marikina restaurant – Jellybeans in the City

Indulgent weekend brunch at Rustic Mornings by Isabelo

Weekend brunches are always something to look forward to, wouldn’t you agree?

They give us the opportunity to leisurely enjoy a sumptuous meal with our family and friends, time well spent catching up on each other’s news and making plans for the next get-together.

That’s what we #OfficeMaritesses were up to one rainy weekend: we embarked on a foodie adventure at one of Marikina’s top brunch destinations, Rustic Mornings.

In this quaint eatery, we were able to surround ourselves with gorgeous greenery, eclectic artworks as well as other points of visual interest made from scrap and recycled materials while enjoying a delicious meal which consisted of:

Spinach Dip (Php400). Isabelo’s famous rich and creamy spinach dip accompanied by pieces of toasted ciabattaa. A tasty start to our lovely brunch!

Berry Cream Cheese and Bacon-Stuffed French Toast (Php500). Thick pieces of French toast generously stuffed with berry cream cheese and crispy bacon.

Waffle Churros (Php290). Sweetly spiced crisp waffle tossed in sugar and cinnamon powder.

Brunch Platter (Php990). Group platter good for two-to three persons that includes breakfast favorites: pancakes, waffles, bacon, scrambled eggs and hash browns.

Filipino Platter (Php990). Group platter good for two to three persons that has a delicious sampling of the classic Pinoy almusal: beef tapa, tocino, crispy bangus, fried rice and sunny-side-up egg.

Drinks. Brunch wouldn’t be complete without hot drinks to perk us up or iced drinks to cool and refresh us.

We loved the fresh and airy feel of dining al fresco in such a beautifully reinvigorating setting, which is quite conducive towards sharing all the hot goss on various office and barkada topics.

We found the group platters to be well-curated as they combine various breakfast favorites in reasonably priced packages.

So if you want to enjoy your own a setting for spilling the proverbial tea with your fellow Maritesses or to enjoy a lovely morning meal with family and friends, it’s high time you indulge yourself at Rustic Mornings.

Rustic Mornings is located at 11 Isabelo Mendoza Street, San Roque, Marikina City, open from 8am to 4pm.

While walk-ins are welcome, the place can get full pretty quickly so it’s best to call ahead of your visit to reserve your table via +63 2 8425 8610.

You may also course your takeout or delivery orders via Viber at +63 995 2493732.

@beingjellybeans
Enjoy wholesome breakfast faves and al fresco dining surrounded by eclectic art and nature at @Rustic Mornings by Isabelo. Deets at beingjellybeans.com! #beingjellybeans
♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

Know more about Rustic Mornings via its website or follow it on Facebook or Instagram.

Sweet Sunday meetup at Sundays, Marikina

During pre-pandemic times, one of the highlights of my workday is the #HappyLunch I used to enjoy with my officemates.

We used to scope out the various dining spots in the vicinity of our workplace and choose a new place in which to spend that precious lunch hour. These midday adventures not only presented us with gustatory delights, they also provided our group with a welcome break from our work environment and an opportunity for some levity in between periods of being good little workers.

Well, things happened (some officemates transitioned to other companies, and, of course, COVID-19 reared its ugly head in the metro, which curtailed opportunities for dining out), so we haven’t been able to get together for almost two years.

Thanks to the loosening of community quarantine restrictions, I was able to meet up with two of my former office friends for brunch at Sundays Cafe & Restaurant.

One of the newest dining spots in foodie-friendly Marikina, Sundays offers breakfast, comfort food and coffee. Located along J.P. Rizal Street, it’s housed in a single-story Spanish villa-inspired building, with clean and minimalist interiors well-suited for intimate gatherings as well as a pet-friendly al fresco dining area.

Quite fittingly, I met up with my friends on a Sunday morning for brunch. After experiencing some confusion in the drive over (note to self: rely on Waze, not Google Maps, for directions in this part of Marikina, especially with the one-way streets), I was able to snag the last remaining parking spot, quite ably assisted by the parking attendant.

One of my friends was later in arriving than me and had to park quite a distance away from the cafe.

In between various chika and catching up on events in each other’s lives since we last saw each other, my friends and I broke our fast with Sundays’ cafe staples, which included:

Mocha (Php145). A chocolatey version of the restaurant’s cafe latte, served hot.

Eggs Benedict (Php250). Sundays’ version of my favorite breakfast dish consists of fluffy brioche buns topped with slices of homemade bacon and poached egg drenched in hollandaise sauce, with a sprinkling of cayenne pepper.

Homemade Bacon Slab on Kimchi Rice (Php320). This breakfast food given a Korean vibe consists of thick slices of homemade bacon, a fried egg (sunny side up, per our request) on top of flavorful kimchi rice served on a skillet.

Tres Leches (Php130). I indulged my sweet tooth with this light sponge cake soaked in a sweet milk mixture and topped with sweetened whipped cream with a sprinkling of cornflakes for texture.

The restaurant was still on soft opening mode during our visit so hopefully, it will be able to smooth out some kinks in its operations, particularly some delays in serving our food and in providing the bill.

That said, the restaurant was true to its proposition of providing “Great food. Great memories.” It certainly was a memorable brunch meetup with my friends over delicious food!

Sundays Cafe and Restaurant is located at J.P. Rizal corner V. Gomez Street, Barangay San Roque, Marikina City, open Mondays to Thursdays from 8am to 10pm and Fridays to Sundays from 8am to 11pm. For reservations, call +63 917 1572634.

The Jelly List: Top picks from re-opened Marikina restos

The city of Marikina has long been a haven for food lovers. Food establishments of varied concepts and menus line many of the city’s streets and have grown to become favorites, not just of the locals but of people from other cities as well.

All was generally going well for Marikina and its restos until the COVID-19 pandemic struck and the community quarantine that followed necessitated a long pause in the operations of many dine-in food businesses.

However, with the gradual lifting of quarantine restrictions, I’m happy to see that my go-to Marikina restos are re-opening, and were even able to pivot their businesses to operate in The New Normal by making their dishes available for delivery and pickup.

So check out the restos and their offerings that I’m looking forward to revisting while still in the safety of home:

Dong Juan Marikina

Quarter-pounder patties of Dong Juan’s 100% USDA beef are now available frozen in packs of four or six for Php349 and Php549, respectively, ready to be cooked at home and enjoyed for all their tender and juicy beefiness.

To order, call +63 2 88664158 or +63 917 7095969 or send a message via Facebook or Instagram.

Don Juan Marikina is located at Lamp Quarters, Gil Fernando Avenue, Santo Nino, Marikina. More on Dong Juan Marikina here.

Tongara Ramen

With its Easy Ramen Kit, ramen lovers can now enjoy the famed Tongara Ramen at home. At Php400, the kit includes the tonkotsu + torigara (pork + chicken) broth flavored with aged soybean, chashu (pork belly), ajitama (seasoned soft-boiled egg), menma (bamboo shoots) and negi (vegetables).

To order, fill up this form or call +63 2 82903773 or +63 917 1794719 for inquiries.

Tongara Ramen is located at Lamp Quarters, Gil Fernando Avenue, Santo Nino, Marikina. More on Tongara Ramen here.

Swig & Nosh

For Php340/100g, carnivores can feast on the rich beefy flavors and buttery texture of this Certified Angus steak.

To order, call +63 2 75041757, +63 917 5062746 or +63 917 5188485.

Swig & Nosh is located at No. 6, Mt. Pleasant Street, Bgy. Santa Elena, Marikina City. More on Swig & Nosh here.

Mang Ding’s Pinoy BBQ

Rediscover Pinoy street food right at home with Mang Ding’s ready-to-grill frozen packs of Pork BBQ (Php360/20 pieces. Php560/30 pieces), Isaw Manok (Php360/20 pieces), Isaw Baboy (Php450/20 pieces) and Chicken Quarter Leg BBQ (Php390/3 pieces), all great for pairing with your favorite beers for an after-hours sesh.

To order, call +63 916 2853031.

Mang Ding’s Pinoy BBQ is located at Block 3, Lot 13, C. Buenviaje Street, Santo Nino, Marikina City. More on Mang Ding’s Pinoy BBQ here.

Over Easy

American-style barbecue lovers will love the fall-off-the-bone tender braised ribs, grilled for that rich smokey flavor, and served with Over Easy’s signature barbecue sauce.

To order, send a message over Facebook or Viber +63 917 1394800.

Over Easy is located at G&W Terraza, Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue, San Roque, Marikina City. More on Over Easy here.

Ca Phe Saigon

Pluviophiles (lovers of rainy weather, yeah, I had to Google the term too!) can warm their tummies with Ca Phe Saigon’s Pho Bo Kho (Php180 regular | Php350 large), a very fragrant noodle stew colored with achuete and flavored by lemongrass with tender pieces of beef.

To order, call +63 2 86461348 or +63 917 8016411.

Ca Phe Saigon is located at 14 Red Cedar Street, New Marikina, San Roque, Marikina City. More on Ca Phe Saigon here.

Passenger Seat

Have a boodle meal at home with Passenger Seat’s Pilipinas Boodle Flight. For Php1,499, the entire fam can feast on Chicken Inasal, Grilled Liempo, Grilled Stuffed Squid, Lechon Kawali, Daing na Bangus, Buttered Shrimp, Sinigang sa Miso na Ulo ng Salmon and Pork Sisig, served with Salted Egg, Boiled Okra, Grilled Eggplant, Ensalada, Steamed Rice and two pitchers of Iced Tea.

To order, call +63 2 73694555 or +63 917 8373695.

Passenger Seat is located at Ground Floor, Riverbanks Mall, A. Bonifacio Avenue, Barangka, Marikina City. More on Passenger Seat here.

So foodies, do show your support for local businesses and check out these re-opened Marikina restos!

Check out my other adventures compiled into Jelly Lists: