Icings cakes - breads - cafe

It was the last day of year 2014 and after few hours we are saying hello to year 2015. 

My sister and I went to Market Market  to buy for a cake and do some errands for the preparation of foods to eat during media noche. We wanted to eat something light just enough to fill our hungry tummies while waiting for my husband to fetch us. We passed by Icings – cake, bread and café, and we found the place inviting.

From the outside, you can see their display of cakes and breads. The place looks comfy and relaxing and it was not crowded at the time. So we go in. 

 

As soon as we were seated, copy of menus were given to us. They have a vast of food choices from pasta, rice meals, breads and cakes and browsing it made me feel more hungry, from the idea of having a light meal, I ended up of having a Gamberi in Aglio Oglio and paired it up with Pandan Juice.

As for my sister, she ordered Chicken Waldrof sandwich and paired with a Cappuccino. I don’t know if it is a good match.

 

We waited roughly 15 minutes before our orders were served. The serving was big for us, both meals were already good for two persons or maybe we were not that hungry that’s why we found the serving big.

The Gamberi Aglio Oglio comes with toasted pita bread for the price of P225.00 

 

 

 

 

and the Chicken Waldrof sandwich comes with a yummy potato chips, for the price of P160.00. Since it is our first time here, we tasted each other’s order.

The pasta is good. I love the taste of a bit spicy and it’s not that oily.  The Chicken Waldrof Sandwich is yummy too. It has bits of apples that add sweet taste to the sandwich.

 

For the drinks,

 

 

The pandan juice is fine, nothing’s extra ordinary, same with the cappuccino. 

 

 

They also have Twinings Teas.

 

Overall, we enjoyed our meal. The food is good and the place is comfy and the value for money is worth it.

Go out and check it for yourselves, they have several branches within in the metro.

 

For the list of their branches, check out their Facebook account

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Icings-Cakes-Breads-and-Cafe

 

            

 

Eat like a Viking

It’s my second time to dine at Vikings, Megamall branch, and this time I am with my family. The first time I ate here, it was my office mate’s birthday. Since it is my second time, I made the reservations two weeks ago and I chose the dining area at the back of the beverage station.

When dining at Vikings, it is better to make a reservation at least two (2) weeks before your target date of dining. Many people eats at Vikings, Megamall branch even on weekdays.

I remembered, we tried dining at Vikings on a lunch time on Monday, I did not make any reservation for I thought it is a lean day, to my surprise, there are many people (walk-ins) on queue , so we decided to just eat to other restaurant. So better to call Vikings first and make your reservations.

 

We were already there before Vikings opened. There were already lots of people on queue both walk – ins and with reservations. A separate queuing   number were given to walk-in customers and to those who have reservations.

Yes, Vikings is fair enough to accommodate also those without reservations.

We availed the birthday promo treat of Vikings since it is the birthday of my hubby. If you will dine on the day of your birthday, the celebrant is free provided that he/she has at least one (1) accompanying adult. And if you will dine on any day of your birthday month, the celebrant is free of charge as long as is accompanied with four (4) full paying adults.

Vikings has a nice dining area especially at the back of the beverage station, so better choose that place when you are planning to make reservations. It is more spacious compared to those seats near the Japanese foods (on the left side when you are facing the entrance) and those seats near the grilling station.

Dining area at the back of the beverage station and near the grilling station

 

The dining area at the back of the beverage station.

Dining area near the Chinese foods station 

Vikings has a lot of foods to offer, from Asian, European and American.

Dimsums and other Chinese foods station

They have the salad station, the carving station. I like the roast beef, it is tender.

The carving station and the "make ur own" shabu shabu

 

For the Asian food, they have Chinese foods which dimsums that I like best. There are different dimsum that you can choose from. Tthere are pork and beef siomai, hakao, and beancurd. They also have yangchow rice, stir fried vegetables, and others.

For the Japanese food, they have also different types of maki, there are shrimp tempura, which I think is one of every person’s favorite. It ran out fast, you just have to wait for awhile to have it refilled.

Vikings is also known for its grilling station. You can choose from their seafoods selection and even meat. You just have to choose what to grill and the waiter will serve it to your table.

 

The grilling staion

They also have Italian food station, where you can even make your own pasta. It has also different bread types, mini pretzels, croissant, oat meal bread (which I like).

Vikings have a great selection of desserts and beverages. You can choose from cakes, pastries, panacotta, crème brulee, ice cream, and crepes.

They have also kiddie plates with matching kiddie spoon and fork.

For their beverage station,

You can choose from any brands of soft drinks, draft beer and even Tiger beer (in can), Milo, this is so yummy, it is not the usual Milo that we make at home, coffee which you can make your own cappuccino, sago and gulaman, fruit shakes, different flavors of Winnings Tea, (blueberry lemonade, iced tea, four seasons, lemon with mint, lemon with tanglad, and others that I forgot, And what I liked most? The Wintermelon!! It is super yummy. 

You can also make your own milk tea, an instruction guide is provided.



"make ur own" milk station

You can also ask for Twinings tea, which I preferred to take it at home very discreetly. =)

I super like their beverage station that I even stand there and taste a little of almost everything. ;-)

 

If you are celebrating your birthday, you will be greeted and sang with a vey lively and happy song and a cake will be given as complimentary.

Since this is my second time, I can say that I have tasted almost everything.

I enjoyed dining at Vikings. I may not have tried all the dishes, but I can say that that all foods that I ate were all good. The dining experience is exciting. The value of money spent was worth it.

 

Mt. Samat, National Shrine, Bataan

We are on our last day of our Bataan trip and we decided to go to Mt. Samat. I cannot remember how far it was from Morong, except that it was kinda long winding trip.

On our way to Mt. Samat, we pay attention to the roads and views. There are only few establishments and a number of make-shift stores that sell cashews, which is one of the products of Bataan.

We used the ever reliable waze to help us navigate our way to Mt. Samat. Along the way to Mt. Samat, it gets steeper and turning on curves, there were few cyclists and motorists also.

There are markers of the 128 km long Bataan Death March that happened after the Fall of Bataan.

The Fall of Bataan as known in Philippine History happened on April 9, 1942, when Filipino and American soldiers hiding in Mt. Samat surrendered into the hands of the enemies. The surviving soldiers were forced to march from Bagac, Bataan to Capas, Tarlac which was called as the Bataan Death March

Just a brief background about Mt. Samat, from Wikipedia
Mt. Samat National Shrine or also known as Dambana ng Kagitingan (Shrine of Valour) is a historical site that is located near the summit of Mount Samat in the town of Pilar, Bataan. The shrine was built in commemoration of the Filipino soldiers who fought during the World War II. 

Entrance to the Mt. Samat, National Shrine

There are available parking spaces and shaded areas where you can stay and wait awhile.

Inside the National Shrine, you can see the Colonnade and the huge Memorial Cross.  Right below the Colonnade is the museum where you can see the photos and actual World War II relics such as uniforms, maps, big guns, grenades and other stuffs that were used during the war. Taking of photos is strictly prohibited. We were not able to stay and view a little longer for the museum is about to close for lunch break.

We rested awhile and went to the base of the Memorial Cross by car. It will be a short hike for those who usually hike, but for us who are not, it is considered as a long and tiring hike, so we went by car.
When you reached the base of the memorial cross, you can see a great view of Bataan.

 
The Memorial Cross was built in memory to the heroic struggle of the Filipino soldiers who fought and died in the fortress of their freedom. The memorial Cross measures 555 meters above sea level, it has an elevator that can bring you to the viewing gallery which is the arm of the cross, which unfortunately we were not able to see due to we were caught up on a lunch break and we need to wait an hour. There are long queues and the heat of the sun intensifies, so we decided not to go up anymore.

At the foot of the Memorial Cross are sculptures that shows the history of the Philippines during the World War II

 

Going to Mt. Samat is like it have brought you in the past. It is good to learn our history,  commemorating and valuing what's been in the past for us to value more what we have right now.

BATAAN TECHNOLOGY PARK INC.
The Bataan Technology Park is also situated at Morong, Bataan where the former United Nations Philippine Refugee Processing Center is situated.

The Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC) was established and funded by the United Nations as home to many refugees from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and ethnic minorities (Chinese). The PRPC is like a small city, complete with hospital, school, restaurant, place of worship, and market. Its main purpose is to hold the refugees, teach them English language until such time that they are ready and accepted for resettlement in countries such as Canada, Norway, United States of America and France.
Now, the former PRPC has turned to an eco park, the Bataan Technology Park, Inc or the home of Atmanda Eco park. The BTPI museum, library and archive can be found inside the eco park that features the PRPC.
Here, you can see the original boat that was used by the Refugees who came here in the Philippines. Approximately 60 persons were aboard on the said boat.

In this museum, you can also see some of the refugees’ different paraphernalia that they already left.



You can also see here the replica of their bunk house where they usually live. It can accommodate 5-6 persons.

A replica of the prisoner’s jail is also presented here. They called it monkey house.

In the museum, you can also find the photos that show how the Vietnamese boat was rescued from the Bataan shores.


Inside the premise of the BTPI, you can also find the refugee’s place of worship, their Buddhist Temple. It has a nice view, overlooking the mountains. This is the place where the refugees meditate.

The overlooking view that you will see while at the meditation area of the Buddhist Temple.

Inside the Buddhist Temple where the refugees pray.

This is the meditation area of the refugees. The place is quiet ad has a nice overlooking view.

Also, inside the BTPI, is the shrine commemorating Blessed Pope John Paul II, who came at the PRPC and celebrated mass. The “Lolek Garden”, which named after Pope John Paul II, (nickname of Pope John Paul).

The center walk way is believed to be holy because this is where Pope John Paul II walked going to the shrine.

An image of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built inside the PRPC. According to the staff of BTPI, the image was built by the Vietnamese Catholics to thank the Blessed Mother for their safe arrival in the Philippines.



Our visit to this place gave us information on the time that Vietnamese refugees went here in the Philippines by accident. The Filipinos (maybe most were from Bataan), have become way for them to learn English language and prepare them to what country of destination that they will go to. But now, Vietnam is getting ahead of our country, Philippines. Isn’t ironic? =)
For more information you may visit http://www.bcda.gov.ph/freeport_and_ecozones/show/13

This entry was posted in Travel and tagged #bataan, #travel, Atmanda Park, Bataan Technology Park, BTPIC, Morong Bataan, Morong Pope john Paul Shrine, Philippine Refugee Processing Center, Places to visit in Bataan, PRPC.

Pawikan Conservation Center

Posted on June 6, 2014 Updated on August 15, 2014

PAWIKAN CONSERVATION CENTER
Nagbalayong Morong. Bataan
The Pawikan Conservation Center was organized to protect and conserve the pawikans (marine turtle)which are now considered as endangered species. The shores at Nagbalayong, Morong in Bataan became the nesting ground of the pawikans in our country. Nesting usually happens on the months of November to December, wherein numerous pawikans swam onto the shore to lay their eggs.


The people at the center do their rounds at night time to check on the eggs and bring it at the Hatching section of the center. The eggs were buried into the sand for incubation. It will take 2 months until such time that the baby pawikans will dig up through the sand and reach the ground. The next day, the baby pawikans are released onto the shore, at least 5 meters away from the water. This is for the baby pawikans to remember where they came from. There is only 1% of those that were released will survive. It will take another 25 to 30 years for the female pawikans to lay their eggs, and it is amazing that they will go back to the place where they were hatch to lay their eggs.
When we visited the place, it is off season, there are only 2 hatching nest.

A net is placed around its nest to prevent the baby pawikans to go out once hatched. Each nest has approximately 200 eggs.

The Pawikan Conservation Center do not preserve pawikans, they only conserve it. It is still preferred to let the pawikans live on their natural habitat for them to be able to learn to survive. There is 1 big red pawikan, 1 medium sized pawikan and the smallest pawikan, The red pawikan was surrendered to them by a concerned citizen, it was spotted that it was being sold to anyone.

The biggest pawikan.

The smallest pawikan

The Pawikan Conservation Center also offers room accommodations for those who like to witness the pawikans swam onto the ocean at night and come along with the patrol group to get the eggs or witness the releasing of baby pawikans and experience it for themselves. The center has a nice beach area with properly maintained shoreline. An entrance fee of 20.00 is charged for adults, kids are free of charge.

the beautiful shoreline of the Pawikan Conservation Center

Though we did not see many pawikans as we imagined, we enjoyed our short visit. The caretaker that we have spoke to, unselfishly shared informative details about the pawikans. I hope that we can go back and be a part of the releasing of baby pawikans and see them crawl from the shore and swim into the ocean. :-)
 

This entry was posted in Travel and tagged #bataan, #bataanbeach, #bataanshore, #beautifulshore, #morong, #pawikan, #PawikanConservationCenter, #travel.

Loleng’s Hutieu-an – the famous Vietnamese Carinderia in Morong Bataan

Posted on June 5, 2014 Updated on February 13, 2015

After the exhausting and tiring sightseeing, we  dined at Loleng’s Hutieu-an (Vietnames Foods), the famous Vietnamese carinderia in Morong, Bataan.

I learned this famous Vietnamese Carinderia from one of the local tv shows. The owner used to work at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center (PRPC); from where the owner learned how to cook the Vietnamese noodle soup, which up to now, Loleng’s Hutieu-an carinderia is continuously satisfying its customers with Vietnamese noodles and banhmi.
Banhmi is a Vietnamese sandwich with ham, a little of tomatoes, lettuce and cucumber which costs 25.00 The banhmi tastes good and we liked it which ended up on ordering again.

Hutieu, is a Vietnamese savory noodle soup with rice noodles which costs 50.00 for the small size. It is like a chicken mami noodle soup.

We also ordered Bun-cha-gio, it is a spring roll with noodles paired with vinegar which also costs 50.00.

We also ordered their palabok which also costs P50.00, sorry wasn’t able to take a photo of it.
Going to the place is quiet difficult, especially us who are first timers but thanks to waze that we found the place. But Loneg’s carinderia is popular in the place, you can ask the locals and ride a tricycle and you will be brought there.