Pampanga Road Trip

In the past, we've both stumbled upon a number of websites and blogs talking about the outlet stores in Robinsons Starmills Pampanga. Curious to check it out, we decided to brave the long trip north of Manila. It ended up being a quick and pleasant road trip up the NLEX and before we knew it, we were exiting at San Fernando, ready for some shopping.

Road trip!

Items like Plains and Prints were heavily marked down. I wish I could share with you my picks but the SAs were quick to warn us not to take photos.

Space had a lot of cute casual options in fun prints. They also had the current collections at regular price.

The Mango outlet is reason enough for you to make the drive. I've read mixed reviews about the bargains and the selection here. In my opinion, it was an excellent outlet, even better than the one in Tung Chung, Hong Kong!

Their collections were pretty updated and heavily marked down. They run the gamut from fur jackets (from P11k to P5k) to jeans to casual and evening dresses. You won't be able to leave the place empty-handed. Even the sunglasses, jewelry, purses, wallets, shoes, and basics were super affordable!

Admittedly, the shoe selection was a bit pitiful but at amazingly low prices.

Here's an example of one of the markdowns! I think this was for a pair of denim cut-offs.

Another amazing bargain was this fully-embellished jacket. It was covered in sequins and I regret passing it up!

 Here's a crappy shot of it! Sorry about the quality, I had to sneak this into the fitting room.

 

Forgot the exact price of this but it was below P2000!

Really cool lace-up pants for less than a thousand!

Don't have a full photo of this item but it was this long black evening dress with a low v-cut neckline. It was by far, the biggest markdown in the store! It was more than a few thousands before because it was part of Penelope Cruz's collaboration with MNG and now it's only being sold for P400!

Another really cool blazer for a little over a thousand! Needless to say, I spent a few hours browsing the humongous store and fitting everything.

This PD x Kate Torralba dress used to be P2,500 and is now priced at P700!

There was also a Guess outlet but we didn't have time to browse anymore.

Brandsmart is a "semi-outlet" of SSI brands like Superga, Nine West, Ralph Lauren, Armani, Lacoste, Jessica, etc. "Semi" because not everything was on sale.

These super cute Superga sneakers were unfortunately not on sale.

For all the mommies, there was also this small toy outlet with a lot of imported goodies for the kiddos.Perfect for the Christmas season as well.

We left the mall tired but satisfied with the day's haul.

The pair of neon reflective glasses I got in Bench came with it's own adjusting/repair tool, pretty useful.

P: Was able to get a nice pair of board shorts for around PHP300 from the Folded & Hung outlet. They were also having a buy one, half-off on the next one promo.

D: Ended up getting two pairs of denims from the Mango outlet. Kind of corny, I know. I need to go back to pick up more "special" pieces. I think I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of options.

I also scored this really pretty Jessica skirt from Brandsmart. It's in this really nice, sllightly heavy fabric and has a fun shape when worn. Best part? It used to be P3,650 and was marked down to P730. Unbelievable discount!

FOOD

After the mall trip, we decided to visit this much-hyped restaurant, C Italian Dining. We know it's weird to go to Pampanga and not have the requisite sisig and other local fare this province is so known for. We both have a bit of Kapampangan heritage and we were hoping to visit this hole-in-the-wall sisig joint that's all over the net but it ended up being closed for the day. Another thing to note, check out this pretty road! We had no idea picturesque scenes like this could exist in local cities.

After travelling much further than we anticipated and right at the peak of hunger, we arrived at C' Italian Dining along the Fil-Am Friendship Highway.

The interiors are a bit dated but conducive to an intimate dining setting. Also, the chairs are heavily stained which they really should look into. The music also leaves a lot to be desired. It really dampens the atmosphere.

C's brewed iced tea. It was a little too sour for our taste buds.

Complimentary fresh, crusty bread with pesto and parmigiano, yum!

We decided to try C's vaunted panizza. This one was topped with a healthy amount of mozzarella, ham, mushrooms, sweet onions and sun-dried tomatoes.

Alfalfa and greens for roll with the pizza

The finished product, ready to eat. The almost paper-thin crust carries the flavors so well. Each roll is packed with a variety of different flavors that complement each other. This definitely beats out the options in Manila for me.

Shrimp risotto with tomato chunks, topped with white cheese.This went well with the pizza, a nice alternative flavor (sour and savoury) to keep you going. They were pretty generous with the large shrimp. D and I hate it when restaurants seem to count the amount of seafood they put on (like two token pieces on top).

The obligatory wall-of-fame. Check out the plate with Ryan Cayabyab composing a song just for the establishment! C's was a bit on the expensive side (perhaps priced for the expat crowd) but it's a good place to try if you really want a fancier place to go to in Pampanga.
 FASHION

P:shirt from Spitalfields, J.Crew shorts and Fred Perry shoes. 

I love the '70s vibe of this shirt, from the collar, to the design up top, to the weave making the shirt almost sheer. Now that's a throwback.

D: Topshop muscle shirt, old pair of cut-offs, navy Saltwater sandals

Obviously nothing special, just my usual schlepping outfit. Very appropriate for a road trip though!

We headed home at dusk, tired but happy! Another fun adventure under our belt!