Revisiting the Chef

Chef d' Angelo
Upper Ground Floor, Annex Building - SM City Fairview
Regalado cor. Quirino Highway, Quezon City
+63 (02) 937-2433
22 September 2009

Our first memories of dining in Chef d' Angelo wasn't that good, but we did give them some credit - they were one of the new restaurants in the mall, and that maybe they were still cultivating their recipes. Even though it wasn't that great of an experience, the family still eats there from time to time because their servings were big, and there were a lot of choices.

Before doing our grocery shopping, the family had lunch first, and because we already missed eating here, we decided to revisit the store.


Facade. This store in SM City Fairview was the third branch, which opened in 2004. The very first branch was located in Robinson's Place Manila, and because of its success, it branched out to different locations. Currently, they have 10 branches, 9 of which are in Metro Manila, while the other one is located in SM City Pampanga.


Interiors. Whenever we eat here, we would always choose the table near the cashier because we felt the store didn't have much space. The chairs were too close to each other, and it was quite difficult to get around, especially if you had to sit near the wall.


Ceiling Decoration. Aesthetically, what I loved about Chef d' Angelo was its homey feel. From the wall decors to this ceiling decoration, we felt as if we were just eating at home.


Cakes. This cake stand was located next to the cashier. They all look lovely, but for 100 pesos per slice (approx. 2.25USD), it was a bit expensive for me. Either that, or I just don't have a sweet tooth.

As for our lunch that day, we had:




Caesar Salad. Sister's "appetizer." She loved eating this kind of salad, and at first I felt a little guilty because she went for something "healthy," only to find out that this wasn't all she ordered. After eating this one, she had...


Oven-Baked Ziti. Their pasta plates were actually good for sharing, but if you have a big appetite, you can really eat it by yourself, like my sister did. Unlike the other baked ziti I have tasted, this one had a blend of two sauces - Alfredo and Marinara. This is my sister's favorite pasta here in Chef d' Angelo, and she would always go for this whenever we eat there.


Chef Sampler 1. Mom and I had the same order. There were three samplers, but we always go for #1, because it basically had everything we wanted to eat - fried chicken, pizza, and pasta. For the pasta, foodies had a choice if they want the tomato or the white sauce. I went for white, mom went for the tomato. The pizza is called "Sweet Porky Pizza," which was their version of the Hawaiian Pizza. The chicken they called "Big Bird Fried Chicken," and really, it was big. Recalling the first visit to this store, I also went in for the Sampler 1 and was quite disappointed with the fried chicken because it had too much breading, which made it really, really salty. This food on my plate was completely different - it was much better. The only complaint would be the color of the chicken - it looked a overcooked, but the taste was still good.


Chicken Teriyaki. Brother's choice. All SM Malls had this "Advantage Card," which can be used to earn points as you shop, and since the program has tied up with Chef d' Angelo, people with the Advantage Card can get a free refill of rice (if they order the rice meal, of course). My mom had the card that time, and because brother wanted to eat a lot, he went for their rice meal, with the free rice refill.


Iced Green Tea. My favorite drink at Chef d' Angelo. It was really good and refreshing, and is so much different from the normal iced tea.

It was a very great eating experience. Dining with my family is always great, and I was happy we chose to eat here again. If you want to know more of Chef d' Angelo's food, you can check their website HERE.

*** Jenn ***

A Day at the Ecopark

La Mesa Ecopark
East Fairview, Quezon City
+63 (02) 430-4051 / +63 (02) 430-5207/ +63 (02) 430-5207 (telefax)
15 August 2009

The purpose of us going to the park was to do J & L's pre-nuptial photoshoot (please check the post prior to this for some of the pictures), but because the shoot was done by lunch and they all left after, Halie and I stayed much longer in the park, because we thought we were already there - might as well enjoy the day and roam around the park more. :)


Pre-Nup. One of the first pictures I took in the park. We were early to get there, and just by near the entrance was a couple having a pre-nup shoot. This park is a very popular place for couples to do their pre-nup shoot because the park is so big and there are just a lot of picturesque places to be used as a background.




Stairs. People can take the 170+ steps up if they want to see the La Mesa Dam. It was a very tiring hike uphill, but it was a good experience. This picture I took midway coming down.


Huts. Because the park is so big, people come there to do picnics. These huts were just some of the places people can use to do their picnics, but people can also use the tables / chairs, or can bring their own blankets and lay it out on the grassy land.


Muse and Escort. This piece of artwork was something I look forward of seeing in person. I remember my friend Ela showing me pictures of taken by her students. One of those pictures was something of this sculpture, and I thought it looked interesting. I was a bit happy seeing it for real, but was a bit disappointed when I saw that it wasn't really properly maintained.


Butterfly. There was a butterfly sanctuary inside the park, and although there were only a few butterflies inside, I still enjoyed taking pictures of them.

It rained late in the afternoon, which made us stay at the butterfly place for quite sometime. We were able to talk about different things, and as soon as the rain stopped, we decided to call it a day. Both of us didn't bring umbrellas, we really have to get it going or be stranded again. :)

*** Jenn ***

J + L Pre-Nup Shoot

La Mesa Eco Park
East Fairview, Quezon City
15 August 2009


Being a photo hobbyist who uses a point and shoot camera to capture the images, it was really nice to know that even if my camera has lots of limitations, I was still able to enjoy the perks of being a photo hobbyist. One of those perks were joining a photo forum - sharing images and commenting on the other pictures, while learning some photography knowledge I could apply into my own hobby.

Through Halie, I was able to join the Pinoy Republic forum where I got to "meet" Richard and Markie. Although I still haven't seen them in person, I was able to pick their brains through the images they posted. When they put up an invitation for a pre-nup shoot, I really didn't hesitate on joining - after all, it would be my first time to visit the La Mesa Eco Park, and it would be my first time to take pictures for a pre-nup.




Stairway. Halie and I arrived at the park around 9am, but they weren't there yet. We were able to meet them near lunch, and the first background we were able to shoot was at the stairway.


Puno. Near the stairway was this leafless tree, which really added a good embellishment in the pictures.


Grassland. The couple changed clothes, and still at the same spot, we took pictures of them by the grassland - as if they were just on a picnic.


Wrap Up. Before wrapping up the shoot, Richard presented Liza the images on his camera.

When they sent out the invitation, they made it clear that Richard was the main photographer of the shoot, with Markie as an assistant - he's Liza's relative. The couple would be happy to have more photographers covering the shoot, but it would always be Richard's call. He was the only one who could direct the couple into what poses they are supposed to do, and we (invitees) could find our own spot in capturing the images without really interfering with the main photographer. That was actually the right thing to do, considering that the main photographer had some plans in his head as to how he wanted the shoot to be carried. It was his theme, his storyline, therefore we could only just absorb it and enjoy clicking the shutter on our own camera.

For a first timer to do this, I really learned a lot. I did have some regrets - I should've lowered myself while taking pictures of them on the grassland, just to have a good level. As a newbie in the hobby, I still have the common knowledge of standing and take pictures with my camera as high as my chest and just tilt it to frame my subject. Through this shoot I have learned that while I could still capture images in the "normal" way, it would give me more choices if I took pictures of the same subject in different vantage points.

All the pictures I took that day where originally in color, but I converted them to black and white, because it was near noon and the sun was shining bright - the background then to be way too bright, and converting the images to black and white made the images a bit subtle.

Thanks to Richard and Markie for the invitation. May we able to shoot side by side again.

*** Jenn ***

Miscellaneous Vigan Pictures

Vigan City, Ilocos Sur
31 July 2010

Two months before this trip, I was in Vigan City with my brother. It was my first time to go thematic as far as pictures are concerned, and for that time, I went for the "in sepia" theme. However, not all places I wanted to see were visited, so when I traveled north again, I made it a point to go back to Vigan City and continue my theme. I have already posted some of the individual places I've visited, so for my last post about Vigan, I decided to compile all the miscellaneous pictures:


Welcome Arch. As what's written in the arch, Vigan City is still 429 meters south, but of course, people can already consider this spot as Vigan City. :) I took this after my visit to Bantay Church, and I had to be in the middle of the road to take this. Good thing the traffic man didn't scold me.


Ceiling Fan. Something I took while eating lunch at Jollibee.


Ebony and Ivory. The piano in the living room of Padre Burgos House. Some of the keys are still okay, actually.


Broken. One of the antique sculptures being sold in Calle Crisologo.




Rain. My very first taste of rain in Vigan. It was good, but bad as well - because I was traveling alone, and I seriously felt alone that time.


Dusk. My favorite time in Calle Crisologo. The rains have stopped, finally.

The money in my wallet was only enough for the fare and some snacks, so after this picture, I walked to the fast food, hailed a tricycle to the bus terminal. I decided to just stay at the terminal and wait for the last trip to Manila - at least there was a TV there.

*** Jenn ***