Food Trek to Maginhawa Street of UP Diliman

Maginhawa Street, UP Diliman

Food trek to UP Diliman's, Maginhawa Street

Some of the best dishes can be found in the nooks and cranny of the city like the Maginhawa Street of UP Diliman. UP or the University of the Philippines, is the country's premier university, where you can find the best brains in the country. Most public administrators and politicians come from the august halls of this academe.

It has been bruited about that the university has been transformed into an institution for the middle class; that, it is no longer for  indigent and impoverished students, but for those belonging to the middle and upper strata of society. Hence, it is not unusual to see students having their own cars in going to their respective colleges; or living in nearby condominiums and plush residences on Kalayaan Street.

Maginhawa Street, UP Diliman

Among the iconic places that you can find within the campus is in Maginhawa Street, where food choices abound. It is peopled mostly by students and employees from the nearby offices who are always in the lookout for a good treat. The prices are not as cheap as those found in the Dilimall Cafeteria, but not as expensive as those in the high end places, either.

My daughter and I decided to have a food trip in some restaurants found in the area before the onslaught of Typhoon Mario. I am glad that we did, since we were able to partake of a number of delectable dishes that can only be found in those places. Among those are as follows:

Toasted Ravioli at Fruilli Tratoria

FRUILLI TRATORIA

At around noontime, the site was packed with customers. The place can only accommodate from 50 to 70 customers at any given time on the ground floor level. As the name implies, they are more into Italian cuisine. The choices were many, but we decided on trying---Toasted Ravioli and their best seller, Pizza Margheritta.

Best seller, Pizza Margheritta at Fruilli Tratoria

What can I say? The toasted ravioli is really toasted brown and goes well with the lightly seasoned salsa. It has a piquant taste and, I believe, it can go well with a nice cool drink of root beer. The Pizza Margheritta, is thin crusted with a few heapings of cheese and tomatoes. It tastes different than the usual Shakeys and Greenwich Pizza, since it is served simply ---for a purer and distinct Italian taste.

Churros with Chocolate at Sancho Churreria

SANCHO CHURRERIA MANILA

We wanted to try something sweet after having a fill from the Fruilli Tratoria. We decided to have churros dipped in chocos and a slice of their chocolate cake. The churros were nicely fried and not at all oily. The chocolate dipping was rich and full-flavored. I can say that it can be a meal on its own. The slice of chocolate cake is comparable to the ones in Joni's and Goldilocks. Like the Tratoria, the place was likewise filled with people --- mostly from the younger set.

Books galore at BooksUkay at Masagana Street

BOOKSUKAY

Nope, this is not another eating place. It is a hole in the wall store that is filled with books --- from arts to history and architecture. It is near the Tratoria and we scanned the shelves for some good books. It is always a great adventure to go to a small bookstore, where you can find gems at a fraction of a cost. However, since this stall is within the compounds of UP, Diliman --- all noteworthy books cost the kind of money that only the uber-rich can afford. We might have to try other venues that are cheaper than this store.

The University of the Philippines Carrilon

BOTTOM LINE

There are many places of interests that we can all go to. It takes a roving eye and a zest for adventure, for us to find them. It helps greatly if we can go to these places with friends and family. We multiply the fun if we share it with people that we care about.

Savoring something new, every now is then, is what life is all about. As they say, it is not a life's destination which counts, but the various stopovers that we make along the way.

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