Breakfast at Wildflour

time check: 08:00 am

I turn the sexy age of 28 this year. My birthday fell on a Monday so I celebrated it a day in advance in a quiet and simple breakfast date with Alan at Wildflour in BGC.

I have two birthday wishes:

(a) to be a GRACIOUS giver

To have the means beyond one's needs - to share, to give and not to count the cost...

(b) to be the right PERSON, in the right PLACE at the right TIME

Because it is wonderful to be so.

Happy Birthday to me!!

All Sunshiny,

Tina

Wildflour Cafe + Bakery

G/F Net Lima Building, 4th Avenue cor 26th street

Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

(02) 856 - 7600

L.E.S. Bagels

time check: 07:40 am

It was a hot Tuesday morning. My temper matched the humidity and I threw a fit when we wrongly navigated our turn and missed our breakfast destination. Oh boy, good thing you weren't there. There were childish stomping of feet, Nora-Aunor-tears and embarrassing throwing of bag on the ground out of unexplained frustration. The boyfriend just stared helplessly, as I transformed from the smart and stylish woman he got attracted to (naks), to a barbaric ogre ready to tear the flesh out of any human being who'll dare set foot in his territory. When alas we reached our destination, I felt a lot of shame and tiredness from my childishness and a lot of love to the guy who patiently saw me through my soap opera moves. I can't believe I was willing to lose shreds of my dignity for a BAGEL!! That bread with a spread Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) of The Devil Wears Prada ate before her Runway interview. 

L.E.S. Bagels in McKinley Hill was worth our travel from the provincial Quezon City to the metropolitan BGC. All the drama forgotten with our heavenly breakfast bites of plain bagel + jalapeno cheddar and sesame seed bagel + sun dried tomato and basil, Mango Salsa Chicken Salad and a cup of coffee.

To happy stress and drama free mornings!!

All Sunshiny,
Tina

L.E.S. Bagels New York Deli + Bakery

Tuscany Estates, Upper McKinley road

McKinley Hill, Taguig

(02)804-0423

Breakfast at Harina Cafe

time check: 07:45 am

The door tinkles every time somebody enters. "Hello!! Kumusta?? Hinde ko na naabutan yung orders kagabi...", exclaims the colorful middle aged lady. A friendly conversation between her and the bakers ensue. This is my kind of place. Simple. Familiar. It's Spiderman's friendly neighborhood. Minus the bad guys and Spiderman himself - haha! All sorts of cheese are lined up in the glass counter. And sausages. And the breads are seductively placed in baskets and crates. Oh, yum!

I sit by the glass window expertly calming my already excited heart. What to order? Should I take out cheese? Ohh, there's a garden across the street! Got Heart is right across the street too! Where is Alan? Is he already taking pictures? Be still my heart, I say at last.

The signage says Harina Cafe and then Monsee's Artisan Bakery. I say they have fabulous fresh baked breads!

oh breakfast love ❤

(1) Harina's Bloomin' Bread

melted cheese and pesto adorn one block of carbs goodness!

(2) Lucban Longganisa

i like 'em salty :)

(3) Eggs Benedict

Ciabatta topped with gruyere, Canadian ham, poached egg 

and hollandaise sauce

(4) Biscuits

all warm and lovely

To happy mornings!

All Sunshiny,

Tina

Harina Artisan Bakery Cafe

118 Katipunan AveWhite Plains, Quezon City

Slappy Cakes

time check: 09:00 am

It's the first Saturday of the second half of the year!! I am cooped inside my room after an afternoon of jogging with Tanya and Theo (my brother's kids), the sky is somber and the rustling of the leaves warns the city of a possible rainfall tonight. I play along with the day's mood and listen to Spotify's Smart is the New Sexy playlist. I am thinking of switching to Songs for the Sunset playlist in a while - to lead the drama on. Haha! Oh girls, hormones, mood swings and all!

Moving on. 

My sister spent a few weeks last summer in the city and every time a family member visits, I make sure we go on a breakfast date. I love sharing my love of the morning with the people I treasure. It just makes my morning ritual more meaningful. So I roused us, Quezon City girls, early one Saturday morning to get our cute butts to the bustling Makati City. I've been salivating on Slappy Cake's make-your-own-pancake experience and I finally had the excuse to do so, with my sister no less. I instantly loved the restaurant's interior. It's serious-wood meets happy-yellow-lamps. I am so into contrasts!

oh breakfast love ❤ 

(1) Make Your Own Pancake

batter: buttermilk

fixins: apple and blueberry

topping/s: maple syrup and then mango syrup

(2) Seasonal Vegetable Scramble

everybody needs his green leafy fix!

(3) Classic Breakfast

the no-fail mix of bacon, eggs, potatoes and toast

After or sumptuous breakfast treat, we visited LRI nearby and got my fix of lovely home decors and interiors and arts. Oh! Breakfast + Interiors = Happiness!

All Sunshiny,

Tina

Slappy Cakes

Jazz Mall

Bel-Air, Makati City

Breakfast at Hatch 22

time check: 07:00 am

At the start of the year, I just knew that my routine is no longer in synch with my present responsibilities and my goals. How I spend my every day is no longer a step forward but instead, I kept going in circles, always thrown back to where I started. I stopped singing in the shower. My pixie dust robbed. Where is my daily activity taking me? Nowhere? I surely won't let that happen. For some reason, the world FEELS you. And like a concerned 'momma, will open hundreds of thousands of opportunities to lift you up. 

After a happy job interview, while waiting for a taxi ride back to my current office, I saw Hatch 22 - all macho and sleek under the morning sun. "Oh, so you live here?", I asked. "Yes, will you be my Saturday breakfast date?", he replied. I shrieked in glee, of course, of course! Haha, it must be the summer heat or the grumbling belly which caused this imaginary conversation with, of all things, a restaurant. And so I bullied my real breakfast date into coming with me back to Hatch 22, on an early Saturday morning, in exchange of my eternal love. Ano daw?? Haha!

Before Nine Breakfast Spread!

Southern Comfort
Creamy cheese polenta, creole bacon wrapped shimps, andouille sausage, 
sous vide egg, slow cooked pork jus, homemade biscuit

Crispy Corned Beef
Spiced up Delimondo corned beef with extreme garlic rice, crunch egg 
and seared tomatoes

Coffee

The food is a little pricey so we got one meal each (we usually order three - haha!), it was good!! Plus, they have a cool playlist - perfect for  chill breakfast date. :)

To happy and hopeful mornings!

All Sunshiny,

Tina

Hatch 22

Powerplant Mall

Rockwell, Makati City

La Creperie

time check: 08:20 am

Happy Sunday Morning!! :-)  My day already started even before 07:00 am and to set the mood, I played an endless loop of hip-hop songs (sheesh, I am already 27 y’all, haha!) and then moved on to Beyonce’s Love On Top, again played in endless loop (repeat 100 times with hands in the air and hips all around) and when my brain and my body both agreed that I am already awake, I shifted to French songs (Puto Mayo world music collection). I am after all, writing about a Paris-inspired restaurant.

I attended a calligraphy workshop last February and it was held in La Creperie Broadway branch. When I learned that they open for breakfast and when I saw that the place spells Paris chic, I know I just had to bring my little sister, Patis here. She is Paris-obsessed as I am Nepal-obsessed. My cousins, Ikay and Ning, tagged along. 

Every Parisian detail of the restaurant sent kilig-tricity (kilig + electricity) down my spine, I know the girls were secretly swooning also. Haha! :) They specially liked the rendition of the menu and the music being played in the background. My favorite Paris touch was a framed photograph of a couple kissing on the streets of Paris, oohh la la love! My only dilemma though was that the meals were served in very small portions - I have a construction worker appetite, remember? All the daintiness is such a mismatch with my belly capacity. *wink*

La Creperie Before Nine Breakfast Spread

one: Le Petit Dejeuner aux Philippines

(inclusive of 2 eggs, garlic/plain rice, chopped tomatoes, green salad)

 

Spicy Sardines in Olive Oil

Chorizo

USDA Corned Beef

Hungarian Sausage 

 two: Shrimp Pomodorro

three: Churro Crepe (the girls' favorite!)

 

I felt a little old giving pieces of advice about college and all "ate" stuff - I kind of really wished I had an older sister to look after me too. *sigh* I am so excited for their youth - the world has so much promise for pretty, young and smart girls like them. Like me too, ahem. Haha! :)

Good Morning Loves!

Have a blessed Sunday!

All Sunshiny,

Tina

La Creperie

66-D Broadway Avenue

New Manila, Quezon City