Romy Roams Baguio: Where to Eat

Baguio is always a good choice when you want to get away from the heat of the city life, literally and figuratively.

Jay and I had been to Baguio twice in just four months. The first one was back in November during the APEC holiday, and the second one this February for our high school friend’s wedding. Aside from climbing Mt. Ulap and celebrating with our high school friends, our main agenda for going to Baguio was to eat—nay, pig out.

We’ve both been to Baguio several times before so we’ve gone to almost all the tourist spots. What we really wanted to do was relax and satiate our appetites. Luckily, Baguio doesn’t fall short of good restaurants and food spots.

Here are a few of old and new favorites you should try on your next trip to the City of Pines.

Romy Roams Tokyo: Where to Eat

Happy 2018, dear readers! I know it's been a while since I last wrote a post, but I've been busy with the life of being a wife and finishing projects on the side too, so the blog took a back seat. 

Hopefully with the new year comes a new drive to write more regularly. Please don't get tired of dropping by!

So, let's get on with my first post for the year. :)

Now that you've read where to go in Tokyo, it's time to let you in on all the good food we ate! 

Japanese food is something I grew up eating. My brother and I inhale a plate of sashimi within seconds. 

My family and I frequented Kimpura, Sugi, and Saisaki when they were the only choices in Manila. When we grew older, we tried other restaurants to get our sashimi fix and other Japanese food staples. 

So to say I was excited to finally try Japanese food in Japan is a major understatement. 

Here's my Tokyo Eat List! Hope you enjoy these restos and dishes as much as I did. 

Romy Dines at Bodega Casa Villa

I don't usually venture around the Marikina neighborhood, but after a long day of wedding errands one Saturday, I only had one dinner destination in mind: Bodega Casa Villa on Dragon St., San Roque.

Full disclosure, my grade school friends Karen Villa and Jan Junsay own the place together with another business partner Keanne Andeza, and they asked me to check the place out. I didn't want to come alone because I wanted to try several dishes to give my readers a comprehensive review. So with Jay and Kenneth in tow, I knew it was the perfect time to go.

Bodega Casa Villa is open for dinner service, which starts at 5pm. We arrived early at 6pm, as the crowd usually comes later for drinks and the live entertainment, which starts at 9pm from Tuesdays to Saturdays.

From the outside, the Filipino-Mexican (Filmex) restaurant looks like your neighborhood hole-in-the-wall, with bare cement walls, barbed wires, and a wooden gate. An old garage was converted to an al fresco dining area, where the bar is also located.

Intricately-carved wooden double doors lead to a more family-friendly dining space, decorated with yellow walls, cream tufted booths, and wooden tables and chairs. Warm lighting makes it more conducive to long meals and conversations, in contrast to the low lighting at the bar perfect for friends sharing a drink or two.

One of the two murals at Bodega Casa Villa.

Karen and I were classmates in third grade, and I am very happy to see her as a successful chef and now, a restaurant owner. "It wasn't my plan to open a restaurant," she told me. Karen used to be a chef for the Raintree Group, which operates several restaurants in the country including Chelsea Kitchen, M Cafe, Kabila, and Rocket Room. 

I love the restaurant's plates, carefully chosen by Executive chef Karen Villa and co-owner Keanne Andeza

But when Karen and her family moved houses, their old family home became a bodega for Rey's Auto Shop next door, owned by her parents. When Jan and Keanne asked her if she wanted to team up and open their own restaurant, Karen seized the opportunity.

We started our meal with one of their bestsellers, the Mucho Nacho Bodega (Php220). The photo doesn't do it justice, the serving is huge! It is topped with a mix of Filipino-Mexican ingredients: salsa fresca, jalapeño, lonnganisa, kesong puti, garlic cream, and quezo sauce. Even with a mouthful of toppings, we loved how the nachos weren't too heavy that it ruined our appetite. I'm not a fan of spicy food, but I tried them with the Bad Boy Tikboy hot sauce, and man what a bite. Not for the faint of heart diners.

Next we had the Taco Trio (Php295), where you can choose three among six variants: crispy buttered ox brain, lamb adobo, beef barbacoa, chicken inasal, fish sinigang, and pork bagnet sisig.

We chose (from left) fish sinigang, beef barbacoa, and chicken inasal. They come with salsa verde, chopotle salsa, and garlic cream sauce. Even without the dips, the tacos burst with flavor and I like the beef barbacoa best. The chicken inasal with atchara is also good. I liked the crunch of the fish taco, though it needed more of the sour taste of the sinigang soup.

Kenneth ordered the Sticky Pork BBQ Ribs (Php295), which we all loved. I often try ribs in restaurants that serve them, and this one is a winner. It's sweet and tangy, the meat tender. Bodega Casa Villa's servings are generous, and their plates can be shared among 3 people if you're ordering several dishes. The BBQ Ribs come with grilled corn and cilantro rice, which was a pleasant surprise. 

Jay and I split the Grilled Chipotle Lamb Chops (Php340), which comes with grilled corn and Mexican rice. This is best eaten upon serving, but because we had so much to eat, we weren't able to finish it and had the rest packed to go (like I said, huge servings). 

By the time we finished our entrees, Bodega was almost filled-up, with families, couples, and friends among the mix of diners. A few days later, the restaurant hosted a girl's Frozen-themed birthday party. Four months into their operations and the joint is already becoming a Marikina neighborhood favorite. 

We ended our meal with a must-try, the Boleros (Php170). They're deep-fried donut holes sprinkled with confectioner's sugar, and come with salted caramel, maple, and chocolate dips. 

Guys, I can't recommend this enough! Warm and packed, this dessert immediately made it to my Ultimate Comfort Food List (together with mac and cheese, ube, pudding, and truffle cream pasta). It's the kind of food you eat with your eyes closed, and you groan with happiness because it's so good!

Coming back for you, my loves!

With everything we ate, there was still a lot of things we will come back for. Their large burritos, squid aligue pasta, and chimichanga mac and cheese are just some items that caught my eye.

Reasonable prices, top-notch food quality, and great service are what you can expect from this humble Marikina spot. Don't you just love servers who automatically refill your water glasses, and are attentive to your needs without being overbearing? I do, and Bodega's staff does just that.

Can I just also tell you quickly about their restroom? How cute is this! This is the powder area, and flanking this station are the his and hers restrooms, aptly labeled Senyor and Senyora.

I want to take home the mirror!

Thoughtful details extend to the restroom. 

Some food for thought while in the loo. 

Another noteworthy detail that we immediately noticed upon entering the restaurant, it smells good. Not "cooking food" good (which you worry might stick to your clothes), but like how a home smells like. Fresh and welcoming, which says a lot about how Bodega Casa Villa is. It's an inviting place to come together and hang out.

Tired but full! 

With restaurants and food parks sprouting left and right, it's refreshing to see a well-thought out concept that's also executed thoughtfully, but with good food still at the forefront. From the interiors to the regularly-updated menu offerings and their clever names (check out their cocktail list which includes Saging Ni Adan and Treau The Fire), Bodega Casa Villa is a work of love. Each owner is hands-on with the operations, with Karen at the helm of the kitchen and dining areas, Jan overseeing the bar, and Keanne in charge of marketing and entertainment.

Lunch service is in the pipeline, as the parking situation still needs to be addressed. For now, guests can park across the restaurant and at Rey's Auto Shop.

I'm excited with how the menu will further develop, and I tip my hat to my two grade school friends who made this unexpected project a reality. Congrats Jan and Karen!

BODEGA CASA VILLA:

48 Dragon Street, San Roque, Marikina City
+632-6451952
Operating Hours: Tuesdays-Sundays, 5:00PM-12:30AM
Accepts cash and credit card.

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Romy Dines at Trufa Pasta Bar

I had appointments in Makati a couple of weeks ago and during my lunch break, I wanted to eat somewhere I haven't tried before. I rarely get the chance to explore Makati because I'm a North girl. There are so many restaurants to try! So I walked around and looked at my options.

I wanted to try Your Local and finally sample their famous Salmon Donburi, but I arrived past 2pm and they already finished their lunch service. I turned around and saw that there was a pasta bar across the street. I decided to check it out.

Trufa is a self-service pasta bar that also offers tapas, salads, drinks, and desserts. Co-owner Patricia Espino wanted to pay an homage to Barcelona, after a memorable trip to Spain. Together with her business partner Gerard Lorente, they created a menu perfect for a quick bite, a leisurely lunch, and even for a wind down after a hard day's work.

The interiors are cozy with wood, black, and white taking center stage. The soft lighting creates a relaxing ambiance perfect for people who just want to hide away from the busy and buzzing Makati. For people who like to hang out at Instagram-worthy places, this one is for you!

Because I arrived after lunch, the place was quiet and only one other customer was inside. Service was quick and attentive.

The pasta bar is a self-service resto but I guess because there was no other customer, a server approached me at my table to get my orders.

From their tapas selection, I chose Montadino de Salmon (Php185), four crispy baguette slices topped with smoked salmon and cream cheese. Crunchy and tangy, I loved this appetizer! They sprinkled green onions and paprika on top, but I think they should also try adding a bit of red pepper flakes for a little kick.

There are three steps in ordering your pasta dish: 1. Choose your salsa, 2. Choose your pasta, and 3. Choose your alegria. In Spanish, the word alegria means joy, cheer, happiness. So for me, that third step is like the cherry on top of your cake! I chose Carbonara Filipina (Php260) for my salsa, tagliatelle (Php50) for my pasta, and trufa (Php50) for my alegria. I've always associated the aroma of truffle to feeling comfort, ever since I first tasted it in a ravioli dish at Bellini's in 2008. And since the restaurant is named Trufa after all, it's only fitting to try their secret truffle sauce.

They also offer Trufa in their salsa selection, but I was curious with the Carbonara Filipina , a mix of crispy dilis, smoked fish, cream, and parmesan.

The serving looks small but it is actually filling. I am partial to salty dishes, and I enjoyed this a lot although there are sweet notes that came from the crispy dilis. The flavors of the smoked fish and dilis are pronounced and blended well with the cream and truffle. 

Trufa is generous with their ingredients, so you get your money's worth. Since the prices for the salsa, pasta, and alegria are separated, the menu can be confusing at first glance so you must remember to compute the prices of all three to find out how much the dish exactly costs. This one totaled Php360. 

Trufa also offers a selection of desserts. I chose the Bocadillo Dulce (Php80), their version of a nutella smores sandwich. A marshmallow coated in chocolate is sandwiched by two chewy cookies, this is a sweet ending to a savory meal.

I would go back to Trufa the next time I am in the Makati neighborhood. And I'll make sure to bring someone with me so we can order more dishes, haha! As a pasta lover, I am elated with all the pastabilities! I want to try their other tapas plates and their signature Trufa dish. Here's their complete menu.

TRUFA PASTA BAR

Planters Building, Esteban St., Legazpi Village, Makati
+639178045011
Operating Hours: 11am-7pm
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