A fancy celebration has never been my thing. They cost too much, lol. So, to mark my 2nd decade in life, I treated my fam in a restaurant and at Starbucks.
Growing up, we usually dine at fast-food restaurants, where of course, foods don't cost too much. But now that I'm earning, I want them to experience a level-up fast food hehe. I like the thought of ordering through a menu and getting your bill after. It tastes like progress for me (just a personal preference.)
For just 30 minutes away from home, we dine at Giligan's, a Filipino marine-inspired restaurant!
Interior Design
The interior design is quite dim for a restaurant, but they have a marine theme. Who am I to judge?
At the entrance, you can see their authentic orange ship's wheel.
Upon crossing the world of Giligan's, different artworks can be seen, which are hand-picked and bought from antique collections from travels abroad, as stated on their website.
Antique maps are framed by the wall together with cute miniature sailing ships, lighthouses, pirates & captains, and nautical navigational instruments.
Looking up, you'll see the ropes are slinging/ hanging across the ceiling.
With the designs alone, they tour you like you're on a sea navigation mission. Say hello to the Portuguese, Ferdinand Magellan, who first circumnavigate the world with his crew!
Menu || Food
Giligan's is committed to offering authentic Filipino dishes at such a low price! Look at their menu I got from their website. Note: prices are on the peso. For reference, 1 USD = 51 Pesos
We ordered Set B from Family Meals. See second picture, lower-left corner.
Then, we added 3 sticks of Pork BBQ, 3 rice platters, and 1 Pepsi - 1.5L.
That's 1,000 + 210 + 111 + 100 = Php 1,421 ($27.58)! Sulit, right?
P.S: Sulit in tagalog means worth it.
Sorry for not providing an IG worthy pictures. My mom doesn't particularly like to take massive pictures before eating, hehe. Sooo, I'll be dropping the pictures from Giligan's Official Facebook page.
*P.S: Click the pictures to be directed to the source photo.
This is a whole Roasted Chicken, we only had half, hehe.
This is Sinigang na Liempo but we had a Sinigang na Baboy (Pork Sinigang).
We ordered Pork BBQ alone.
Sweet & Sour Fish
Of course, the ultimate Sizzling Sisig! Our all-time favorite!
Starbucks
Next stop is Starbucks!
We finished dining between 5:30 and 6:00 PM. Being in a middle-class fam, we rarely go to Starbucks. This was our 1st time entering here with the whole fam! I'm so glad that I'm able to take them there. T^T Soonest, my papa will be tasting every restaurant we haven't tried as a family! (After years of not being able to come home due to pandemic, he'll be probably here this year. Hopefully! I'm pooling half of the money he needs, and I'm near that goal. Yes!)
Back to Starbucks, I ordered 4 coffees, 2 doughnuts, 1 slice of Blueberry cheesecake, and 1 slice of Sakura cake.
Sakura cake was my birthday reward from Starbucks. How do I get one? I have a Starbucks card, got it activated, and installed the app. You can ask me about it in the comments, and I'll gladly answer. 🤍 Again, I haven't had the chance to photograph everything coz I'm busy delivering our orders to our table. T^T
What an unflattering back view, haha. Mom photographed this, lol. Someone's busy. This was a rush hour, and I made a mistake on ordering. I was really so sorry that time. T^T
My face after the baristas told me that my fave drink combo, that I usually order on another branch, is unfamiliar to them. :< Plus, I think I irritated them. T^T
Anyways, nothing changed in Starbucks here in SM Sta. Rosa. It's still messy as hell and too crowded.
Honestly, I somehow don't like Starbucks coffee, and I just usually go there to finish work, read books, and do some note-taking. (Well, except to my fave drink combo, hehe.)
I'm for the comfort they provide. But, I'll honestly appreciate it if you recommend some coffee shops operating nationwide with incredible coffee drinks? T^T Advance thank you!
Just dropping here my fave pics that day!
That's how I celebrated with my fam on my birthday! We bought no cake, by the way, hehe. Seems like everyone's on a diet after consuming so many calories, lol.
Next event will be celebrating Mother's Day and Father's Day! What's your plan for your fam? Just gathering intel here, haha. Can I copy yours? 😉
I hope you got a good read here! Treat your fam after seeing this. Even the smallest gatherings can contribute to such great bonds!