Alex Lugawan

If you grew up at downtown Pasig, then you are familiar with this known eatery. Located at San Nicholas, Pasig (I think), near the Immaculate Concepcion church, Alex Lugawan is a favorite among the Pasiguenos. From the name of the eatery, it is famous for its lugaw paired with tokwa’t baboy.

As I’ve learned, sisig is also one of their best-sellers. When E and I decided to eat there one night, I opted for my favorite tapsilog. E ordered lugaw (congee) and tokwa’t baboy (tofu and pig’s ears). At the facade, Alex Lugawan appears like a carinderia. Inside though, there are several tables and chairs where one can sit – ala canteen-style. The place actually occupies two floors and is open as early as 7am and until 1 in the early morning of the next day.

I found the tokwa't baboy sweet and yummy.
I did not like the taste of the lugaw (congee). It was kind of bland.


I ordered tapsilog. It was okay.

carinderia style

The Classic Savory Chicken

Friday night. E and I saw ourselves first time at the quite large and spacious, SM Hypermart at Ugong, Pasig City. The grocery with a few restos and stores is just beside Tiendesitas. I had my hair cut at the BenchFix branch there (which is an altogether another story :P) and went grocery-shopping.

I go grocery shopping at several malls either near our house or near at work (SM Megamall, SM Makati or Landmark). After trying out this branch of the SM superstores, if given the time, I’ll do the rest of my grocery shopping here.

My reasons: 1) it’s spacious (I think I’ve mentioned that already) which means more shelves and stacks of products; 2) so far, almost complete. I mean most of what I need are here. There is a variety of products. 3) few people shop here so it’s not that crowded and there are no long lines at the counter; 4) I went shopping at night and the veggies are still in their good quality; 5) There are restaurants around the are shouting at you to try them out plus Tiendesitas was just across the street for another dining experience.


Where did E and I eat?

We spotted a place just within the entrance where a number of people were eating. The place was just small. When we enter the mall, the resto was already crowded. When we were done shooing, there were still several people eating there. The menu was displayed outside wo we didn’t have to guess on what they were serving. Given that the prices seem reasonable, we decided to try the place. The place is called The Classic Savory Chicken.




As I read, this eatery dates back in the 1950s when four of the ‘Ting brothers’ put up a panciteria at the busy district of Quiapo. Later on, they discovered a special recipe for fried chicken and gravy which became popular not just among the Chinese but with Filipinos as well. Their version of a chicken recipe became so popular which led to the opening of the first branch of the Savory Chicken House at Escolta. After about 50 years, the third generation of the Ting family launched the The Classic Savory Chicken.

Basically, they offer Chinese Cuisine with chicken as their specialty. And so the Chinese saga again continues. I know I have to stay away from all these Chinese food and try another cuisine. LOL. (Indian cusine, don’t worry, I’ll try you next).

E really wanted to try the chicken but as I was planning a pre-brithday celebration for him which included chicken barbeque in the menu, I somehow convinced him that I do not want to eat chicken that night. As much as it was the main dish in their menu, we opted for something else.

They served their pancit the way I want my pancit cooked: with a thick sauce.

The staff was really courteous. E is allergic to seafood and we requested that it be taken out of the dish. They did just what we requested and we were happy about it.

We also tried their spicy beef with sate sauce. It wasn’t at all spicy but nevertheless, tasted good.

As I researched, The Classic Savory Chicken also have branches at Robinson's Place Manila and the SM Mall of Asia. I'm excited to try the rest of dishes at their menu.

Mom and Tina's

It might be quite difficult for E and I to shed off the way extra pounds we so badly to get rid of. Yes, we’ve eliminated (he did) and lessened (I did) our intake of rice. BUT we’ve substituted another carb for it. E is more religious with eating his wheat breads but we both don’t say no to any pasta, potatoes, and noodles served to us. The late lunch we had earlier is a testimony of that. We ate at that dainty bakery café, Mom and Tina’s, located along E. Rodriguez Ave. (C-5) at Pasig. We only ordered two dishes and dessert but they left our stomachs full. So full that until now, that I’m typing this, I can still feel my stomach digesting the food we just ate. Hahaha. Seriously, it was already 8pm and I was still not craving for dinner. All probably because of the starch and sugar overload we had there.




If you live at the east part of the metro or if you’re just heading to QC, you’ll find that Mom and Tina’s is always packed during dinner time. The place is bustling. Seeing that everyday, I know I must try that place too. Probably avoiding lunch and dinner hours would be the best time to visit the resto. Mom and Tina’s occupies a small space so it tends to be filled up immediately by hungry customers during meal times.




What did we have? E went for the roast pork served with steamed veggies and mashed potatoes. We asked the rice to be substituted with bread, so we had garlic cheese rolls instead. The meal costs P175. I had chicken and spinach lasagna, also served with garlic cheese rolls (P110 I think).




Oh, I’ll be raving about the mashed potatoes that came with the roast pork. It felt so smooth and soft in my mouth. It did not have any strong flavors like butter or milk or chives. It tasted simple yet really yummy – like a secret recipe of home-made mashed potatoes! E is crazy about it!




As for the lasagna – it has both of the good and negative sides. Remember when you were a kid and you wanted your pasta to be swimming in the sauce and have tons of cheese? That’s how the lasagna tasted for me. It was served hot and the cheese just melted in my mouth. Kudos for that one! The only down side was I found the pasta soggy at a certain point. The dish tasted good but overall, the pasta was overpowered by the sauce. If they can probably retain the al dente consistency of the pasta – the dish will be perfect.




And then we had dessert. E had chocolate profiteroles (P35 for the cup). Being a fan of strawberries, I had strawberry walnut torte. If you plan to have chilled dessert at Mom and Tina’s, I suggest you have dessert taken from the fridge while you are still enjoying your main dish. That shall provide enough time for the dessert to soften enough in time for the ‘actual’ time of having dessert. Both of what we had were frozen and not chilled. It was so difficult to eat the dessert continuously. What I did with mine is to leave it for a while to allow it to thaw a little. Again, they should have been chilled and not frozen. But still, I have good reviews for the strawberry walnut torte. I loved it! As for the chocolate profiteroles – I didn’t enjoy it that much because it was hard.






They offer a variety of pastries and dessert. After all, it is foremost a bakery. For an extensive explanation on how Mom and Tina’s came to be, you can read on the insightful article written by Lori Baltazar of Dessert Comes First about Mom and Tina’s. They have breads, torte, cupcakes, cakes and cookies. I noticed that they have sugar-free cupcakes.




Mom and Tina’s is a homey place. I particularly enjoy eating at the couches. Prices are reasonably priced. And they have an extensive menu of desserts waiting to be tried. This place is definitely worth a second visit.


Mom and Tina's is located at:
along E. Rodriguez Ave.
Ugong, Pasig City
just right across Tiendesitas