December 9, 2011
By Tiffy and Nicole
Gandiva Cafe (pronounced gandeeva) is the first archery pro shop in the Philippines that's geared towards health and fitness. They offer not only a chance to learn (and do) archery, they also serve vegetarian/vegan food (they have both!) in their cafe. They're really into organic ingredients and they buy it locally.
Their 18-meter range. Tonight, however, the targets are much closer to cater to noobz like us!
They also sell some merchandise. Btw, FREE wifi access for only one drink order!
For vegans, they serve pastries that contain no milk/eggs. I believe that they also have pastries containing milk/eggs for the lacto-ovo vegetarians.
The National Yoga Club of the Philippines also gave a demonstration. Apparently, Gandiva Cafe and Archery Range will also be offering yoga classes.
Nicole and I both thought that the Gandiva VG Burger is a little too dry for our taste. Their thin crust pizza is crunchy--the Four Cheese pizza has a slightly sweet taste and their Bacon Cheese Burger doesn't really taste like bacon cheese burger. We ♥ the chili sauce that comes with the pizza. Their Tuna Pesto is good--the taste is not too strong, perfect for those who aren't too keen with herbs. Funnily, the fake meat that came with the pesto, although made from soy, tasted a bit like spam (or there might be something wrong with my tastebuds).
Their bestsellers are the Tomato Basil Pizza (Php 220 12-inch, Php 350 18-inch) and the Veggie Supreme Pizza (Php 275 12-inch, Php 420 18-inch)
The menu is promising although I think that they have a lot to improve on if they want people to start going veggie!
We were able to chat with Chef Lali Balagtas and let us tell you--she is one of the bubbliest person we both met! When we learned her name, Nicole suddenly went, "Are you related to that Balagtas?" Chef Lali was puzzled, "Which Balagtas?" Nicole continued, "You know! The one who wrote Florante at Laura!" Chef Lali burst out laughing--actually, we both did! No, she's not.
Chef Lali actually hasn't eaten any sort of meat or fish her whole life. This is because her whole family's vegetarian and she was raised as one. Her mom eventually let them decide whether or not they want to start eating meat or keep being a vegetarian. (One small boo-boo: one time, she accidentally ate pasta that contained anchovy even after specifically requesting for it to be removed.) She's lacto vegetarian so she still eats cheese--something that she can't give up.
Marti Bismark (left), holding a compound bow, explains how it differs from a recurve bow (held by Romnick Balmeo), which is the only bow permitted in the Olympics. The compound bows are more often used for hunting.
Earlier this evening, I was very fortunate to be seated at the table beside that of Tim Bismark, a consultant for the archery range, who passionately talked about his love of archery. Archery, according to him, is an ancient art form that helps man understand focus. An archer for 5 years, he has previously suffered two strokes before. Archery was, according to him, one of the reasons for his faster recovery.
Nicole has a natural flare for archery! She hit the bulls-eye twice.
Archery Range and Equipment Rental:
Range Fees: Php 150 per hour
Equipment Rental: Php 200 per hour
Instructor's Fees: Php 250 per hour
*They also have a lesson package for Php 6,000 that includes 10 2-hour sessions.
They are open from 9 AM to 9 PM. Friday nights, as well as Saturdays and Sundays are usually busy times for the archery range.
We all got Gandiva shirts.
Now the exciting part: I will be giving away my haul for the night. My haul includes a Gandiva shirt, a Gandiva tumbler, a small bottle of Lavender & Vanilla organic room and linen fragrance, a small bottle of sportspray all-around antibacterial sports gear deodorizer and disinfectant, and a 150-gram pack of 100% pure cocosugar. (I wonder if Gandiva can sponsor a free hour for the winner? PLZ OH PLZ)
This giveaway is open only to Philippine residents--or nonresidents if you're sure I can maybe give it to you some day when I end up in your country? :)
Here's what you have to do:
1. Like Manila Foodistas on Facebook (it's also in the sidebar)
2. Follow us on Google Friend Connect (in the sidebar, just click JOIN THIS SITE--you can use either your twitter/google account/yahoo to follow).
3. Like Gandiva Cafe and Archery Range on Facebook
4. Leave a comment with your Facebook/twitter name and the Google Friend Connect account name that you used.
(BONUS! +3 raffle entries) On the Disqus form below, click the "like" button and share on either Facebook or Twitter. Please make sure that the Facebook post is set to public. !In your comment, please say that you did the bonus.
You can join until December 16, 2011 (12 MN) and we'll announce the winner later that day (and email you too)! :)
Visit Gandiva Cafe and Archery Range and get your free 6-arrow trial.
Gandiva Cafe and Archery Range
Address: 7th floor One Corporate Centre Bldg.,
Julia Vargas St. cor Meralco Ave., Ortigas,
Pasig City, Philippines
Landline number: (02) 638-8711 Fax #: (02) 571-9999
Mobile # (63) 9175854451 (63) 9175854459
Website: www.gandiva.com.ph
Email: info [a] gandiva.com.ph
One Corporate Centre Location Map
How to get to One Corporate Centre
I am Agree..Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing .
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