Josephine Restaurant

As promised in my previous post (http://mei-mei-myperfectlyimperfectlife.blogspot.com/2013/07/tagaytay-weekend.html), here's my blog  entry for our lunch at Josephine Restaurant during our Tagaytay weekend.

The restaurant is quite big. It has an indoor and outdoor dining areas. The outdoor dining is dedicated for the buffet meal. The restaurant also serves as a venue for events like wedding receptions, birthdays, etc.

The menu

The menu

Below are photos of the indoor dining area. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to take photos of the outdoor dining area but the area is surrounded by trees and has a really nice view of Tagaytay.

Indoor dining area

Indoor dining area

Kim and I were not able to wait for Rej and Ryan anymore because we were already starving when we got to the restaurant and it didn't help that the staff were not as attentive as we expected them to be. :(

Anyway, here are the items that we ordered.

Chicharon bulaklak

For our appetizer, we ordered Chicharon Bulaklak: deep-fried pork intestines served with spicy vinegar. I really like the crispiness of the chicharon and I looooovvveeee the spicy vinegar. I think I may have drank some of it. Haha!

Melon Shake and Mango Shake

For our drinks, we went for shakes again (our attempt of keeping it healthy when we eat out). Kim likes melon a lot so he ordered a melon shake without the milk while I ordered a mango shake again. :)

Tinadtad na Mangga, Kamatis, Sibuyas, at Bagoong
Java rice
Josephine Fried Chicken

I like ensaladang mangga so I decided to try their version of it. Actually, what I really wanted to taste was the bagoong and I must say that I liked it. Hehe. :)

Kim opted to order the java rice since he likes it a lot. We also decided to order the Josephine Fried Chicken since we thought it was a specialty of the restaurant because supposedly, it has Josephine's secret recipe. Unfortunately, upon tasting it, my taste buds did not catch anything extraordinary about it, meaning, it tasted like ordinary fried chicken and it was quite dry for me.

Baked Tahong (can't find the name of this dish on their online menu)

This was the dish that both Kim and I liked the most. I guess, we just both love it baked with cheese. Truly yummy!!! <3

As I've mentioned, the service was quite slow so while waiting for them to take our orders and bring our food, we decided to take photos of ourselves. :)

Camwhoring 1

Camwhoring 2

Kim

Mei-Mei

Rej and Ryan came about an hour and a half later and they only ordered fruit shakes. Here's our group photo.

To know more about Josephine Restaurant, you may visit their website at http://www.josephinerestaurant.com/.

Josephine Restaurant
Manila Landline: (02) 871.5627
Tagaytay: (046) 413.1801
Mobile (Globe): 09178248503
Mobile (Smart): 09213709561 
Fax: (046) 413.1802
Email: josephinetagaytay@gmail.com

Tagaytay Weekend

A spontaneous lunch meet up with Rej, a college barkada, brought us planning for a weekend trip to Tagaytay. :)

It's easy to get to Tagaytay and get around it. We just commuted all throughout our trip and I think it made it more exciting. We got around Tagaytay pretty much via tricycle and it was very convenient because there were a lot in the area.

Kim and I rode a shuttle from Star Mall at Shaw Boulevard. It costs Php120 per person and it took less than 2 hours to reach Tagaytay. We then proceeded to our destination for lunch, which is at Josephine Restaurant, via a tricycle which cost us Php40 only. 

The menu
NOTE: I'll be posting another entry for this restaurant.

The restaurant was also our meeting point with Rej and Ryan.

Group photo

After having a heavy lunch (well, it was only Kim and I who really ate lunch because Rej and Ryan only had shakes), we then proceeded to the inn where we were staying for the weekend.

Keni Po entrance

View from the outside of Keni Po

If you're looking for a budget-friendly but a clean and pleasant place to stay in Tagaytay, I'll definitely recommend Hotel Keni Po. The staff are very friendly, attentive, and accommodating with our requests. The rooms are very cozy and comfortable. You can borrow DVDs from the reception area and use the DVD player in the rooms. Each room also has a small refrigerator where you can store your drinks or food. There's a small pool at the back though we didn't get to swim anymore. They also have WiFi but the connection is weak when you're in the room already. 

The lobby

Here's a photo of me and Kim at the lobby area. We were supposed to go to Picnic Grove to try the zip line and buy souvenirs but the moment we stepped out of the hotel, the rain poured down so we had no choice but to go back and just borrow DVDs from reception.

We had dinner at Days Hotel and we availed of the buffet because we were quite hungry. Unfortunately, the experience was not that great because there were a few choices and the Php400+ we spent for the food was not worth it. I think I would have been happier if we ate at Jollibee. Haha!

Group photo during dinner

Hotel Keni Po is beside a church, the Ina ng Laging Saklolo Parish (Mother of Perpetual Help), but since we were going to Caleruega Church, Kim and I just decided to take a look at the church before we leave. I make it a point to say a short prayer and make a wish everytime I visit a church for the first time because they say that your wish will come true if you do that. :)

View from the tree house where we had our breakfast together with Rej and Ryan

Ina ng Laging Saklolo Parish

The facade of the church

To know more about the hotel, you may visit their website at http://keniporooms.blogspot.com/ or via Agoda at http://www.agoda.com/asia/philippines/tagaytay/hotel_keni_po_rooms_for_rent.html?cklg=1 or call 046-4830977.

After breakfast, we already checked out but left our things in the meantime at the reception area since we were still heading to Caleruega and it will be very inconvenient to carry our backpacks around while exploring the place. 

We got another tricycle to get to the town proper and then rode a bus going to Nasugbu. It was about an hour of travel. After getting off the bus, we then took a tricycle going to the church itself. Do take note that you have to take the mobile number of the tricycle driver so you can let him know if you want to be picked up already because there are no terminals for public vehicles within the area.

The travel was worth it because the place is beautiful and scenic. We explored it and finished just in time before the mass started.

The entrance to Caleruega Church

This is not the church yet but the entrance to reach the different destination or spots within the compound.

Thanks to Ryan, our official photographer for this photo :)

 

Of course, we need to have our "couple shot". Haha! :) One foreigner even made a comment that we look good together while Ryan was taking our photo. :)

NOTE: I'll post another entry to document our trip to Caleruega. :)

After hearing mass together with Rej and Ryan, we decided to go back to Tagaytay already and have lunch. Going to Tagaytay will not be complete if you do not visit Bag of Beans. :)

We arrived just a little after 12nn and we were lucky to find seats at the balcony of the restaurant so we had a really nice view.

Bag of Beans Menu

Lunch is served! :)

NOTE: I'll post another entry to document our lunch at Bag of Beans. :)

There are definitely a lot of places to see and restaurants to try in Tagaytay and we'll definitely be back. For now, I have these to share with you.

Don Henrico's

Craving for pasta and pizza led us to Don Henrico's one Friday night.

Don Henrico's menu

For the complete menu, you may visit http://www.donhenricos.net/mega-manila-dine-in.html

Apple Juice and Peach Nectar

Our drinks arrived first. Kim ordered for an apple juice while I tried the peach nectar.

Petite Mozzarella Sticks

Deep-fried mozzarella cheese coated in special Italian-seasoned breading, served with marinara sauce.

Who can go wrong with cheese coated in breading? :) I really loved this appetizer. The breading was perfect and I really liked the marinara sauce. I think I asked for a refill for 3 times. Haha! :) This dish is quite heavy or maybe because I ate 3 pieces? :p

Classic Carbonara

Linguine pasta with fresh mushroom and smoked bacon in cream sauce sprinkled with parmesan cheese.

Kim loves carbonara so when we saw this on the menu, there was no need to choose from the other pasta dishes. Hehe :) It was creamy and had lots of mushroom and bacon which both of us really loved.

Don Henrico's Supreme Pizza

Don Henrico's very own creation: Pepperoni, beef, ham, mushroom, pineapple tidbits, onion, bell pepper, and black olives.

Of course we went for the house special. :) It was a good choice because it had mushroom. Hehe :) We ordered the 10-inch serving but for bigger groups, there are 14 and 18-inch pizzas available.

And of course, there should be a picture of us <3

There was no more room for dessert because the meal we had as just too heavy. Maybe next time. :)

Don Henrico's
2F Glorietta 1, Glorietta Complex, Makati City

Holy Cow Chop House

On one of Saturdates, Kim and I found ourselves exploring TriNoma again to look for somewhere nice to eat. We passed by this restaurant with a giant cow with wings and halo outside the door and I guess we wanted steak at that time so we were enticed to come inside and give it a try.

The view from our seat at one of the couches :)

Menu

Menu

Appetizer

While waiting for our food, we were served this bread with butter.

Watermelon shake

Grape shake

We ordered fruit shakes to balance the meat that we will be consuming. Hehe :)

BBQ Beef Mushroom Quesadilla

Yummy quesadilla filled with shitake and oyster mushroom and of course, cheese. Came with a tomato cilantro salsa.

Country Fried Beef Steak

Kim ordered this one. Beef steak with mashed potato and buttered corn kernels. It was really big and of course, I helped him eat it. Haha!

Cuban Spiced Grilled Chicken

I love spicy food and if you have read my previous blog entries, you would already know it by now. :) For my love of something spicy, I tried this dish. It was nice but just like the steak that Kim ordered, the serving was really big and I wasn't able to finish the whole thing. I think it's good for two people.

And of course, we had to take our picture <3

The cost was reasonable, I think and I would like to come back and try their pasta dishes, aside from having my photo taken with the flying cow outside. :)


Holy Cow Chop House
TriNoma Mall
Edsa cor North Avenue, Quezon City
916-6299

Dimsum Break

Who doesn't love dimsum? I think I haven't met anyone who doesn't like dimsum! But of course, that's just based on the people I know. Haha! But seriously, I am a big dimsum fan and I was so excited to visit Dimsum Break again at SM North Annex.

So after having my phone fixed at the Samsung service centre, I and Kim went to Dimsum Break.

I have passed by this food establishment many times already but I didn't want to dine alone because I knew very well that I will catch the eye of the other customers since I will definitely order a lot. Haha! I have tried it with Amor, a friend, before but I didn't get to order as much so when another opportunity presented itself, I just had to ask Kim to join me in trying the other dimsum they offer.

For everyone's reference, here's their complete menu which I got www.zomato.com.

http://www.zomato.com/manila/dimsum-break-sm-city-north-edsa-quezon-city/menu

I guess it didn't really help that Kim was with me because even as we were making our order, the cashier was smiling at us because the food that we ordered was good for 4 people. 

Our dimsum feast for 2 :)

Bacon shaomai

We chose the Bacon Shaomai primarily because of the bacon. Haha! We're both certified bacon lovers. :)

My favorite chicken feet!!!

As for the Chicken Feet, this is my personal choice because Kim doesn't eat this and he doesn't want to try. (CHICKEN!!! Haha!!!) It's my default order whenever I eat at any dimsum place because I just LOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEE chicken feet. It tasted okay. Mama's chicken feet is still the best!

Garlic pork spareribs

We decided to go for this one just so we can try it. It tasted okay, just like your normal fried pork, nothing extraordinary about this one.

Steamed chicken

We also decided to try this one and I must say that this was my least favorite. The ginger flavor was just too strong for me.

Mushroom Shaomai

We loved this one mainly because of the mushroom. Both Kim and I like anything with mushroom. Hehe :)

We just ordered the Yang Chow Fried Rice to go with our dimsum feast. :) I have tried the Original Steamed Fried Rice but it was too heavy. I thought it was already a meal in itself.

We were lucky that day because they had a promo: for every Php150 spend, you get 3 pieces of spring rolls. Our bill reached Php600 so we had 12 pieces of spring rolls, which was really a lot! Of course we were not able to eat everything because we just ordered too much, I think. Haha!

FREE Spring rolls

Halo-halo

All meals should end with dessert and so we ordered a Halo-halo. :)











It was a truly happy meal for me and Kim. We were both full when we left the restaurant. :)

Dimsum Break
3F SM North Edsa Annex