Dylan Patisserie

My family and I had lunch at Dylan Patisserie in Quezon City and we had a great time!

Dylan Patisserie Cakes

We originally planned to have lunch somewhere else along Tomas Morato but I forgot to make a reservation so when I got there, the restaurant I suggested didn't have any available parking. I figured it was full so I decided to look around for other places where we could eat. As it turned out, practically every other restaurant along Tomas Morato had full parking. I then remembered a friend posting about Dylan Patissirie on his IG stories and it looked like a really interesting place. I looked for it on Waze and it was at the corner of Scout Tuason and Scout Castor. I drove there and saw that, thankfully, it was relatively easier to park. I checked out the menu and it looked good so I told my family we should try this place out.

Dylan has a semi-outdoor dining area that was empty when I arrived so I know they could accommodate my family (there were 10 of us). I say semi-outdoor because it is fully covered but there are a lot of open windows and it is cooled by fans instead of by an air conditioner. It was raining lightly when we were there so it didn't feel too warm.

"Outdoor" dining area

Everyone was pretty quick to choose their food but my grandmother wasn't sure what to get so she asked me to order for her instead. I chose the Beef Stroganoff for her. Since I wasn't sure if she would like it, I got the Porchetta for myself. I figured  that if the stroganoff wasn't to her liking, we could swap dishes. Since it was around 130pm when we started to eat, we were pretty hungry so I forgot to take photos. That said, both dishes were pretty good. The vinaigrette sauce that came with my porchetta was quite special. I did get to take photos of a few other dishes, such as my mom's Prawn Linguini Aglio Olio which she enjoyed...

Prawn Linguini Aglio Olio

...and my nephew's Whole Omelet which he also liked.

Whole Omelet

Dylan Patisserie has a fantastic spread of cakes, desserts, and baked items so we ordered a few of them.

Mini cakes, eclairs, and macarons

I got the Tropical Vanilla, which is an almond sponge with fresh vanilla mousse, a fruit jelly layer, and vanilla essence. I absolutely loved it!

Tropical Vanilla mini cake

My grandmother got the Lychee Pandan, a pandan-infused sponge with creamy white chocolate, coconut mousse, and a layer of lychee jelly. She also liked it but could only eat some of it so she took the rest home with her.

Lychee Pandan mini cake

What made our lunch here extra special was the superb service. Our server (I think her name was Chelsea) was very friendly, warm, and professional. You could feel that she genuinely wanted us to have a great dining experience there. She was also very responsive to our requests.

Dylan Patisserie also makes customized cakes

This restaurant is apparently the second branch. The original is located in Makati, along Jupiter Street. The Makati branch, however, focuses on cakes and pastries and they offer only a handful of savory dishes.

Other baked goodies available at Dylan

I'm really happy that we got to try Dylan Patisserie. I am certain I will visit this place again in the future.

Dylan Patisserie
https://dylanpatisserie.com/

QC branch:
20 Scout Tuazon Street Cor, 1103 Scout Castor Diliman, Quezon City, Metro Manila
Opening Hours: Weekdays 8am - 10pm, Weekends 7am - 11pm

Makati Branch:
116 Jupiter Street, Barangay Bel-Air. Makati City.
Opening hours: 8:30am - 9pm daily

Phone: +63 2 8777 2999 | +63 2 8920 7411 | +63 2 8286 9949
Whatsapp and Viber: +63 917 877 2999

Quarantine Stories Part 23

Achievement unlocked: I got my Serengeti badge! Since I started using my Fitbit, I have walked a total distance of 804 kilometers. This means I have been covering a distance of about 6.93 kilometers each day. My daily average has gone down since my last badge but considering that I work from home a lot and that I only live in a small apartment, it's pretty amazing that I was still able to walk this much each day over the last few months. Wow!

My Serengeti Badge

I also finally got a new phone, which I acquired by recontracting with my mobile plan provider. I was pretty happy with my Samsung S7 Edge so I decided to stay with the brand and go with their flagship series. I chose the S22+ not only because it was the same size as my previous phone but also through a process of elimination. I didn't want to get the Ultra because I felt it was too big, even if it had a better camera. I also decided against the S22 because I read reviews about the battery life not being great. I'm pretty happy with my new phone so far, especially because it has 256 Gb storage, a massive improvement from my previous 32 Gb.

My New S22+

That wasn't my only expensive acquisition though. Because of ads that I saw while going through my social media accounts, I ended up with buying Issey Miyake Eau & Cèdre during the Lazada 9.9 sale. It was a bit of a budol purchase but I got it because (1) fashion designer Issey Miyake passed away very recently and (2) there was a special sale where I would get a whole lot of freebies with my purchase. I ended up getting a 15 mL L'Eau d'Issey fragrance, 10 assorted mini-mists, a body wash, and two bags. A pretty good deal if you ask me. And I will surely be able to use this fragrance so I guess it's not such a bad purchase after all haha.

Issey Miyake Eau & Cèdre with a lot of freebies

I also finally set up the magic remote of my LG TV. I hadn't set it up previously because the standard remote works. However, earlier this month, I wanted to load my IWantTFC account onto the browser of my Smart TV and I didn't know how to do it using the normal remote. Thankfully, it was pretty easy to do it using the magic remote. I was actually toying with the idea of getting a Chromecast for myself just so I can watch IWantTFC shows on my TV but now I don't need to. Cool!

My LG Magic Remote

For the first time in my life, I have an SM Advantage Card. I previously didn't get one because I rarely go to SM. However, I started buying cat food from Pet Express for my nephew's rescue kitten early this year and I decided to start getting dog food there as well because they had a greater variety than the supermarket I frequent. I did the cost-benefit analysis and I realized I could actually save some money over the next five years if I had an SM Advantage Card. So on a recent trip to SM, I got one.

My new SM Advantage Card

Speaking of new cards, I also have a new credit card but it wasn't because I wanted one. It was because my previous one was compromised. Earlier this month, I got several text messages at around 2am one night  saying that I had made several online purchases amounting to about Php 80,000! What?!? Thankfully, all charges were reversed and my credit card company replaced my card at no cost. I also got the replacement quite quickly. Still, it freaked me out quite badly. This is the second time that my credit card was compromised in less than a year. I'm hoping it doesn't happen again.

[Throwback] New York

One of my business trips to the US was two weeks long. As luck would have it, while we had meetings scheduled over two weeks, there was nothing on the agenda on the Friday and the Monday surrounding the middle weekend of my trip. I asked my boss if I could take those days off and she agreed. Since I now had a long weekend in the US, I decided to fly to Manhattan to spend a long weekend there. Cool! The first place I visited? The Statue of Liberty. (I'm such a tourist LOL.)

Statue of Liberty

I also visited Ellis Island. It used to be the busiest entry point of immigrants into the US so it's no surprise that the National Immigration Museum can be found here.

Inside the National Immigration Museum on Ellis Island

There are some pretty awesome views of the Manhattan skyline from Ellis Island.

Manhattan skyline

On my first evening there, I got to see The Producers starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick. I kept seeing posters all over the city so it piqued my interest. I had no plans in the evening so I decided at the last minute to ask my hotel concierge where I could get tickets for The Producers and he said I could get it there. I actually got a seat relatively near the stage, albeit at the far right (there were spots on the stage I couldn't see, but no big deal really). I didn't know about this musical before I watched it so I was very pleasantly surprised at how hilarious it was! The songs are also quite catchy and the performers were all incredible!

The Producers on Broadway

The next day, Eugene and his wife Lorraine came to New York to spend the day with me (they were living in Washington DC at the time). Eugene was my classmate in high school and when during that Manhattan trip, it had been years since I last saw him. Needless to say, I was really happy we got to hang out and that I got to meet Lorraine. We first visited Rockefeller Center.

Rockefeller Center

We then headed to the Empire State Building, which was once the tallest building in the world. There are some truly incredible views of Manhattan from the top.

View from the top of the Empire State Building

We then caught the matinee of The Phantom of the Opera. We actually bought tickets at the TKTS booth early that morning. It was my first time to see Phantom (I have since seen it two more times, at CCP and at the Theatre in Solaire) and I was blown away by the stage - I remember being in awe of the magnificent chandelier, the candles coming out of the floor, and the grand staircase during the masquerade scene - and how fast the sets were changed from one scene to the next.

The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway

After the show, we walked around the area, taking photos at Times Square...

Times Square

...and at the studio where the Late Show with David Letterman is staged. Eugene, Lorraine, and I then had dinner before they headed back home to DC.

Late Show with David Letterman

The next day I visited Central Park and walked around. It was so cold when I was there that the lake was frozen!

I then made my way to the Met, or the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Here I got to see some pretty incredible art pieces, including Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Straw Hat...

Self-Portrait with Straw Hat by Vincent van Gogh at the Met

...and the Hand of God by Rodin.

Rodin's Hand of God

I also swung by the American Museum of Natural History. (I don't recall spending time in this museum; I wonder if this receiving area was accessible to non-paying guests and if I just went into this area to have my photo taken.)

American Museum of Natural History

On my final evening in Manhattan, I was able to get an autograph and a photo of Matthew Broderick! I discovered the night before that after the show, some of the cast come out of the theater to sign autographs. I went back to St. James Theatre that night in the hopes I could get to see some of the cast. I made it there early enough that I was at the front of the crowd. Despite the fact that it was really cold, I was quite pleased that Matthew Broderick came out to have photos taken with, and sign autographs for, the crowd. I regret not handing my camera to someone else so I could have my photo taken with Matthew - I think I felt a bit intimidated asking someone else to take my picture and slowing down the whole process so I just took a picture of Matthew when he was signing an autograph for the person next to me - but I am happy that I took a photo of him and that he signed my program.

Matthew Broderick

Thankfully, I stayed at what was then called the Milford Plaza Hotel, which is now ROW NYC. This hotel was literally just around the corner from both The Majestic (where The Phantom of the Opera was staged) and St. James Theatre (where The Producers was staged). It was a good hotel but I do remember that when I got into my room at around 1am on my first night there, the room wasn't exactly clean. Specifically, the bed wasn't made. In one of the most unhygienic decisions I've ever made in my life, I decided I was too tired to have to move to another room so I stayed there and slept on the unmade bed that was used by some other guest. (Even as I think about this now, I have no idea why I didn't ask for another room.)

Times Square at night

While my experience in Manhattan was great, I have to say that I did feel quite intimidated by it. In fact, this is the city I visited where I felt most like an outsider. That said, this trip remains very memorable in that I got to visit some very famous New York landmarks, I saw a couple of amazing shows on Broadway, and I got to spend a day with one of my closest friends from high school and his wife.

[Throwback] Ohio and Kentucky

I got to visit Ohio a few times for work. I have several friends who live in Ohio so whenever I went there on business, I got to meet up with at least some of them. Sometimes, we would go out for dinner. Other times, they would take me around. I got to see the Cincinnati city center where I took this photo of the Tyler Davidson Fountain at Fountain Square.

Tyler Davidson Fountain in Cincinnati

Another time, my friends me invited to join them on a Riverboat Cruise of the Ohio River. The dad of one of my friends, Amy, was visiting her at the same time as my trip so she invited a few other people to join them.

Riverboat cruise on the Ohio River

Later that afternoon, we headed to the Cincinnati Museum Center. Interestingly enough, what I remember most about this museum visit was that we watched a short documentary about bears in its IMAX theater. It was my first ever IMAX experience and it was then that I discovered that these gigantic theaters aren't for me because I got dizzy watching.

Cincinnati Museum Center

I also got to visit Kentucky, which shares a border with Ohio. My friends took me to the Newport Aquarium. I took a few photos but none of them were in focus because the fish were moving and I was still using my very first 3.3 digital camera, which was still pretty low-tech. I did manage to get a decent shot of this shark and its razor-sharp teeth that you can see from its gaping mouth.

Newport Aquarium

On a subsequent visit to Ohio, my friends took me to Kings Island in Mason.

Kings Island in Mason

I'm not a fan of thrill rides so I was hesitant to join my friends but they told me that I could just enjoy their company and walk around the grounds while our other friends got on the rides. As it turned out, I got persuaded to get on a few of the scariest ones, including Vortex (which is no longer in operation), Delirium, and Invertigo.

Invertigo

It was here that I got to try a wooden roller coaster for the first (and so far only) time, The Beast. It was actually quite enjoyable since it wasn't as scary as the ones I just mentioned. Another very memorable  ride was Tomb Raider, an indoor ride with cool visual effects (this one is no longer in operation either). We were advised to make sure there was nothing on us that was loose and/or could fall off. The only thing on me was my wallet which was in my butt pocket but I figured that should be safe enough. However, the ride really flips you around and at one point, we were left hanging upside down for what felt like a few to several seconds. At that time, I could feel space between my chair and my behind and I just kept hoping and praying that my wallet wouldn't fall out my butt pocket. Thankfully, it didn't.

The now-defunct Tomb Raider ride

If memory serves me right, I got on nine rides that day. In our group, only one person got on more rides than I did - she got on ten - and only one other person got on nine. Everyone else rode less. Needless to say, I was wiped out after that. Still, it was quite a memorable experience that I got to share with friends.

Next post: New York

[Throwback] California

I've visited California twice. I wrote about my second trip in this blog post. My first trip however, was a couple of years before that. I had a business trip to Ohio at a time that one of my friends was studying at Stanford. Since there is no direct flight from Manila to Ohio, I had the option of stopping over for a few days in San Francisco at no extra cost. My friend told me he could meet up so I decided to go to the US a couple of days before my business trip so that I could spend the weekend in California.

My friend actually showed me around Stanford, which is 35 miles south of San Francisco, but for some strange reason I didn't take a single photo of this beautiful university. Really such a shame that I didn't take any pictures of Stanford! My friend then took me to so San Francisco where I got to see a few of its more famous sights. Our first stop was Fisherman's Wharf. We didn't really do anything while we were here apart from walking around and taking photos.

The sea lion viewing dock is on of the most popular places in Fisherman's Wharf. Check out this link to read more about the history of sea lions converging in this area.

The Pier 39 marina holds hundred of boats. Boat slips are available for short-term and long-term lease.

I didn't get to visit Alcatraz but you can see it from Fisherman's Wharf. Naturally, I had my photo taken with it in the background. (You can tell from the photo below that it was really windy when we were there.)

Our final stop that night was the Golden Gate bridge.

There are a lot more places of interest in San Francisco that I still want to see and experience. Hopefully, I have another chance in the future to visit.

Next post: Ohio and Kentucky

[Throwback] Trips to the US

I promised myself last year that I would blog about my past trips that I never got to blog about. So since I was just posted about the US Open, I thought now would be a good time to write about my visits to the US.

View of the  New York skyline from Ellis Island

I had a few business trips to Ohio in one of my previous jobs. This gave me the opportunity to see a bit of Ohio as well as Kentucky, which is just right below Ohio.

Riverboat cruise on the Ohio River

I also had the fortune to visit other states such as New York...

Times Square at night

...where I got to visit some famous landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty...

Statue of Liberty

...and the Empire State Building.

Chrysler Building seen from the top of the Empire State Building

I was also able to go to California. Here, I got to spend most of my tourist time in San Francisco.

Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco

I will be writing in more detail about these many trips over the next few blog posts.

Manhattan architecture, as seen from Central Park

Next post: California