Electrolux Philippines' Discover-E Goes to Quezon Province! (Day 1)

Last week was definitely the best week I had in Quezon Province - from experiencing one of the most colorful festivals in the land again, the Pahiyas Festival, to indulging on those simple yet remarkable Quezon delicacies that seriously I'm not aware of, Quezon Province is surely a foodie destination worth discovering!

When was the last time you've been to Quezon? Come and join us on this amazing and filling "Discover-E"!

Quezon Province is named after one of the country's greatest president, Manuel Luis Quezon. Settled on the foot of Mt. Banahaw, a mountain known for its spiritual mysticism, no wonder that aside from the religious people from this province, the whole place is also gifted with bountifulness that they celebrate during Pahiyas Festival.

On our visit to this simple yet historically-rich province, we were overwhelmed by their comforting food, truly-friendly people and amazing tourist spots that haven't been seen by a lot of people - a Discover-E worth sharing! :-)

Our day in Quezon started with a lunch at one of Lucban, Quezon's oldest bakeshop - the Koffee Klatch. The very charming and welcoming Ms. Milada Valde, owner, welcomed us to her store, which is the first store of the brand.

Koffee Klatch

I've been to Lucban before, but I honestly didn't know much about this lady and her bakeshop. Thanks to Electolux Philippines, I met her and it was one opportunity that made me love the province more.

A product of hospitality and love for food, Koffee Klatch was established by Ms. Milada on the late '60s. Inspired by the European lifestyle that Ms. Milada had experienced, Koffee Klatch has been the cake haven in this small town for decades until it finally branched out to other towns of Quezon.

Ms. Milada, or "Mommy" as what she wants us to call her, shared to us that the reason why her bakeshop is still here after so many years is mainly because of one reason, she always make sure that the goodness of her baked goodies are affordable even to the poorest of the poorest.

Yema Cake

Koffee Klatch is popular for its Yema Cake, which has been raved here and abroad! But did you know that aside from baked goodies, Mommy Milada also cooked delicious home-cooked meals like her famous Beef Caldereta and Hardinera, which was believed a favorite of the late President Quezon.

Hardinera

We spent some more time talking to Mommy Milada, who fascinated us all throughout our stay there with her life stories. She told us that we were lucky because its been three years since her last Pahiyas, and we were lucky enough to meet her here for she mostly spend her time now with her family in the States. She also told us the heart-warming idea that if not all, most of her staff in all of her Koffee Klatch stores around Quezon are uneducated. Her father told her to get employees who weren't able to finish their studies because it was only them - small business owners - who would accept them and would give them livelihood.

with Mommy Milada

The band started to play along the streets of Lucban, so after some more laughs and inspirations, we bid goodbye to Mommy Milada and headed to the church to see more of Pahiyas Festival.

The Electrolux Caravan was also there giving free refreshments and food to the spectators of this colorful festival. As for us, we went down the streets to hunt for Lucban Longganisa, Puto seko and of course, Pancit Habhab! Your Lucban adventure without these treats, so yeah, we had a great time capturing every bits and pieces of this year's Pahiyas Festival.

Lucban Longganisa

After some walking around Lucban and trekking up to the beautiful hill of Kamay ni Hesus, the group led to our next stop where we had a wonderful seafood dinner - Kamayan sa Palaisdaan.

Kamayan sa Palaisdaan

Kamayan sa Palaisdaan is already part of Tayabas, a few kilometers from our last destination, we had a close-to-nature dining experience filled with dishes that speaks more of Quezon. From Sinugno, which is grilled tilapia cooked in ginger and coconut milk, to some unusual Filipino dishes that are truly wonderful and enjoyable to eat! 

Sinugno

Ginataang Suso

That night, the place was packed, but we were lucky to have reservation, so in just a zip we were eating and enjoying more of Quezon's local dishes.

Our last destination that day was our hotel in Lucena City, the capital of the province. Queen Margaret Hotel is said to be the most decent hotel in this part of the country. And though the periodic interior kinda crept me out a little, I'm excited to try their buffet breakfast, which I'm sure will fill me up good the following day!

So, guys, stay tune as I'm about to share more of Quezon's must-see foodie spots and must-taste delicacies on the day 2 of our Electrolux Discover-E!

If you have any Filipino food discovery and you happen to have an Instagram account, you might want to join the Electrolux Discover-E photo contest. All you have to do is post your Filipino food discovery on Instagram, use the hashtag #DiscoverE and tag @ElectroluxPH and @axle16alex. You might win some exciting prizes from Electrolux Philippines! 

Shoot, Eat and Upload! That simple!

Thank you again, Electrolux for this splendid experience! Thank you too, Quezon Province! It was such a pleasure discovering you!

Happy eating, everyone!