The first time I tried Ca Phe Saigon was in their The Corner Market branch in Podium, Ortigas

This new branch is along Sumulong Highway. I'll be embedding the map at the end of this post 'cause I'm not good at describing locations. I am from Quezon City and although Marikina branch is closer to me, I find this branch easier to go to 'cause we frequent the Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage Shrine. It's nice to have Ca Phe Saigon as one of our choices when we're in the area.

Dry Noodles with Spring Rolls

P 130.00

Fresh Spring Rolls
P 180.00

Ever since my Ho Chi Minh experience, these two food items above have become my favorites. I always look forward to eating the dry noodles even if I still can't pronounce it right two years after the first time I was able to try it. lol. Just like all the food items that will be included in this post, their version may have a little modification that suits Filipino palate more but still good as authentic especially since a lot of ingredients in cooking these dishes are sourced from Vietnam.

Tamarind Pork Ribs

P 270.00

slow cooked fell off the bone pork ribs basted with tamarind sauce

Not everyone may be a fan of the noodles and vegetables so it's a good thing that they have several rice meals that you can choose from.

Banh Mi

Regular: P 120

Special: P 190

Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)
Regular: P 160

Special: P 260

We went here two Sundays ago and it was raining hard but it was a perfect day to enjoy a hot bowl of Pho. The broth of pho is clear and it has flat rice noodles.

Ate pouring the broth of the beef pho.

Seafood Noodle Soup
P 270

One of the reasons why I like eating Vietnamese cuisine is that it's very light and I don't feel bloated after all the eating. Look at all the dishes on the above photo and they're all with different kinds of vegetables - very healthy.

Vietnamese Dry Noodles

Chicken/Pork/Beef: P 140
Shrimp: P 170

Tbh, even the process of mixing the noodles and the fish sauce immediately reminded me of the food I used to love in HCMC. Wala e, ito pa rin talaga favorite ko. :)) I always look forward to eating versions of Vietnam's dry noodles.

It may look simple but mixing the fish sauce with the noodles transforms this entire dish into something else - para bang nilagay 'yon para maging united or maging complementary 'yung flavors ng bawat ingredient na meron sa bowl. I first found it weird and I'm not a big fan of noodles but this, again, has become my favorite Vietnamese food. I can eat this everyday especially since I can change the meat/rolls that go with it. Not to mention that the price point of all the food Ca Phe Saigon offers is affordable so it's a place that I can always consider going back to.

I don't drink coffee but I want to show you the drip coffee container they have. I heard that the coffee comes from Vietnam so it's definitely good. The reason why they use condensed milk is because the taste is very strong so mix it depending on your preference.

PS. The interior design in very nice. There are hints of Vietnam to it very simple but well put together.

Ca Phe Saigon Facebook Page link: here.

Ca Phe Saigon, The Corner Market, Podium link: here.

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It's almost the changing of season once again and 2019 has been incredible... incredibly fast. hehe.

This is an appreciation post for the once in a lifetime Spring experience in Japan and USA. This is my first legit Spring experience and my heart is ecstatic and full. Pero once in a lifetime nga lang ba? ABANGAN. HAHAHA!

Wala pa masyado sa isip ko 'yung konsepto ng Spring noon pero spring na pala 'yung mga bulaklak ng cactus dati sa Vegas!

Cactus Garden at Ethel M Chocolate Factory, Las Vegas, NV link: here.

Huis Ten Bosch
Part 1
Part 2

This Europe-themed park was the main driver of our Fukuoka trip this year. Europe has always been a dream destination but it's still far-fetched at this point because of the expenses but we'll eventually get there. Anyway, if you see some parts of this park, it really looks like Amsterdam so I'd consider it a lucky charm. <3

Baby Blue Eyes

Uminonakamichi Seaside Park

These are the reasons why I fell inlove with Spring travel. I didn't realize in until our trip in the flower fields of Taiwan in 2017 that I like flowers but they have to be planted. Lam mo 'yun, ayoko na bouquet type gusto ko mga ganitong flower field. Sabi nga, "flowers are in their most beautiful state when left where they're blooming."

One of the Sakura first bloom in Ohori Park, Fukuoka, Japan

Finding these trees was a challenge but we were lucky 'cause there are several trees in bloom around Ohori.

Somei Yoshino

White Sakura in Maizuru Park, Fukuoka, Japan

It was the beginning of Spring when we went to Japan but thank goodness that the blooming begins in Southern Japan so we were able to see several trees with bloom and not just buds.

This is a good place for viewing when the trees are in full bloom 'cause almost all the trees are cherry blossoms.

Along the river in Hakata, Fukuoka

We went to this river that night because we wanted to try eating at a Yatai stall but there were too many people so we headed somewhere else to eat. What we saw though was this cherry blossom tree by the river so we went back in the morning for better photos.

Growing cherry blossom trees in a street of Hakata, Fukuoka

These cherry blossom lined street which we saw by accident 'cause were killing time before our flight back to Manila. They're not yet fully-grown but they're still a sight to see. Fukuoka has been generous with cherry blossom sightings. <3

Fukuoka, Japan 2019: link: here.

Above is the garden of Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The theme was Japanese Garden that's why they had a replica of the Osaka castle in the middle.

I am not sure of the schedule but they change the theme of the conservatory every few months.

Bellagio Water Fountain Show and Conservatory link: here.

This was the place where I first saw a lot of tulips back in 2016. Still one of my favorite places in the whole of Las Vegas. <3

Someday, Osaka Castle!! Will be coming for you!!!!! Hehehe.
Sarap din balik-balikan ng Japan eh kaso ang gastos kasi sobrang saya mag shopping. Haaaay. Hindi na ata macu-cure ang wanderlust. HAHA

The Flower Fields
Carlsbad, California

This is a seasonal attraction in California that opens March 1 and closes May 10. It's a huge place filled with a lots of flowers and if you go up the hill then you'd be seeing the ocean as well. I forgot what the name of the flowers in the fields are but they're beautifully landscaped and are very pleasant to look at. I've yet to post about my previous US trip but yeah, definitely one of the places worth coming (back) to.

From Los Angeles, we flew to New York on the first of May. I wasn't able to roam around Central Park because it rained on the day that it was on the itinerary so I don't know if there are other sakura blooms that time.

But hey, had my "hanami" in the states in Long Island, New York. Ganito pala itsura niya kapag in full bloom!!!! You really have to catch the time when it's full bloom because the petals of the flowers would fall when the leaves grow.

Kanzan

Double blossom sakura of Long Island, New York

These trees were by the train station of Selden, Long Island. Passed by the trees several times but only had one chance to take photos with them. hehehe. Still. Grateful. Infinitely grateful.

Klook.com

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We woke up early that day because we waited for Lee Min Ho on na -11 winter morning. Hahaha! We won't wake up that early and wait in the biting cold just for anyone so he should feel touched by our gesture. LOLZ. Anyway, our itinerary for that day was in Gangnam so we decided to eat here in Lee Jong Suk's cafe for lunch and at Lee Donghae's cafe for dinner. HAHAHA! Didn't realize it that time but it was an oppa day for us. :)) Because soon after eating our lunch, we headed straight to COEX Artium where SM Town is but that's for another blog post.

We alighted at Sinsa Station exit 6 and followed Google map to the cafe. This is located in Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam. It's an upscale area which can be compared to the Beverly Hills of California so I kind of anticipated the price point of the place that I was getting myself into.

We waited for quite a while before the cafe opened so we had to stand outside. Good thing sunlight was a bit bright that day so we just stood there where the heat was because it was freezing cold.

Basically, the cafe is on the first floor and the restaurant is on the second.

We were the first ones in the restaurants but soon enough, the tables were getting occupied. One of the things I noticed with the customers, though this is very expected is that, most of them are fans of Lee Jong Suk.

The sosyalin service water.

This is a very fancy place, I tell you, and it shows in every detail of the whole cafe. Even the toilet fragrance was Joe Malone - gusto ko lang i-share kasi wala nga ako ng ganyan na perfume. haha!

The serving was enough for me and it was filling. I like mushrooms and bacon so I knew that I'd like it even before it was served. Medyo hirap lang kainin kasi hindi ko alam paano dapat 'yan - kakagatin o puputulin ba?

Truffle Mushroom Sandwich

12,000 KRW

Some of the menu items are expensive but I thought paying 12,000 KRW for this was reasonable enough. Also, this is one of the low-priced menu items you can find in the cafe. The range of food prices are 12,000 KRW to 33,000 KRW.

Halatang puyat mata eh. :)))

Para rin kaming nag trabaho niyan e, gising ng 5 AM kasi kailangan namin maunahan si Lee Min Ho pumasok sa office e halos one hour 'yung layo ng hotel namin sa office niya. HAHAHAHA! Isipin mo bakasyon tapos pagod na pagod ka habang nasa subway, kahit nakatayo e feeling mo napapa-idlip ka ng sandali para sa 30 seconds ni LMH! Grabe.

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people just exist."

May we all live the life we imagine. <3

Wall accents are nice as well and the bright natural light coming from the window was "invigorating" 'cause it was really cold back then. Dito kasi sa'tin, 'yung araw mainit. Doon, di mo masyado mapapansin 'yung araw puro malamig lang kahit may araw.

Address:

89 Mansion Café, 25 Apgujeong-ro 4-gil, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea

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My first time in Gangneung was during Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018. HAHA. But yea, it was only the stadiums that I got to visit back then.

Lost in Pyeongchang link: here.

Above is my experience getting lost in Pyeongchang and yet finding an ice and trout festival.

South Korea Travel Sim? Purchase yours here.

We were only here for a while since this is just a side trip to the Gangneung Ice Stadium 'cause we were scheduled to watch a concert that night.

Those are the coffee shops with large windows facing the Anmok Sea so you can get a table with a view. <3

To get here, you can ride a bus at Dong Seoul Bus Station in Seoul.

At the background is Anmok Beach though Gangneung has a more famous beach called Jumunjin Beach 'cause it was the shooting location of a scene in the Kdrama, "Goblin."

This has a scarf inside, a gift from Korean Tourism Organization for winter travelers. I just didn't have a proper winter clothes but it was freezing!!!

Strong waves of the winter sea.

But as someone who has no winter in her country, walang makakapigil sa'kin -11!!! HAHAHAHA! Though I am preparing warmer clothes for my Winter 2020 already.

Additional information:

A coffee festival is held here every October. I think that's one of the best times to visit the area because it's autumn and you can definitely see a lot of autumn foliage.

There's an ample parking space there as well if you have your own car or rental car.

To get here:

From Seoul:

You can ride a bus to Gangneung from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal

Anmok Bus Stop.

Green Bus No. 202-1 (bound for Gyeongpo-Anmok), 302 (bound for Anmok-Hyanghori)

If you're going here, I suggest that you stay for at least two days since there's a lot more to Gangneung than this coffee street... although I haven't toured around as well. lol

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