Mad Mark's of Kapitolyo: Man Sandwich and Frozen Desserts

I've heard a lot of stories (mostly foods and "hole in the wall" restaurants stories) about the street of Kapitolyo. Kapitolyo or Brgy. Kapitolyo in Pasig is now renowned as the food haven in Metro Manila in the blogging communities.

Binoy, an officemate of mine, whose been fascinated visiting different hole in wall restaurants and has been to the place several times invited us to a dinner out at Kapitolyo last week. We let him decide where to eat among the several interesting food spot there and we ended up eating in this sandwich and ice cream parlor -- Madmark's.

Binoy and D Man Sandwich

Jean the author of Metro Street Bites

Menu and the busy crew :] (camera phone)

Clue on what you should order (camera phone)

Madmark's is popular for their ice cream and sandwiches. When I said Madmark's sandwiches... I mean "MAN" sandwiches. Yup, they serve their sandwiches in humongous size. All of their sandwiches comes in two size, sandwich (which is the half size) and the man sandwich, with an exemption for their "D Man Sandwich".

Trivia: You'll know if a first timer visited the place because you'll hear them say "wow ang laki" and "half palang to?" as the sandwiches served on their table. Even me, I confess that I was amazed with its enormity too. :] Please refer on the photos below.

Half Lumberjack (195 pesos)

It doesn't look half right?

D Man Sandwich (360 pesos)

Meet the star of the night!

Now you have a clue why it is called D Man Sandwich (camera phone)

Aside from their man sandwiches, Madmark's is also known for their homemade ice creams which I find very heavenly. I don't know if it was only because I am a dessert eater but I really liked the Half Baked Madagascar that they serve. It's like a "cookies and cream" ice cream with a twist. This frozen dessert uses chunks of cookies which can be shewed in between scoop of this ice cream. Yum!

Frozen desserts (70 pesos per scoop and 110 pesos for 2 scoops)

They might look just the same but they're not. They are 4 different flavors (one of this cup have 2 scoops of different flavors)

Basket of Cajun Fries (120 pesos)

A must try! Fries lovers should order this one :]

Expense: 925.00 pesos for 4 pax (no service charge)
Location: 23 East Capitol Drive, Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City, Metro Manila
Contact number: (02)3426802

I'm also with Ate Kath - Author of Pocket Wise Pinoy

It was a night full of fun and will definitely go back to Madmark's. I can't wait to try out other stuff on their menu. Rice meals and other sandwich options will be on my next list. :]

Ratings based on my experience [0-5, 5 is the highest] :

Taste: 5 - great taste in large servings 

Environment: 5 - minimalist interior design with good lightings

Service: 4 - friendly crew

Price: 4 - affordable to match their servings

Amici - Pasta! Pasta! Pasta! of Mckinley Hill, Taguig

Great pasta and gelato in one place. That's the best way to describe Amici. Me and my officemates visited the Taguig branch (Venice Piazza, Mckinley Hill) of this restaurant after the long and tiring day at the office. Amici is popular for its Italian cuisines which is from pasta to pizza and even their sweet and refreshing gelatos. Just a perfect getaway after work. Please bare with the photos below. I only used my camera phone for this entry (forgot again to bring my camera with me).  =]

It is not only the food that is great about this place, aside from the excellent service to match, Amici also provides a warm ambiance where people will really enjoy their dining experience. If you are looking for superb Italian food, I gladly recommend to visit Amici.

Sophisticated interior

This is not the first time we eat at Amici. On our first visit (I'm not yet a blogger back then) we only tried their pizzas and haven't tried to taste their pasta. So this time around, all we ordered was their different shades and flavors of pasta. But I promise to make another blog entry for their pizzas and gelatos the next time I dine here again.

love the taste of it with the dip on top :]

Spinach Artichoke (235 pesos)

Creamy spinach artichoke dip served with parmesan coated pizza crust wedges. I know I mentioned this entry will feature pasta but one of my officemate can't resist to order this one. Hi Madam!  :]

Linguine Al Prosciutto Tartufo (288 pesos)
Prosciutto, porcini and shitake mushrooms, truffle oil. All-olio d'Oliva or Olive oil based pastas. Served with focaccia bread

Linguine Al Salmone Cremoso (305 pesos)
Linguine pasta in a creamy, zesty mix of salmon, white sauce and a hint of lemon

Spaghetti Al Tesori Del Mare (332 pesos)
Fresh tomatoes, scallops, clams, mussels, chili oil Con Salsa Rosa or Tomato-based pastas (mildly spicy). Served with focaccia bread  -- My favorite among the four pastas we ordered. Love the lil spicy flavor.

Rosemary Sausage Spaghetti (295 pesos)
Rosemary herbed Italian sausage with roasted bell peppers in fresh pomodoro sauce and topped with basil

Pollo Arrostito (280 pesos)
Rosemary half chicken baked to perfection and served with veggies

Thank you for the treat Madam Tina :] (photo from Kris Pandoro)
Also I'm with the author of Metro Street Bites (Jean) and Pocket Wise Pinoy (Ate Kath) - the 2 in the left side

Expense: 2,426.73 pesos (with 2 mango shakes) + 199.73 pesos (service charge)
Location: The Venice Piazza, McKinley Hill Rd, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

Ratings based on my experience [0-5, 5 is the highest] :

Taste: 4 - two thumbs up for their pastas especially their Spaghetti Al Tesori Del Mare

Environment: 5 - clean and comfy :]

Service: 5 - staff are attentive and approachable

Price: 4 - good value for money

Mt Marami of Maragondon, Cavite

Plenty, lots and many. These are just some of the synonyms for the Tagalog word MARAMI. It was so called Mt Marami because of the many rocks that formed this mountain. If Pico de Loro has "Parrot's Beak", Mt Marami has its own "Silyang Bato". An enormous composite of rock pillars.

Though this mountain situated at Maragondon, Cavite only stands at 405 MASL (according to Pinoymountaineer), the average trek time to reach its peak is 5-6 hours. It is because Mt Marami's trail is a circulating elavation. The trek to Mt Marami can also be accompanied to the word "ligaw" or lost. Not only it has a lot of rock towers, it also have a lot of misleading trails. It's like a labyrinth of bewildering trails. So having a guide is strongly recommended if you want to visit Mt Marami but we don't, so we went to a lot (a mean "maraming marami") traversing this mountain.

How to get there?

From Manila, take a bus at Baclaran going to Naic, Cavite (65 pesos). Travelling time is about 2 1/2-3 hours. As you reach Naic, take a jeepney going to Magallanes (30 pesos). Just tell to your jeepney driver to drop you at Brgy. Ramirez which is just 10 minutes away from the town proper. Then when you reach Brgy Ramirez look for Brgy. Councilor Punongbayan's house. This will be your registration point before you can start your trek. Prepare 20 pesos/pax for registration fee. You can also ask for a local guide here which costs 300-500 pesos/day.

We conquered the heat and the talahib (photo from Cheers Masa's FB)

(photo from Cheers Masa's FB)

There are 2 rivers that you'll pass through in this trek. The first one is "Ilog na Kayrayag" and the next one is Bangkaan river. This two river can go knee high during rainy season so the best season to visit Mt Marami is after the wet season and summer. Aside from that, trails here can easilly get muddy so it will be more difficult (of course). However, traversing Mt Marami during summer has its own downside. Prepare your skin protector gears and make sure to have a maximum SPF lotion because it can get sweltering hot at noon time. Frequent re-hydration is a must to prevent heat stroke.

Rest mode (photo from Cheers Masa's FB)

Photo inception... (photo from Cheers Masa's FB)

(photo from Cheers Masa's FB)

(photo from Cheers Masa's FB)

Well, I have noticed that my blog entry for this mountain can make my reader retreat from trekking Mt Marami. Please don't. Because above all, a dramatic view on its peak awaits which is very rewarding after the long, confusing trail and sweaty adventure (I'm being negative here again, am I?). Because aside from the colossal and breathtaking rock formations set in an enticing background, a panorama of the Maragondon mountains which include Mt Pico de Loro, Mt Mariveles, and Mt Banahaw are can be seen at the summit. This is a great spot for photo op :]

Photo Op at the tip of this rock (photo from Cheers Masa's FB)

KASAMA (KAbataang SAbik MAmundok) at Mt Marami (photo from Cheers Masa's FB)

Breakdown of budget

Bus (Manila - Naic, roundtrip) - 130 pesos

Jeepney (Naic - Magallanes, roundtrip) - 30 pesos

Local guide (optional but I recommend to have one) - 200-300 pesos

Registration fee - 20 pesos

Food - *.**

This flower looks like... ... ... nevermind (photo from Cheers Masa's FB)