Il Ristorante di Antonio, Antipolo City

Il Ristorante di Antonio, Antipolo City

We've always promoted the city that we call our home - Antipolo. There are lots of places to go to around the city and these include restaurants like those along Sumulong Highway as well as those you will find only in Antipolo like Vieux Chalet, Marison's and Abuela's. For this post, I would like to feature an Italian restaurant, Il Ristorante di Antonio, which is located at a building along the L. Sumulong Memorial Circle and across from the Unciano Hospital (Hint: It's on the 2F of a building that has a Yellow Cab Pizza branch at the ground floor).

The interior for me is very homey. It is a clean, well-lighted place.

Pumpkin soup, which our daughter liked very much

Bolognese cooked and tasted the way we wanted

They had a very good Marinara

Their Quattro formaggi pizza did not disappoint

Sign at the stairs of the building

You can see their full menu and other information in their website (link provided earlier and here). There is ample parking at the building so its no hassle for people coming to dine at the resto. I believe their food is authentic Italian and fairly priced. The restaurant is definitely one I recommend for those looking to eat Italian food whenever in Antipolo.

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First dinner in Amsterdam

First dinner in Amsterdam

I did a lot of walking on my first day in Amsterdam. I had wanted to see how long it took to go back to the hotel beside Amsterdam Central Station from the Museum Quarter. It rained suddenly when I was midway to the hotel and so I had to do some evasive maneuvers as I only had my coat and wasn't able to bring my umbrella. I had thought about having an early dinner in a restaurant or cafe along the way but every place seemed to be too crowded for me. 

And so I rushed back to the hotel and decided to just eat there as the weather deteriorated and what was a strong drizzle developed into something short of a downpour. While there were certainly options for me at the station, I just decided to stay put and eat at the hotel's restaurant. They had a limited menu but that was enough for me as I really didn't feel like being adventurous or something for my meal. That being said, I ended up ordering a pizza and 7-Up. I took my time in eating while watching trains go by (yes, like the song).

Pizza and soft drink for dinner

Yes, that's one of the platforms of the Amsterdam Central Station in the background. The restaurant's windows give you a nice view of the platform and trains. I thought this was a nice hangout after all. There were few diners at the time including a couple of Filipinos who were on vacation (lucky them!) based on what I've overheard in their conversation. [They were a bit loud so I can't help but hear what they were saying.] I went back to my room satisfied with my meal and ready to get some rest from all the travel, including much walking, I did that day.

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Breakfasts at Enschede

Breakfasts at Enschede

The Intercity Hotel where I stayed at in Enschede last March served a really good buffet breakfast. The selection was good considering it was a business hotel and one could have a complete meal to start the day. I always like to have cereal and particularly love to have muesli in the mornings. They had that and fresh milk likely from the farms around Twente or perhaps from across the nearby border with Germany.

My first breakfast in Enschede consisted of muesli, bread, sausages, bacon, cold cuts and cheese. I had some tea and orange juice on the side. Not shown are the fruits I had after my hearty meal.

I adhere to the saying that one has to start the day with a good meal. It sets the tone for your energy levels during the day. And for me while I'm traveling, I like to do a lot of walking and commuting via public transport so I need the nourishment for me to keep moving without getting hungry immediately.

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On inflight meals again

On inflight meals again

During my recent travel to the Netherlands, I decided to take Emirates in order to have more manageable (for me) times in flight. The flight between Manila and Dubai was about 7 hours while the flight between Dubai and Amsterdam was about 8 hours. My layover in Dubai was 4 hours. That meant a lot of time to walk around and get my bearings between long flights. I have also been informed that the inflight meals on Emirates were better than most airlines even on economy. I must agree with that observation and I’m now posting some of the “stolen” shots I took of the inflight meals.

Breakfast served on the Manila-Dubai leg of my trip

Breakfast on the Dubai-Amsterdam leg of my trip

Menu on the Dubai-Amsterdam leg of my trip

Details on the meals served on the flight between Dubai and Amsterdam

The lunch selection was okay and I always thought that one doesn't have to consume everything served to you inflight. Eat and drink just enough so you won't feel hungry or thirsty on a long flight. Check out the food if the taste suits you. If you don't feel like eating or it doesn't taste right to you then perhaps you should pass or opt for some light snacks. I do recommend drinking more as you tend to become dehydrated especially on long flights.

I refrained from taking photos of my meals back to Manila but they were again alright compared to most inflight meals I've had. I guess the better ones I've had would be those on my long-haul flights to and from the US via Japan Airlines (JAL). Of course, I am sure that other people would have other opinions about inflight meals including those who categorically state these are unhealthy. You are certainly entitled to your opinion. :)

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Hearty pesto and chicken sandwich from Spar

Hearty pesto and chicken sandwich from Spar

I have had minimal rice since I arrived in Holland. It's actually a welcome development for me as I need to reduce my rice intake and switch to higher fiber options. Bread counts as long as it is not the regular type. And I've managed to eat healthier thanks to the hotel where I'm staying at and the choices I have when I eat out.

One discovery I've made is Spar, a convenience chain that makes excellent sandwiches, bread, pastries and the like. There were a lot of healthy choices including salads and vegetarian meat sandwiches. I spotted their pesto and chicken sandwich and had it heated for a warm meal I took back to my hotel room.

I surely did enjoy this warm sandwich

Spar is a big chain and I found their stores in most cities I visited in the Netherlands.

Pesto and chicken sandwich

A close-up of this pesto and chicken

I have not seen or tasted a sandwich like this the Philippines though the combination of chicken and pesto is not new. Usually, you see it in pasta but not on a sandwich. Maybe there's a restaurant somewhere back home that serves this?

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First meal in Europe - Happy Italy

First meal in Europe - Happy Italy

My first meal in Europe was...Italian! That should not come as a surprise considering this is usually a default choice for me if I am not knowledgeable of the restaurants in the place I am visiting. In this case, I really didn't bother researching about the restaurants in Enschede and based my decision more on what I felt like a restaurant that has a simple menu and many people patronizing it. The other restaurants looked too fancy for me though cost-wise they were okay. I thought, too, that the other restaurants were good if I had company. I had none.

This looks like a good motto for life.

I ordered this pollo a funghi pasta. It turned out to be a big serving and I had to take half home to finish it the following day.

The restaurant's main attraction was their pizzas. They had some good ovens there and all the ingredients were fresh. I also noticed a lot of people ordering meals for take away (take home).

I took home a copy of their menu as a souvenir. This side shows the pizza selection.

This side shows all the other items except their gelato, which was on another card.

Happy Italy is a chain and so at least I have established that they serve good food with very generous serving for pastas. I thought this would be a good reference for future trips to the Netherlands.

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Food for Lent

Food for Lent

It's the Lenten Season once again and its that time of year when meat consumption tends to go down for Catholics. We are supposed to fast and abstain from meat (that's beef, pork and chicken) on Fridays and the specific days like Ash Wednesday, Maunday Thursday and Black Saturday.

Frozen seafood i vacuum packs mean they will last longer in the refrigerator.

I usually get dory, tanguige, tuna and milkfish as part of our food supply. Bangus (milkfish) is usually for breakfast while the other seafood can be cooked a number of ways. Sometimes I get tuna belly for grilling and sashimi-grade tuna for a home-prepared version of this Japanese favorite. And this is not just for Fridays but for the entire week. Of course, I try to get fresh seafood whenever I have the opportunity to go to market. That's where I get our supply of vegetables, shrimps, fish and other seafood from our suki vendors.

There was a bit of irony when Ash Wednesday happened to be the same day as Valentine's Day. Some people (the more religious ones?) were in some sort of dilemma how they can "celebrate" Valentine's Day when it was a day of fasting and abstinence if you're a Roman Catholic. I'm sure they were able to figure that out while practicing abstinence from meat

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Marugane Udon & Tempura

Marugane Udon & Tempura

There's a new Japanese restaurant at the Bonifacio High Street. We finally got eat there last weekend as we were early enough to get through without having to fall into the long queue of diners we've usually seen outside the restaurant. They currently have a steady stream of customers so I think its better to be early to try eating there during the off-hours between lunch and dinner.

Marugamae Udon is right across from Fully Booked

Customers see the food being prepared/cooked right in front of them as they queue to get their hearts' (and stomach's) desire.

I tried their cold udon so as to see how good their handmade udon really is. It is good!

Their curry was just the right in terms of spicy and texture

Their beef udon is a bestseller

The system for ordering food at the restaurant is quite efficient. The long line seems to be only for before the restaurant opens its doors and lets people in. It is a self service restaurant but staff assist people with their trays to prevent spills and food waste. Price-wise, they offer very good value for money as we were surprised we didn't shell out much for the really good food (quality and quantity) that we ate there. One more thing that I'd like to add is that I observed a lot of Japanese eating there so perhaps that's a good sign and an argument for authenticity.

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