Restaurant review: Runner's Kitchen in Tomas Morato

Facade of Runner's Kitchen

I like being in Quezon City. One of the perks of living here is that you never could stop discovering places to have an adventure, to wine or dine. On the day we had an abrupt food crawl in the Quezon City - Tomas Morato area, my Sensei and New York famed Fashion Photographer Xander Angeles saw me posting food shots on Instagram - and invited us over their new restaurant named Runners Kitchen. It's located at the creek side, on a building beside the bridge in Tomas Morato. It's in between Kamuning Road and E. Rodriguez Avenue. This place spurred from the ideas and plans of running enthusiasts (all members of Run365PH) Xander Angeles, Abby Asistio, Glaiza De Castro, Bianca King, and several partners. These guys run together, Originally, the plan was to have a food truck - but they ran into trouble with permit requirements from individual cities where they wanted to have food to be sold. So the next option was settle in one city (which they find more practical too!), and put up a restaurant here. They are opening this place officially in March. Athletes, runners, bike enthusiasts can enjoy healthy, some gluten free, well balanced meals in this place. 

The Interiors

The moment I stepped in, I meticulously looked at the restaurant's interiors. I asked who did it and they laughed a bit because I was talking to him already. My Sensei Xander has what you can say... aesthetic, much of an artist. Knowing him for quite a number of years, the design sort of made sense to me. He used raw looking wood for the bar, and continued on to the beams on the ceiling to cut off the bare white wall. He also installed desk lamps on a series and got that over the non seating bar (as they're not serving cocktails) but I could see they're making really good cups of coffee and serve a pretty good selection of wines, a choice of good beers, that fervently follow their restaurants theme.

It's like after office hours. When executives sit down and roll up their sleeves, go out and ride their bikes or run on a weekend. Then hang them up so they could recharge, refuel, grab something healthy so they won't be piling up the calories they lost during the sport.

They have ample amount of lighting, no place to actually get blinded or be bothered. It's cozy, a place where you could bring your book - to curl up and sit on a table. Order a cup of coffee and travel through thousands of places virtually. The whimsy, are those light fixtures that mimic flashlights and a real deal working Fixie bike on the wall. Aside from that, the table lamps on the bar, the small wood panels, the writings on the wall, in some way can be a conversation piece.

You get assured, reading inspirational treatments like these in one part of the room. I think it's just a start and they might get more in the other blank walls, though less is more. 

The place could properly seat around 50-70 people, and could probably use the outside areas for that too. They have ample amount of parking, guarded by the building. As for acoustics, that might be a little thing to improve on because you can probably hear everyone else's conversation (but please don't!) since the walls are bare (not padded as with other normal restaurants) with paint. People who usually hang here though are civilized, so if you're a little rowdy, please be nice when you're staying for a while.

The place isn't cramped. They did a good job inserting mirrors on these wall treatments so you get the illusion of a more open space rather than "just a wall". The shelves all have the wines they have available in the restaurant but I'm sure they have these chilled somewhere in the kitchen/commissary. They make everything here including the preparations, so you wouldn't complain a single day about freshness of the produce they use for the food they serve. Our salad was green, no damage, no wilting, no bruises whatsover. I'll tell you about that later.  

I guess my Sensei Xander Angeles and his partners did a pretty good job with this place. I can only imagine how it might have looked before they moved in. This probably took countless months, no, years of preparation. If all the passionate people in the Philippines made their work like this, it'll be bad a$$. See how they got it done here?

Derrick Monasterio Bares Body in Half Sisters Today!

It looks like the end of teeny bopper roles for Derrick Monasterio. His top rating afternoon prime show Half Sisters is about to change because he got swayed to fight for his love with Diana played by Barbie Forteza. All along, Diana thought Bradley and Baste was in good terms but now she's going to be stuck trying to choose between her best friend and the love of her life. To add more spice to the mix, Derrick Monasterio is also bearing it all with a half naked scene in the pool party happening today when Half Sisters show on GMA Afternoon Primetime.

I've asked him about this a couple of months back, and he said he was holding back because he might not fit the teeny bopper role he's going for (since he's in this show with teen stars too). It's obvious that he's got a sculptured physique even back then, and I wonder what made him change his mind?

Bradley and Baste's relationship will sirely be rocked because of the schemes Ashley suggested to him. Now, Baste has the money, he's got the bullets to make the challenge a little tougher for Bradley. Would it even matter to Diana? Or will this just make matters worse?

He's got the physique of a demigod and of he's flaunting it to get the attention of Diana, is she the kind of girl to even consider looking at him now? We have to find out when Half Sisters shows a new improved Baste this afternoon right after Eat Bulaga. 

For more information about their artists:

Official GMA Artist Center

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://gmanetwork.com/artistcenter

QC Food Crawl: Kamuning Bakery

I grew up in this neighborhood. It's pretty important to me to still have the memories of my childhood in tact, not just because of the fact that I'm still living here - but more because I want generations to still be able to get why artisan bakeshops like these exist. Kamuning Bakery is legendary. I say that with gusto because I grew up knowing how they started. My grandma used to tell me there were only a few houses in this place when we started living here. This town is the first project of Quezon City and when there were only a few residents that we know, and can count with our hands that got residential houses built in this hilly part of the community. That goes the same with commercial establishments. Kamuning Bakery was put up in 1939. You and I must not have been even thought about yet, neither your folks might have been born too. They make pretty bad ass bread and pastries and I grew up having the exact thing they were making since their bakery started. The long lines, the hot crusty bread, the sweet treats I get from this bakery when I was a kid, I was there whenever we had to walk from the Sacred Heart Church to our home.

When we made an unplanned food crawl in Quezon City a few days ago, I remembered Mr. Wilson Lee Flores inviting me to Kamuning Bakery a few months back. I texted him and he agreed to accommodate us that same day, because he'd like us to experience Kamuning Bakery now as he's done some improvements to it. I remember the owners used to personally make and sell their products in the bakery still a few years back. It got a little dilapidated and only a few people went there because they opted for cheaper ones in other bakeries. Now that Mr. Wilson Lee Flores and the new management is at the helm, I think they are making head way in making things a little bit better. They're still trying to recreate 300 plus breads and pastries like they used to, and they're still selling some of it and adding on new ones in the bakery. Other than that, Kamuning Bakery is having a facelift.

They're putting up a full blown cafe in the property and calling it Kamuning Bakery Cafe. Their plan is to keep the old world charm of the place together with the memorabilia found in the same bakery. Countless famous people, celebrities, politicians and historical figures have been to Kamuning Bakery and that's exactly what they want you to know when they open this up come late February or early March. The Kamuning Bakery Cafe will also be serving the best of what Kamuning Bakery has plus all day breakfast meals, Pasta, native coffee choices too which we had the pleasure of tasting during our small visit.

Kamuning Bakery's Pan De Suelo

Canned Pork and Beans

Sagada Coffee and Condensed Milk

Pan De Suelo is  Kamuning Bakery's pride and glory. Suelo basically means floor because when they started baking this, they used to do it on the floor of the oven. Only in the quality control over the colonial American period did they make this on trays and more sanitary. Everybody loved it back then - and they're making it the way they used to still. The crunchy exterior, the full, non airy bread interior makes this the best thing to have with coffee. It won't crumble on the cup and it'll be doubly great if you had dips like Pork and Beans or Condensed Milk beside it for a more rustic way of eating it. I guess this is what you can say as (somehow) a mix of east and west but if your kids haven't been able to do it, I guess the right time to make it is now. No wonder this thing is adjudged as one of the best in the Philippines by various polls, magazines, articles and media.

They even have sweet treats like these! It's their Strawberry Fondant Cake! They also have Tikoy and other things in the counter. I love their Pineapple Pie too, it's super tangy, super sweet! Take a small bite of it!

When they open up the Kamuning Bakery Cafe in a few days, they would like to invite you to try out the Philippines best coffee. They're bringing in some of the regional beans, blends and have you experience it with their house Pan De Suelo. Other than that, they're going to have all day breakfast, original flavored pastas and pugon baked chicken I heard. There's more to see in Kamuning Quezon City, we're not just a City of Stars, warm smiles and great people, we've got some of the world's best bread too!

Kamuning Bakery and Kamuning Bakery Cafe is at the corner of Judge Jimenez and K-1st Street in Quezon City. Come over for breakfast, lunch, snack or even things in between. It's indeed old fashioned, but way good taste!

For more information about their products:

Kamuning Bakery 1939

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://www.facebook.kamuningbakery/

QC Food Crawl: Figaro

Social media does do wonders. As I was reading through my timeline, I found out my friend and co blogger Azrael Coladilla was in Quezon City. He was in the Tomas Morato are in fact. I live nearby so when he wanted to have an impromptu food crawl in this area, I went in and showed them around. Kamuning is such a small town but I've got small joints here that I know would be of some interest to writers and bloggers. There's not much content, so we went to Figaro Tomas Morato to meet first. 

Unknown to many, Figaro is my office. I don't want to tell people about it that much because I'll lose the charm it has for me. The low foot traffic, the strong wifi and the available outlet on my favorite seat. I can charge stuff or stick my laptop if it runs out of battery. Other than that, the coffee choices are enormous and the food, you can choose rice meals, pastries or cakes and they all have it. You just have to make up your mind. Although I'm regretting you about this place in Tomas Morato, I guess if you're around the area you might as well pay a visit. After all, it's not like the other popular coffee chain on the other street that's so crowded and have pricey wifi. Let's start with the food shall we?

We had refreshments first. Figaro's Iced Tea was first on the list. It's very tangy than the usual Iced Tea and pretty affordable. If you're not into coffees, then I suggest you have this. If you don't like iced teas and went here for coffee, take this other drink below.

It's Figaro's Freshly Brewed Coffee. Of course it's one of their best sellers, they're a coffee shop for cryin out loud LOL. They serve this with the usual cream and sugar. We weren't there for this though, we had to have what they call the Favourite Meals.

This is Figaro's Beef Broccoli Stir Fry. It was good, although I would have loved to only have green broccoli with it. This one came with broccoli that's a little old so the flowerettes were a little yellow in the photo above. As for the taste, it was okay, the beef, the young corn and quail eggs on this dish had kept us happy because it was soft and perfect with the white rice. It's not too salty so if you're just in a hurry coming from your office and wanted to have lunch, Figaro can make you these dishes in a few minutes. Then there's another choice!

This one is Figaro's Salisbury Steak Burger. It's a burger patty smothered with Mushroom sauce on top. It's served with corn, carrots and peas on the side plus a cup of garlic rice. If you want something filling, this would be your best bet. Although some may find the mushroom a little salty, make sure you don't individually eat it and only have it with rice. It was made for that purpose I guess. All of these meals will be served with a glass of iced tea so you can grab em and go. If you don't like lunch this way, they serve breakfast meals too!

My personal favorite is this, Figaro's Gourmet Tuyo in Olive Oil. If some may find this salty, Tuyo is in the first place salted fish. It's soft and briny, mix it with the runny egg yolk and a spoonful of garlic fried rice, you'll have a great meal right there. You don't have to have this on a date, but if you're looking for something homey, something that would be comforting, this Gourmet Tuyo would be your choice. Trust me on this one because even those of my friends who were complaining it was salty suddenly found themselves finishing all the plate! It is good.

For what it's worth, Figaro has some of the best sandwiches and pastas too. If you're looking for something new than the ordinary sandwiches and cakes the other more popular coffee shops offer, then make your next lunch or breakfast be at Figaro in Tomas Morato. If you're there to occupy my table in front of the counter, please do it some place else LOL, don't disturb me too while I'm working! Ha!

For more information about their products:

Figaro Coffee Company

Like them on Facebook


Visit their official website

http://www.figarocoffee.com/