Year-End Vacation at Tidewater Resort in Matabungkay

I was planning to go out-of-town since September but my plans did not push through. I even check on different places to spend a vacation. My sister told me that she and her friends are also planning to have a vacation and she asked me if I want to tug along. Without any second thoughts I said yes.

We have several options. We first checked a resort in Bataan and Subic however it turns out they are already fully booked until December. Finally, we decided to look for a place in Batangas. This is how we stumbled upon Tidewater Resorts which is located in Matabungkay in Lian, Batangas. I always hear Matabungkay Beach from a friend because it was the place where her parents usually go in the past. She said that the “balsa” is a common thing in Matabungkay beach.

We booked an overnight stay in Tidewater resort after Christmas. It was raining a lot before Christmas and I was praying very hard for a sunny day for our trip. Fortunately, God heard my prayers. We meet up at Coastal Mall to ride a bus going to Lian. We left the place before 8AM and we reached Lian past 11AM. We went off the bus at the market place where we bought some pork and fish for our dinner. We also had our lunch in a place near the market. After having our lunch we rode a jeep going to Matabungkay. Unfortunately, the jeepney driver did not drop us near the resort and said that the place was only a few walk away which is not the case. So we walk for maybe 2 kilometers in the beach of Matabungkay to get to Tidewater Resort.

Matabungkay Beach

 The guard open the gates of the resort and immediately the keeper of the resort went to us and accompanied us to our rooms. We have two rooms with a comfort room in the middle for us to share. Luckily, we picked the room that has the view of the infinity pool and the sea. The room was just small with one queen size bed and two small beds.

Outside our room is the porch where there are tables and chairs to be used for dining. They also have a couch in the porch. On our side of the resort is also a hammock which is near the infinity pool. I can just spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping on that hammock.

After we have finished fixing our things we immediately made a splash at the infinity pool. Too bad the pool wasn’t that big. The trees around the pool gave enough shade from the sun. The water on pool was also cold which is just perfect since we had a very hot day after walking. Unfortunately, we can only enjoy the cold water of the infinity pool because it was low tide and the beach has trash. The sand in Matabungkay is colored gray. Honestly, the beach is not very enticing to swim.

We went out the pool when we saw the setting sun. It’s a sign that we should start preparing our dinner. The resort has kitchen where you can cook your food. The good news about it is that you may use the gas range, grill, refrigerator and rice cooker for free. You may even ask the keeper to cook your food for a small fee however we didn’t bother her since the guest in the other room is already keeping her busy.

We had our dinner at the porch with the view night sky and sea. After our dinner we went to a bench near the infinity pool to play some games and drink our booze. A friend tried to swim but the water in the pool was too cold.

The next day, I and my sister woke up early to witness the sunrise. Another good thing in this place is that you are able to experience both sunrise and sunset. Early in the morning we already saw some fisherman getting their boat ready. One of our friends also woke up early and we decided to take a morning walk in the beach. We saw birds in the beach perched on the sticks that I think was put up for fish pens.

It’s swimming time again after breakfast. In the middle of the day, the beach gets busy with vendors selling souvenirs to tourists. There are also children playing on the beach.

But all good times has to stop and to be continued some other day. We left the Tidewater Resort with each one saying that they will come back again. It was just an overnight bonding but it was filled with laughter.

The Walkway

The Gate to the Beach

 

My favorite spot

Dining Area inside the House

Photos inside the Dining Area

The Wooden Spoon in Kapitolyo

Our Table Mat

Few days after it opened, our hungry stomachs led us to Sandy Daza’s famous Wooden Spoon. I always saw their restaurant in Kaipunan whenever I go to UP Diliman but I’ve never tried to dine in their place. The place is too far for my friends. Fortunately, they opened a branch in Kapitolyo, Pasig. Yes! Wooden Spoon is now part of Kapitolyo’s food list.

Wooden Spoon opened their Kapitolyo branch last December 11, 2014. Wooden Spoon is located at West Capitol Drive. At night, you can easily see their restaurant because of the trees lit by lanterns. We thought that there may be a lot people in the place, luckily there were still only few customers. They may not have yet to know the opening of the restaurant. 

My friend already made some research on-line of the food we will order so when we arrived we immediately gave our orders. We were already hungry. While waiting for our food, the waiters were so kind to take several pictures for us.

After some minutes our orders arrived. For rice, we tried their garlic rice.

Top on our list is their Adobo Flakes. I was curious on how the Adobo Flakes would look like. My curiosity ended when they placed the plate in our table. I couldn’t stop myself in trying it. It was delicious. I could not believe how this shredded meat has that taste of Adobo.

We also ordered their Binagoongan. I think it was too salty but the meat was tender.

 Then, we also had their Wooden Spoon Crispy Chicken. My friend said the name of the food has the “Wooden Spoon” in it so it means that it is a must try. The chicken is very delicious. The meat is juicy and the taste of the breading is different.

  

 There is nothing too extraordinary on their menu but what I like about Wooden Spoon is that they offer Filipino Food made more delicious from your ordinary lutong bahay.

An Evening with the Team at Tipsy Pig

Christmas is just around the corner and almost every day there is a get-together and a party. It just gives us the license and excuse to eat and drink more often than the usual. Like most of you, I’m guilty of this. Parties are very common and of course aside from your company party you will still have a separate team party. So this year, after our company party we had our team party.

Our bosses decided to have our year-end team party at Tipsy Pig in Capitol Commons. Since this Gastropub has been opened they kept coming back to this place. Aside from its very accessible from our office, their food and flavored drinks is something you would always crave for more.

My teammates love the taste of their salted caramel beer. I tasted it and yes it has the taste of caramel. Aside from the famous salted caramel they also have other drinks with mixtures. The one I like is their drink with mango juice and has mint and basil leaves. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to remember the name of the drink. You can taste the rich mango flavor on the drink that you wouldn't think that there is alcohol mixed into it. 

Aside from the mixed drinks they have the local and imported beers. 

Aside from their various drinks, Tipsy Pig also boasts their delicious and mouth-watering foods. How can you resist their Crispy Pata? It’s so big but the meat can be easily cut from the bones.

The dish that made my night is their Kare-kare. The peanut paste is just so good! I can’t explain how perfect it is once it mixes with the bagoong. The pork meat is incredibly tender but what is amazing is the crispy pork skin in the Kare-kare.

Whenever I eat in a restaurant I always order a chicken because for me it is the safest thing to eat. You already know the taste of it. However, there’s no risk in it. Even so, chicken was never out in our table that night. We ordered their Beer Can Chicken however I was not able to take a picture of the chicken while sitting on top of a beer can.

Their foods are really good but I cannot say that it something extraordinary. Even the flavored beers are now common. However, the ambiance of the place although crowded is still relaxing especially if yu are seated outside where you can feel the fresh wind.