Tweedle Book Cafe

Discovering and trying out new dining places has always been a favorite hobby of mine. I always browse the internet and social media sites for good finds and try them out for myself. So when I happen to chance upon Tweedle Book Cafe, I got interested in their Pinoy Breakfast pasta and wanted to try it our right away since it is located near our office. 

So on one of our lunch-outs, we finally, as a group, decided to come try this out. And we immediately liked what we saw. 

It was located at a residential area. Looked like an old place that was recently converted to accommodate this unique coffee + library place where one can hang out. It was away from traffic noise so the ambiance was really relaxing.

This will greet you upon entering the driveway. Interesting piece of information. Cool!

Simple drink and ice cream menu and even pleasant staff. The food menu can be seen at the cash register area. The staff will patiently answer all your questions and make recommendations if they sense that you are undecided on what to order.

Sandwich, pie and dessert choices. Prices are written on the glass, can you see?

I love Merry Moo and I was glad they have it there though limited in options. But my fave Candied Bacon and Salted Caramel are there so that's good with me. But I did not order that day, I decided to order something new. 

Genmaicha Latte Php100
Love the roasted taste and my companion commented that it tastes like what she had in Japan. Too bad they did not put latte art like what we saw in online posts. Hope they try to be consistent about it.

TCC Hot Chocolate in Salted Caramel (Php160) 
I ordered this and I loved it! Love how rich and creamy it was. I really could drink several cups of this in one sitting. But then, that would be too expensive and I would be saying hello to Diabetes. Haha! I highly recommend this one. 

Pinoy Breakfast (Php180)
This has exceeded my expectations! I came for this and it certainly delivered. This pasta has longganisa bits, tomatoes and salted egg in olive oil. It has the perfect blend of saltiness and chewiness to it since the ingredients were very generous. I hope that the next time I go here, the serving would still be the same. This is now a part of my favorite pasta dishes.

Ola! Sardinas (Php180)
This has Spanish Sardines, garlic, basil and tomatoes in olive oil. Pasta used was angel hair which complimented the lightness of the ingredients. It was good but I prefer the Pinoy Breakfast more. 

The rest of the menu

They have a long table, just like a library setting. If one is engrossed in what they're doing, you certainly won't mind this setting. But for me, this is not ideal for a group of people who talks loudly because it might disrupt the others. There are other tables for that. 

Books everywhere! You can definitely lose yourself in this place once you start on a good read.

Here you'll find Platform 9 ¾. I wonder if I will see Harry Potter if I go inside, Haha!

Interesting ceiling. (Thanks Honey O. for this photo)

Overall, it has been a very pleasant experience, well, save for the serving time of our pasta orders. Afterall, we only had an hour because it was just our lunch break and had to go back to work after. That took nearly 30 minutes. But that did not hinder our good moods. I hope they improve on that. Other than that, I loved everything!


RESTO FACTS:

Tweedle Book Cafe
106B Scout Gandia
Quezon City, Philippines
0922-8051688
FB: Tweedle Book Cafe

 ~Lovelee~

My Pope Francis Experience (Papal Visit 2015)

It has been 20 years since our beloved country, the Philippines, was visited by a pope. It was 1995 when Pope John Paul II visited and I was still in 6th grade back then. I remember memorizing the official World Youth Day hymn which was "Tell The World of His Love" and practicing the hand movements were something that I looked forward every day. It was not hard to memorize.

Present year, our pope of almost two years, Pope Francis, visited our country for the first time and a lot of people were very excited for this big event. The first time I heard about this, it was just alright, but as the day nears, I got very excited every day.

On January 18, this was the day that we decided to go to the University of Santo Tomas and try to catch a glimpse of him.

Here is our story on that memorable day:

Walking from Welcome Rotonda to UST.
This was around 7:15am. The weather was just right and we were feeling optimistic that we would get to see him. But a lot of people have already lined up around the area so that feeling of dread that we would not be able to accomplish our mission was felt. 

The bright dog.
His owner/trainor asked this doggie if he loved Pope Francis and this adorable dog would bark twice. People approved and gave a round of applause every time he would do this.

THE FIRST ATTEMPT

We were informed that Pope Francis will pass by Lacson Street and we hoped to get a nice place there but we were so wrong. This is the nearest that we came to doing our goal. We stood in this place almost 2 hours and a half. When he finally passed by, we got hold of the word that he was not in his popemobile and that this vehicle passed by very fast. WE FAILED!

A video of the crowd waiting for the man of the hour. 

Even if the crowd was thick and we were literally rubbing some body parts with the crowd, everyone was wearing their happy caps and that emanated all throughout the place. A few misses but those were just minor. We also heard people calling for medics because some fainted. 

THE SECOND ATTEMPT

This was taken along Lacson Street, near the bus terminal. People were flocked alongside the streets so we got excited and and felt hope rising again. We still have a chance! So we waited for more than an hour. I was wet already because I did not bring an umbrella nor a raincoat, I just had with me my thin shawl that barely protected me. 

He's coming! "Ayan na. ayan na sya!"

And the moment that I dreamed about finally happened. I saw him in the flesh! Wow! The feeling was so overwhelming. I was so touched by the experience and can't help but shed a few tears before going back to see my boyfriend and friend. Before this happened, we ended up standing in different strategic positions so all three of us got different angles and videos.

The full video that we had. My priceless video. 

After that, we still wanted to do more so we decided to go to Quirino Grandstand to be one with our fellow Catholics and other people who wanted to be part of this momentous experience.

On our way there, we made a stop over at the San Sebastian Church on our way to SM Manila to have lunch. We took advantage of its clean restroom as well. 

After having lunch, it was steadily raining already and having an umbrella (we bought one at 7-11 after the second attempt)  is not enough so we tried looking for raincoats, but alas, no more! We came inside National Bookstore and there was only Barbie raincoats for kids available. But we saw some people lining up inside the store and we got curious and we saw that they were selling plastic wrapper and making them into a makeshift raincoats. Galing ng Pinoy! So we ordered.

Ta-Daaaah!
Kudos to the ladies of National Bookstore for making our coats. After all, they could have just sold us the plastic covers and left us to figure out a way to do it but they did not, they custom-made it for us. Not only did they sell, they also contributed their talent by doing something special to the people who want to see the pope. *clap clap*

So we walked going to the grandstand but unfortunately, we could not go any further because the roads were congested already. Best effort we could do was somewhere near the back of the National Museum. There was a video wall set-up so we can see and hear the mass. But it was so noisy that we were not really able to do that.

Us! 

Going back home was a challenge because of the massive number of people who took the public transpo. So we headed back to SM Manila and had coffee, hoping that the crowd had waned out but that was the exact opposite. So we just decided to be brave about it and faced the music. See!

Extra challenging but at least we all got to go home. Tired but very happy and fulfilled.

That day, I really counted my blessings even as small as they seem. I recall:
1. Not having difficulty getting a trike to take me to the van terminal at 530am.
2. The van started the trip even if it was not full yet (I remember still lacking 4 passengers)
3. I arrived on-time at our meeting place which was 6:30am
4. Getting a cab going to Welcome Rotonda was a breeze
5. The weather that morning was not hot
6. We saw Pope Francis
7. We got to use the clean restroom at the San Sebastian Church, no lining up needed (the lines at SM were such a blockbuster, haha!)
8. The National Bookstore and their salesladies provided us with "raincoats" for only Php30/pc

This was truly memorable. I was so happy to be given the chance to see Pope Francis. Who knows when a pope would next visit our country. He gave us hope and charmed us with his charisma and unli-smile, as they say. Thank you for leading your 1.2 billion Catholic members. It's not easy but we feel that you really are trying your best to do a great job. And you are.

Mercy and compassion!

Viva Il Papa! Long live Pope Francis! 

My 2014 Travels: Less But More

2014 was not really a big year for me for travelling because if I compare them to my previous years, I can call this sparse in comparison. But, these few trips that I had last year were very note-worthy and definitely hit a spot in my memorable trips list.

So here they are:

MONTH: January
1. BACOLOD 

Hello, King Kong! I can see your cavities!
This was taken at the Campuestohan Highland Resort. Fairly new but was getting positive nods by local Bacolodnons and tourists because this was something different. Clouds are literally level with you at times, weather is fine and attractions here are fun. Family-oriented getaway for sure.

A lot of picture-worthy moments when you visit here. Visiting here is encouraged. You may also spend the night, they have cute cottages with reasonable rates.
TIP: If you will go on a day trip only, be sure to leave the resort before dark because the roads leading back to the city are not lighted yet (when I was here last January) and it was kind of scary, but exciting. Hehe! Our transpo was stopped by soldiers at a checkpoint and seeing their rifles/guns were a bit unnerving. 

MONTH: March and April
2. MANILA

The newly-opened Manila Cathedral after a 2-year hiatus due to massive renovation efforts. It was worth the wait. It is now more beautiful than ever!

Luneta Park and Kilometer 0 marker.

Revisiting National Museum every now and then is good for us. A reminder of our historical past never ceases to surprise me. Exploring the two buildings will give you quite a walking workout. Highly recommended!

Facade of the Manila City Hall and the crochet exhibit of a friend at the Museong Pambata.

Paco Park will take you back in time.
 And it's a great place to just sit down and unwind. This is also the place where our National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, was interred after his execution.

For love of beautiful sunsets.
You need not go far because one of the spectacular sunset views can be witnessed at the Manila Bay area. 

MONTH: August
3. TACLOBAN, LEYTE

Revisited the Leyte Landing Memorial Park.
 Last time I came here was way back 2007. This trip was a memorable and touching one because this was post-Typhoon Yolanda. We got to hear stories of survival and also saw how the locals are coping after the devastation.

Hello Samar! Hello Leyte! I've stepped on both provinces! I still was not able to do my plan which was to walk the entire length of the bridge but still, this recent walkathon was much farther than my last attempt. 

New landmarks.
The fallen ships that were swept onshore by Typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan. 

MONTH: August
4 PALOMPON, LEYTE

Kalanggaman Island.
3 hours away from Tacloban. The island was devastated by typhoon Yolanda/Haiyan and locals feared that the two sandbars would not return to normal but it did. So beautiful! This is one of the sandbars. We were not able to go to the other one because we were fully satisfied with this beauty already.

MONTH: September
5. TAIWAN

At the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.
 The heat did not deter us from enjoying ourselves. 

Taipei 101.
 This building houses the world's fastest passenger elevator, per Guinness World Records.

Taipei Zoo.
The largest zoo in Asia. Of pandas, koalas, elephants and hippopotamuses. 

Touring the city.

Epic lunch at Din Tai Fung.

Ampalaya shake, anyone? Once is enough for me though.

Food tripping at the Shilin Night Market and Ximending Night Market. Top reason why I would come back to Taiwan is because of their street foods. So good and so cheap!

Hoping for big time travels for 2015! I'm claiming it! =)


~Lovelee~


Check out my 2012 and 2013 travel summary here:

2012 Travels

2013 Travels