I'm a sucker for Asian food, every one knows that. And no, I'm not just talking about Filipino and Japanese, although I must say I have a huge bias on the two, hehe. During one of our Maginhawa expeditions, we were trying to avoid StrEAT Food Park as much as possible because I've seen the amount of people that flock the place and no, I won't subject myself to that. 

Fortunately when we passed by while looking for a place to eat, there weren't a lot of people! Then we realized it's a weekday, maybe that's why. We decided to give it a try since I've been dying to try the fancy Milkshakes at Lost Bread. When we got there, I was racing to get a table since I was expecting an influx of customers. Surprisingly, the place was chill, hehe. 

I am an exceptionally dramatic person. Case in point, I always get nostalgic when I go to QC. I lived and worked in QC for about 5 years and it's like my comfort zone in Manila. It's not in ANY way similar to Baguio, of course. But I get a comforting feeling of familiarity when I go there knowing most of my friends live around the area. I know where to go for cheap drinks, I know where to go for a quick bite, I know where to retreat when I want to be alone. Aside from nostalgia, there's also a sense of bliss knowing I can prance along Maginhawa and satisfy my hungerlust. 

While driving along Maginhawa (I didn't really get to prance around because it was hot), we saw a lot of enticing restaurants we wanted to try but of course our tummies can only handle so much, we decided on Yvan Navy. Unfortunately, we were told they won't be opening until 3PM. We went there around lunch time and realized we were too hungry to wait. We drove again and saw Abdul The Cool. Before that, I remember seeing a friend on Facebook rave about the food so I thought we should find out ourselves. So, Abdul The Cool it is. Side note, I just realized how tedious the decision-making process is when looking for a place to eat. Or maybe I'm just immensely indecisive.

Moving to Maginhawa wasn't easy for me. Tomas Morato has been my home for 3 years and being surrounded by bars, pubs and restaurants that operate 24/7 isn't actually a bad thing. But whenever I remember all the times I had to feel like a survivor just to get home while battling the rain, moving makes sense all of a sudden. 

Looking for a place close to work wasn't easy either. Sometimes I begin to think, why did I decide to work here in the first place if I had to endure all the evilness this place has to offer? Business-wise, Manila is a pool of endless job opportunities and aggressive career growth, but it's not a conducive place for a healthy and productive life--unless you're rich and can actually afford a nice place to live in. I have more to say on the topic but that deserves a separate blog post, back to the topic. Maginhawa is like a more laid-back version of Tomas Morato. There aren't a lot of establishments that are open 24/7 but the selection of places you can go to are eccentric and fascinating. One of which is Gerry's Jeepney. 

Food is my comfort zone. Whenever I feel sad or depressed, I cook or eat--or do both! I mean, who doesn't love food? I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by great restaurants, street food and what have you. Maginhawa indeed is a foodie's playground. Can I just say I love living here? My place is strategically near the Supermarket, the laundromat, the terminals and work, most especially. I have to allot around 10-15mins of travel time to get to work, and that's not bad! Considering the horrendous traffic situation Metro Manila has to offer. 

In our pursuit to further discover what Maginhawa has in store for us, the boyfriend and I would usually try out new restaurants/fast foods which proliferate like mushrooms in this strip, I tell ya! One of the new ones that caught our attention was Wogo Ribs, Pasta and More. We tried it one afternoon because we were too lazy to get up and cook--but not too lazy to get up and eat out LOL.

I'd like to apologize to my small space in the intarwebz for constantly failing to post stuff on a regular basis. Things have been chaotic plus I've been spending most of my time at work. Changes, a lot of changes at work. Real life problems I had to deal with before making love with my tiny space on the web. 

On to lighter things, I'm exploring my new neighborhood! Things are great in my new apartment, don't know just yet for the rainy season, but so far so good. 

One of the things I enjoy the most are the food joints along Maginhawa St., they're just endless! From drinking places to fancy restaurants, milk tea hangouts, etc.! Yesterday, the lover and I were craving for Bulalo and chanced upon Jek's Ku-bo Bulalo at Ulo-Ulo. 

This is their menu. Staples are  Bulalo and Ulo-Ulo hence the name. Their menu changes on a daily basis but everything is budget-friendly. Their menu board reminds me of Pizza Volante with less color and vibrance.