A Trip to The Mind Museum

When I was still in school, I hated science and math subjects. I'm so happy when I married a genius to help me appreciate them better. My hubby is an astronomy enthusiast. He loves anything about the universe, outer space and all the rare stuffs including meteorites. He is a certified member of International Meteorite Collectors Association (IMCA) and the one and only in the whole Philippines. And because of his large collection of meteorites, he was once asked to display some at The Mind Museum exhibit last October 2012. You can check out his website here.

Meet my hubby, The Meteorite Man. Taken last Oct. 14, 2012, baby was still inside my bump.

Because of that, he was given ten complimentary All-Day Pass tickets worth P750 each. Wow! I was so excited and thought of inviting my family members to visit this world-class museum. But because I was about to give birth already that period, we've decided to wait for baby to come out and bring her with us as well so she can also enjoy daddy's prize.

Thank you for these passes. I'm proud of my hubby!

After a year had passed, our family had finally set a common free day to visit the museum and Nov. 3, 2013 was the day. Three days before, I took care of exchanging our E-Gift Cards with the actual print-out tickets through their website. Since there were 15 of us, the 4 kids were paid under the children's rate of P450 on the day itself while our baby got in for free. Hooray! And you know what, we even got a 5% discount by using Citibank credit card when paying at the museum ticket booth. The promo is still on-going until June 30, 2014, check it here.

Sitting by the entrance while listening to Aedi the robot talk.

In order to be able to fully enjoy the tour, they have a 3-hour time slot where in every start of the schedule (9am, 12pm, 3pm) a Mind Mover (museum staff) will brief the people on the different galleries that are waiting for you to explore. 

This is AEDI, the robot by the entrance. Its name is IDEA spelled backwards.

As an overview, The Mind Museum opened its door to the public last March 16, 2012 and they're about to celebrate their 2nd anniversary this year. The museum is a project of Bonifacio Art Foundation, Inc. (BAFI), a non-profit organization. They envision to be the country's center for public understanding of science. There are over 250 hands-on minds-on interactive exhibits inside and outside the 12,000 square meters "green" building. The 5 Main Galleries include: Atom Gallery (the strange world of the very small), Life Gallery (the exuberance of life), Earth Gallery (nature across the breadth of time), Universe Gallery (vastness of the universe) and Technology Gallery (how we live). Their tagline is: Science Comes Alive!

Let me share with you some of the photos we have taken during our visit at The Mind Museum.

The Atom Gallery

Trying out the giant Newton's Cradle.

My cousin with the giant melting chocolate bar!

My twin niece trying out the Static Ball. Look at their hair!

Look at baby's shadow casted upon the glow in the dark wall.

The Life Gallery

Picture with the life-sized whale shark.

The Earth Gallery

Family picture with the 40-foot T-Rex dinosaur.

Try to walk through the spinning tunnel and see if you can make it to the other end without feeling dizzy.

The Universe Gallery

I was able to take a daddy and baby silhouette photo against the moon light. My best shot so far!

I was able to breastfeed my 10 months old baby to sleep while inside the dim planetarium with comfy couch.

The Technology Gallery

Family selfie in front of the mirror.

My hubby is taking a pee at the dissected toilet bowl.

Hall of Philippine Science

Picture inside the giant inverted rice bowl that explains how rice is being harvested.

Family picture at the museum lobby where we presented our tickets.

I am so thankful that our family field trip was pushed thru. It was so hard to invite and organize a big group consisting of 4 different families but I'm glad it was a success. Thank you so much The Mind Museum for giving my family this one-of-a-kind bonding and learning experience. We really enjoyed especially the younger ones, my cousins and nieces. It made us realize, understand and appreciate science better. To be honest, I was not able to carefully check out all the exhibits because there are so many of them. I would really need more time to be able to finish reading and understanding all the captions on the display. Hopefully I would have the opportunity to visit the museum again next time and maybe when baby is a bit older already.

The Mind Museum at Taguig
Address: JY Campos Park, 3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
Landline: 909-6463
Email: inquiry@themindmuseum.org
Website: http://www.themindmuseum.org/
Facebook: The Mind Museum
Twitter: @themindmuseum
Instagram: @themindmuseum


Operating Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays (closed on Mondays)

Ticket Price (with 3-hour limit): P600 for adults, P450 for children and private school students upto college and P150 for teachers and public school students upto college, children 2ft & below are FREE; P750 All-Day Pass (no time limit)


Time Slot:
9:00am to 12:00pm
12:00pm to 3:00pm
3:00pm to 6:00pm
6:00pm to 9:00pm (Saturdays only but no Mind Movers at this time slot)


If you have other more questions, you can check out their Frequently Asked Questions from their website.

Oh and before you leave the museum, don't forget to check out their souvenir shop. It has lots of cool items. Make sure to bring home something to make your museum visit memorable. Like their Facebook Page here TheMindMuseumStore to get updates on their latest product finds.

If you want to get hold of my hubby's meteorite collection, it's also available for sale at the souvenir shop.

Can't wait for our next family field trip! Where do we go next? Find out soon!

  Mommy Sally

Sentro 1771: Unveiling of New Menu

If I would be asked what cuisine I loved most, my answer would be Italian or anything cheesy. I grew up from a family where common Filipino food was not the usual meal served that's why I didn't really get to appreciate those all-time favorite crispy pata, sisig, kare-kare, bulalo, and the likes. But my hubby loved those sinful food so much that he slowly introduced each of them to me whenever we dine out. We have an opposing attitude when it comes to food. My food-connoisseur hubby would usually order something that he had tried and tasted while I try to order the house's specialty or something unusual just to quench my thirst for adventure.

I am very grateful and honored to be enlisted, together with other bloggers, and be among the first to taste Sentro 1771's latest food offerings. To those who are not familiar with this restaurant, let me share with you a brief background.

Sentro 1771 Serendra Fort Bonifacio branch.

First of all, Sentro 1771 is a member of the 1771 Group of Restaurants that includes Chateau 1771 in Greenbelt 5, Café 1771, WineBar 1771 and Sidebar in El Pueblo Real de Manila Ortigas. I haven't tried any of them yet so this would be my very first time. Just a little trivia: What's with the number 1771, you might ask? 1771 was the street number where their very first restaurant was originally located. Sentro 1771 was born on year 2002, serving local Filipino dishes the Swiss-French style. It is headed by Executive Chef Vicky-Rose Pacheco who invented the famous Corned Beef Sinigang and became the specialty of the house. Until now, Chef Vicky continues to innovate with Sentro 1771's new menu which is what I will be sharing here with you.

From their previous menu where items were classified under appetizers, seafood, meat, etc., Sentro 1771's new improved menu is now classified according to their customer's needs. The next four images below are their new menu.

For first-time diners, their Sentro Signature Dishes is a must-try.
New additions under Pica-Pica: Duck Pancakes and B2B Sticks.

For foodies looking for something new and exciting, try their A La Sentro selections.
New addition under Spring Rolls: Macau Chorizo and Cheese Tidbits.

For people with hectic schedule, get your comfort food from their Home Cooking and Filipino Favorites.
New addition under Inihaw: Fish of the Day Pandan.
New addition under Iba't Ibang Adobo: Chicken Adobo sa Gata

For those health conscious and vegetarians, Vegetables and Salads section is for you.
New additions: Camote Cups and Two-Egg Ampalaya Crepe.
One of the new additions in the Rice section is Seafood Bagoong Rice.

Let's see if you won't drool over these innovative creations of Chef Vicky.

Dish#1:

B2B Sticks (P150): Skewered and grilled organic chicken gizzards cooked adobo-style.

In Tagalog, it's called Balunbalunan served in four barbeque sticks. Oops, I am not used to eating internal organs but the idea is so unique. A great match for beer-drinkers or as a finger food.

Dish#2:


Duck Pancakes (P170): Peking pancakes filled with strips of native duck slow-cooked in beer, rhum vinegar, soy sauce and muscovado sugar, served in four scoops.

For duck-lovers, you must try this. The first thing that comes to my mind is that it's like the famous Chinese dish Peking Duck served in 3 Ways.

Dish#3:

Macau Chorizo and Cheese Tidbits (P240): Mini spring rolls filled with Macau chorizo, shallots and keso de bola.

I enjoyed this one because I am a fan of everything cheesy. It's like a new version of Lumpiang Shanghai.

Dish#4:

Seafood Bagoong Rice (P530): Topped with grilled squid, garlic shrimps and hito flakes.

 
This dish is actually part of their rice choices but for me it's a complete meal in itself already. Full of flavors and so mouth-watering!

Dish#5:

Sinigang na Corned Beef (P595): Corned beef short plate and boneless beef shanks in tamarind broth with native vegetables.

Wow it's my first time to encounter corned beef in sinigang soup. The beef is so soft and succulent!

Dish#6:

Two-Egg Ampalaya Crepe (P150): Sautéed bitter melon on an egg crepe, topped with salted duck egg.

Wow, the bitterness of ampalaya was almost non-existent when you eat it altogether with salted egg and crepe. What an ingenious combination!

Dish#7:


Lamb Caldereta (P480): Boneless lamb shoulder stewed with carrots, bell peppers, tomato sauce, and spices.

It's my first time to eat caldereta in lamb and not beef. Its spicy and saucy tomato taste makes it appetizing to eat with your plain rice.

Dish#8:

Chicken Adobo sa Gata (P250): Still retains the vinegar-garlic-peppercorn balance but thickened with coconut milk.

Anything in gata or coconut milk makes the dish delectable and feels homey. In this dish, adobo plus gata results to double yumminess.

Dish#9:


Fish of the Day Pandan (P220 per 100g): Whole fish stuffed with sautéed onions, tomatoes, miso and malunggay, tied with pandan.

It's a Pompano fish. It might not look appealing at first sight, but when you dig into its stuffing, you'll surely finish it in no time.

Camote Cups (P240): Carved sweet potato filled with stir-fried cabbage, Baguio beans and carrots, with 4pcs.

Here's another complete meal. This time with a serving of vegetables and sweet potato as energy booster. Because of its pocket-sized presentation, picky-eaters would be enticed to try this.

Dessert#1:

Keso Flan (P220): a baked but light, no crust cheesecake served with queso de bola and red egg.

Oh, did you see that? A cheesecake with no crust! Try eating it together with the cheese and salted egg and see for yourself.

Dessert#2:

Fried Suman & Mangoes (P180): rolled out suman fried to a light crisp & topped with ripe mangoes and served with sweet coco jam.

I loved the way the sticky rice was prepared wherein I can feel the crispiness in every bite. Coating it with coco jam, it's so Filipino! I would really recommend this!

Dessert#3:

Banana Tart (P150): puff pastry with a light custard topped with caramelized saba banana slices.

It's my first time to see this kind of dessert. It's like a pancake but in a croissant-like base, topped with creamy custard and slightly-toasted saba.

Juice#1:


Dalanghita Juice (P110)

Lastly, if you will be ordering your drinks, go for Dalanghita Juice. It's so refreshing and natural as you can see the pulp.

After the food tasting done at Sentro 1771, I am now slowly learning to appreciate Filipino dishes. I would have more cuisines to choose from whenever we would dine outside. I would definitely invite my family to try this place because I learned that their ingredients are always bought fresh and dishes are cooked to order. Aside from that, they offer dishes that are healthy and diet-friendly wherein the pork is naturally raised and you have an option of either brown or red rice. Whatever Filipino dish that you are craving for, Sentro 1771 surely has something for you to enjoy.

A photo op with Executive Chef Vicky-Rose Pacheco.

So what are you waiting for? Come on over and let's rediscover a Filipino First - first in Modern Filipino cuisine, and first in delivering the fine dining experience that you are so looking for. Invite your overseas Filipino friends, expats, foreign business partners and family members to try Sentro 1771: a house that serves local dishes in a chic and elegant setting. Congratulations and big thanks to Executive Chef Vicky Pacheco for bringing Filipino cuisine to the next level!
 

If you are a fan of their Corned Beef Sinigang, I noticed that they have a T-shirt with that print, selling for P400.

I would also like to share with you some of my findings when I looked closely on their overall set-up, ambiance, and decors. As you enter, you would spot a bouquet of flower arrangement. But there's more to that, to my surprise, it is composed of different real vegetables such as baby eggplants, string beans, carrots, kamatis, chili pepper and many others. It's a good place to bring your kids as you introduce to them local vegetables on the tip of their hands.

Keep Sentro 1771 on top of your mind when you visit Serendra. Connect with them here:
Facebook: Sentro 1771
Twitter: @Sentro1771
Instagram: @sentro1771
Remember to use the hashtag: #firstinmodernfilipinocuisine when you post your pictures.

Sentro 1771 has two branches:
Greenbelt 3
Store Hours: 11:00am to 11:00pm (Monday to Sunday)
Contact: (02) 757-3941

Serendra Piazza
Store Hours: 7:00am to 10:00pm (Sunday to Thursday) / 7:00am to 11:00pm (Friday to Saturday)
Contact: (02) 856-0581

Website: http://sentro1771.net/

Thank you to Ms. Cha Sy and Vannah Santiago for this blogging opportunity.

Dear readers, which dish would you like to try? Feel free to comment below. :)

Mommy Sally