History, Good Food and Entertainment at THE TRIBUTE HOTEL

Quezon City is my hood. I've known the people and history here because of our familiarity with the families who live here. For us, Tomas Morato wasn't just a name for a street, but the first Mayor of Quezon City 1939 to 1942. He was a loyal friend to President Manuel L. Quezon, and we heard he never divulged his location to the Japanese back in the day. Today, his family lives in a compound in the middle of Tomas Morato. The property is huge and they now dedicated a part of it for The Tribute Tower, a mixed use building that houses THE TRIBUTE HOTEL, the DON TOMAS restaurant and condominium units meant for the Morato family.

To tell you honestly, I haven't heard of The Tribute Hotel prior to this visit. This was built and delayed during the pandemic (understandable). But just hearing there is one made me so excited because there are little to no hotels here despite the popularity of the area. The actual building sits almost at the corner of Scout Gandia and Tomas Morato Avenue (99 Scout Gandia Street Quezon City). It's pretty huge, so you wouldn't miss it. 

I wanted to stay here merely for a "Staycation", I wanted rest and refuge as it's been a while since I got sleep. Checking in was a breeze, the lobby was enough to fit people before going to the room and they served a welcome drink. There were no lines, so when they handed me my key I went up and connected to WIFI because I still had work LOL.

Here's a reel to immortalize that!

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We also got to talk to the GM Christian Guballa who also is part of the Approche Hospitality Management Corporation who manages The Tribute Hotel and several other Sta. Lucia Realty properties.

After a good nap, we headed on to have dinner at the hotel's very own restaurant called "DON TOMAS". It was also a Friday which means they've got an acoustic band to play for patrons who choose to have dinner and a few bottles at this place. Food is good as they've got international dishes served at this place named after the Mayor. Thanks to Chef Erwin Rarugal who made arrangements for us to dine with sampler dishes since we couldn't make our mind choosing what's good for dinner. Take a look at this!

 

If you plan to dine here, I'd suggest Beef Rendang, Chicken Saté, Beef and Tendon (sweeter and soy based), the Chefs Burger (burger patty is pure beef). They also served us Cuapao Sliders, Calamares Fritos, Soft Taco Mussel Sisig, Squid Bombs, Salmon Kimchi, Chicken Biryani, Nasi goreng, Braised Pork, the Carbonara de Tomas (light carbonara salty bacon strips) and their pizzas. For desserts, I would highly suggest you get the Ube Langka Mochi (It must be eaten whole) and the Basque Cheesecake. If you're a matcha lover, get the Tiramisu Matcha.

Here's how it looks like at Don Tomas!

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Here's our short interview with Chef Erwin Rarugal. He also does the food in other properties of Sta. Lucia Realty, experience is good.

 

There are 2 Room Types in The Tribute Hotel, but you can always merge rooms for groups.

They have conference rooms that could fit over a 100 folks, and stay here too.

 

What's good is that they have an INDOOR POOL which you can enjoy even on rainy days! Plus a gym in front if you need it.

Plus a really good view of the neighborhood and nearby attractions in Tomas Morato!

If you like what you see, go head on and take refuge at THE TRIBUTE HOTEL. They can be contacted via their social pages (facebook.com/thetributehotel) or their website thetributehotel.ph. This property is managed and operated by the Approche Hospitality group. They currently have good rates and I'm going back soon!

INOUE Health and Wellness Clinic Opens Doors in Quezon City

Good news for people in Quezon City as INOUE Health and Wellness Clinic finally opens its doors today, August 2 at their premier branch at the 2nd Floor of Casswyn Building in Timog Avenue, Quezon City. It sits right in front of GMA Network's main gate so you wouldn't miss it. This place is classy, very pleasing to the eyes and very comforting (I could say that because I've had treatments done during their soft opening). But overall, I'm glad they're finally opening their doors for the general public. 

INOUE isn't just for aesthetics (which they've got in the bag) but more of health and wellness, so the vibe you're getting here is YOU CAN TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF (if you haven't been doing that for ages). CEO Jiane Yu and COO John Mark Calinao says "We wanted this to be in a holistic approach so when you do come here, you will do something for your wellness. It's also about skin health, cellular health, something you could do overall. Before we even put something on the services, we tried it ourselves. We have something for aesthetics, resurfacing peel facials (without downtime), which you can do today and just go out the same day. We also have laser treatments, hair removals, botox, wellness drips, where you can go about your daily routine after it."

They talked about it lengthy on this video: 

They are FDA approved and also have doctors on site for most of their procedures. They also have hair procedures which I've done a couple weeks ago, and for those who are still contemplating of going to a place for pampering, you definitely should give this a try. They're accessible but feels very private since they're at the back of the building. The grand opening had Mayor Joy Belmonte's representative Councilor Vincent Belmonte, former PNP General Rommel Marbil and his wife, a few artists, suppliers, partners, all who wished them well in this very new venture. They know what they're doing, have the latest machines to do it, and do consultations before doing it. I feel comfortable there.

Now it's your turn to do the same. Congratulations! :)

After Bullying Ordeal: VARGAS' Kid Shows Tough Form in Swim Meet

Proud Mom Yasmine and Dad (multi awarded actor) Alfred Vargas just posted super good news on their socials as their son Cristiano got back on the tank, something he's been looking forward to doing after the bullying ordeal he went through months ago. 

Ms. Yasmine described the time as lost opportunities since their young kid wasn't able to compete in his favorite sport, and they knew how he felt disheartened (at the time), but now surprised how he came back ready, better than ever! 

This was during the recent Milo Swim Competition where he raced with bigger kids at the 9-10 year old event. He was able to improve his previous time in different events, and came back clocking new personal bests, a feat which surprised even those who have been supporting him. They (Mom and Dad) dubbed him as their "Comeback Kid", and proudly saw how the fruits of his labor have all come true. In the meet, he was given the Most Outstanding Swimmer award in his category (Category A), this is also his second one as he won the same thing last year. 

Councilor Alfred and Ms. Yasmine credits Cristiano's new coach Mr. Manny Thruelen who went back from years of retirement just to make sure he gets the needed training for the sport. His previous team and the swim community at that time also showed their support for the kid. They were overjoyed at the sight of people, including his previous coaches Gary and JM who were there and supported him too. 

Here's their post!

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They're extremely happy and profess this as the handy work of God, and give all praises to the one above for doing this after the ordeal he went through. Congratulations Cristiano! Mom and Dad will SURELY stay behind you, and continue to LOVE you no matter what! 

PS. Quezon City has programs against bullying together with the Department of Education to make sure there are enough safe and inclusive spaces so please ask about it with your LGU's if you need help!