Forget Me Not Cafe Marikina

 

Forget Me Not Cafe is situated on the very charming and trendy little street of Lilac Street in Marikina. Their cafe's doors opened with a warm pioneering spirit, setting itself apart as a true foodie trendsetter in this quiet neighborhood. With its inviting atmosphere and a seamless blend of modern and rustic aesthetics, Forget Me Not Cafe quickly became a beloved destination both for locals and visitors alike. The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and delectable pastries fills the air, enticing their curious customers to indulge in a moment of tranquility and contentment. As pioneers, the cafe boasts an innovative menu, offering a delightful fusion of flavors inspired by local and international cuisines. From their signature pork salpicao to their mouthwatering artisanal cakes, each bite carries the essence of creativity and passion. 

Their shop has a warm homey feeling to it, decorated with very cutesy intricacies. Once you enter through the door, you will be immediately greeted with their yummy cakes and pastries nicely placed in their cake shelves. Here are just some of the food we tried. 

• Garden Salad: A colorful and refreshing salad boasting with a vibrant crispy, leafy greens, adorned with delectable slices of perfectly boiled egg. 

• Seafood Aglio Olio: A mouthwatering pasta dish that tempts the taste buds with a delightful blend of succulent seafood, garlic-infused olive oil, and cream. Highly recommended. 

• Forget Me Not Burger: Big fat juicy burger filled with fresh greens, sided with crispy fries. 

• Roast Beef in Mushroom Sauce: One of my favorite FMNC dishes. Comes with rice and side salad. 

• Pork Salpicao: Pork meat sautéed in lots of minced garlic, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, and seasoning. Perfectly accompanied with plain white rice. 

As the pioneer of this vibrant street, this cafe has left an indelible mark, not just in Marikina, but in the hearts of all those who seek a delightful escape from the bustling city life. Visit Forget Me Not Cafe Marikina at #24 Lilac Street, Marikina City. You may call them at 09178699104 . Opens daily, Mon-Thu, 7AM to 11PM, Fri-Sun, 12NN to 11:45PM.

Posted By Marikeño12:53:00 AM

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Mookata Masterz

 

Mookata Masterz is the newest addition to the barbecue scene in the city. If you are into barbecue and hotpot, this is definitely the one for you. So Mookata is a combination of meat and seafood barbecue with a steamboat on the side for your hotpot which originated in Thailand.  You may throw the vegetables, many assorted type of high quality balls and others to the hotpot with their prepared stock.

Just like the other barbecue places that we know of, you would have to cook food by yourself. To set your expectation, this is not a buffet restaurant. You choose the set or bundle that you would like to consume based on your budget and the number of people that will share it with you. For example, their Set A is good for 1-2 people, Set B is good for 3-4 people, Set C is good for 5-6 people and their Set D is for 7-9 people.  See updated menu and price list below:

Mookata Masterz is located at the Rooftop Angels and Saints Building, #70 Champagnat Avenue, Concepcion Dos, Marikina City. They open from Tuesdays to Fridays, 2PM-1AM and also Saturdays to Sundays, 3PM-1AM. For inquiries and reservations, you can text or call this number at 0968 270 7077.

Posted By Marikeño1:18:00 AM

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Tito Rex's

 

Tito Rex's is quite popular for their affordable Goto Marinduque, tapa meals and sizzling steaks. What do most people like about their food? They love them because they serve them fast and sizzling hot. Their business started in 2015 by a proprietor with a freight forwarding business and built their main branch, the Marikina Heights store.  Until to this day, they offer good quality homemade traditional comfort food at affordable prices.

We recently visited their main branch located at 161 General Ordonez Street, Marikina Heights. Their store is set al fresco style to prevent your clothes from smelling like barbecue smoke.  Their dining area was set simple yet cozy. The tables and chairs were made from varnished wood which gave us that familiar homey feeling. The place was well-lighted and and there were adequate space to move around. We were immediately approached and greeted by their well-dressed staff on their signature black, red and white uniform. Our food were ready to be served.

• Goto Marinduque Reload: Their goto was very fulfilling.  Being a goto fan myself, I find their goto to be large in its portion. It has so many ingredients and it was party of different flavors in one spoonful.  This is the ultimate Marikina comfort food. 

• Tokwa't Baboy (for sharing): Again their portion was huge. It was definitely good for sharing. Their tokwa't baboy was perfectly cooked and the vinegar dressing that came with it was just paired perfectly to their very famous Goto Marinduque.  It was a truly rewarding moment for our team.

• Sizzling Sisig: Their sisig was very tasty. You can never go wrong with any sizzling sisig out there. Best paired with white rice.

• Grilled Tuna Belly: This was the pinnacle of our trip. It was grilled to perfection and it went quite well with the Java rice. It was cooked well and not dry. It was moist and very tender. We loved it.

• Tito Rex Tapa: It is the breakfast of champions and it won our hearts. Very tender and moist. Comes with sunny side egg and Java rice. A hearty breakfast.

• Leche Flan Ala Mode: Sweet flan with vanilla chocolate ice cream on top. 

You might want to try their local sizzling steaks as well. 

Tito Rex's Goto Marinduque, Tapa and Steakhouse main branch is located at 161 General Ordoñez Street, Marikina Heights. Open daily from 8AM to 10PM. You can call them on these telephone numbers: 02 70038539, 0977 6763941 and 0961 9342953.  Visit their other store branches in Marikina Sumulong, San Mateo and coming soon along Gil Fernando Avenue. Click here to view their most recent menu and pricing.

Posted By Marikeño12:53:00 AM

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The Book Museum

The Book Museum cum Ethnology Center, located in Marikina Heights is the first of its kind in Marikina City and probably in the entire Asia. Owned by Atty. Dominador D. Buhain, Chairman and President of the REX Group of Companies, one of the leading publishing companies in the Philippines. His fascination with books led him to collect them and some other reading materials as souvenirs from all 200+ countries which he had visited around the globe. Thus on March 2013, he opened the Book Museum cum Ethnology Center to the public so the people can take a peek at some of his beloved private collection.

The James Dean Diner is probably the first thing you are going to see as soon as you enter the museum compound. I have been to this museum once in 2013 and I remember that I was told that they were originally going to use that place as an American diner. Jorzell, the manager later told me that it was eventually converted into James Dean Diner, showcasing memorabilia and paraphernalia highlighting the golden days of the said American cultural icon of the 50's. It also serves as their reception area for guests who visit the museum.

The first building is the Book Museum (photo above in black and white, left-most). Renowned visual artist Leo Aguinaldo from Baguio City painted the facade of the building (topmost image) which tells the story of Atty. Dominador D. Buhain's adventures and travels throughout his life. It houses a book called "The Lord's Prayer" printed in seven languages. With its dimension of 3.3mm x 3.3mm, it is the smallest book in the world! It is letterpress printed from Guttenberg Museum in Germany. They also have the smallest tablet from China, William Shakespeare's miniature book collection and the first edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling.

The first floor of the second building contains Cordillera artifacts; traditional coffins with gecko designs, a papier-mâché mummy, a wooden scooter from Mountain Province, wood carvings, Ifugao bulols and a lot more.  I find their Cordillera collection to be quite fascinating. Having the chance to travel and actually live in Sagad, Mountain Province myself for more than three years, the collection surely reminds me of the rich culture and heritage of the Igorot people.

The third and last building we visited was inspired by a Kosovo mosque with two floors and display of the Muslim and other indigenous tribes' artifacts. Seeing their collection is like having a quick trip to the South. The ones that I remember the most are the sword and blade collections with their very intricate designs.  It is a collection that everyone should not miss.

A visit to Marikina City will be never complete without stopping by at the Book Museum cum Ethnology Center. One should include it on their Things to do in Marikina list if they one have a day to enjoy the city. It will be a good experience for both young and old where they can see witness awesome book collections then maybe sit for a while and read some of the books together; just enjoying the moment.

The Book Museum cum Ethnology Center is located at 127 Dao St. Marikina Heights, Marikina City. Admission price is P100. School and group bookings are subject for discount rates. You may contact them for schedules thru the following: (63)(2) 570 4449 | adb.bookmuseum@yahoo.com. You may also contact them thru their Facebook page.  Click here to view their map.

Posted By Marikeño8:31:00 PM

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Greg & Sally Tree Garden Café

Greg & Sally Tree Garden Café is a peaceful quaint place in Marikina Heights.  They have an indoor dining and also tables outside for those who like to feel the sun touching their skin. People who are into plants and trees will surely love their huge garden filled with different kinds of trees and herbs: tarragon, sinta, talinum, stevia, mint, sambong, oregano, pandan, dill and basil, just to name a few.  In fact, many of their neighbors and very loyal customers buy herbs from them because they are cheaper and fresher compared to what are being sold in the market.

I've decided to bring along my friends with me, having this really good feeling that I would never disappoint them with the place, especially with the food. Been hearing a lot of good feedback about Greg & Sally from friends and family. This is the moment of truth.  Kind and well-dressed staffs opened the door for us and led us to our table.  They are young on-the-job trainees from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Marikina who decided to choose the place as their training ground. I personally love the color of their aprons and the design of their logo. Beige is my favorite color. I thought, no one can go wrong with beige.  It tells me one thing: they are ready for business and they are serious with what they do.

Excel, the owner and manager of the place soon came and received us with full enthusiasm.  Her perkiness and high spirits definitely filled that empty space we were looking for. Oh, how much I adored that woman. She was a like a long-lost aunt that just came back from a trip and has many interesting stories to tell. She immediately became our best friend. She then showed us her place: her very beautiful herb garden, the pond area, the barbecue area, the swing area and even the canopy bed. Then, the foods were served.

Crispy Tadyang is served with atsara and garlic rice. We find it to be dry on the outside, however slightly moist and tender on the inside.  A little too crispy and we had to ask for a knife just to slice it.  Taste is a little bland which explains why they served it with atsara and soy sauce. The sweet tangy taste of atsara brought out the real essence of the dish.

Gourmet Tinapa is a mixture of sautéed tinapa flakes in olive oil, tomatoes and capers, served with egg and garlic rice, sided with Talinom Salad (green mangoes and Philippine spinach).  The strong flavorful taste of smoked fish (tinapa) tickled my taste buds and brought back my interest to food blogging again. No wonder it is their most ordered dish. A sure winner!

Peppered Pork Steak (photo on top) is probably our favorite dish. It was perfectly cooked, it's tender and very well seasoned. My friend was even surprised to know that it can go well with riped mango salad. It was a tasty experience.

Tuna and Black Olive Linguini does not have the strong fishy taste and smell. Cooked with big freshly stewed tomatoes in red sauce, it is a very healthy dish for everyone. Tastes a little bit spicy to me, however my friend wanted it to be more spicy. Comes with slices of Italian Toasts.

Halo Halo Turon is a sweet dessert wrapped in a turon wrapper then quickly fried and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  It is definitely a halo halo with a twist. The dessert fans would definitely love this. Note: We apologize for the photo of the melted ice cream. We were too delighted with our meals that it had to sit there and melt.

Our visit to the Greg & Sally Tree Garden Café was truly unforgettable. The food were good, staffs were nice, the price was reasonable and the place, quite pleasant. We are highly recommending this place to couples and families. One of the best restaurants in Marikina City. To the entire staff of Greg & Sally, thank you for having us.  Visit their fan page by clicking here. Their location is at 145 Ipil St cor Champaca, Marikina Heights with telephone number (02) 940 1976.

Posted By Marikeño3:40:00 PM

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