Exciting Buffet Menus at the Quezon Restaurant in Fisher Mall

2nd Floor Fisher Mall, Roosevelt Avenue corner Quezon Avenue, Quezon City – Philippines

Mr. Bobby Yan ( celebrity host and model ) Miss Chanel Olive Tomas Miss Philippines -Earth 2015 -Air , Miss Philippine -Earth runner-up , vips and proprietors of the restaurant.

It was after the highly successful first concept buffet -Guevarra’s   , Gruppo Guevarra’s  Inc. ( GGI) .  The group opened another restaurant with a different theme.

buffet dishes

A soft opening was held last October 2015 and through word of mouth , This restaurant is getting a positive review among its customers .

The proprietors decided to open another thematic restaurant within Quezon City aptly named QUEZON Buffet at the Fisher Mall.

old photos of famous landmarks in Manila

The restaurant had a stylish reception area with a 3-d photo of a car somewhere in Escolta , the business district of Manila during president Manuel L. Quezon time.

Hon. John Marvin ” Yul Servo ” Nieto- Manila’s incumbent 3rd district councilor

The white walls had a lot of black and white colored photos of well-known landmarks of Manila and during the Commonwealth era.

ribbon cutting ceremony

The restaurant had a sitting capacity of 200 people at any given time

Chef Monica Bayhon , Mr Raymond Go ( one of the proprietors) Chef Trisha Ocampo , Chef Jordan Rina and Chef Tim Abejuela

The star -studded guests included Miss Philippines-Earth 2015 runner-ups, Mr. Bobby Yan, Mr. John Marvin ” Yul Servo” Nieto (3rd district councilor of Manila) .

Chef Kalel Chan

Celebrity chef Mr. Kalel Chan had been featured by several television shows like Kris TV on ABS-CBN channel 2 , Orange Magazine Television  , GMA channel 7 among others .He envision Quezon as a place where guests can experience a historic vibes through the food that they serve.  He also emphasized the freshness of the ingredients and food that they serve.

people behind the restaurant in a group photo

Miss Ima Castro

She rendered a song for all those people present at the opening.

Entertainment writers Mr Ogie Diaz and Shalala were also present at the opening.

Shalala together with entertainment writers

The restaurant takes pride on their Filipino-Spanish menus which included paella , kare-kare, boneless lechon ,lechon chili belly,  chorizo gambas.

paella

Paella – This is the centerpiece of any event . The dish is widely regarded as Spain’s national dish , with mussels , bits of pork , prawns with bell peppers and green peas.

chorizo gambas

Gambas con Chorizo is a traditional Spanish recipe that brings both of these elements together to create a fusion of sensational flavors.

callos

Callos is a beef tripe soup with chickpeas (grabanzos) , blood sausage and bell peppers.

 lechon chili belly

Lechon chili belly – This is a deboned roasted pig with chili peppers and spices added .  There are a good assortment of condiments like traditional lechon sauce made from the liver of the pork, vinegar sauce and soy sauce.

While Filipino dishes like dory laing , pinakbet, fried fish with salsa , chicken inasal , pork and bangus sisig , dinakdakan .

Lumpiang Ubod ( spring roll with heart of coconut palm ) fried rather than the conventional crepe wrappings) They wrapped them into bite sized portion .

bagnet

Bagnet is deep fried crispy pork with its skin on and in most cases deep fried twice to attain the crispy texture. This is a popular dish in the Ilocos region and parts of Tarlac.

crispy kangkong

 Kangkong leaves ( Ipomea aquatica) also called water spinach , swamp morning glory , kankun , tanglong , kangkung, water glory bind are coated with batter and then deep fried . Leaves usually served as appetizers. This recipe is very much like  vegetable tempura, where you coat the vegetable in a very light batter and deep fried until crisp and golden brown.

This is very important vegetable and during the outbreak of the second world war , where vegetables were scare or hard to come-by .  This had saved millions of Filipinos from starvation .

bangus , chicken and pork sisig

hamonadong manok

Hamonadong Manok – It is marinated chicken hamonado  chicken baked in pineapple juice. It uses the pineapple, condiments and spices as a marinade.  This is quite popular dish in Central Luzon  and Southern Tagalog provinces where there are pineapples  grown .  This is usually serve during special occasions like Christmas and town fiesta.  

fried fish with salsa

Tilapia fish were deboned and deep fried into small pieces  . Best served with freshly sliced tomatoes and salsa .

pork binagoongan

Pork Binagoongan – it is a pork dish cooked in shrimp paste with vegetable like eggplant and topped with shredded  mangoes . I must say that it is not very salty and with the addition of semi-ripe mangoes neutralized the saltiness.

dinakdakan

Dinakdakan is a popular dish from the Ilocos region , The dish is somewhat similar to the Kapampangan dish  ( sisig ) the meat is diced rather than finely chopped

dory with laing/ natong

This dish is a perfect combination of fish and vegetables – The chefs used fillet cream dory aka kanduli or pangasius fish then cooked dried taro ( gabi) leaves in coconut milk. This dish represents the Bicol region.

lechon manok inasal

the chicken is very tender and reflect the regional taste of the Visayan provinces.  However , Those looking for a more authentic taste of inasal or the commercialized ones. This is quite different.

angus steak tapa, grilled vegetables and pork barbecue

Practically recommend this trio , I like the tender angus meat, grilled vegetables and pork barbecue .  The meat of the pork barbecue is quite tender and not tough .

bulalo steak

Bulalo Steak – The dish is made from beef shank and i like the way it is presented and cooked to perfection.

beef kare-kare

Beef Kare-Kare with shrimp paste

dessert table

Dessert table is also a combination of Filipino and Spanish desserts . There are also fresh sliced tropical fruits like water melon , cantaloupe and an area for bottomless soft-drinks and soft serve ice cream.

They have different price set , It is Php 368  weekday lunch ( Monday to Friday) Php 468 weekday dinner ( Monday to Thursday) and Php 568 ( Friday nights , weekend & holidays )

Operation Hours: 12:00 to 2:30pm lunch , 6:00 pm to 9:30pm Sunday to Tuesday , 6:00pm to 10:30pm Friday and Saturday

Contact Numbers : 281-2345, 366-6078

Mobile – (0917-6783966)

Note: children below 4 feet can get a discount of 50% off . Menus may be slightly different from – weekday lunch, weekday dinner and Fridays , weekends and holidays

Quezon Buffet Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/quezon.buffet?fref=ts

Fisher Mall -official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialFisherMall

Expedition trip to General Nakar, Quezon

I was informed that the Philippine Orchid Society may send 3 representative together with staffs from Manila Orchidarium ( Clean and Green Foundation), SMART Communications to do an initial survey of Barangay San Marcelino within the General Nakar area in Quezon .

Last August 18, during the POS monthly meeting in Mr. Modesto ” Mody” Manglicmot garden within UP Diliman . We were asked to join the so called expedition which is set on August 20 to August 21 (2 days) . Mr. Dennis Sy, Ms. Tina Narzo and I were the volunteers coming from the POS side.

I was quite hesitant  to go , since the publicity and promotion for the forthcoming show is already more than  1 week delayed due to cancellation of classes and office .

the group

August 20, I was already within the MSBF compound as early as 6 am , Most of the group arrived more than 1 hour later. We  rode several  hours passing scenic towns, mountains and road stalls before  our group arrived way past 1pm and the town mayor had treated our group a lunch then we quickly rode a small motorized boat on the way to the San Marcelino area of Gen. Nakar , We went from the mouth of the river to the Pacific Ocean side of the town .

mouth of the river flowing to the Pacific ocean

Our group saw flying fishes and sea weeds on our way, It took us over 1 hour to get to the site since the boat is not moving fast due to the waves. We arrived way past 2pm in the old poblacion area of Gen. Nakar which was destroyed by the landslide in 2004 due to the effect of two bagyo.  Typhoon Muifa and Nanmadol. Virtually the entire town were buried under several feet of mud and big boulders .The flash floods brought down logs from the surrounding mountain while the river had even changed its course !

big logs were left on dry river beds

Our group had saw large logs and house foundations still left as an eerie reminder of what had happened several years ago. According to our guide , Before the disaster in 2004 the area was very beautiful and there were lots of people  with blooming orchids,ornamental plants and nice quaint houses.

Dendrobium crumenatum (locally called white sanggumay )

A few hundred of meters away from the old town , we saw several dead trees which were covered with some common orchid species like Dendobium crumenatum , Liparis, Hoya bilobata, Hoya incrassata ,Bulbophyllum makoyanum , Platycerium coronarium ,weed ferns and an unidentifed Vanilla species !

Vanilla species growing on a tree just several meters away from the shoreline

We had met a lot of nice people and they told us that we were the ones who appreciate their garden and local species, Some people were even curious that we were speaking a weird language which are the  scientific names of these plants!

Even the local names of the orchids and plants were all mixed -up since they only rely from the Dumagats for the names of the plants, orchid species like Dendrobium crumenatum which is called   as dove, pigeon or 1 day orchid  in Metro Manila  were called sanggumay by the local people . Sanggumay is called Dendrobium anosmum here in Metro Manila , Renanthera philippinensis is locally called “Red Waling-waling ” . But since local names were given by the  people ,we are not in a position to correct them , Our group just got the names of the orchids, plants and trees for our reference .

Nepenthes alata (pitcher plant) green variety

It is a settled area and there were no electricity and we just got our drinking water from dug spring , Just simple amenities would do, Even cellphone signals were virtually out! This is due  to the mountain ranges and lack of communication tower .

Syzygium polyephalum ( lipote, balig-ang)

We picked several fruits like guavas , pomelo , lipote ( Balig-ang in Bikol) , bananas , santol . The local people sometimes gave it to our group, edible ferns also abound within the area.

Rufous Hornbill (Buceros hydrocorax)

There is a tamed  Rufous horn bill (kalaw) perched on a coconut tree. The group saw some sun birds- pollinator of flowers , Philippine hanging parakeet (kolasisi )  , kite and Malayan fantails.

At the end of the second day , The group had counted about 35 species of orchids , 6 species of hoyas and dischidias , 40 species of ferns, 2 dozen native trees, dozen kinds of cut foliage plants, 3-5 species of ginger plant (curcuma, kamia), an epiphytic begonia, 2 species of nepenthes ( pitcher plant) and had a chance to see the World’s Largest Orchid in flower ! Grammatophyllum wallisii and  fond memories of the people living in the area.

Grammatophyllum wallisii

Despite of poverty ,the people had treated us very-well ! there are signs that the place is slowly recovering from the destruction .

Some of the group had a chance to take a bath with the beach. the water is not that salty compared to the rest of the sea side beaches. This was attributed that there are a lot of small streams, rivers and creeks which empty the Pacific ocean.

and some  of us had got “Batong Buhay” as some sort of souvenir from the place!

Paging.. Mrs. Gupit -Natural Stone Society !!!!! We might sign up as members of the society… Hehehehe

The group reported out preliminary expedition details to the town mayor for further evaluation . This would also give an idea on what sort of plants that could be massed propagated for livelihood projects of the town.

To the people and Mayor of General Nakar -Mr.Leovegildo R. Ruzol , Thanks!

Insular Botanical Garden &Farm

This is a favorite place for plant lovers , horticulturists , trader or simply photographer’s delight .

This a farm had hectares dedicated solely on the production of high value ornamental potted plants and cut-flower varieties of bromeliad , tillandsias, guzmanias mostly sold in the local markets.

Tillandsia schiedeana variety major in bloom

Some of the plants are even exported in other countries . With the help of Dutch- Suriname owner and its partners . This farm is also haven for rare ornamental plants.

Tillandsia cyanea or Pink Quill

Some of the flowering plants therein: pink & green pineapples, sabrina [double], morgana, freddie, etna, tawi, talk pink, tillandsia cyanea, christiane, cotton candy, stricta [double].. and many, many more.

Dendrobium crumenatum orchids growing on a Dracena

The area had a lot of natural growing wild orchids such as Dendrobium heterocarpum , Dendrobium crumenatum among others.

There is a big pond were 2 varieties of lotus are grown (pink and white ones).

Tillandsia xerographica listed as CITES appendix II

Tillandsia xerographica-Native to Salvador, Mexico and Guatemala, this beautiful cultivar is very slow growing and easy to care for. The silvery gray leaves are wide at the base and taper to a point. This epiphyte is suitable for growing on trees, rocks, or just about anywhere. Can grow from 6 to 18 inches in height and about 6 to 15 inches in diameter. The flowers are red to purple and last for a long time. Mist well about once a week.

Tillandsia andreana from Colombia  among others. The plants are mass propagated by seeds and thru suckers.

tillandsia seeds

The farm is vital in the propagation of these two species of rare tillandsias.

There are hundreds of different varieties of plants in the farm. According to one of the consultant , the farm produces over 300,000 potted plants at any time. Some foreigners like Thais , Singaporeans, Malaysians , Taiwanese had went to the place and bought numerous ornamental plants either for their collection, landscaping and resale.

The company is into wholesale and retail business of selling these plants. Appointments must be made before coming to the farm

For inquiries and farm tour:

Contact person : Mr. Oscar (0920-9281796 ) / (09209521063)

TeleFax (042) 540-78-22 or email: scandor.elias@gmail.com / insularbotanicals@gmail.com

Address: Insular Botanic Garden Corporation , Bgy. Kilib, Lucban, Quezon Province

Notes: Those who wanted to purchase plants at a wholesale price, try to contact them. The farm normally do not entertain walk-ins !

Gammatophyllum wallisii the biggest orchid in the world

This is the specimen sized Grammatophyllum wallisii or Grammatophyllum speciosum native to the Philippines and was growing on a boulder in one of the houses near the  town of  Dolores in Quezon .   According to the owner,  this orchid blooms every 3 to 5 year interval  and based on the orchid size  , the orchid is at least 50 years old . Several years ago an orchid collector offered to buy the orchid but the owner does not want to sell . Local taxonomist are still in a debate if this particular orchid found in Quezon is a distinct species or just a variety since the color of the flowers and marking are quite distinct .

The Giant Orchid, Grammatophyllum speciosum also called Tiger Orchid because of the spotting in the flowers which resembles tiger marks , Sugar Cane Orchid or ” Malatubong Dapo ” because the pseudoblubs resembles large sugar canes . People also call this particular orchid as  Queen of the Orchids, since this is the world’s largest and bulkiest  orchid .  It is native to  growing in crotches of large trees on exposed areas of the lowland tropical rain forest. This species was first described by botanist Carl Blume in 1825.

The  cylindric pseudobulbs reach 10 feet or 3 meters in height with leaves along the full length.

It is an   epiphytic and occasionally a lithophytic plant, forming spectacular root bundles. It can grow to gigantic clusters weighing from several hundred kilograms to more than one ton. The orchid can produce over 10,000 flowers on a mature plant.

The orchid can be found growing within 100 to 1,200 meters elevation in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, Borneo, Moluccas, the Philippines, Sulawesi, Sumatra, Bismark islands, Papua New Guinea, Brunei, East Timor and Solomon island and is recorded to be the heaviest orchid in the world.

A Giant Orchid weighing two tons was one of the highlights in the 1851 exhibition at Crystal Palace in London according to a scientific journal.

There are some growers of this orchid in Metro Manila however this orchid is quite temperamental in blooming within the metropolis. This orchid needed to be conserved and protected.