Monday, May 24, 2010

1950's Pan De Amerikana

I think it has been a year now since we have planned to go to 1950's Pan de Amerikana. For our Sunday lunch, we decided to trek the Marikina path and search for this unique place.

I am happy that I called ahead of time to get instructions going there, and remembered every detail of the landmarks and turns to take. We managed to get there without breaking a sweat! Yay!!!!

Here we are..................PAN DE AMERIKANA at long last!!!! =)


The famous WINDMILL....

It was another SCORCHING HOT DAY....but we were in a very light and happy mood inspite our skin being burned as we went down the car and got inside. The place was charming! A rustic bakery with eclectic decor. I was really amused looking around and smelling the wonderful aroma of the bread baking in the pugon. The only set back?---it was utterly HOT INSIDE!!! We spent a couple of minutes looking for a cooler spot in the place.

What will keep your cool are the prices of the food!!!! UBER CHEAP!!!! The portion sizes are small...but just enough so that two people may share a variety of orders. This made it fun for use because we always find ourselves limited with one or two dishes, when we dine in restos who serve with regular or bigger portions.

Bicol Laing (Php 25.00)
Yes you read that right! 25 BUCKS for this yummy laing. For us, this portion is just right because we don't really eat laing by the mounds, since it is packed with rich flavor! Great with plenty of rice...this plate of taro leaves, cooked in rich coconut milk will go a veeeery long way =)

Beef Tendeloin (Php120.00)
Perhaps one of the VERY FEW dishes priced over a hundred. Thin sliced beef tenderloin with gravy and rice. He enjoyed it even if the beef was uber thin and the portion quite small. It was ok since we had other dishes to enjoy.

Crispy Tawilis (Php 30.00)
Yummy, crispy fried Tawilis, with the unbeatable price of 30 bucks, a real winner =)! Delicious doused with vinegar and accompanied by the laing with heaping spoonfuls of rice.

Bicol Express (Php 30.00)
HOT and rich tasting. Too hot for me, delicious for him =) Simple, yummy and again, CHEAP!

Everlasting (Php 35.00)
Like pinoy meatloaf. Very tasty and I had to have it with....

....Pan de Amerikana PAN DE SAL (Php 5.00)
HUGE! SOFT! WHOLE WHEAT PAN DE SAL baked in a pugon---absolutely divine! =) I love it with the everlasting. He look home a leanerra (an oval tin where our traditional leche flan is cooked) of everlasting which costs Php 120.00 and I got me a bag of those soft, hot babies (pan de sal) =)

We left the place sweaty yet utterly happy with our meal and the goodies we brought home, not to mention with wallets a-smile. We will definitely come back, but better on a cooler day, whenever that may happen---we hope it happens soon! Perhaps if you can't wait to try it now, do it very late afternoons or in the evening (though I think they close up early).

Pan de Amerikana Marikina...hot and delicious experience! =)


Pan de Amerikana, Marikina
near World of Butterflies,
Gen. Ordones St., SS Village,
Concepcion 2, Marikina
call them for directions: (632) 934-0667/
(632) 475-2398

coming from Marcos Highway, turn left at Masinag Market, then right at DURAWOOD hardware (which is infront of the first PETRON station you will see on your left)---this is GEN. ORDONES ST., go along this path until you hit a dead end and turn to the left, going down...then keep your eyes opened for e huge WINDMILL that will appear on your left =) Hope you make it!

Monday, May 17, 2010

C2 Power Plant Mall

It's our first time at C2 Powerplant mall. I have frequented it's Shang branch, and used to love it! The menu has been changed, I see...and I was so excited to see that they have embraced my favorite MALUNGGAY!!! =)

I cook malunggay rice daily. Learning about how nutri-packed the lowly Moringga Olifera is, I ditched my multi-vitamin caps and switched to a cup of malunggay cooked with my rice for office lunch. Oh yeah...I really take time to cook my rice before leaving for the office, even if my family complains with the smell! hehehehe They don't like the grassy aroma coming from steaming my rice! ;P

Anyhoos...back to C2---this is why I was so happy that I can enjoy my maluggay rice even if we are dining out!

Malunggay Rice Php 150.00
Garlic sauteed rice with malunggay pesto. It's a more subtle tasting garlic-malunggay rice that I think is more acceptable to more people than my grassy steamed version ;P We liked it, although we thought it needed more salt and for me, more moringa flava! =) Nonetheless, eating spoonfuls and spoonfuls of this rice felt virtuous, knowing we are doing our bodies alot of good...hence, we wipe out the bowl ;P hahahahaha

And ofcourse we did not clean up the Moringa rice in solitaire...no, no...we paired it up with fittingly healthy choices...

Crispy Tawilis Php 225.00
Fish fingerlings battered and deep-fried, then drizzled with sweet-soy glaze. These delicacies from Taal lake, Batangas were a real treat! We loved every crispy fish-ling dipped in the sweet-soy sauce, that was served on the side, rather than drizzled as described.

Lumpiang Hubad Php 125.00
Thick cut fresh vegetables, sauteed and cooked with the lumpia sauce. The Wrapper was fried and crunched to bits, served along side. We loved the freshness and lightness of this dish. It doesn't taste like the traditional lumpiang ubod that I adore, but this rendition had a nice and filling twist to the classic dish.

After our meal, we felt full, yet we still felt good =) Service was excellent too and I love the classy-casual ambiance, even if we were inside the mall. We will definitely come back here!

Since we have been oh so good with our food choices, we treated ourselves to a nice strawberry sorbeto at Pazzo =)

Strawberry Sorbet Php 85.00
Refreshing and yummy!

C2 Classic Cuisine
2/F Archaeology Wing,
Power Plant Mall
Rockwell Drive cor., Estrella St., Makati City
Tel# (632) 897-8113

Pazzo
1st level Power Plant Mall
Rockwell Drive cor., Estrella St., Makati City
Tel#(632) 756-5011