#92 - Las Bugambilias - Sandy's synopsis

Las Bugambilias (The bougainvilleas), conjures up for me an image of nostalgia. These flowers are native to more warmer climates and they definitely give me a warm fuzzy as they are common where I grew up in India. It was therefore quite perfect that we had some amazing warm weather that day, that enabled us to sit at a table outside. I am happy to note that the staff were very accommodating about it, even though we were a bigger group of 6 people. In hindsight, if you are a large group, it is easier to sit indoors.

The restaurant was definitely embracing the season/halloween as our servers and hosts were in costume and Mr. Tree-Trunk-Laughy-Face accompanied us for our meal. He was pleasant enough, but I always got the feeling like he was planning something sinister - might've been his laugh.

Mr. Tree-Trunk-Laughy-Face

Las bugambilias serves an array of traditional mexican dishes and there menu is very extensive so take your time to peruse. Additionally, on Sundays they do a brunch buffet that got some great reviews from the other diners in the restaurant.

We decided to start of our lunch/brunch with drinks and I couldn't resist ordering their classic margarita.

Classic Margarita

Besides the gorgeous presentation, the margarita itself was fantastic. Speaking of the presentation, the dining ware, tables, chairs, almost everything at this restaurant is beautiful.

Beautiful dining ware

As we sipped our drinks and enjoyed the weather, I managed to make a decision on what to order. I have for a long time wanted to try "cochinita pibil", which is a slow cooked pork dish. 

Cochinita Pibil

I really wanted to like this dish and truth be told I loved most of it. The beans, plantains and rice were delicious! I however found the pork itself to be a little under salted and lacking flavour. If I did combine the pork with everything else (which is probably what I am probably supposed to do), it was good. I was still a little disappointed. However almost everyone else at the table really liked their meals. Therefore, this will not deter me from wanting to try more things on their menu another time.

Las Bugambilias

148 South street

Phila PA 19147

215-922-3190

#92 Las Bugambilias - Sam's synopsis

Mr. Trunky Laughy Face,
lurking in the shadows

It was an unseasonably warm day-before-Halloween when we made our trip to Las Bugambilias, so we made the wise decision to sit outside and enjoy the weather and people-watching. What we did not expect was to make a friend with our sometimes inanimate neighbor, who we lovingly named Mr. Trunk Laughy Face*. This little guy was a dancing, laughing, spooky tree that was triggered by a motion sensor. He managed to go off about once a minute, which we found especially amusing as we waited for the rest of our party to join. Luckily, we had a wonderful waitress decked out in beautiful Day of the Dead make-up who temporarily disabled him for us, although I did start to miss his spooky laugh later into our meal.
*We had several other names for him, but we couldn't quite settle (or remember) all of them. This will have to stand as our substitute for now.

I could go for one of these
right now, actually

I had heard many good things about Las Bugambilias, so I was excited to try it out. We had a nice collection of friends as McKenzie was in town for Halloween/birthday shenanigans with myself and Erin, Steph brought Pavlov, and Scott had requested all the way back at the beginning of our blog to join us on this spot. We squeezed around a circular table and proceeded to order drinks. I went with a hibiscus margarita. I was impressed with the volume-to-price ratio - it was a rather large glass, and it was tasty and strong to boot. I would come back here just for margaritas, and that's before even getting to the food.

As it was Sunday, there was a brunch option that included a buffet of many different food items. One of the downsides of this option was that any of the main dishes available at the buffet were not available for individual order. In my case, I really wanted chilaquiles, but that was a buffet offering so I could not order it individually. But in the end, why would I go with one dish when I could get a plethora of food offerings? So I went with the buffet. And it was a wise choice. Once everyone else's meals arrived, I went inside and piled my plate full of deliciousness.

I'm pretty sure this is when Steph was
explaining how the patron Saint of
Mexico City looks like a vagina

On the docket were those sought after chilaquiles (my best description is breakfast nachos - tortilla chips with salsa, fried egg, pulled chicken, and crema fresca), oat pancakes, scrambled eggs with veggies, potatoes, refried black beans and some Day of the Dead bread. Everything was delicious. The chilaquiles were exactly what I was craving - the salsa verde was refreshing and flavorful and the pulled chicken fell apart in your mouth. The pancakes had a nice sweetness to them that wasn't overwhelming, but good enough to eat without syrup (this is a big deal for me - I usually drench my pancakes in maple syrup). The scrambled eggs, beans and potatoes were equally good - nothing life-changing but certainly done with the right balance of flavors. Erin and I split a sugar-dusted Day of the Dead piece of bread - it was good if a little dry (but I am not sure if this common or not for this style of bread). I left feeling satisfied, and I know everyone else did too, as there were raves all around the table. I would definitely return here for not just margaritas, but for food as well.

Las Bugambilias
148 South Street
Philadelphia, PA
(215) 922-3190

#91 - OCF Coffee House - Sandy's synopsis

This is the second OCF coffee house on South Street, which is unexpected for a coffee house run by a realty. However if there is anything a realty does have, its building space?

 As surprised as I was the first time, the coffee here is actually pretty good and they have great small eats. There is nothing overly special about it but I would choose it over a Starbucks. I ordered a cappuccino and chocolate croissant and was not disappointed by either. So, if you are in this neighbourhood and need a coffee, you could go here. 

#91 OCF Coffeehouse - Sam's synopsis

There are a lot of empires in Philly, it seems. OCF is one of them, with at least 5 coffee shop locations in the city that I can think of off the top of my head. We already stopped at one way back on the 18th block. And now we come full circle and have a new one on the 2nd block. Sandya and I came here for a pre-work breakfast at 8 am (my, how times have changed!).

It was a sunny fall morning, which was aptly noted through the expansive windows of the cafe. I really enjoyed the level of natural light coming in at this location (the one on 18th is pretty dark; however, the one at 30th and Chestnut may just be my favorite for this very reason. I spent many afternoons writing my thesis there...). It was surprisingly quiet for a workday morning, with only a few other customers coming in during our 45 minute conversation. Perhaps because this area of South Street isn't very close to the main business area of Philly, but who knows.

Per usual, I ordered a chai latte and settled in on a cheese croissant. Last time's perilous encounter with a hair baked into my bagel made me opt for a different choice. The chai was good - a nice amount of foamy milk on top and not too sweet. The cheese croissant was also delicious (from Kermit's, of course) - flaky and buttery and savory. It was a pleasant and calm start to the day - you can't ask for much more from a coffeeshop.

OCF Coffeehouse

135 South Street

Philadelphia, PA

(215) 457-3336