Goofing at Ortigas Park, Pasig City

A couple of weekends ago, we had some good reason to head off to Ortigas Center. It was the 7th birthday of one of my godchildren, Bea.

After the party, we lingered a bit and had a short photo session at Ortigas Park. It was a small park. If the word cosy is applicable to parks, then I would say it’s a cosy park. Perfect place to sit back and relax. You can bring a good book and an iPod with you and sit on one of the few benches.  Or you can just enjoy the experience of being surrounded by the bushes and tall buildings of Ortigas Center. It’s a haven in a concrete commercial jungle.

There’s a zen-like appeal to it because of the water falling down the wall of the small stage, which makes me think it’s a good venue for intimate shows, too.  If you want to catch a glimpse of some members of the Ortigas family, you can check out their bust concrete carvings there.

The afternoon was made even more interesting because of Kap’s (a good friend from graduate school) photo. Well, Kap works for the Ortigas Foundation, so that must be the reason for his active endorsement of the park.

You definitely made my day, Kap! =)

And there’s Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf!

Getting there: You can take Julia Vargas then turn left to Emerald Avenue. Or take Ortigas Avenue then turn right to Emerald Avenue.

Cafe 88 Degrees

My colleagues and I went to Ortigas Center yesterday for a meeting. The meeting at 11am went on till 2:00pm, and so by the time the meeting ended we were already hungry and spent.

As we stepped into a blinding afternoon sunlight, we didn’t have much energy to look for a place to eat really, and had to settle for the nearest cafe we found: Cafe 88 Degrees.

To our surprise we found a cozy place with yummy-looking food!

Each of us ordered a combo meal: spicy squid rings, spicy pork, and chicken. Each meal came with rice and a brownie cube, and a choice of Milk Tea, Green Tea or (my bad, forgot the other one). I ordered a strawberry shake instead of the teas.

Since I was too hungry to hear the waitress’s description of the combo meal, and I wanted some hot soup to come with my meal, I also ordered a dumpling noodle soup. When our meals were served, whoa, they came with a free soup. I ended up having my dumpling noodle soup wrapped for to-go.

Their food was really yummy! The spicy squid was just perfect–crispy and just-right spicy. I wanted to dip it to vinegar, but the bit-sweet sauce that came with it somehow evened out the spiciness. The strawberry shake was good, not too sweet yet a bit tangy. My colleagues had the milk (with black sago) and green teas, and they loved it too. They said, it was a biggie serving considering that it came sort of free. The price is not bad at all: each combo meal was Php110.

The dumpling noodle soup that I brought to the office was also good, said Tom, the willing and eager recipient.

Now, I wish I had a camera with us to take some photos. But I’m definitely going back there and sample all their dishes!

The place is easy to find: Cafe 88 Degrees, G/F Centerpoint Building, Julia Vargas Avenue cor. Garnet Road, Ortigas Center.

Check it out!