Interesting coffee project at Dear Joe

 

The Villar Group of Companies has come up with another novel idea for a coffee shop. It started years ago with a cafe called Coffee Project that attracted visitors with its French floral and bike inspirations.

The first time we chanced upon a Dear Joe coffee shop, I asked the staff how this was different from Coffee Project. She answered that Dear Joe was the masculine version of Coffee Project.

As we entered the premises, we noticed the cozy ambiance and mood lighting. Not sure about masculinity but I think women may also like the interior design of the space. 

What made us stay at Dear Joe was not necessarily the ambiance. We discovered that they offered a wide selection of foodie choices that visitors can actually stay to have a meal before or after drinking their coffee.

We have yet to try all the food selections. The initial impression was good.

Aside from hearty lunch meals, they also offer pizza, pasta, and even breakfast meals. So many menu items to choose from that one can actually spend a whole day ordering at Dear Joe, it seems.

There is also a wide selection of cakes and pastries. 

Then we noticed all these postcards and mailboxes around the coffee shop. Dear Joe was conceptualized with the idea of writing personal letters. They are touted as the first letter writing cafe. What exactly is that?

For a minimum purchase or fee, customers can write postcards or letters to family and friends that will be snail mailed by Dear Joe. Stationery and postcards are available. The small mailbox at our table seemed to be getting filled up with notes.

The big question is how fast does Dear Joe mail these letters? Also, given the uncertainties of the Philippine mailing system, have any of the letters reached their intended recipients? We have yet to hear from someone who has received a Dear Joe postcard.

It's a very nice concept whose ending we have yet to see. But yes, Dear Joe could be the new coffee shop to beat in the Philippines.

Warm welcome at Sonya's Garden during this pandemic

 

"If you lose everything you own, how much are you really worth?" -- Sonya

This question is worth asking especially during the ongoing pandemic. A good place to ponder that question is Sonya's Garden that offers quiet time and rest.

They call their philosophy "the art of doing nothing." Quite simply, the place is a beautiful garden that invites the soul to immerse itself with the flowers, bees, and cicadas. 

In fact, the first thing they tell you when you arrive is to anticipate the cacophony of noises, most especially those coming from cicadas.

"Tibicen Pruinosa - Any of a family (Cicadidae) of homopterous insects which have a stout body, wide blunt head, and large transparent wings and the males of which produce a loud buzzing noise usually by stridulation...."

We arrived at the height of the summer heat and the temperature was manageable even without air-conditioning, especially at night.

Most rooms are provided with mosquito nets and electric fans. This is one place that thrives without air conditioning that is so much in vogue during the pandemic.

Another Sonya's Garden hallmark is the bread shop and of course, fresh salad from the garden.

Sonya's Garden still serves fresh salad daily. 

The greens come from their own lettuce farm.

They also sell fresh produce in the vicinity. You may purchase available fruits or herb plants.

Sonya's Garden offers buffet lunch or buffet dinner options to in-house guests plus breakfast.

The buffet menu that costs P750 per person can be availed by day visitors. It has not changed much over the years. 

At the moment, however, food is served directly from the kitchen and not arranged as an open buffet (based on our experience).

One unexpected surprise during our visit was called the river tour that was actually a trek towards this cold mountain spring water pool that was so refreshing!

We arrived at Sonya's Garden feeling tired. We were rejuvenated with our short commune with nature. We hope to visit again someday. Thank you Sonya's Garden for giving us a warm welcome :)

Ayala's QualiMed Branches in Sta Rosa and Bulacan converted into COVID-19 referral hospitals

Lately, we have been hearing about Philippine hospitals that cannot accept COVID-19 patients anymore. It's nice to hear about Ayala's expansion program that started last year.

"Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health), in partnership with the QualiMed Health Network, recently expanded QualiMed Hospital – Sta. Rosa’s COVID-dedicated bed capacity to 75 beds, and QualiMed Hospital – San Jose Del Monte’s to 30 beds, effectively doubling the total bed capacity for COVID patients since the facilities were upgraded in March. This is in line with their efforts to ramp up COVID-19 treatment capacity in the country." 

QualiMed Sta. Rosa was also the first hospital outside Metro Manila to receive AstraZeneca vaccines. A combination of 600 AstraZeneca and Sinovac vaccines were administered to doctors and healthcare workers in the first quarter of 2021.

AC Health (also known as Ayala Healthcare Holdings Incorporated) recently acquired QualiMed and appears to be at the forefront of the country's vaccination campaign.

CEO Paolo Borromeo said, "We have identified and are setting up nearly 20 mega sites nationwide with a goal to administer 1,000,000 doses by 2021."

To date, QualiMed offers three packages for potential screening and home care issues.

Package 1 = P6000 for patients who suspect COVID-19 or are mild symptomatic includes an RT-PCR Swab Test, Chest X-Ray, and Consultation with a doctor.

Package 2 = P12,000 for patients who are COVID positive, asymptomatic to mild symptomatic includes COVID support at home:

= Telemedicine consults with an internal medicine or pediatrics doctor (10 consults for 14 days)

= COVID care kit

= Priority access to hospital admission (subject to availability) 

= Medical certificate upon completion of isolation period

Package 3 = P29,500 for patients who are COVID positive or mild symptomatic with controlled comorbidities, non-oxygen requiring includes COVID care at home:

= Complete blood count

= COVID panel (CRP, LDH, Ferritin, D-dimer), 

= HbA1c 

= Chest CT scan 

= COVID care kit 

= Telemedicine consults with an internal medicine or pediatrics doctor (10 consults over 14 days) 

= Medical certificate upon completion of isolation period 

= Priority access to hospital admission (subject to availability)

=====

Postscript: As with any kind of medication, it is important to understand the different vaccination choices and possible adverse reactions. 

For those who are considering COVID-19 Home Care, I am sharing these medical instructions from a Pulmonologist at Asian Hospital.

"Please prepare the following since if someone at home is positive for COVID-19, all household members are quarantined:

= Alcohol, gloves, N95 mask for primary caregiver of covid patient, Chlorox wipes or alcohol wipes to wipe surfaces

= Pulse oximeter, thermometer

= Medicines: Paracetamol for fever and body pain, Fluimucil 600 mg. tablets for cough, Doxofylline 200 mg. for shortness of breath, Ventolin Inhaler (not nebulization because it will cause more aerosolization and not only droplet transmission of virus), Antihistamines

= If you want to prepare oxygen, maybe two big tanks with oxygen regulator, although when patient is short of breath or oxygen saturation less than 94, ideally bring to the hospital. Nasal canal and/or oxygen face mask."

The doctor also recommended oxygen concentrators (like Inogen brand) compared to oxygen tanks that are hard to calibrate.

All told, it seems like a good idea to at least keep basic medicine requirements including a Ventolin Inhaler. Apparently, the use of a nebulizer may just help spread more virus, so it is best avoided. 

Of course, if the patient already experiences shortness of breath, it is prudent to find a hospital that can address the issue and give further instructions.

Note: This is not intended as medical advice. Sharing possible first aid or home care options only. Please consult your doctor for exact medications pertaining to your specific health needs.

Barcino's first lockdown menu included lobster

 

It's been a year since the first coronavirus lockdown in March 2020 and people around the world are reminiscing that fateful moment. 

Some are sharing their last photo before the pandemic started. Others can't believe how much has changed since.

In the Philippines, I remember the sense of panic when people realized that there was going to be a lockdown. It was the first of its kind and people had no idea what to expect.

Face masks ran out and many grocery shelves were cleared. Some people were too scared to enter big groceries and contented themselves with what they could find in specialty stores and elsewhere. But even the specialty shops could not guarantee the food supply. At the beginning, people were not sure if they would starve as the truck deliveries were also delayed or halted.

The experience felt so much like war time. A lot of restaurants also closed down. At the beginning, very few establishments could continue with take out operations.

One restaurant that was able to continue operations then was a Spanish restaurant chain in the Philippines known as Barcino.

They were innovative and offered a take out menu that could be completed at home. They had frozen ready to cook food items. They also offered a paella kit where diners could cook the dish at home in a few easy steps. 

Aside from frozen meals, you could still order ready made food from the restaurant that seemed to taste better than when it was cooked at home.

The most interesting menu offering that I encountered was Barcino's lobster paella known as Paella Bogavante, at a time when the food supply chain was in crisis. It was a unique food experience.

There were other restaurant chains that also offered frozen meals and take out food. Some succeeded while others did not.

Flexibility in adapting to changing times and customer needs is key to survival. There were restaurants that offered party trays or take out meals that failed to attract the consumer. 

Sometimes, you just need to offer a different experience that can be remembered for years to come. Barcino's Paella Bogavante surely did the trick. They delivered something out of the ordinary when no one else could.

Okada Manila 2021: Walking down memory lane

 

We had a chance to briefly visit Okada Manila as they were gearing up for the February 12, 2021 Chinese New Year celebrations.

Just sharing a few impressions as we did not stay at length. Some people may be wondering what's new.  

Of course, the novel thing that greeted us was the disinfection booth at the complex entrance. So far, it's the first establishment that I have encountered using it. 

As we entered the mall area, the first thing we noticed was the new Jollibee store with people lining up, as it seemed to be the only fast-food chain in the vicinity.

As we walked onwards, we saw another familiar food cart store selling Italian pizza and pasta. Even before the lockdown, they were already occupying that spot and seemed to have been the only one that stayed in the same location. 

We saw Mary Grace and Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory kiosks that were in a different location from what we remembered. If I recall correctly, the main Starbucks branch was still open.

Before the lockdown, there was another food stall selling Japanese Takoyaki and Okonomiyaki. We were told that they decided not to renew their lease. Hopefully, they will decide to come back as they were pretty good at what they did.

The Okada restaurant outlets were open. One of those with ongoing promotional offers was Goryeo Restaurant. You can read my previous food review on the following link.

https://joyposadaswrites.blogspot.com/2019/07/goryeo-restaurant-and-manila-bay-sunset.html

Compared to former years, a few big stores like Pandora and Digital Walker remained open. It was a surprise to see the Murano store stay strong as well.

At the time of our visit, there were no fountain shows scheduled. One thing I remembered from the past were the street shows that Okada Manila hosted. They were out of the ordinary but you sometimes wondered if they were safe enough.

Another spot that was closed was the Sakura area. Operations seemed to have been downsized, obviously due to quarantine limitations.

From what we were told, Okada's Retreat Spa is open but does not allow the use of the wet floor compared to previous years. I understand this is connected to the quarantine rules. Of course, it can change without notice.

All told, it was a welcome experience to walk down memory lane if only to remember and give thanks for carefree days under the sun. It is with hope that we look forward to the future and the end of this pandemic.