Antonia's Garden in Amadeo

Kathleen is a good friend of mine since College. She was my classmate all four years of my university life and after graduation, together with our other classmate Jayson, the three of us became professors at our University for another 5 years. All that time plus another 6 years of friendship beyond work and school, I did not know that they sell plants! It was just during this pandemic lockdown that I found out because she decided to do some marketing for their budding but strong family business.

Antonia's Garden

If you guys have been here since I got active again to blogging this year, you would know the story between me and plants. It was a story of healing and joy that I am still currently in and hopefully will be for the longest time. Knowing about my friend Kath's business I knew I had to support her and at the same time, get some plant babies for myself too!

Antonia's Garden is named after my friend's Grandmother. Almost all their plants are propagated and taken cared of by her father. They live in Amadeo, which is a big advantage for plant lovers because of its milder climate, all year round, due to its higher altitude. 

They sell a wide variety of plants, both for outdoors and indoors which are getting such a hype these days. Everyone here in the Philippines is starting to get crazy with such expensive plants that are grown inside their homes, I am not a fan of hypes and trends but I must say that this one in particular is something that I would even promote because of the benefits we can get from having plants inside our homes, plants are part of our families.

Though of course, just like pets, we should also know that having indoor plants is not the same as taking care of outdoor gardens. They require knowledge and for that, a lot of information is readily available on the internet on how to care for them, from watering, to pruning, and even on how you can propagate them. Just see to it that you take information from more than one source so you can be sure of the legitimacy of the information so that you can take the best care for your house plants.

Aside from normal potted plants, Kath's father is also gifted in the art of making Bonsai Trees. This one, I already known of for years because everytime we will visit Kathleen's house for fiestas and celebrations, I saw a lot of beautiful bonsai trees at their home garden.

There is always healing in plants. Especially in these times of the pandemic, a lot of us are having battles with anxiety, even for other who unconsciously have them, plants can be our very best friend. No matter how big your garden is or how small your room apartment is, there will always be a plant baby that you can take care of to take care of you. If we learn to love these plants at our home, we'll also develop a love for the environment at large - and that, is the best bandwagon we can always be riding at!

Sister Judy, Friend Kathleen, and Yours Truly (forgive my hair)

It's really nice to have life-long friends who don't just share memories of school and work with you but also hobbies that turn into life-long passions! Thank you so much Kathleen for having us. We'll surely take care of the plant babies that we got, and we can't wait to adopt some more in the next month.

Thank you also for my sister who did not just bought plants as well but also drove us to Amadeo because aside from my fear of being exposed outside (especially in our overcrowded city) but also because I don't know how to drive (there friends, another fact about your friend Stevenson).

By the way, here is the plant I bought from Antonia's Garden. My first Philodendron selloum. I got myself two, one for my bedroom and another on my bath. Since these species originated from Latin America, I thought of naming them Sergio and Thalia, both named after my favorite telenovela actors from Mexico!

Philodendron Selloum

Shown below are a few shots sent to me by Kathleen. She took these gorgeous photos from their garden one afternoon so she can post them on their Garden's facebook page. You can visit their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/AntoniaGardenPH/ and also on their Instagram Account @AntoniaGardenPH. Aside from her full-time work on the banking industry, Kat is also a skilled seamstress and makes beautiful clothes specially for Catholic Saints. And yes, she also takes stunning photos.

If you are in the Cavite or Manila area and you are interested to get yourself some houseplants from Antonia's Garden. They have a good variety of plants that you can choose from. Plus, they also ship your new family members via Lalamove (delivery charge at your cost) straight to your door and they offer a variety of payment modes that will best suit your account availability including GCash, PayMaya, and Bank Transfers.

Never Stop Planting!

Stevenson

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This post is part of my friend Jesh's All Seasons, Our World Tuesday, and Betty's My Corner of the World

Camp Aliyah at Amadeo

Survivor House Cup 2019

I finished my Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science last 2010 with a special set of people. We call ourselves the Survivors. A group of 16 friends who went through the four years of happy and hard times of college together and found a beautiful friendship with each other. We called ourselves Survivors because aside from most of us loving the US TV Series, we all survived college together!

The Survivors at our friend Kathleen's House

Last May 25-26, 2019, 9 of us friends traveled to Amadeo, Cavite to celebrate a mini reunion just because we wanna be together and also to send off one of our friends, my Best Friend from College Ralph John. We had a series of games that we called the Survivor House Cup and we had an amazing time together laughing and playing and catching up with our lives. 

Camp Aliyah, Amadeo, Cavite

Here are some pictures we took at Camp Aliyah where the games (and food) were held. It is a place secluded and hidden from the hustle and bustle of the city, deep in the heart of Amadeo, although it's just a few minute drive from Tagaytay City. We booked our overnight stay through AirBnB and the place was amazing and new! For groups of more than 10 people, this is a great place both for staycation and for activities since the front lawn is very spacious!

(L) Survivors at the Quiz Bee Game                     (R) Time to "Blow your Balls"      

I asked them to prepare one game each for 8 players. Each one of us will be the game-master for each of the games that we prepared so that will exempt us a game each so when the scores are tabulated, it will be one game less for everyone. Some of the games are individual and some are by group, but all of it was filled with so much fun!

(L) The Wet Game got us really wet!                 (R) Poker Tournament, I won this one!                  

After a few more games, we decided that it was time for dinner. Some prepped up the dishes while a few of us ran for errands on the missing pieces that we need for our Korean BBQ night. Special thanks to Ate Lhot and Kathleen for their Samgyupsal stoves, we were able to grill delicious pork and beef cutlets complete with tasty Shabu-Shabu style soup.

Friends that eat together, gets bigger together

The games started quite late because we had to do our initial preparations for dinner and also planning of the meals to be done right after the first half of the games. We had so much fun preparing the games and meals together as we all talk about memories and future plans for our group of friends.

  (L) Codename Board Game                                    (R) Our Favorite Survey Game

We capped the night with our very last game at around 1 in the morning and we all said goodnight and finally hit the sack. The night was very peaceful and quiet, with just a hint of karaoke night on another house but it was not that much to displace our sleep.

When we got up, it was time for breakfast. The breakfast team prepared a heavy breakfast of rice and noodles with eggs and hotdogs. It was a riot as usual, but filled with laughs and stories. When it was all over, we watched Tiny Places on Netflix and prepared to leave. The awarding ceremony took place just before we left and I prepared a few certificates as remembrances for that amazing two days we shared together.

House Ralph                                        House Zarah                                     House Abby

House Emil                                        House Stevenson                                     House Wally

House Jayson                                        House Mark                                     House Florence

   Third Place                                          Second Place                                   Grand Champion

Congratulations to the winners! House Jayson took home the Third Place, House Mark got the Silver Award, and House Florence won the lot and took home the title of GRAND CHAMPION! Great job everybody, it was an amazing game!

All those times, we wish there were more of us Survivors present but they will always be with us even if they were not able to come. hoping for more adventures for us Survivors, for sure there will be more in the coming months and years!

Luk Foo at Kawit

Cavite's Centennial road in the town of Kawit is starting to become a food hub for everybody since the Cavite Expressway opened a few years ago. Restaurants and known fast food chains lined up the sides and one of these is the Manila based Luk Foo. Located at the Puregold building at the Lancaster side of the Kalayaan intersection, this Chinese restaurant offers dishes that are both delicious to the taste and enticing to the senses.

Luk Foo's Assorted Dimsum

Right after my uncle's funeral a couple of weeks ago, we decided to have late lunch at the Kawit area to avoid the rush hour traffic at the coastal road. It was me, my dad, my brother Wilson, and my uncle Carlito who had our delicious Chinese lunch that sunny afternoon.

We decided to start with the dimsum menu, well anyone would right? Let me run you down with the dishes that we had on our lunch table.

Steamed Pork Siomai (Php 100)

Bigger than the usual, but not as the big ones I had. You really would see big chunks of prawns but everything was made soft on the palette. As a personal preference, I really like my siomai with bigger chunks of pork and not just the shrimp. Pork chunks give it more character and a special skill should be known as to how one could bind such chunks into a small cube of meaty goodness. Nothing special about this one.

Steamed Chicken Feet with Chili Sauce (Php 90)

This one is something I like. I'm not a fan of the tausi taste which is very rampant on chicken feet dishes, but what I like about this one is it is more on the sweeter side than the tausi side. It almost reminds me of a barbeque marinade flavor which is an absolute favorite taste for me. Thumbs up on this one.

Steamed Shrimp Dumpling (Hakao) (Php 105)

Hakao is another dumpling which unlike the siomai, does not have pork. To describe it, it's simply softened shrimp encased in a very soft, translucent wrapper (and I do mean very soft) and served hot and steaming. This is also the reason why I am very much intrigued with the size of their hakaw because it is way bigger than the usual hakao I see. I took a bite and then I realize that it is not the usual hakao. The shrimp was ground and I could swear there is some pork in there as well. It may be different from their siomai but this is not the hakao I would line up for.

Crispy Noodles with Assorted Meat (Php 295)

One of my staple dishes on any Chinese restaurant. Who likes soggy noodles right? So noodles served crispy, dunked under hot piping savory sauce makes its consistency perfectly tender yet still has that suppleness. This one is available in seafood or assorted meat. We got the mixed one so it had slices of pork, squid, prawns, and mushrooms.

Sweet and Sour Lapu-Lapu Fillet (Php 360)

Another thumbs up dish for me goes to this fish fillet dish. Truly a fusion of sweet and sour, they did the perfect ratio of each of the two tastes. All the flavors that the sauces complemented the natural flavor that comes out of the fish that was first deep fried and then served with the sauce on top. Some fish fillet dishes are served with the fish simmered with the sauce but having it fried first gives it modernity and I am sure that kids will not say no to it.

Crispy Lemon Chicken (Php 345)

Let me take you to a dish that you either hate or you love. Fried chicken strips under a sweet layer of lemon sauce is one of my favorites. The thing though about this dish is how perfect they combine the flavors of lemon and sugar. You can't be too lemony or else you'll serve up an acidic plate, or too sugary or it will taste like lemon drop candy. Luk Foo's was almost perfect but a little bit leaning to the candy area. I guess mixing white and brown sugar will do the trick, though the color then will be the issue. I'll leave this one to preference.

Luk Foo Fried Rice (Php 340)

We had a choice between the usual Yang Chow and their house special fried rice. I asked my brother to opt for their house specialty just because we can't order that on another chain right? So it's the usual egg rice topped with lechon kawali (deep fried pork belly), slices of peking duck, salted egg crusted shrimp, and pieces of Bok Choi. I'm doing a keto diet at the moment but I did taste their rice, the taste of the eggs really wrapped every grain of rice which is a big requirement for fried rice, well for me, so this is a good one.

***

We surely will miss our Uncle Asiong, my dad's younger brother. And we remembered his life that day and capped it with a hearty meal all for him. The place is well air-conditioned even under the scorching heat of a May afternoon so over-all, we did have a good dining experience. Will I go back to Luk Foo? I would say yes! But I would redo our whole order so I can get to taste other dishes that they serve, besides, they do have a long list on their menu.

My brother Wilson, Me, Daddy, and Uncle Carlito

Luk Foo Cantonese Kitchen

Puregold Dalahican, Kawit, Cavite

+63 46 416 3868

Opens Everyday 10AM - 10PM

Bag of Beans - Athena

Bag of Beans Café and Restaurant - Athena

Every time we think about Tagaytay and where to dine, most of us think about 'Bag of Beans'. They're known for serving good food and enjoying it in the cozy and cool climate of the mountains. But nowadays, thinking about bag of Beans is not enough for they do have a number of branches, all in just one beautiful city.

The café is located at the lower portion of the lot

As for me and my cousin Judy, we tried dining on all of their branches (including one of their former branches located near the Olivares Rotunda) but what captures our senses, not just our taste buds but particularly our sight is their Athena branch. Nestled at the busy part of Aguinaldo Highway, bag of Beans - Athena branch boats of it's homey but very chic interiors with of course, a spectacular view of the Taal Lake at the back.

A bit of a challenge on this branch is it's location which is on a steeper ground from the highway entrance. Challenge to go down to the parking lot and a challenge for your car to rise up back on the road on your way out. Well good things are never easy to get to right?

Oh those glass chairs (So Scary to sit at for overweight guys like me HAHA)

The interior is amazing, well speaking for my own taste that is. Vigan tiles, whitewashed furniture, low hanging chandeliers, oh it feels like I'm on a home magazine shoot! Those dark stained wood and whitewashed walls are just a delight for my eyes. I know I'm on a restaurant but I can use a nice lounge chair and stray for a whole day here.

Seats are also available on the second level.

Okay so let's move on the food we tried. It was breakfast and if I'm not mistaken, me and my cousin Judy were the second group of customers for that day. They open at 7 in the morning so it was quite chilly that time even on a summer's day. So we scanned through their menu and decided on what we will be enjoying for that morning.

Tanigue Steak (Php 380)

An inch thick tanigue cutlet flame grilled to it's perfect finish. This is exactly how I like my fish is cooked. Other love it deep fried, pan fried, or grilled until it's golden brown and toasted but I personally think that it loses a lot of it's flavor that way. I want it juicy and tender though without that fishy smell or taste, just the perfect amount of salty and lemon to bring out it's natural delicious taste. Oh and yes, their veggies are tossed over butter and not margarine, I'm very particular with that HAHA. Served with mashed potatoes and their homestyle gravy.

Longanisa - a Filipino Favorite (Php 230)

Filipino-Spanish style sausages similar to the chorizo, longanisa is a staple on most Pinoy breakfast tables. it's sweet and salty fusion is a favorite for most of us but surprisingly, not for my Ate Judy. I was quite shocked that she ordered this from the menu because she's not very into this but I guess she tries stuff which makes me happy!

Of course I tried it too. I did like the taste but the texture is a bit too fine for me. I like the longanisa which is a little bit chunky wherein you can feel the difference between lean pork and pig's fat right inside your palette. Will I order it the next time, maybe I'll try some other of their Filipino favorites.

Chocolate Chip Pancake (Php 205)

Just like any other dinner that me and my cousin share, we never order just a plate for each of us, there's always a third one to share HAHA. This time, we got their choco chip pancakes which was good. It's not too fluffy but not too creamy. Served with maple syrup, it was a delight but we weren't able to finish it because we were too full from our entrees.

After breakfast, we spent a little more time and found out it was drizzling outside but we did enjoy nature's greeting that morning. They also have pasalubongs and take-homes like pastries and spreads that you can enjoy at your own home or give them as gifts to your loved ones.

Their cute Pasalubong Shelves

Outdoor sitting for those who want to fill not just their tummies but also their sights

Mornings at Tagaytay

Over-all, me and my sister had an amazing time at bag of Beans - Athena. It was probably our third visit on that branch but I have to say every single time we dine there is just remarkable. The place is perfect not just for family and friends like me and my cousin but also for large groups and barkadas and of course, a romantic place for you and your special someone.

You can visit Bag of Beans Café and Restaurant - Athena branch on their details below:

Bag of Beans Café and Restaurant Inc. “ Athena Branch”

Aguinaldo Highway Silang Junction East, Tagaytay City, 4120

Tel No.:  046-4134522

https://www.bagofbeans.ph/