crumb trails

I love it when December comes. The air is cooler, especially during the night. From my window, I’m greeted every morning with a picturesque view of the mountains, with fogs hanging low. It makes me want to go back to bed, snuggle under the sheets, and steal a few more minutes of sleep.

Ah, the glory of provincial living…

But that’s not the point of this post. The city, where I spend most of my time during weekdays, is all glittery and bright this time of the year; truly a sight to behold during the night. Tiangge or bazaar can be found all over the metro. And the yearly Christmas decors in Policarpio Street in Mandaluyong, the COD Christmas display in Greenhills Shopping Center and the giant tree at the Araneta Center are already in place. One can marvel at their beauty. It may be a little extravagant at a time of economic crisis, but who can prevent the Filipino from celebrating Christmas?

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Filipinos have grown fond of coffee shops. It has become the young generation’s hangout and EB place. Professionals likewise patronize these places; making coffee shops a convenient venue for short business meetings. Some people go for the ambiance and the coffee, of course. That is why, it’s not surprising anymore to see more and more coffee shops opening everywhere. Like Biska Coffee, a new cafe that has been in business for almost half a year already.

I’ve had the privilege to visit Biksa Coffee a few weeks ago and tried some of their food and beverages. The cafe offers for beverages hot coffee (espresso, cappuccino, Americano, etc.); ice blended coffee (caffee mocha, latte); frappe (brain freeze); smoothies; milkshake; Italian soda; and tea. They also serve food like sandwiches, pizza and pasta.

My friends and I had a long that day and we decided to drop by Biksa Coffee. We had mozzarella pesto sandwich, pasta with tuna carratierre sauce, a margharita pizza, Italian sodas (passion kiwi and passion strawberry), cookies & cream milkshake and cappuccino.

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One of crumb trails earliest entries was about a place in Marikina. Among the cities in Metro Manila, Marikina has become one of the most progressive. But what sets it aside from other cities is its cleanliness. The discipline of its citizens is also exceptional. But apart from these, there’s a lot more to discover in Marikina. And one of them is Pan de Amerika (PDA).

Pan de Amerikana embodies quality dining experience. The concept of the restaurant is meant to make every diner feel at ease. The ambiance is a fusion of European, Asian and Filipiniana that blended well together, creating a homey environment and a perfect garden set up. Unlike other concept dining places, Pan de Amerikana is not restrictive. Guests are free to wander around while waiting for their food to be served and linger some more after they have finished eating. And speaking of food, the restaurant serves authentic Marikina dishes and other Filipino foods. Marikina boasts of its Everlasting and Waknatoy. Everlasting is similar to embotido but it is placed and cooked in a “llanera.” It is named as such because it in the olden days, this dish is ever present in festivities and gatherings. Waknatoy on the other hand is like menudo. And like everlasting, it is also always on the table of almost every family gathering. The Chinese settlers in Marikina during that time would always complain and say, “Ito na naman? Wak na `toy!” (This dish again? No, not this dish again!). Other notable dishes in Pan de Amerikana are the Ilocano sarabasab, Bicolano express-laing, Cebuano sinugba and sisig rice. But the taste of these foods is not the only reason to dine at Pan de Amerikana. With a very nice ambiance, you’ll be surprised at how affordable their meals are.

Some of the things to look forward to at Pan de Amerikana

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Compared to the place I remembered visiting as a child, Marikina is almost unrecognizable to me now, in a positive kind of way. The streets are clean, its people are disciplined. More than that, Marikina has a lot more to offer-places to explore, a culture to experience.

My work has given me the chance to visit one of the city’s tourist destinations: World of Butterflies, run by the local government of Marikina. WOB’s main goal is to conserve the habitat of the butterflies. Aside from its butterfly garden, it is also a sanctuary for breeding them. Here, one can see the different stages of a butterfly’s life cycle.

Among the insects, butterflies have one of the most complicated life cycles. And unlike the other creatures under Class Insecta, they do not undergo a nymph period before becoming an adult; instead, a butterfly changes appearance when it becomes an imago. So, there’s no such thing as baby butterfly.

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