Ancestral home

Welcome to the home of Alejandro Legarda and his wife Ramona Hernandez, now a museum and fine dining restaurant called La Cocina de Tita Moning (The Kitchen of Aunt Ramona). Built in 1937, it was one of Manila's first art deco houses. It is located along San Rafael Street in the San Miguel district of Manila which, before the war, used to be one of the city's most elegant neighborhoods and home to many of Manila's most elite families. Malacañang Palace, the official residence of the President of the Philippines, is also in the San Miguel district. In the next few days, we will be touring this elegant house where Alejandro and Ramona raised four children and which was used by three generations of the Legarda clan. • LEGARDA ANCESTRAL HOUSE #1

Chinese pastry

Probably the best Chinese bakery in the metro is Ho-land in Binondo, Manila's Chinatown. Their specialty is hopia, flaky puff pastry filled with a sweet mung bean paste—delicious, especially when freshly-baked. They also have mooncakes, tikoy (a glutinous rice cake), peanut cakes, and other Chinese delicacies. They've also expanded the hopia line by introducing new fillings. I think their original hopia is still the best, however.

Two towers

Looking out the roof deck of Fully Booked in Bonifacio High Street, which has a skylight at the lower level, towards a pair of condominium towers, one done and one still being constructed, in Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City.

D.I.Y. burgers

Another new little eatery in our neighborhood is The Burger Project. Choose your bun (whole wheat, potato, sesame seed), patty (tofu, chicken, beef), cheese, toppings and sauces. Quite innovative since most burger places here, franchise or independent, let you choose only the toppings and sauces at the most. The tofu burger was a disappointment, however; I'll try the chicken burger next time.

Legacy of resistance

Lapu-Lapu, a Datu of the island of Mactan in the Visayas, is considered the first Philippine national hero for having resisted Spanish colonization back in the 16th century. This statue of him in the Rizal Park, sculpted by Juan Sajid Imao who also created the Filipino-Korean Soldier Monument, stands between the Museum of the Filipino People and the Department of Tourism. He is looking directly towards the monument of that other premier Philippine national hero, Jose Rizal, after whom the park is named.

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Reminding all CDP bloggers: our theme for December 1 is Time, and going back to community tradition, that of January 1 is Best Photo of 2010. The February theme poll is up too and will remain active until the end of December. Don't forget to vote!

My world, literally

The Western end of the Rizal Park is marked by a relief map of the Philippines in a pool of water. We're at the Southern end of the country—geographically, we'd be standing in the Celebes Sea, with Malaysia on the left and Indonesia to the right and back—and the islands nearest us are those of Sulu and Basilan, which are both part of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. I wish I could have taken a photo from a higher vantage point, but unless I stood on the Light Rail Transit's track, this was as high as I could get. I was completely fascinated with the map as a child and I still am.

And That's My World!

The art of eating

During the past three years, our neighborhood has become quite a popular location for small, independent restaurants and bars. Aside from Trellis, which has been around since the 80s, there's Pino, Tomato Kick, Friuli and Kiss the Cook, and many others that I have not yet featured here—all within walking distance or a tricycle ride away from our house. Makes for very happy taste buds but I'm beginning to despair of my waistline. Leona Art Restaurant used to be located in a different part of Quezon City but recently moved in too. Both their grilled and fried pizzas are good and we're looking forward to trying other items on their menu. I should ask the owners why they call it an "art restaurant" but I won't be surprised if it has to do with all the eclectic, quirky and lovely decorations they have in the place.

Golden dragon

The ornate ceiling of the pavilion in the Chinese Garden of the Rizal Park. I apologize for the upside down dragon, but I couldn't cross over to the other side because there was some kind of student workshop going on at the time.

Philosophy

A statue of Confucius (551–479 BC) in the Chinese Garden of the Rizal Park.

"When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them;
when we see men of a contrary character,
we should turn inwards and examine ourselves."

Of glass and light

Inside the Quezon City branch of Alba Restaurante Español. I just love the wine bottle holder that they built into the wall separating the foyer from the main dining room.

Bienvenidos!

Alba Restaurante Español probably has the best-value weekend lunch and dinner buffets in Metro Manila. The buffet always has paella and includes their most popular meat dishes—Cochinillo Asado (oven-roasted suckling pig), Lengua Sevillana (stewed ox tongue with mushrooms and olives in sherry gravy sauce) and Callos a la Madrileña (stewed ox tripe in tomato sauce), among others. They also offer several desserts, including their yummy Canonigo (soft meringue cake with vanilla custard sauce). All for only a third of what hotel restaurant buffets cost nowadays.

Rat Pack

As Francisca pointed out in my DQ ice cream cake post, Halloween is gaining a foothold in Metro Manila. Especially in the South, villages decorate for the holiday and kids go trick-or-treating. And what's driving it? Commercialism, of course. Hotels have parties for both children and adults to increase room and banquet sales, and malls are decorated to the rafters, have special shows and even allow children to go trick-or-treating among their stores. This trio—born of a marriage between a ghost and a pumpkin, apparently—was greeting shoppers at SM City North EDSA mall's Sky Garden. Somehow, they reminded me of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra.

A perfect day for a picnic

In the Roman Catholic calendar, November 1 is All Saints Day and November 2 is All Souls Day. The difference is a matter of faith and theological doctrine, and too long to discuss here, so just follow the links to Wikipedia if you would like to know more. Whether Catholic or not, however, most Filipinos spend November 1, a holiday in the Philippines, at the graves of their loved ones. And except for some prayers, there's usually nothing solemn about it either. The day becomes a reunion of sorts for family and friends, with food and drinks, and lots of talk and laughter. No, it's not disrespect. Rather, think of it as thanksgiving and a celebration of life—both of those who have died and those who are still here. One thing I'm glad about though is that Loyola Memorial Park has finally banned blaring music—hearing more than a dozen songs playing loudly at the same time can drive one crazy. Families who expect to spend the entire day at the cemetery rent tents to provide shelter from either the sun or rains, either of which we can get at this time of the year. Because I don't like crowds, I went to visit my parents' graves on October 31, which was hot and sunny. I'm glad I did because it was drizzly the whole day yesterday.

Spanish carriage for a Spanish city

THEME DAY: PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION • The kalesa is a horse-drawn carriage introduced to the Philippines by the Spaniards in the 18th century. It is still used as public transportation in certain parts of Manila, especially in the district of Binondo, but fancier ones like this—more properly called a carruaje—are used mostly for sightseeing in the old walled city of Intramuros. This man was waiting for tourists at the nearby Rizal Park.




See what people all over the world use as public transportation. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.