In Laguna, there's a municipality where
nature meets technological advancements, and where bright minds meet - Los
Banos, LB or Elbi. For Senyorito Lakwatsero, this is where his
office is located. His “office”? The vast grounds of an international research
centre. Thus, it is not surprising for
Senyorito Lakwatsero, Driver, Yaya and Mayordoma to have food adventures in LB.
Coffeeshop in the rice fields?
Inside the International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) is a cozy coffee shop called Beanhub. The coffee shop caters mainly to the
employees and guests of the Institute but they are also open to the
public. How good is Beanhub? Well, for one, it has captured the discerning
tastes of both the local and international staff of the Institute. Mayordoma's bosses always tell their guests
that Beanhubs's coffee is good enough to
match the famed Starbucks franchise.
Aside from coffee, they also serve pasta, pizza, sandwiches, salads and
pastries. On top of the gang's list are
the Kani Salad, White Cheese and Pesto Sandwich, Grilled Cheese with
Vegetables, Spicy Sardines in Pesto Pasta, Mushroom Alfredo, Chicken Spaghetti,
Lemon and Basil Juice, Mudslide and Blueberry Cheesecake. The list just goes on and on. Here's more, their price range is just a
third of what other cafes charge. Value
for your money to the highest level!
But Beanhub's biggest asset is its people.
CJ, Bob, Weng and the rest of the team provides a special touch to their
service. They'll even personalize the
froth of your cappuccino – your name, the face of your dog, a kiss, even the
initials of the training that you are attending!
If you plan to go there during lunchtime,
be sure to come early because the place gets really packed.
If LA has The Grove, so does LB!
Senyorito Lakwatsero fell in love with
Bonito's menu that he wouldn't let go of it.
We are not exaggerating when we tell you that he gave the waiter dagger
looks when he tried getting the menu from him after we were done ordering. He only let go of it when we were about to
leave.
Bonito's is a resto-bar at the LB's version
of The Grove (sa may UP Gate). It is
located at the entrance of Demarces. If
you are bringing a car with you, the able guard on duty will assist you in
parking.
One of Bonito's gems is the Crunchy
Calamari Salad – crunchy coated squid, salad greens, carrots, singkamas and
your choice dressing. We preferred Honey
Mustard but we will try the Strawberry dressing next time. Another hands down winner is the Batangas
Kaldereta. It will literally melt in
your mouth. But please don't be too
eager to taste it because it is served steaming hot. They also have the Elbi Burger (not sure if
this is the right name but we are referring to the humungous burger) which we will
try next time. Another curious item in
their menu is the Crispy Kare-Kare. It's
your typical Crispy Pata served on top of vegetable Kare-Kare. If you don't have any health restrictions,
try it! For dessert, we tried the
tiramisu but it did not go well with our taste.
Probably, amaretto and us are not meant to be together!
Over-all, Bonito's is a place we recommend
for friends who would like to hang out or for quick business lunch.
Do not judge a book if you are not a
judge, er, by its cover!
Along Lopez Avenue (university avenue) is
the office of a cable tv provider, nothing really special. But tucked behind it is a place that will
take you to another era. Think Victorian
especially with its brocade upholstered seats.
Madam Mamita, Senyorito's grandmama who came with the gang, was
impressed with the interiors of Mio Cucina.
And boy, she is not that easy to impress! The same theme applies to their menu, simple
name marvelous taste!
After placing our orders, we were provided
with their complimentary Bonete. For
those familiar with Bonete, this is the Pan de Tubo like bread you can buy in
panaderias. But Mio Cucina takes it to
another level. They serve it together
with butter and a concoction of balsamic vinegar and olive oil, sometimes with
Sinantulan. It was so good that even
before we were finished eating the batch that was given to us, Madam Mamita was
already ordering Bonetes to go. For
appetizer, we ordered Ukoy. Yes, Ukoy in
a fancy place! This was actually the
runaway winner of the night. Unlike the typical ukoy, this one is served shaped
like a square and extremely thin.
Almost, cracker-like. And it goes really well with the tangy dip that
comes with it. We ordered seconds! For
our main course we had Bistek Tagalog, Kaldereta and Fish Fillet with Sweet and
Sour Sauce. The Bistek was good but can
still be more tender. The Kaldereta is
tender enough that there was no need to use a knife. It was heavenly! We ordered the fish fillet as a filler but it
was another surprise. The fish, the
sauce were fantastic!
Lesson learned, never ever judge a food by
its name unless you have tried it!
Bonito's and Mio Cucina will cost you
around Php1,000 – Php1,500 for a meal good for four people. At Beanhub, you can have pasta/sandwich and drinks
for under Php100.
Tonight, if Madam Mamita will not play
architect (read: drawing), we will
explore one of San Pablo's newest restaurants.
This time we will go Mediterranean!
