A Taste of Ilocano Heritage Hospitality at Hotel Felicidad

I am not really an avid traveler. In fact, about 80% of my previous trips were work-related (ok, maybe 90%). This is because I am what folks in our place would call "namamahay", I don't sleep well in other places except home. Pickylittleme is picky in more ways than one. Ugh!

Hubby, meanwhile, is my complete opposite. He likes to travel, mainly to check out the architecture of a place and take lots of photos as he is also an avid photo hobbyist. When he was asked to make a site inspection in Tarlac late last week, he saw it as an opportunity to visit one place that he has long been wanting to go to: Vigan, Ilocos Sur.

So last Friday, the three of us along with our little furkid Poknat hied off to the North for a combined business-pleasure trip. We were accompanied by a few friends who had some business to check out in Ilocos, and we were glad for their company as we had never gone North by ourselves. Plus, it felt better to make a long trip in convoy in case something goes wrong with the car. We got to Tarlac by mid-morning, and was headed to Vigan by late afternoon, making a side trip to visit The Shrine of Our Lady of Manaoag on the way.

We got to Vigan pretty late. After a quick meal at our companion's relative, we went off to look for a place to stay. We had no reservations since our trip was not really planned. The relative invited us to stay the night, but we declined as we had Poknat with us and we did not want to impose. Hubby went into Vigan Plaza Hotel to ask if they allow dogs, and someone there directed him to Hotel Felicidad, a newly-opened boutique hotel a few meters away. It was a very charming hotel, located just around the corner from the famous Calle Crisologo. The exterior and  interior are designed in accordance with Vigan's heritage theme, but without the spooky or eerie feeling that I sometimes get from old-looking buildings. The rooms are spacious and a combination of vintage furniture and modern amenities, making it a very relaxing place. Unfortunately, I was unable to get better photos of our room as it was already past midnight, so these will have to do.

The main entrance of Hotel Felicidad.

Front desk

The stairs leading to the second floor. We weren't to able to
check it out due to time constraints.

The hotel lobby

Foyer/Lounge area leading to the patio. This is where we passed through
when we arrived as the only parking slot was just outside the glass doors.

The covered patio where pets of guests are supposed to stay.
It's located beside where we parked.

Check in was a breeze, as the staff were very friendly and helpful, allowing us to park in the parking space beside the hotel's patio so we have easy access to our car. However, it was a single-car parking slot, so our companion had to park in the hotel's carpark which was located some distance away. We filled out the necessary paperwork and went to our respective rooms, happy to have gotten a place so soon that allowed our little Poknat to stay with us.

The standard room where we stayed.

Closet and vanity made of solid wood inside our room

View of our room from the door

A couple of minutes later, the front desk called to ask if Poknat was in the room with us, then politely informed me that he had to stay in the patio as dogs are not allowed inside the room. We were surprised as it was the first thing that hubby asked when he looked for accommodations, so he went out to talk to the staff. Turned out they misunderstood him when he asked if Poknat could stay with us. As we did not want Poknat staying by himself outside (even with one of the staff offering to check on him constantly), the front desk personnel called their Officer-in-Charge (OIC) so hubby can talk to her. Hubby explained that Poknat has always slept in our room and might cause a ruckus if he was separated from us. He then offered to pay for any damage or inconvenience that Poknat may cause while inside the room, at the same time assuring the OIC that our little dog is house-trained and had never caused damage even when he was a puppy. The OIC was very kind, and agreed to hubby's compromise. Finally! Rest for the weary!

Our happy little boss. We forgot to bring Poknat's bed, so he had
to make do with his doggie blanket :(

The little boss goofing around in the middle of the night. 

The next day, we had our breakfast at the patio so Poknat can join us. The standard room that we occupied comes with set breakfast for two and you can choose your set. Hubby had Vigan longganisa with fried egg, steamed rice, sliced tomatoes and cucumber on the side, and coffee. I had danggit with the same accompaniments, and ordered an extra breakfast set of pancakes with hotdog and orange juice for the little boss. The food was simple but very good, though I think it would have been better if they served the rice meals with garlic rice instead of plain rice. The front desk already asked us our preferred breakfast set when we checked in, and when hubby went out in the morning to walk Poknat, another staff asked him what time and where we wanted the breakfast to be served, so we did not wait long for our food. As the previous night, the staff that brought our food were very friendly and nice, checking if we got everything we need before leaving us to enjoy our breakfast. 

Enjoying a leisurely breakfast at the patio with my boys. Bliss!
Forgot to take photos of the food, though. 

We checked out early as we had quite a few places on our list and we didn't want to go back just to get our things. While checking out, the OIC, Mia Aguila, came in and immediately recognized hubby as the guy she talked to on the phone when she saw him holding Poknat at the lobby. She was indeed a very nice person, giving us tips on where to buy pasalubong and places to visit. She chatted with us while were were checking out and invited us to come back. Our thanks goes to her and the rest of the staff of Hotel Felicidad Vigan for their consideration and understanding of our situation with Poknat the previous night.

Our group during check out. The petite lady in the white blouse is Mia Aguila,
Hotel Felicidad's gracious OIC, while the lady beside her is the front desk
officer whose name I forgot to ask.

So will I recommend Hotel Felicidad? Most definitely! Very nice and spacious rooms, excellent service, very friendly and hospitable staff, and affordable rates. What more can you ask for? The place truly lives up to its motto of "Ilocano heritage hospitality at its best". This hotel is on the top of my list on our next trip to Ilocos.

You can find more information and photos on Hotel Felicidad thru their Facebook page: Hotel Felicidad Vigan

Note: This is not a sponsored post. 

Spiral's 21 Dining Ateliers: Conquering the Metro's Most Raved-About Buffet

Warning: This is my most photo-extensive post, even though I used less than half of the photos that we took as I did not want to hog anyone's bandwidth. 

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a blog on how I was able to score a couple of Spiral weekday lunch vouchers at 50% off via Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila's #SofitelSMDay promo (see my post on Spiral's Weekday Lunch Buffet at Half-Price!). After some tweeking with hubby's schedule, I was finally able to book a table using the hotel's Facebook reservation link. I requested for a nice table beside their fountain area near the buffet since the little boss is very fond of fountains, and I was counting on it to keep my boss amused during lunch. Reservation was a breeze via the hotel's Facebook page. Plus points for promptness!

There was, however, a little snag in my plans. I read in one blog that taking photos of Spiral, particularly the food, is generally not allowed except during media events. We were going there as regular diners, so the possibility that we won't be allowed to take extensive photos was very high. But I did not fancy the idea of posting only photos of our plates. So I sent a message to Spiral's Facebook page, which in turn referred me to Sofitel's Marketing Communications (MarCom) team. I sent an email, and was promptly replied with an offer to have a member of their team accompany us when we take our photos to avoid any misunderstanding with the security people. More plus points for being so accommodating!

So last Thursday, the three of us hurried over to Spiral after hubby's appointment as our reservation was for exactly 12 noon, and the grace period for holding it was only 15 minutes. I was hoping to get there early as I wanted to have the tour and photos done before the arrival of the lunch crowd, but the first appointment dragged on and we barely made it on time. One of the staff led us to our table and called Jane Santiago of MarCom upon my request.

This simple but elegant sign will greet you at the foyer leadingto Spiral
from the parking level

View of Spiral from the escalator

The Spiral ladies will greet you as you come in

La Veranda, which I think would look more beautiful at night

Jane arrived a few minutes later, and she immediately took us on a tour of Spiral's 21 Dining Ateliers. Our first stop was the French Stove, as Spiral was celebrating French Month and paying tribute to Tour de France by featuring cuisines from four different provinces of France every week of July. That week, they were featuring Perigord, the second province in Tour de France's route. 

Reliving Tour de France inside Spiral

The multi-million peso Bonnet Stove

Pizza from the wood-fired oven

A cute sign over one of Perigord's dishes

Pan-fried beef  bordelaise, my favorite dish that day,
aside from the desserts, of course (*wink*)

Sauteed porcini with truffles

Roasted chicken with yummy sides from the Rottiserie

One of the Chefs at the French Stove grilling seafood from L'Ecallier

After that, we moved on to the other Ateliers. I know a lot of bloggers have featured Spiral's 21 Ateliers in detail, so I'll just post some of the photos that we took that day.

Numerous pasta combinations for the pasta lover!

L'Epicerie: Cheese heaven!

Various meat inside the Cheese Room

Dried fruits, nuts and other condiments to go with your favorite cheese

You can even buy your favorite cheese and meats to take home!

Hot Japanese Atelier

Our favorite Atelier: The Chocolaterie!

Mouth-watering pralines

Cute and yummy chocolate lollipops

Award-winning chocolate creations by Master Chocolatier,
Chef Tweet Obsequio

Fresh bread at La Boulangerie

L'Ecallier's offering for the day

Fresh sashimi at the Sushi Sashimi Atelier

Duck and other roasted meat from the Peking Duck Oven

North Indian and Churrasco Ateliers

Asian Section composed of Asian Noodles, Steam Baskets,
Chinese Wok, Filipino, Thai and Korean Ateliers

Jane also showed us Spiral's Private Dining Rooms, which are very nice if one is dining with a large group of people. Unfortunately, almost all dining rooms were already occupied except for Voyeurs, so we were not able to check out each one.

The elegant Voyeurs, so-called because of the glass window 
that allows diners to see the Chefs outside

Couch tables in front of the wine cellar just outside Voyeurs

In the middle of our tour, Jane had to leave for another appointment, so she turned us over to the very capable hands of Tanguy Gras, Spiral's Assistant Outlet Manager. Like Jane, Tanguy was very nice, and although I can tell he had so many duties to attend to as it was lunch time, he patiently guided us until the end of our tour, even asking the chefs to explain to me some of the dishes in the buffet.

Finally, it was time to conquer Spiral's 21 ateliers. One of the staff had already put a basket of Spiral olive bread on our table, and after a few bites, I made a beeline for the French stove and got some of Perigord's pan-fried beef bordelaise and salardais style potato with truffle. I hesitated over the pan-fried duck magret,  another Perigord specialty, as I wasn't too fond of duck. But as this blog is all about conquering picky little me, I got some as well. For the little boss, I got some Norwegian salmon, potato and Japanese rice. Needless to say, the dishes were very, very good, and I even enjoyed the bit of duck that I got. Hubby, meanwhile, got some sauteed porcini with truffles which he said was also very good.

After trying out Perigord's cuisine, we moved on to the Churrasco for some prime rib and lechon macau, which we forgot to take photos of. From L'Ecailler, we got fresh lobsters, prawns and crabs which the chef at the French stove gladly grilled for us with garlic, butter and cheese. I wanted some New Zealand mussels, but by time I remembered to go back for them I was already too full. But I did remember to get some hakao from the Steam Baskets, which I dare say are the best hakao I've had so far, while hubby got us some Chinese fare which included roasted duck. I have to say, the pan-fried duck from the French Stove tasted much better than the roasted one.

I also got a small assortment of cheese, jamon iberico and jamon serrano from L'Epicerie or Cheese Room. Sadly, hubby didn't enjoy my selection of cheese, though he liked the hams that I got. After that, hubby went back for more of Perigord cuisine while I got some carbonara from the pasta section as the little boss is very fond of pasta. I should have asked if they could make me some truffle oil pasta, but my carbonara was already done when I thought of it, and I didn't think I can finish two servings of pasta even with the little boss helping me.

Then, it was time for dessert. Where, oh, where to start?

Dark, milk and white chocolate truffles at the candy section

Orange, Dark Chocolate and Pistachio fountains,
all made with Spiral chocolate

Candies galore!

Assorted pastries at the chiller case

More pastries!

I think I got most of the dessert in the chiller case, and everything tasted sooo good. There were also four different kinds of cakes that were part of the Tour de France menu, as well as fruits, halohalo and native delicacies sections. But my favorite by far was the chocolate souffle, which was displayed in front of the puto bumbong and bibingka beside the Creamery. It was warm, rich and oh-so-yummy. Chocolate perfection! I was half hoping that French macarons would be part of the dessert offering, but it wasn't. Still, the dessert selection was simply the best I've seen and tasted.

The uber yummy chocolate souffle!

Hubby's mango crepe with chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup

Of course, the little boss got a share of almost everything, plus a nice serving of chocolate rocks which he couldn't seem to get enough of. I had to hide the bowl from him as he kept on putting piece after piece into his mouth!

The little boss didn't look too happy with
the disappearance of his chocolate rocks, haha!

I went back for more chocolate truffles and some cake slices, and got one labelled Choco Fudge Cake. I veered away from the one that said Choco Fudge Chili as spicy food sometimes cause hyperacidity in me, but when I got back to the table, it turned out that the one I got was with chili! I got the cake after the last call was made, and the staff were already putting the remaining dessert into one chiller, so they probably mixed up the labels. The Choco Fudge Cake with Chili was actually interesting, as the chili doesn't really deliver a kick but somehow spreads like a warmth in your mouth. I tried a couple of small bites then stopped as I did not want to take my chances.

By then, the lunch hour was almost over and we were feeling quite full, so we asked for the check, had our parking card validated, and leisurely made our way back to the car. On the way out, the little boss checked out the pool area, which he was eyeing earlier during our tour of La Veranda, while hubby got the car.

Well, it would seem that my quest to conquer Spiral's 21 Dining Ateliers was a dismal failure.  I barely made it through half of it, and I was already defeated. I think conquering Spiral will need more than one visit, and hubby is more than happy to accompany me should I return for another attempt. Perhaps it would be for dinner as he wants to try the foie gras which is offered only during dinner, though I'm a bit hesitant to try it myself. However, I think we will wait for a really big occasion so I can justify to myself such a splurge (Haha!).

*Update: Cashcashpinoy has a new deal for Sofitel's restaurants, including lunch and dinner vouchers at Spiral. Thinking... thinking... thinking...

Many thanks to Jane Santiago of Sofitel's Marketing team and Tanguy Gras of Spiral for giving us the tour and accompanying us as we took photos during our visit. Both also dropped by our table at least once as we were already dining just to ask if we needed anything else, and we truly appreciate their kindness and patience with us.

With the gracious pair of Jane Santiago and Tanguy Gras

Here are some interesting facts on Spiral

(Information provided by Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila's media/press kit)

Number of steps of the Spiral staircase – 31 steps

Number of Sofitel Ambassadors working for Spiral

-         80 Service team

-         80 Chefs and Kitchen team

Popular dishes in Spiral

- Peking Duck – 20 pcs of ducks a day (served with a pancake)

- Foie Gras – 4,200 grams a day

- Norwegian Salmon –  30 kilos a day (used in most ateliers , the most popular being salmon sashimi

-Truffles Chocolate – 1,000 pieces per day or 6,000 pieces a week

- Chocolate couverture – 25 kgs.

- Mussels from New Zealand – 12 kilos a day (raw or baked with butter and garlic)

- Fresh Oysters from Aklan Province

- Spiral’s signature bread - olive bread

OTHER FACTS:

Sunday brunch with Cillebart Salmon champagne and mojitos

Timing: 12noon- 3pm

Champagne and Mojitos are served until 2pm only

+La Veranda (indoor Parisian-style bar) features:

-Hennessy Richard Extra Cognac

-Chateau Haut-Brion

-Champagne Perrier-Jouet Belle Epoque or Domaine William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Cote de Bouguerots

-Six private dining rooms seating 8-12 guests (can be combined for up to 36)

Spiral also has the following social media accounts:
Facebook:Spiral Manila
Twitter: Spiral Manila
For reservations, you may use the reservation link at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila's Facebook page.

One other interesting fact that I read from the press kit is the information that Spiral's supply of herbs comes from the Old Kano Farm from my hometown of Silang, Cavite! Good to know that Manila's best buffet restaurant supports local farmers, and in particular, one that is a few minutes away from me. 

Note: This is not a sponsored post. We used GCs that we bought during the #SofitelSMDay promo for our meal. The tour of Spiral was a courtesy extended by the Marketing Team in reply to my request for permission to take photos inside Spiral as I did not want any awkward situation to arise should I persist to take photos without prior permission from the management.