Food, Culture, and Company: A Day Trip to Antipolo and Marikina

So we've been planning this road/food trip for the longest time and it finally happened. My girlfriends and I wanted some place near Manila so we agreed to pig out in Marikina. The museum visit was a spur-of-the-moment decision 'cos we've all been to Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo. Danie hasn't visited the place, though, so we included it in our itinerary.

To start our day off on the right foot, we had breakfast at Rustic Mornings by Isabelo located at Isabelo Mendoza Street in Brgy. San Roque, Marikina. I've been eyeing this all-day breakfast place for the longest time 'cos of it's shabby chic interiors and relaxing ambiance. Indeed, every corner is instagram-worthy.

Rustic Mornings by Isabelo is known for its all-day breakfast menu.

Recycled kitchen utensils, bottles, paintings, and other trinkets adorn the gazebo.

The Titas of Manila are so happy and cozy! 

Indeed, God is bountiful!

I had Crispy Tawilis (Php 170.00) and Crispy Plain Waffles (Php 200.00). I loved the waffles but the Crispy Tawilis was run-of-the-mill. The serving was big, though.

If dining al fresco is not your thing, you can eat inside the air-conditioned Blue and White Room.

 Filled tummies = Happy faces

Gotta take advantage of the nice lighting. Hehe.

The porcelain owls are too cute!

They also sell succulents which are located near the parking area.

Rustic Mornings by Isabelo is open every day from 8AM-4PM on weekdays and 8AM-9PM on weekends.

Food -  🌟🌟🌟

Ambiance - 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Value for Money - 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Right after breakfast, we headed to Pinto Art Museum for an art and nature fix. None of the galleries are air-conditioned so it's best to bring a fan as it can be pretty humid inside. 

The museum has six galleries, Museum of Indigenous Art, and Mindanao Collection. Interesting art pieces abound the museum. Cool thing about it is that all artworks are made by Filipino artists. #SupportYourOwn

Art meets nature

Gallery 1

Huge and vibrant paintings can be found in Gallery 1. The largest painting in the museum can also be found here.

Behind us is the second largest painting in the museum.

Gallery 2

To appreciate the beauty of Geraldine Javier's artwork, you need to use the "negative effect"  of your cellphone camera. Boy, we were blown away.

Behind Danie is Nona Garcia's "Hallow." The boxes show sacred icons which went through the scanner of a clinical x-ray machine.

Gallery 3

Alab Pagarigan's "Hollow Man" is my favorite art installation in the museum.

Ms. Zee and Stephanie Lopez' "Defiling a Dream"

Gallery 4

Portrait made of thread on silkscreen by Eugenia Alcaide

 Millenials could certainly relate.

Still my favorite painting

Gallery 5

The furniture in this living room are wrapped in worksheets and exercises from special classes that taught its artist Pamela Yan-Santos the relations between actions and objects.

Gallery 6

This huge canvas by Ferdie Montemayor creatively shows through unique brushwork technique the movements and progress of a triathlon.

The most eye-catching artwork in the gallery is Demetrio Dela Cruz' "Lolong and Loleng."

Me striking a pose in my favorite spot

Art is everywhere even in the most inconspicuous places.

There are also interesting art installations outside the galleries.

Pinto Art Museum is open every Tuesdays to Sundays from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM

Regular ticket: Php 200.00

Senior Citizens and PWDs: Php 180.00

Children and Students: Php 100.00

After roaming around the museum, we quickly drove to Carnival Food Park located along Mayor Gil Fernando Avenue, Marikina to fill our grumbling tummies. 

Carnival Food Park is reminiscent of an old-school "perya."

Awesome artwork near the parking and entrance

The carnival-themed food park has 26 food stalls.

The Salted Eggztreme Seafood Platter (Php 450.00) of Hip On is sooooo yummy! It's really worth the mess. Hehe.

We also ordered Nerfes "The Wave" Boodle.

You can get refreshments at Well Juiced. We ordered their Red Raspberry (Php 160.00)  and Green Tea with Lychee  (Php 160.00).

You'll definitely pig out at Piggin' Out which offers guilty pleasure food like bagnet and bacon.

Señorita serves a fusion of Filipino and Mexican food like nachos, tacos, and burritos.

Dips N' Fry offers fried comfort food like fish and chips, onion rings, and even crispy pata.

Havey Desserts serves sweet treats like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and cupcakes.

We ordered the Chocolate Chip Cookie Ala Mode from Havey Desserts and it really is havey! Hehe.

Carnival Food Park is more vibrant and festive at night.

We went home exuberant and with tummies filled to the brim.

We had so much fun we felt it was "bitin." Food, culture, and company really do make a  good blend. There will be a part 2, that's for sure!