November 2015 – Jellybeans in the City

Steak Craving Satisfied at Mad Mark’s Creamery and Good Eats, Glorietta

I loved eating at the Kapitolyo branch. I recommended the Glorietta 5 branch to my balikbayan friend for our get-together as she wanted to meet up in Makati.

The place can get really full around lunch time (and the seating can get cramped) so I was lucky to get a table for two as soon as I got in.

We loved the juicy, well-seasoned Signature Steaks. I prefer mine medium-done and accompanied by garden grains (buttered fried rice with veggie bits) and bacon potato salad. My friend preferred hers well-done with steamed rice and mashed potatoes.

Of course, a meal at Mad Mark’s is not complete without ice cream. I veered away from my usual order of Half-Baked Madagascar and opted for the Motherlode (walnuts and pecans, yum!). My friend found her new favorite in the Chocolate on Chocolate.

Mad Mark’s has just become our new go-to place for our meet-ups.

Eclectic Aesthetics at Pinto Museum

I originally planned to visit Pinto Museum with my officemates but our planned outing kept on getting postponed. I decided to take my kids on an adventure to Antipolo and check this place out.

If you’re taking kids (or any student) with you, be sure to bring their IDs as this slashes Php80 off the regular Php180 entrance fee.

What impressed me about this place is the melding of culture and nature. Sculptures and other artistic installations are displayed outside amidst the greenery. Many of the paintings are hung inside wide and airy galleries that let in a lot of natural light (I hope that the museum curators are able to preserve the quality of the artworks as sunlight does have an adverse effect on pigments).

The meditation garden dedicated to Jose Rizal and Leonor Rivera also has an escritoire where you can pen a missive to your “the one who got away” to help you “let go.” (Cue the #hugotlines and #walangforever diatribes.)

I marveled at how, in various ways throughout this place, nature provides a backdrop for artwork and at how architecture and art provides a frame for nature.

We explored the different galleries containing various artworks. I wished we arrived earlier so we could have taken our time exploring.

All that walking around will soon get you hungry so it’s lucky that the museum has a cafe where you can hang out in while having refreshments.

My kids and I had a tiring yet fun adventure here. I’m looking forward to showing this place to my friends from out of town.

Pinto Museum is Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 6pm. Tickets are priced at Php200 for adults, Php180 for senior citizens and PWD with valid IDs and Php100 for students with valid school IDs (Children below 3 years old are free).

The museum is located at 1 Sierra Madre St, Grand Heights Subdivision, Antipolo. Rizal.

For inquiries, call +63 2 6971015.

Know more about Pinto Art Museum by visiting its website.

Italian Food Trip at Friuli Trattoria

My coworkers and I decided to take advantage of the relatively lighter traffic and held one of our (in)famous happy lunches in Maginhawa Street. We opted for Friuli the consensus among the group was in favor of Italian food. We ordered Bacon and Egg Carbonara, Tuna Carbonara, Puttanesca, Mushroom Pizza and Cheesesteak Pizza. IMHO, the pizzas are ok but I’ve tasted homemade pasta better than those served here. Plus, I can’t believe they charge P10 for 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese!

Friuli Trattoria is located at 79A Maginhawa St., UP Village, Quezon City, near Holy Family School.

Chinese restos like Hap Chan are great for family dinners

I took my folks here for a nice family dinner. I always say that Chinese restos are great for family dinners because the viands are served family style which encourage sharing and bonding. We ordered our favorite Chinese food: