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

One Saturday Morning

time check: 07:45 am

The thing I like most about living in Quezon City is that it has huge public parks where people can spend their mornings enjoying the sun, jogging, biking, eating and a whole lot of other activities - there's La Mesa Ecopark, the grounds of UP Diliman and of course, good ol' Quezon Memorial Circle. I am into succulent plants these days and knowing that Manila Seedling Bank closed to give way to a real estate development yet again and relocated in the Circle, I jumped right in one morning and embraced my inner lola-ness. Who else shops for plants in the morning except for our sweet grandmothers? :)

I bought three plants that morning - they all cost less than a Starbucks coffee. I like succulent plants because they do not need much caring - a little bit of sunshine, a little bit of water and then they can pretty much take care of themselves. Also, they're beautiful in small pots and cans and canisters and glasses and dishes. Hay. I cannot wait to have my own house abundant with greens and flowers and happy pets. :)

To lovely mornings!

All Sunshiny ,

(even if it's all rainy and I'm cooped up in the house with a nose that's runny :p)

Tina

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

 

The Breakfast Table

time check: 07:05 am

Hooray for summer!:) I haven't been blogging lately due to a million emotional issues which render one uninspired but no, no, no - this is not the place to discuss that - and although we took a little break from breakfast posts I promise you with all honesty that we have been loyal to our weekend morning rituals. Cross my heart. :) 

Our Breakfast Table story happened a month ago even before the summer season started. I've been meaning to try this quaint little restaurant in our UP Village neighborhood but I've been filling in my weekend mornings with endless list of to do's until I can no longer contain my longing. Naks! So one Saturday morning, we kicked off our day with a breakfast buffet! The restaurant opens at 7 in the morning and offers only the buffet until around 10 am. Only after 10 am will they serve ala carte. Buti nalang, I was born with a bottomless belly to carry all my breakfast baggage. Haha!

  

The breakfast buffet is a limitless supply of tuna pate, ensalada, bangus, tapa and vigan longganisa fried to crisp which I cannot get enough of!!

After our breakfast date, we stopped by a wall draped in bougainvillea and I just had to have my picture taken. If only I can learn how to pose like how the rest of the selfie world does - haha!

To colorful mornings!!

All Sunshiny,

Tina

The Breakfast Table

Maginhawa corner Makadios Street

Sikatuna Village, Quezon City

seattle's again!

time check: 8:50 am

I write this in the midst of a family loss, one which wakes me up in the middle of the night with frantic heartbeat and emptiness. We never saw it coming, in fact, two weeks ago, my tita and cousins came over the city to take a breather from the country life. Weird noh? I have always thought that the rural landscape was never much of a stress.

"Tita, I will treat you for breakfast at Seattle's", I texted. My intention was to share my usual Sunday morning with her, perhaps, with an older cousin for a grownup breakfast date over coffee, bacon and pancakes. I did not want to go too far, so Seattle's, my friendly neighbor will take care of us. But my tita and a supposed older cousin multiplied into nine hungry adults, that I needed to mentally compute in my head if I can still manage the next days before yet another payday after the treat. Thank you Lord for credit cards. Haha!

But really, I do not mind a long table of breakfast treat for the people I care for. I would love to be of service to them no matter what cost and besides, this is the only way I can give back to the family that sheltered and loved me unconditionally. Plus, nine hungry adults provide the necessary "sticker boost" for that dream journal I have set my eyes on for Christmas. Haha! :)

Lord, please look with kindness on the people I love.

Keep our family safe and healthy always.

Amen.

All Sunshiny,

Tina

pan de manila

time check: 8:30 am

The grand plan was breakfast buffet at Finio in Tomas Morato (buffet price is below Php 200!) then tambay time at Evers Cafe in the same area. But we were too lax with time that when we reached our breakfast destination, the rest of the Quezon City crowd was waiting in line to get in the restaurant. I was too hungry to wait so we headed to Bulalo Republic, a few blocks away from Finio, another host to an affordable breakfast buffet. Yep, Quezon City people likes waking up early thus the mushrooming of breakfast spots, me like-y! Good news, no line and a dozen available tables. Bad news, they have the worst service ever and refills take more than 20 minutes - and again, I was too hungry to wait. We were seated already, waiting for the trays of refill to be served on the buffet table, they came in painfully slow trickles (the refills), so we walked out of the restaurant.

Our life saver was Pan de Manila just right across the street. Realizing that it has been years since I have had bread for breakfast (I am an extra rice girl :p), we bought several pieces of medium sized pan de sal (sobrang siksik!) and peanut butter and herbed cream cheese (sobrang sarap!) and took them home. I was secretly heartbroken for not having the breakfast we planned for the day but rekindling our love with good ol' pandesal (and discovering new love with the yummy herbed cream cheese) more than made up for it!

All Sunshiny,

Tina

 Pan De Manila

with branches nationwide