Gandiva Cafe and Archery Range: Eat, Shoot and Focus!

December 11, 2011 Ruth Dela Cruz

This activity is highly recommended as a team-building activity!

I was exposed to a Natural, Healthy and Organic lifestyle last Friday in Grandiva Cafe and Archery Range. Now, I thought of considering being a Vegan, and trying out Yoga.

My watermark sure fits in that window!

I am so glad I went to the Gandiva Cafe Bloggers’ Night and Wellness Fair. During the event, we were welcomed by the team of Gandiva Cafe and they introduced us to Gandiva and its unique offerings. Gandiva Cafe is a venture which is started by archery-enthusiastic family to make the sport more known and accessible in the country. It offers vegan-friendly food products made from locally grown ingredients. I took the time to check out the items being showcase in the store and some other local products on display.

I am sure my mom would love this!

Forgot to ask what is this.. but Google told me it is a cereal/grain.

Egg-free cakes and pastries!

I personally love these Yadu Bags on display! I found out these are made from recycled items/unsold items from different stores/suppliers. They are well-patterned, and carefully designed so the prints, patterns and color do match creating a nice, unique bag!

Look at the flap made by neckties! Even the strap is made by neckties!

Price starts at Php1,000 and I think that’s cheap for something unique and stylish!

Resident Chef Lali Balagtas shared more about vegetarian and healthy eating.

We were served with the following:

A slice of Four Cheese Pizza (Php225 for 12-inch; Php355 for 18-inch).

Gandiva VG Burger (Php198)

If I am not in a vegetarian cafe, I would not taste the difference in this burger. Although it is not as juicy and oily as your regular burger, I love that it is close to that meat texture and taste.

Tuna Pesto (Php198) and slices of Veggie Supreme Pizza (P275 for 12-inch; P420 for 18-inch),

I am not really a fan of Pesto-based pasta, but what surprised me is the “meat” pieces in the dish. They are not actually meat but tofu slices. Amazing how it tasted like a real meat, even the texture can fool me!

The egg-free and guiltless cake is divine! Although it tends to be a little crumby.. (maybe because of the absence of egg), I love the ganache on top! I actually love anything dark chocolate.

Coffee is best to cap the meal! I wonder if it is also made from organic water? 😉

While we were enjoying the food, we watched a short Yoga Presentation.

Amazing..! I should really start to work out, and now I am considering Yoga. My boss’ mom does Yoga, and she is 55 years old! I want to stay fit too! Like what they say, Yoga is not just an exercise but a lifestyle.

Then, time to hit the shooting range! Before anything else, a little introduction.

I found out that Archery is not as simple as shooting arrows. It involves art, focus and physical strength. The impression is that Archery is a sport only for the elite. That is the notion that Gandiva wants to eradicate. Gandiva is offering free 6 shoot trials! So take advantage and get to know the sports more.

There was some sort of a game where we need to shoot the balloons down, but before anything else, we were armed with gears. There is a sort of strap used for girls to protect the breast/chest area.

This is not a trendy ring, but is used in releasing the sling to protect one’s fingers

There is also a strap worn in the left arm as protection, and of course the bow – which is really heavy at 30 pounds! (that is actually the lightest!)

Shooting is not as easy as it looks. You have to stand at the right angle, hold the bow correctly and focus – before releasing the sling. Pulling the string up to your neck, just below the jawline is not easy – it requires strength, and my left hand was always shaking and losing my focus.

I tried, but failed. I kept on hitting the same spot. Consistently. I even adjusted my target, but still failed. What was I doing wrong? I asked the trainer. He said I was losing my focus. Some of the bloggers were lucky that they got it right on the second try. I would have wanted to stay and try some more but it was getting late, and I got work to do in the office. Now I am more challenged and I want to come back and hit the target.

You like my Wonder Woman shirt? I looove it too!