks of clouds at Everything and then Some.... taken at Grande Island, Subic. And check out other photo hunters too. Have a lovely weekend!

Big Bear and a Favorite Cousin

I love this picture of my daughter with the big, huggable hanging bear behind her. This was taken during her field trip last February. It was in Island Cove where guests can have fun in their ocean park and animal land.



My daughter enjoyed this so much and I did too even if it was kind of hot that day. We fancied this one among all the animals in there. It's as if the ostrich proudly posed for a photo opportunity.

And here's a picture suggested by my daughter to put in here. She is hanging out with her favorite cousin. We pick up her cousin J from their house and she had a sleep over in our place. They watched the 3D concert of Miley Cyrus (The Best of Both Worlds) on television. These kids can't get enough of Miley to think that they have watched the concert in the theater a few weeks ago.


These are my photo hunt entries for the week, "hanging". You may visit my other entry at Everything and then Some..... Thanks and happy weekend. :)

Kanluran (West)

Ang araw and sumisikat sa silangan at ito ay lumulubog sa kanluran. Ang larawan sa ibaba ay kuha ng kami ay nagpunta sa Pearl Farm, isang resort sa Davao. Napakaganda ng lugar na iyon, paraisong maituturing - presko, masarap ang simoy ng hangin at masasarap ang pagkain. Masarap bumalik sa lugar na ito.

(The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The picture below was taken during our trip at Pearl Farm, a resort in Davao. It is such a beautiful place, more like a paradise - relaxing, fresh air, great food. It's nice to go back there.)

Maaaring bisitahin ang Litratong Pinoy kung nais na makita ang iba pang mga lumahok ngayong linggong ito. At mayroon pa rin akong isang lahok sa kabilang blog ko, Everything and then Some..... :)

(You may visit the site, Litratong Pinoy, to see more entries for the week. I also have another entry over at my Everything and then Some.....blog.)

Banca

Outrigger boats transported us from Sta. Lourdes Wharf going to Dos Palmas. It was almost an hour of traveling in the open sea. See the boats with sturdy support on their sides. The locals showed also their support to us by giving a warm welcome complete with folk music.

The musical instruments you see in the picture are called "kulintangs". From Wikipedia, kulintang is a modern term for an instrumental form of music composed on a row of small, horizontally-laid gongs that function melodically, accompanied by larger, suspended gongs and drums.

As a standard procedure, life vests are given to all passengers during a long boat ride. The orange vests sit on the chairs after we take off the boat.

These are my entries for today's Photo Hunt theme, support. You may also view my other entry here at Everything and then Some.....

Clawed

It seems like my daughter and I are about to be clawed here by this bad, bad lion. This was taken on the way to Baguio City. The lion's head is a famous landmark along Kennon Road. It stands at 40 feet. I posted this picture a year or so ago. I'm sharing it once again for the pointed theme of Photo Hunt this week.

What pointed teeth and claws!

My other pointed entry is at Everything and then Some..... if you want to take a peek. :)

St. Paul Underground River

Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, formerly St. Paul Underground River, is one of the places included in the second campaign for the new Seven Wonders of the World. See the live ranking. The Philippines' very own Underground River is on the fifth slot.

We were able to visit the place about two years ago. From Puerto Princesa, it was a two to three hours bone-jarring ride to Sabang Beach. After which there is a boat to take you to the site for about twenty to thirty minutes. More adventurous folks trek for several hours to reach the underground river. I'd take the boat anytime. :)

Traveling through the waters of Sabang is a welcome respite. The waves were quite strong as the storm was nearing Palawan already at that time. What looks like the last frontier is the entry point going to the underground river.


Heading to the river, a monitor lizard greeted us.



We were about twelve persons on the boat with our guide who also serves as the story teller. We had our orange life vests and the orange hard hat as part of the safety measures.


A little creepy going inside but it was a very exciting trip. Let's take a closer look at the cave's opening.


The following pictures are all taken inside the cave. The guide told us stories of the different rock formations. There are those shaped like fruits, like a little girl kneeling down. There was even what they call the 'First Family' - Jesus, Mary and Joseph. It was dark there of course but I managed to take a lot of pictures and here are a few shots with show distinct features.





This is my favorite photo of the cave. It was taken as we were heading back to the river.

I'm late in posting this for photo hunt's water theme. Check the others though for some more water pictures.