Anton Explores

Art Circle cafe is one of the more well-known establishments in the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, Quezon City. It is part of a network of commercial art galleries that provide a platform for up-and-coming artists to showcase their works. This particular branch I believe is the only one that serves food and drinks. Eating out in the UP Diliman area is a bit of a hit or miss. There are definitely a lot of options, especially in nearby Maginhawa Street, but the experience tends to be uneven. So, is Art Circle Cafe a hit or a miss? The interiors, at least, are a big hit. There aren't a lot of venues in Metro Manila where you can dine while surrounded with what seemed to me were outstanding works of art. I'm not an artist, art critic, or even an art enthusiast, but I think it's safe to say that the works featured in the gallery, at least at the time we were there, would look appealing for most people.  We ordered chicken fillet pesto (P295), creamy carbonara (...

Amici has been one of my family's go-to restaurants since my younger years. Now that I have a family of my own, we also have our fair share of memories made in Amici. For instance, the first time that my youngest had ice cream/gelato was in this particular branch back in 2017.  After all these years, not much has changed in the interiors, at least in this branch. Everything looks almost exactly the same as in 2017. They've repainted and added some wall art in one corner, but going there still feels like stepping back in time, and for me that's not a bad thing, actually. I sometimes have a hard time coping with change, and places like Amici, this specific branch in particular, helps me relive some good memories, even for just an hour or so. I think we kind of stopped going as often as we used to starting in late 2018. I noticed a slight dip in the quality of the food, so I started looking for alternatives. However, things changed when the pandemic hit in 2020 as I started cr...