sweet bella cafe at burgos circle, bgc

lunch was beautiful last weekend. we went to see “da vinci the genius” at the mind museum and headed off to forbes town, burgos circle after to have late lunch. sweet bella cafe is famous for its delectable cakes and all things sweet and nice, but which, ironically, we did not have the time to stay for. our 11-year-old was in a hurry to meet up with his best friend. they had not seen each other in three years or so, so it was really easy to give in to the plea (in exchange for a peaceful family lunch).

once in a while when you go out for lunch, it’s nice to have it in a quiet place where no one’s hurrying up to finish their food; or shaking their legs anxious to grab the bill and run; or talking with their mouths full—all because life’s like that. it’s a race and the one who can walk and talk with his food is always the winner.

we entered sweet bella and the waiter outside promptly communicated with another waiter through a two-way radio and the latter was enthusiastically waiting to seat us inside. impressive. you pay for that and it’s all good. i like being treated like an important customer sometimes because it is a good break from the queues that we have to experience in our very ordinary lives everyday. well, i don’t wait in line for my mother’s escabeche tilapia, and that’s a sweet fact of life, too. 

my boyfriend always takes his time when deciding what to eat. it is advisable to send the most patient waiter our way because i really mean that he takes his time. his lengthy deliberation with himself finally ended with a chateaubriand steak.

as of this minute i’m digging inside my purse for our receipt from bella cafe because no matter how wonderful and unforgettable a meal is, food names always manage to escape our heads. 

and now, the boyfriend officially declares throwing out the receipt that i was looking for seconds ago. we can always manage with photos, can’t we?

we have had other lovely gastronomic experiences. you can find them here.

A top Philippine women’s empowerment blog covering travel, style, fashion, opinion, latest trends, technology, events, manila, Luzon, visayas, mindanao, best asia blog, bipolar, anxiety, depression, enlightenment blog sweet bella cafe, da vinci the genius, mind museum, forbestown, burgos circle, the fort, fort bonifacio, bgc, chateaubriand steak, lunch, escabeche tilapia

shoe wish list slash must-haves

women will always have an affinity for shoes beyond the comprehension of others (unluckily) not diagnosed with shoe enslavement. as in many other forms of addiction, we salivate, palpitate and sometimes may suffer from convulsions.

my friend asked, “what is it about women and this insanity for shoes?”

i scanned my head for an acceptable answer but i could not find anything that would sound just to a man who, from time to time, needs to burn his wallet to buy his girlfriend a “much needed” relaxant. 

this was how far i went trying: “a pair of high heels might be killing me halfway through my day, but what the world only sees is the happy, content me. if there is one thing that magically erases negative feelings and thoughts, it’s shoes.”

my friend looked far outside the window and brought the cup of coffee to his lips. i knew he did not get the answer that he was looking for.

one thing is for sure though. you can never go wrong following a woman’s wish list. here’s a list made simple, and which also doubles as a “must-haves” list. 

suede booties

comfort and style equals a happy marriage for the tootsies

nude peep-toes

gives an illusion of elongated legs and goes well with all colors

ballet flats

a wear anywhere, everywhere, with-any-outfit kind of shoes

black city boots

for a classic comfortable, chic, cool look

canvass sneakers

never live without one

black pumps

for days when "sexy" becomes an operative word

platform wooden sandals

read about it here

A top Philippine women’s empowerment blog covering travel, style, fashion, opinion, latest trends, technology, events, manila, Luzon, visayas, mindanao, best asia blog, bipolar, anxiety, depression, enlightenment blog shoes must haves, suede booties, nude peep-toes, ballet flats, black city boots, canvass sneakers, black pumps, platform wooden sandals philippines

tory burch denim t-bar wooden wedge sandals

every girl has got to have one!

what fun and fearless pair of shoes do you have? i would not (in my rare sane state of mind) usually grab just anything from my shoe corner especially if i have my two-year-old in tow. if a pair requires certain skills, such as not tripping while wearing high heels, or in this case, not tottering while wearing a gorgeous tory burch denim t-bar wooden wedge sandals, then i leave it for my "me" time (which again, rarely happens). this pair is like the friend that you want to keep for life. they go with a great pair of jeans, skirts, even leggings and casual trousers, but only if you could pull off the look.

the tory burch denim wedge sandals do not only look sexy, they have in them the power to make you feel sexy. even if you have to wait in a long queue at the grocery, trust me, you'd still feel the most fabulous human being that ever walked the planet. the gold eyelets and designer-stamped loops complete the gorgeous look of this 70's-inspired footwear.

a must have? definitely. 

A top Philippine women’s empowerment blog covering travel, style, fashion, opinion, latest trends, technology, events, manila, Luzon, visayas, mindanao, best asia blog, bipolar, anxiety, depression, enlightenment blog

tory burch denim wedge sandals, footwear, womens shoes, girl shoes, wedges

what is your story?

let me travel with you...through your stories

i have weaved a hundred stories in my head. stories about me, my life, and stories that i wish were mine. i own a lot of stories but i get lost in my own plots. my mind is just as restless as the pen that i can’t stop from tapping rhythmically on my desk while i’m thinking. or daydreaming. i really can’t tell between the two sometimes. oh, the pen? no i don’t really write with it. i use it to remind me where i am at and what i intend to do, which i never get around to doing most of the time these days. i try to find the perfect words to write knowing that that is what people want to read. or breeze through. or whatever. criticism is a business that earns—monetarily and otherwise. in this day and age, bashing has become an official proof of income. the more insults you hurl, the more you earn. there are no proper mechanics to this but anyone who is living through this fantastic age of the internet knows what i’m talking about.

pour, stir. i sit listening to the hushing of the sea, very slowly sipping my coffee. then i realize that the thoughts that follow me sometimes are not my own. oh how silly of me not to recognize the humming in my own head. i am yearning , almost praying, to sit down with someone to listen to. i want to listen to other people’s stories—your story—whoever may be reading this right now. when you’re at it please do not be too kind to organize your thoughts. don’t sequence your life to make it sound unerring (supposing you think it is uninteresting) because i just want to listen to every little thing. i want to know who you are, where you’ve been, the different kinds of people that you have met, what kind of fellows  you loved sharing your coffee with, the food that made you sick, the book that made you cry, the train ride that made you want to jump out of, the thoughts that hum like a thousand bees in your head. i just want to listen.

and oh, i may interrupt once in a while, but don’t let me bother you. go on like you don’t hear me at all.

so...what is your story?

latte cafe in kalibo

we stepped inside latte cafe,  famished and drained from the one-and-a-half hour trip from caticlan. the kids tossed their cookies in the van (thank goodness, my instinct always tells me to carry a barf bag for each kid), and the husband and i became nauseous from the winding roads. i’d take the plane or the boat or an eagle or a pterodactyl to kalibo any day, but you and i know no sane company would ever fly or float you with only a 49-kilometer stretch in between.  

the family that gets car sick together feasts together. 

latte, being one of the very few a la carte restaurants in kalibo, has garnered the best reviews and recommendations from frequenters and passing-by guests heading to and from boracay island. nothing could be more pleasant than discovering a nicely laid out restaurant in a small, sleepy town like kalibo. latte has a modern-classic feel to it especially with the polished, heavy, dark wood tables and the right accent lighting.  dining al fresco style looked tempting  that day, especially after being stuck inside the van for a while, but it was drizzling out so we stayed inside.

if there was a piece of the puzzle that did not fit the entire tony latte piece, i would say it was the display wall for havianas that was right next to the cake display. it was a bit odd, but i wouldn’t really let it rock my boat.

new love for the palate

i wanted to try something that i’ve never tried before but as soon as i looked at the menu i knew it wasn’t the place for it. latte is famous for their breakfast and we had originally planned on leaving boracay early to get to kalibo on time for breakfast. but yeah, right. “early” is not an operative word for this family.

we arrived at the restaurant starved and could not wait for the 20 minutes that our waiter promised, so we went on to have the desserts first. i’ve lived my life crazy about sansrival so i knew exactly what i was going to have after a short glance at the cakes on display. i have tried more than 10 versions of sansrival but latte’s is by far the best that i’ve ever had. not one of those that i’ve tried in manila could top the sansrival at latte where the butter had no after-taste and the meringue was light, right and crisp just as it should be. it was not crazy sweet so the butter and the meringue were a perfect couple that i’ll always fondly think about.

our choices for lunch also turned out divine. we had sizzling bulalo steak (beef shank), lechon kawali (pan-roasted pork) and stir-fried mixed vegetables. each serving was good for two people, as promised by our very courteous waiter. you see, it’s worth mentioning that you had a professional and kind person waiting on you because you don’t always get that in all restaurants, especially not in the very busy ones.

the bulalo steak was very tender and the gravy was smooth and flavorful. i’ve had steaks with gravy and sauces that were either too thick or bland and sometimes too watered down. if i sense strong flavors in an unfriendly competition against each other, that right away sets me off to unhappylandia.

the lechon kawali reminded me so much of my paternal grandmother’s version that was crispy on the outside and was delightfully tender on the inside. i sank my teeth into the most tasteful lechon kawali ever and it couldn’t get any better than that. condiments are usually offered with pork dishes, but latte’s was perfect without anything else added to it. the entire process—from biting it to chewing it to savoring the juices that came out of the meat—was a heavenly experience, no less.

the vegetables came in a huge platter and you could tell that they were fresh when they reached the kitchen and were definitely far from being overcooked when they reached our table. that left us with wide smiles as well.

our total investment (most people call it "damage") for the latte experience? php 1,055.00 for bulalo steak, lechon kawali, a platter of stir-fried vegetables, sansrival, a plate of puto, mango shake, orange juice and a gigantic glass of iced tea. can you believe how reasonably priced our lunch was? so yes, you should really go if you’re anywhere nearby.

latte cafe at marzon hotel
national highway
kalibo, aklan
(036) 268 6000

latte cafe, kalibo restaurant, marzon hotel, caticlan lunch resto, sansrival boracay, sansrival cake, sizzling bulalo steak beef shank, lechon kawali pan-roasted pork, stir-fried mixed vegetables