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| 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.
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| Maginhawa Street, UP Diliman |
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:
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
Onli in da Pilipins: A Writer's Journal
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Copyright © csmiravite™. All Rights Reserved
