Unbelievable Meal Deals at HIGHGROUNDS Cafe Scout Rallos

Meat Platter with Different Sauces, more good deals at Highgrounds Cafe

I have been here quite a lot but have never seen them serve actual food aside from the pastries. Interestingly enough, it has always been difficult for people to have a decent coffee shop in the Tomas Morato area these days and I’ve never written about this place because I want it for myself - sometimes or often. People flock the Starbucks branches nearby but I’d rather go here (this HUGE one) or other small coffee shops because they have some special perks that your popular one doesn’t even come close with.

This place is primarily the BEST internet gaming hub in the country. Two floors are dedicated and house the latest Predator machines and gamers from across the world (oh yes they did), play here because it’s that good. Now it’s very important for them to have the accorded nutrition so they do have the right amount of eye hand coordination needed to beat other teams. They just introduced new group meals on the menu and I’m ecstatic for you to see how this makes this place even better.

The meat platter we ordered had all the steak lovers drooling. The lovely steak, the huge rib, the quarter chicken and tatsy Hungarian sausage. It was good and of course, it was gone in a few minutes.

Their other meal package had these pizzas on them. I figured we could go back there a few days ago and ordered it. You can choose two pizza flavors, this one had the crust made with squid ink hence the color. Included in it are 5 drinks (you can choose the iced tea flavor), the southern fried chicken (which I’ll show later), a full plate of pasta (I chose Pesto), the two stretched pizzas, plus 5 Korean Ice Cream varieties. Honestly it’s a steal if you can feed 5 people with it.

Fried Chicken, super crunchy!

I like my fried chicken like this, doused in flour, breaded nicely that’s why it comes out extremely crunchy. It’s also got chips on the side so you’ve got more things to talk about while having snacks. They have dirty rice so for people who believe RICE IS LIFE, then you may order that as well.

Salmon with Mushrooms in Ponzu Sauce

For something a little more fancy, they’ve got Salmon on top of mashed potatoes, mushroom pieces, lima beans, ponzu sauce and micro greens. It may look intimidating and a lot, but it’s worth it. Especially if you have female friends, this would be counted as their more healthy option. They prolly had this seared and oven baked before they put everything together. Quite good.

Crispy Pata

For those who crave it, yes they have Crispy Pata. Their dipping sauce is more on the sweet side but you may ask for condiments as you please. I asked for Tabasco and it was easy for them to whip it out because they’ve got good wings too.

For the piece de resistance, they’ve got the hits in their cafe for our dessert. The first of which is Red Velvet Crinkles (my personal favorite), then the cold Brazo De Mercedes, plus the Pistachio Sansrival. Game over. Now if you’re in the Tomas Morato area and looking for wifi connection, Highgrounds Cafe can accomodate you and lease 2 hours of ultra fast wifi connection for every 150 peso purchase. They can also have you use the wifi for a fee; very cheap actually if you’re uploading Youtube videos or downloading stuff, this would be the perfect place for you.

Highgrounds Cafe is located at 67 Scout Rallos Street in between Tomas Morato and Scout Torillo streets in Quezon City. They’ve got real good coffee too. Meal packages for 5 starts around Php 1999 and the other costs Php 2999, but trust me it's a FEAST, worth every penny.

KUMAGCOW

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Classy Retro Industrial Living at B Hotel in Quezon City

Dusk at my hotel room, B Hotel in Quezon City.

I arrived in B Hotel in Rallos Street Quezon City late afternoon. I covered events from morning til 2PM then went back to this hotel for refuge. I've been a little under stress, tons of things to write, places to go to but so little time. I'm too tired, that I couldn't really write when I'm at home. So this was something that I needed to say the least, a little peace and quiet, a little home away from home. It's too close actually that I could walk here. It's also near the Tomas Morato district so in case I need to find shops, restaurants and other establishments, I could walk there too.

Checking in was easy. They didn't need to fuzz about anything because I brought proper identification. I also brought a few things with me since this is a working trip so they offered to bring my things upstairs, but I was on wheels so I didn't bother. After getting my key cards, I went up to my room and was quite surprised with it. I didn't know I'd have something this nice near my place, if I only knew I would have been doing this on a regular basis.

The Superior Room

I admit, it was a little bit weird to actually see the sink outside the bath room. With a little research, they've been doing this in the 60's and 70's as an upscale bathroom feature. That's when I figured that the design aesthetic wasn't really just purely "industrial" but more "vintage" too.

They've got ample amount of storage. The closet also has in room safe so you keep your valuables in tact. They provide the usual toiletries, more than enough towels plus shower gels and shampoo. They have a pool on the 5th Floor and they provide the beach towels if you want to swim. Just ask the friendly pool guy about things you need and they'll get it for you.

I was alone in the room and I like what they did to this toilet and bath. I can imagine doing business here (while really doing business on the phone) while watching TV. They also saved space by using one smoked glass door for the shower and since the sink wasn't there, it was roomy for a big guy like me.

The bed was firm, and I think they have optional 2 beds rather than a King sized one which I had in the room I love how I could roll around it and still remain safe when I sleep. Nobody got hurt ha-ha!

There's a flat screen TV, a small desk to work on with ample amount of lighting, the usual snack bar on the side and small accents on the wall.

You can roll up the blinds and see outside. Rallos Street is part of the residential area of Barangay Laging Handa so you're only going to see roofs of neighbors and other buildings in the Timog Avenue area. Timog is also one street away so if you're planning to go out you can definitely walk there.

The selection on the snack bar was quite extensive. I got a lot because I was a little too lazy to get up and buy things from convenience stores nearby. They also have drinks, beers, juices on the personal fridge.

I think they can fit around 4 people in this room, but I'd suggest to keep it for 2 so it would still be a bit roomy.

I've had looooong hot and cold showers in this place, so I could say it's really good. Aside from that, you could see the towel racks are fancy.

Here's a video of my room and some of the other rooms that they offer. The also have a grand ballroom, a lot of meeting rooms, the Mezzanine Bar, the Lobby Cafe. Enjoy this tour!

The Food

They serve mostly Filipino food but there are regular hotel staples here and there. I had dinner with my friends during the first day at The Lobby Cafe. We also had a couple of drinks before we called it a night. The buffet breakfast was super nice thanks to the "taho" moment I had which was really good. Plus they're launching a new steak restaurant named "Johnny's Steak House" which will open very soon! The rib eye kept me dreaming a few days after but I'm sure I'll be back in B Hotel very soon. In the mean time let's enjoy these dishes!

These are just some of the nicest cakes I've had in the area. This is available at the cafe of B Hotel. I bet I could work here on off days, they also have really good very popular Ensaymada so make sure you order some if you're in the area. I took some home and had to try so hard to save some for other days. I had three in one sitting, no joke. They also have iced or hot coffee, barely into the day I had to have one because it's so good with the Ensaymada.

Top left is the Beef in Black Pepper Sauce, on the right is Chicken Jus (a fancy name for Chicken with Red Wine Sauce) plus on the bottom we had Pinakbet with tons of BAGNET (I had to put two photos to emphasize it). If you think the photos are not much, I put everything I ate on video so you get to feel how it was to dine and enjoy what it's like. This doesn't even do justice.

I did have my moments of weakness and failed a lot in the diet department, but I was here to enjoy, I was here to relax and not relish on sad moments. I was there to work too and in one day was able to finish a lot of articles. I was seeing a lot of people committed to this business and they're doing their job with passion. I even saw brides and grooms themselves come up to the counter and easily tell them what they need. Heck I saw 5 weddings in a day, does that even tell you how nice the hotel is?

It's in the heart of Quezon City where everything is happening. It's affordable, way fancy for what it's worth and they even got more things coming up. I had a nice stay, did my errands, got so full during breakfast, lunch and dinner. The hotel is vibrant, all the people I met seem they were doing what they loved. The rooms are huge, even if they're inside a residential area where space is limited they didn't make that an issue. The pool was an awesome retreat too, plus there was a salon on the same floor that would get you pampered if you need to. I loved what I saw in B Hotel and I'm sure I'll be back there some day. They're the same people who build Bellevue Hotels and Resorts and this one accommodates the mid range market, but it felt like it's way more than that. I'm sure you'll be lovin it when you get to stay at B Hotel. I know I did.

For more information about their hotel:

B Hotel in Quezon City

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Visit their official website

http://www.bhotelqc.com/

55 Events Place: A Thanksgiving!

A stones throw away from my place is this awesome event location called 55 Events Place located at Scout Rallos in Quezon City. I've been attending several events there for the past few years and I've been impressed with the variety of looks the place actually transforms to which was quite dependent on the occasion. Who wouldn't love this place if its just a few meters away from Tomas Morato Avenue which is known as the restaurant and entertainment hub of Quezon City. It was their time to give thanks to everyone who supported them all these years. They know how important it is to give recognition to their patrons, caterers and the press so they did it in one blow!

The Ambiance

Providing heavenly mood music were these guys from Impressions Muic Ensemble. They would be perfect for Weddings, Birthdays or any occasion when you need classy tunes!

The Table Setting

There were 4 caterers that afternoon so I was giddy looking at their setup. They've got table arrangements done on different tables, so just imagine the variety you can do when you have your special occasion done on this place!

Overflowing drinks were courtesy of these guys here!

Cocktails and Mocktails were served by Wild Cocktails. 

This would probably be great for birthdays right? =)

Josiah's Catering had us splurge with Italian that evening. It was comfort food frenzy because they had pasta which I'm a fan of! Basil or Pesto in my plate please!

Goblet Catering had this awesome centerpiece and I absolutely love the Eggplant Moussaka they served. I had seconds and thirds!

Hizon's had it made with this red ensemble and most of the red table arrangements which was quite impressive in my books. Their steaks were warm and medium rare just the way I like it!

The newest addition to the lineup of caterers that they have in 55 Events Place was K by Cunanan. They used old wood to make it look a little shabby chic. I would have loved if they put some more fabric though. I love their Orange Salad and the Churros oh don't get me started!

The Food

 Herb Parmesan Crusted Dory with Mayo-Garlic Sauce

Chicken Stuffed With Cheese

Roasted Potatoes, Garlic and Onions

Steak and Mashed Potatoes

Dessert spread! =)

One of my faves! Eggplant Moussaka!

Cha Misua

The steak and mashed potatoes was so yummy! It was so soft! Mmm...

The pasta was good too!

The fish was soft and the crust outside was crunchy. I would have loved this with a little more pesto though!

Both Mock tails were on the sweet side. It was awesome!

Scooping up a serving of Eggplant Moussaka was just perfect. 

I loved every bite I took out of this awesome dish!

Mushroom and Broccoli Stir Fry

Chicken Ala King

Scrumptious Chicken Sate!

Churros!

Creme Brulee =)

55 Events Place has a lot to offer. They've got 2 ballrooms, a spacious lobby and a garden area. For private parties, gatherings and functions this would definitely be a good place to start since it is near major landmarks and the center of everything! They have everything you need to start that party you've always wanted (Lights, Sounds, KTV, AVP, Photo booths) so make sure you give them a call and reserve for the dates you need to block off. Prices range from 15-70K Philippine Pesos. You can visit 55 Scout Rallos Street, Quezon City if you want to take a look! Don't be afraid to ask! =)

For more information about 55 Events Place

Visit their website

http://www.55eventsplace.com