Skip to main content

Lunching at #Hugot Cafe

I was invited by students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines' (PUP) BSc Food Technology seminar course as a resource person. Because I arrived early at the Hasmin Hostel, the venue of the seminar, I thought it would be a good time to eat lunch. The students who welcomed me brought me to this restaurant, run by Hotel and Restaurant Management students, called #Hugot Cafe.


How mainstream and trendy, I thought. The students probably were banking on the popularity  of the plethora of films addressing the pain and the feeling of hopelessness caused by break-ups and unrequited love. Very interesting. Once seated at my table, I was pleasantly surprised by the options in the menu. I opted to try PORksteakEBER (pork chop stewed in soy sauce and calamansi, paired with rice and buttered vegetables) as my main dish and chocOPTION LANG (brownie ala mode with ube ice cream instead of vanilla) as my dessert. I also got Third Party (iced tea... Took some time to get the play on the pronunciation) as my beverage.


While waiting for the food to arrive, I noticed the notes decorating my table. Their messages were akin to Instagram photos of quotes on moving on from the pain. Also witty. And then there's was the playlist. Nothing but songs for the broken-hearted. Not exactly appetising music fare but still in tune with the restaurant's concept.


The food, I have to say, is good! For PHP 95, I had a relatively good meal! I'd prefer a bigger serving of vegetables, of course. And the service was good. The student servers were all very professional (they're almost as good as the ones I've encountered in fine dining restaurants). I look forward to seeing them make guests feel at home in whatever lodging facility or restaurant they find themselves working in. 

"Where Do Broken Hearts Go?", asked Tita Whitney (Houston). Now I know where (for PUP students, at least): at the #Hugot Cafe.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for dropping by!

Before moving on, please share your thoughts or comments about the post. :)

Thanks again!

Popular posts from this blog

10 things I learned while driving on Marcos Highway to Baguio City

I went on a day trip to the City of Pines, which was around a 700-km drive from my house. I drove  going up there and then from the city to Victoria, Tarlac. After that, my dad took over the driving duties. It was day trip with Tita Ising and Tito Sibing with us. Anyway, this trip was my first time to go to Baguio City with me behind the wheel. As everyone who drives up knows, there are three main routes to Baguio from the lowlands: Kennon Road, which ascends from Rosario, La Union. It was out of my options because it's too dangerous to use that road in the rainy season. The second route is via Naguilian Road, which makes my trip a lot longer because the beginning of the ascent is in Bauang, La Union (further north). The last route, and the one I took, was the Marcos Highway, now known as the Aspiras-Palispis Highway. This 47-km road starts from Agoo, La Union and is touted as the safest route among the three.  As I drove up and then down (on the same day; we were in Bagu
5 comments
Read more

How MALDI-TOF-MS makes mycobacterium diagnosis faster and more accurate

The laboratory I work in has plenty of instruments that help us characterise and identify microorganisms causing diseases in patients. One of my current projects is to validate an instrument called "matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometer" (MALDI-TOF-MS) in identifying members of the Mycobacterium  species. Many of these organisms are opportunistic, meaning they only cause illnesses in people whose immune systems are not strong enough to fight infections. Mycobacterium leprae  is known for causing leprosy, but we cannot grow this bacterium in culture media, so we cannot isolate it. Mycobacterium tuberculosis  complex, on the other hand, is a group of several species of Mycobacterium  that causes tuberculosis. Tuberculosis is a disease that killed 1.6 million people in 2021 alone. It is a leading cause of death globally, second only to COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Identifying the Mycobacterium species that has infected a patient is
Post a Comment
Read more

a crash course on traditional Filipino houses

On Dr Jose Rizal's birthday this year, I was back in historic Manila with Ate Bing, Ate Mary , and Manuel . But instead of visiting him, we opted to soak up on Philippine culture. Our first stop: the Cultural Center of the Philippines ' (CCP) Museo ng Kalinangang Pilipino .  Aside from the musical instruments, I noticed the dioramas about Filipino homes. Filipinos living by the sea (the 'sea gypsies', Sama Dilaut or Badjao ) have boathouses; those who live in the mountains, like the Bagobos , have developed interconnected houses in the trees; Filipinos who live along the path of the strongest typhoon winds, such as the Ivatans , have developed houses of thick limestone walls; and people who live in calmer conditions used bamboo and nipa to construct their houses, like the lowlanders and the Agtas . Sama Dilaut 'lepa' and houses on stilts (in the background) Ivatan limestone house nipa hut Ifugao 'fale' Maranao '
Post a Comment
Read more