When in Manila...Eat! (New Food Discoveries in 2011)

The gastronomical experience below happened during our 2011 vacation in the Philippines.

It's the 4th day of March and it's now Autumn here in the land down under. The season started off with lots of rain and the temps have gone down a few notches that we are now grabbing our light jackets on our way out the door. 

Today also signals the start of our month-long countdown to going home---Manila. Yes! The Husband and I will spend a few days in the Philippines to have our much-needed leave from work. I'm excited and a bit agitated about travelling again. Excited because I can't wait to not work, travel again, see airports, spend time with the Husband, our families and friends, rest and eat! I'm a bit agitated because at this state, well, we still have a few things to finish before we go on holiday--there's work, getting stuff organized and packing suitcases which we hope won't go over the weight limit. But all in all, we are happy that things are slowly falling into place and things will be settled in time for our vaycay.

There's always that expectation when we travel that we'd find new dishes to enjoy and love. The Philippines is fast becoming a food haven with so many new restaurants sprouting one after another. During our 2011 vacation, Manila did not disappoint in satisfying our tummies as we discovered a few good dishes from new restaurants (new to us at least).

When in Manila...Eat! (Most Loved Filipino Dishes)

This gastronomical experience happened during our 2011 vacation in the Philippines. 

After four years of not coming home, we spent about four weeks in the Philippines in April 2011. Part of the plan was to enjoy the food we love from childhood to present. As we savour each bite of our all-time favourite Filipino dishes, it gave us such happiness to have a taste of home.

Via Mare (Manila, Philippines)

AWCL visited Via Mare in April 2011.

There were so many things that I wanted to share when the Husband and I vacationed in the Philippines in 2011. We're about to go back to Manila again in a few weeks and I have this nagging feeling inside me to blog a few food and travel experiences we had then. So today, I went back to our 2011 photos and started resizing them. My fingers are aching from all the photos I processed. This week, I will be sharing snippets of our 2011 vacation.

I'll start with some of my favourites from Via Mare. Our family loves eating at Via Mare, specifically the one inside Landmark (Makati City). I can stay at Via Mare for hours and I wouldn't mind. Before we left Manila in 2011, we spent about 4 hours at Via Mare on our last weekend.  We started from lunch until meryenda. That's how comfortable we are eating at Via Mare and that's how much we loved their food.

I always order fresh Buko Juice upon arrival.

The Husband enjoys their Arroz ala Cubana which comes with a lot of banana slices.

My favourite rice dish is the one with Vigan Longganisa which always has a crunchiness.

We also enjoy their Adobo Flakes.

One of the best Arroz Caldo I've tasted. Whenever I'm feeling under the weather, I always order this.

We always partner the Arroz Caldo with a bowl of Tokwa't Baboy (fried tofu and pork). 

For dessert or afternoon tea, we enjoy their Puto Bumbong and Bibingka.

More food adventures in the Philippines in the coming days.

It's Never Too Late To Watch The Sunset

It's never too late...

TO WATCH THE SUNSET

It's one of nature's greatest wonders.

No artist can truly capture its aura.

No film can reproduce its splendour.

Watch it alone or with a loved one.

Drink it in.

Feel humble but feel alive.

Be inspired by its magnificence. 

From the book "it's never too late" by Patrick Lindsay

This sunset photo was captured two weeks ago. We arrived home in time for the sun to set. It was a comforting sight after a long day at work.

This one was captured yesterday. We had a very rainy Saturday and then yesterday, the Sun decided to come out. But then it rained very hard again in the late afternoon. The sun shone amidst the rain and the sky was captivating. Yesterday also marked the last weekend of Summer in Sydney so I decided to capture what the sky looked like as another Summer season is about to end.