{"id":215238,"date":"2015-11-25T06:00:24","date_gmt":"2015-11-24T20:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=215238"},"modified":"2015-11-25T06:00:24","modified_gmt":"2015-11-24T20:00:24","slug":"dining-in-unforgettable-settings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/","title":{"rendered":"Dining in unforgettable settings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>First part of a series<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n\u00a0<br \/>\n<strong>MANILA, Philippines<\/strong>\u2014From feasting on sumptuous lunch buffets at the foot of a waterfalls in the middle of a coconut plantation to driving your appetite aboard a jeepney, unique culinary experiences in the Philippines need not be confined to traditional restaurant settings.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-215238 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/gerrys-jeepney-1\/'>Gerry's-Jeepney-1<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-215254'>\n\t\t\t\tAt Gerry\u2019s Jeepney, guests are treated to superb picnic-type Filipino cuisine aboard iconic jeepneys.\u00a0(Haidee V. Eugenio)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/gerrys-jeepney-2\/'>Gerry's-Jeepney-2<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-215255'>\n\t\t\t\tThe Nook Cafe and Books is so far the only Harry Potter-inspired coffee shop in the Philippines. (Haidee V. Eugenio)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/gerrys-jeepney-3\/'>Gerry's-Jeepney-3<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-215256'>\n\t\t\t\tYou can dine aboard this highly decorated jeepney at Gerry\u2019s Jeepney. (Haidee V. Eugenio)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/the-nook-1\/'>The-Nook-1<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-215257'>\n\t\t\t\tOnce you step inside The Nook Cafe and Books along Maginhawa Street, this will be one of the Harry Potter-inspired decors that will greet you. (Haidee V. Eugenio)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/the-nook-2\/'>The-Nook-2<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-215258'>\n\t\t\t\tThe Nook Cafe and Books is so far the only Harry Potter-inspired coffee shop in the Philippines.\u00a0 (Haidee V. Eugenio)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/waterfall-restaurant-1\/'>Waterfall-restaurant-1<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-215259'>\n\t\t\t\tThe only one of its kind, Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort\u2019s waterfall restaurant is consistently ranked among the world\u2019s most unique, most unusual and most interesting restaurants.\u00a0(Haidee V. Eugenio)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/waterfall-restaurant-2\/'>Waterfall-restaurant-2<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-215260'>\n\t\t\t\tYou may choose to go bamboo rafting in the river at Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort.\u00a0 \n(Haidee V. Eugenio)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/waterfall-restaurant-3\/'>Waterfall-restaurant-3<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-215261'>\n\t\t\t\tA Philippine folk dance performance by Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort\u2019s very own employees, from restaurant servers to groundskeepers. (Haidee V. Eugenio)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/dining-in-unforgettable-settings\/when-uan-met-sally\/'>When-Uan-Met-Sally<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-215262'>\n\t\t\t\tThe interior of an artsy restaurant and bar called WUMS or When Uan Met Sally along Maginhawa Street.\u00a0 \n(Haidee V. Eugenio)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>So when you\u2019re in the Philippines for a vacation, medical tourism, or relocation, be prepared for awe-inspiring and heritage-laden twists to your dining and coffee drinking explorations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s just a sampling of interesting places within Manila and nearby places that will not only bring you gastronomical delights but will also take you on a journey through time, the countryside, around the globe, or even Harry Potter\u2019s world.<\/p>\n<p>Getting up close and personal with a waterfalls is in itself a wondrous experience. More so when you get to feast on authentic Filipino cuisine right at the foot of a roaring waterfalls, with clear spring water over your bare feet and sometimes live fish swimming around you. This lunch buffet-style waterfalls restaurant is the crown jewel of the sprawling Villa Escudero Plantations and Resort in San Pablo City, Laguna.<\/p>\n<p>While it is not a natural waterfall but a spillover from a dam for a historic coconut plantation, Villa Escudero\u2019s waterfalls restaurant remains the only one of its kind and is consistently included on the list of most unique, most exotic, or most interesting restaurants in the world. The plantation ground is framed by mountains, coconut trees, and lush greenery.<\/p>\n<p>This restaurant with a watery treat serves delectable grilled and fried fish, grilled pork, other meat and vegetable dishes, pansit (noodles) and other exotic Filipino food arranged in grass-fringed bamboo tables. And of course, you can eat as much as you can.<\/p>\n<p>You can totally soak yourself in the waterfalls just for the thrill of it, sit at the foot of it, or simply gaze at it for hours. Dining at the foot of a waterfalls is simply a unique memory that stays with you long after your trip.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s highly recommended that you visit the hacienda-type resort during weekends so you can watch beautifully choreographed Philippine folk dances and music at the main hall overlooking the river. They are performed by Villa Escudero\u2019s very own employees, from the restaurant servers to groundskeepers.<\/p>\n<p>Hop on a carabao cart ride from Villa Escudero\u2019s main gate. As you slowly drive past lush gardens, war relics, statues depicting rural life of decades ago, and other points of interest, you will also be serenaded with kundiman and other folk songs by staff clad in traditional Filipino attire. The tranquil countryside or rural village scenery all year round transports you back in time as if it\u2019s still in the late 1920s when the coconut plantation was originally built. It was opened to the public more than five decades later.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The bright pink church you see a few minutes from the main gate is actually a museum when you step inside. This museum has possibly the most eclectic collection of artifacts you\u2019ll ever see\u2014from Spanish-era religious relics to prehistoric jars, mounted animals, clothing by former Philippine presidents, money from different eras, and even a piece of the Berlin Wall. Nearby is the Escudero family\u2019s ancestral house, which is closed off from the general public.<\/p>\n<p>You may also choose to go fishing, bamboo rafting in the river, bird watching, swim in the pool, lounge by a coffee shop overlooking the river, or explore the other amenities at the hacienda-themed resort.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Everywhere you look, the views are breathtaking and awe-inspiring. For those who can\u2019t get enough of the place, Villa Escudero offers overnight accommodations that include cottages by the river. With hammocks.<\/p>\n<p>For yet another suggested item on your \u201ceat-inerary,\u201d turn your attention to not only a single restaurant but to a whole street dotted with themed, artsy, quirky, poetic, dramatic, and specialty restaurants, bars and caf\u00e9s called Maginhawa Street in Quezon City.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Maginhawa Street is one of the latest and hippest \u201ceat streets\u201d in the country. It\u2019s a one-stop place where you can eat, pray, love, and share. Students from nearby University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and Miriam College know the area well, but because the street\u2019s reputation has grown, it has been drawing crowds from other parts of Metro Manila and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>We wish we could have flown to our first stop at Maginhawa Street using a Firebolt racing broom to save ourselves from the traffic jam. Turns out, a Firebolt was already waiting for us, hanging by the ceiling of the Harry Potter-inspired The Nook Coffee and Books.<\/p>\n<p>If you haven\u2019t read about this place yet, the fa\u00e7ade looks ordinary, just like the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10 at London\u2019s King\u2019s Cross Station that Harry Potter and other students go through to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.<\/p>\n<p>But if you take a closer look, the board outside says The Nook offers the Harry Potter-inspired Butterbeer, \u201cthe preferred drink of underaged wizards and witches.\u201d The non-alcoholic beverage comes in Harry size and Hagrid size. Be forewarned: It\u2019s too sweet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For such a tiny space, they were able to do magic with Harry Potter-themed d\u00e9cor. Must be the wand\u2014which you can borrow, by the way\u2014along with a Hogwarts cape, just for the experience of it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Besides coffee, frappuccinos, pastries and cookies, The Nook also serves a cooler with some crushed ice they call Goya-zilla, cheese potato wedges, bacon-wrapped chicken, grilled cheese panini and a spicy Spanish sardine or 3S pasta.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Because the place is compact, seating is limited so prepare to wait for an hour or perhaps more, for a chance to be able to get in, especially during weekends and in the afternoons.<\/p>\n<p>On your road trip along Maginhawa Street, do not skip Gerry\u2019s Jeepney, which serves beloved Filipino picnic meals aboard commonplace jeepneys converted into a creative restaurant concept.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>For the uninitiated, jeepney is the most popular means of public transportation in the Philippines. Jeepneys were originally made from U.S. military jeeps left over from World War II, and Filipinos turned it into a means of mass transportation. It has become an ingenuous and ubiquitous symbol of Filipino art and culture, the \u201cking of the road.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It is one of the most sought-after themed restaurants in the strip, so during certain periods, the wait list is too long. But the superb food, the colorful themed d\u00e9cor, the unique and fun ambience give Gerry\u2019s Jeepney a very FIlipino feel that makes it worth the wait.<\/p>\n<p>While waiting for you turn to be seated or for the food to be served, enjoy the view and the concept. Each of the parked jeepneys is carefully decorated and injected with the right amount of Filipino humor and individual themes from local cinema to horror, superheroes and patriotic.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The restaurant\u2019s public sinks are made from used jeepney tires, while common jeepney stickers with amusing messages are posted on the wall. Read: \u201cBasta driver, sweet lover.\u201d \u201cBasta sexy libre, pag chaby doble.\u201d \u201cGod knows Hudas not pay.\u201d \u201cKalimutan ang lahat, huwag lang ang bayed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dining at Gerry\u2019s Jeepney is like feasting on delightful picnic food that your grandmother or mother used to cook to perfection. Besides individual orders, there are also set meals named after the most popular jeepney routes in Metro Manila: Quiapo Ilalim, Cubao Yale, and Ayala. The Ayala set, for example, is good for two to four persons and include plain, bagoong or garlic rice, liempo, crispy shrimp, grilled milkfish or tilapia, eggplant salad with salted egg, soup and iced tea.<\/p>\n<p>And then there\u2019s the boodle fight, so called for its roots from the Philippine military style of eating wherein soldiers, regardless of rank or position, dine together on food spread out on banana leaves. It\u2019s strictly hands-only style of eating, so no silverware, no flatware, no serving spoons, and no platters. For the military, as well as groups of friends, families and office mates, the boodle fight symbolizes camaraderie, brotherhood, equality, lots of fun and lots of food.<\/p>\n<p>Every Filipino food you can think of, they most probably have it, and then some unheard of dishes such as saut\u00e9ed kangkong stalks in ginger, onion and coconut milk, topped with crispy fried dilis.<\/p>\n<p>Other restaurants, bars and coffee shops have their own concepts and themes. There\u2019s really an \u201cArtsy Caf\u00e9,\u201d and across it is an equally artsy \u201cWUMS\u201d or \u201cWhen Uan Met Sally (does this sound familiar?).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s \u201cVan Gogh is Bipolar,\u201d \u201cGayuma ni Maria,\u201d \u201cCocina Juan,\u201d The Iscreamist,\u201d \u201c Blacksoup Caf\u00e9 + Artspace,\u201d \u201cAlly\u2019s All Day Breakfast,\u201d \u201cLeona Art Restaurant,\u201d \u201cStuff Over Birger Caf\u00e9,\u201d and \u201cThe Sweet Spot.\u201d These are but some of the tantalizing spots to choose from. Just the names reek of creativity and would pique anyone\u2019s curiosity.<\/p>\n<p>There are places specializing in pansit and pasta, Filipino barbecue, American steaks, Japanese food, Thai food, Italian food, Korean food, street food, student food. There\u2019s also the first photography-themed destination called \u201cCaffera: Caf\u00e9 + Camera,\u201d where your coffee comes in an SLR camera lenses, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Maginhawa Street does have the food for every type of hunger, every type of thirst, every style and every mood. Hungry yet?<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>To be continued.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>First part of a series \u00a0 MANILA, Philippines\u2014From feasting on sumptuous lunch buffets at the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":215254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[42,8365,63,8366],"class_list":["post-215238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-and-style","tag-food","tag-maginhawa-street","tag-philippines","tag-villa-escudero"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215238"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215238\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/215254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}