Cozy Afternoons at Cafe Xocolat

If you are ever in the Katipunan area, and you find yourself looking for a place to:

1. treat yourself to some nice comfort food
2. spend a lazy afternoon catching up with an old friend
3. just chill out and curl up with your laptop or book while enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate

... then Xocolat is the place for you!

I can't believe I've never blogged about this place. This is definitely one of my ultimate go-to place, and why shouldn't it be? A small, cozy cafe converted from the sala of an old house, Xocolat definitely has that homey feel that makes me want to stay here all day. In addition, with the friendly staff, eclectic decor and of course, the consistently good food, I kind of wonder why I haven't just moved in already (well, they're not open 24/7 for one).

Xocolat's comfy vibe makes it the ultimate chill-out place

The food... oh, the food. Obviously, for a place named after the world's favorite food, Xocolat offers excellent chocolate. Their signature beverages and cakes are some of the most decadent chocolate offerings this side of town. Because of this, you'd think that those exotic creatures called people who don't like chocolate won't have any reason to come here, but actually, Xocolat offers so much more. The menu is a labor of love, carefully crafted to bring you all the best comfort food.

Mushroomburger-- Totally Confused

I didn't really plan to write a blog about Mushroomburger BUT I just had to share my confusion... THIS.

Car seats at Mushroomburger

Yes, that's Mushroomburger at Katipunan. My reaction went like this "What??? Am I seeing things?.... Why???" So you could really feel my confusion upon entering the place. At first I thought it was just the new addition of pancit in bilao that was a weird addition to the chain, but now this! Why car seats??????

Anyway, since I have expressed enough confusion already, I shall now comment on the food. It was my first time to realize that there are rice meals there actually hahaha I thought it was all just burgers (it's named MushroomBURGER for a reason).. and to think that it's not my first time to visit =P So of course, I tried their Mushroom Beef rice meal with the side dish of Mushroom Fiesta.

Great Food and the Company of Friends at Manang's

If you have friends studying at Ateneo de Manila University, you've probably heard about Manang's at least once. Ateneans love it, Ateneans rave about it, and Ateneans, when they graduate, miss it more than anything else in the school.

Manang's is a cozy little corner right next to the Covered Courts where most freshmen and sophomores have their PE classes. In the morning, you can already smell them grilling their signature liempo (pork belly), for which eager diners line up for during lunch time. The open air space is packed with hungry students who come to meet up with their friends, relax, unwind, and simply have some great home-cooked food.

Manang's at Ateneo de Manila University