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Best Food in Manila?

Best Food in Manila?

Old Apr 27, 2010, 10:09 am
  #31  
 
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Magandang Umaga!!

Salamat to Sweet Willie for bringing this thread to my attention...

I've been to the Phil 20+ times over the last ten years working in the call center business.

This is my list of fun, local places:

1. Singing Waiters & Cooks - Filipino food with constant entertainment from the staff. Filipinos, Japanese, Korean, Brits, Aussies and Americans frequent this place so you'll hear songs from around the world. The Asian tourists will typically join the staff and sing their hearts out. A really, really interesting and fun place for dinner. I remember this being fairly cheap, 500Php a person. This is near Star City by Manila Bay.

2. The Library - A Filipino comedy club that serves Filipino cuisine in Malate area. As an American, you will likely become part of the show. You will be on the receiving end of some good natured ribbing by the stand up comedians so don't get upset with the laughter at your expense. A good fun night out with comedy and comedic music; the show ends up around 0400AM or later each morning.

3. Hobbitt House - A JRR Tolkien theme pub with decent bar food. The claim to fame here is that HH is staffed by Filipino little people/dwarfs (my apologies if I used the incorrect term). There is little employment opportunity for these folks so the HH is a great option. Also, 70's Rocker Freddie Aguilar shows up on a regular basis to augment the already great live music show.

4. Caffe Caruso - A really good Italian spot in Makati off the beaten path. It is a quiet, small establishment with a nice ambience that you won't often find in Makati. I always start with an appetizer for the table of wood fired pizza and follow that up with a tasty pasta.

5. Sugi - A great sushi place in Greenbelt, this is not off the beaten path but everyone that I bring here raves about the Kobe Sashimi and Yellowtail Sashimi. Very modern, very clean, very good!

6. Kamayan - I know the original Kamayan in Makati under the Skyway closed a few years ago but I keep hearing rumours that a full service Kamayan is re-opening. No, the buffet in the malls do not count. I loved the old Kamayan with Lechon, Spicy Crabs and roving bands who would sing Filipino Folk songs, American Love Songs and everything in between! If anyone spots a full service Kamayan around Manila; I'd be interested in reading a review of the place.

I'll post more places as I have time....

Ingat Ka

J_Hawk

Last edited by J_Hawk; Apr 28, 2010 at 12:21 pm Reason: Updated with a few more dining spots...
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Old Apr 28, 2010, 3:34 am
  #32  
 
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Manila Eats

Originally Posted by Sweet Willie

Hello bmttokyo,
I'm heading to Manila later this year and have posted to a thread that reports various FT'ers Manila dining experiences. I believe I read that you have spent some time in Manila. If you could post some of your restaurant experiences/suggestions I (& I'm sure anyone interested in Manila dining) would very much appreciate it. Here is the thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...od-manila.html

THANKS & happy Flyertalking

Willie

Hi SW,
Yes we frequent Manila & enjoy eating out a lot. The great thing about Manila is that you can satisfy your yen for any kind of cuisine for an unbelievably reasonable price. We normally stay in the Greenhills (HI Galleria, CP Galleria) & Makati areas (Intercon)

Here are some places that we love-
Greenhills area

1) Savory Chicken now known as Classic Savory at the Greenhills (GH) Theatre Mall
My favorite chicken in Manila which started as a Chinese noodle shop in the '50s. As a little girl, we enjoyed Sunday dinner at the Escolta branch. They went underground & started closing shop for the past 20+ years but was delighted when I saw it newly reopened at the GH Mall last summer. The chicken is tender & tasty, their gravy so delish- just like I remember it. I think it's the gravy I keep coming back for.

2) Kimpura at GH shopping complex
We live in Tokyo so we normally don't bother eating at Japanese restaurants in Manila but Kimpura always beckons. A long time favorite of our family since the '80's where we still enjoy the teppanyaki & tempura.

3) Cibo at the GH Promenade
Delicious, authentic, very affordable, informal Italian restaurant owned & run by Gaita Fores, who studied cooking in Italy. She wanted more Filipinos to have access to Italian cuisine. She's done a great job by placing Cibo in several malls.

4) Arya at the GH Promenade
Enjoyed our meal with the owner, Shin K. making recommendations. The blogger shows a number of dishes we enjoyed ourselves.

5) Peri Peri Grill at the GH Promenade
Reminds me so much of California's Pollo Loco.

5) Bizu Patisserie at the GH Promenade
Loads of choices for your sweet tooth. Seriously !

6) Burgoo at the Promenade
My kids love this place.

7) Via Mare at the GH Promenade
Still delivers my college day faves - Bibingka, arroz caldo & many other Filipino merienda ( mid afternoon meal) fares . Now with a revamped ,updated but very affordable menu.

To search for other branches of these restaurants= check here


This took way longer than I expected so will have to stop here. I'm afraid I'll do something wrong & erase everything I typed. Coming hopefully soon-
Serendra & Makati restaurants. Now I seriously wish I were in Manila for some take out. Time to fix dinner..........

Matta ne !

Last edited by bmttokyo; Apr 28, 2010 at 7:06 pm Reason: Hyperlink errors
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Old May 3, 2010, 4:57 pm
  #33  
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very good posts :-:^:-:

anyone dine at any of the hawker stands? (I've read the stands in Manila are not as numerous or large as Singapore)
-
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Old May 3, 2010, 10:05 pm
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Randy_VA
There's a great place not terribly far from Greenbelt, amazing local Philippine food (chicken, pork, BBQ). Balutin is the joint (I hope I'm right)....or translated "Wrapped" in English. All the meals are wrapped in a banana leaf and are simply amazing! I've only had take-out from there, and do know they're open 24 hours a day, ask a local for directions!
the name is binalot
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Old May 3, 2010, 10:08 pm
  #35  
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hi willie, just wondering, what food do you like to eat? as a local i frequent little asia (promenade, greenhills), fish & co (greenbelt 3), mesa (greenbelt 4), and soms (near powerplant, rockwell) for comfort food

are you looking for fine dining or fast food?
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Old May 4, 2010, 7:02 am
  #36  
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Originally Posted by jasperjugan
hi willie, just wondering, what food do you like to eat? .....are you looking for fine dining or fast food?
Mrs Sweet Willie & I enjoy dining on the regional cuisine of where we travel to. So I'd prefer to concentrate on any restaurant that prepares Filipino cuisine which is not easy to find in the U.S. We dine at the 'down & dirty' place one day while white tablecoth the next & everything inbetween

Last edited by Sweet Willie; May 14, 2010 at 3:31 pm
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Old May 4, 2010, 8:06 am
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Sweet Willie
Filipino cuisine which is not easy to fine in the U.S.
There's a good reason for that! (Filipino food is, in general, in my opinion, unhealthy, boring and unappealing to foreigners.)
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Old May 9, 2010, 7:12 pm
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Hawker stands

Originally Posted by Sweet Willie
very good posts :-:^:-:

anyone dine at any of the hawker stands? (I've read the stands in Manila are not as numerous or large as Singapore)
-
Hi Sweet Willie,
The closest thing Manila has to Hawker centers is one in Market Market. It is an open court then you order your food which they bring to your table. Last time I ate there was 5 years ago. I wouldn't go back though. Too many other choices.
Still need to work on my Makati installment. Remind me before you leave
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Old May 12, 2010, 11:21 pm
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Awesome Planet Blog

Thought you might be interested in this food blog I just found. I LOVE that the Writer enjoys taking his family out to dinner. His young boys are probably some of the "best fed" kids I've seen.

Makati
1) Circles at Shangrila- Sunday Buffet , loved the variety & freshness of the food.

2) Jeepney Cafe at Intercon Makati - arrived late Christmas eve & had dinner here- would not return

3) Intercon Club Lounge - way quieter than the Jeepney cafe so ate brekkie here instead, decent choices, great service

GreenBelt Area (GB)
1) Via Mare GB3

2) People Palace GB3 - enjoyed their Thai menu

3) National Sports Grill GB3- owned by friends of ours so we;ve had LOTS of chix wings, huge salads, big portions while hubbies & kids watched the game
4) Pepato GB2- High end Italian owned by Fores of Cibo fame. Osso bucco melts in your mouth. Our host is a regular of this restaurant so we were treated to lots of other things not on the menu. Great food.

5)Good Earth GB3- my pleasant surprise. Had the all you can eat lunch for about $US6 which were great samplers of their dishes which they would bring to you as you ordered. Will return for sure !

6) Sentro 1771 GB3 - Filipino food with a twist ! We go there at least once or twice during our trips. Love their Sinigang na Corned Beef (sourness will be adjusted to your liking!)

7) Ebun GB3 - more affordable Filipino fare. We will return. GREAT service. They let us in at closing time & kept them there for 2 more hours. Needless to say, they were very well tipped !!!

8)Museum Cafe GB4- had a delightful Sunday Brunch. Lots of choices- arrived quite late so they were no longer replenishing. Will return though.

9)Classic Confections GB5- choose your poison !

10)Ristorante Pia y Damaso GB5 - Philippine cuisine of Colonial days inspired by a Literary classic Noli Me Tangere. Love their desserts AND their Signature Cucumber/Ginger/Citrus Juice.
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Old May 12, 2010, 11:28 pm
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Cibo restaurant in Glorietta 4, their garlic steak is great, as are their strawberry milkshakes (when in season). I had forgotten this gem until yesterday, when I revisited.

Also the Singapore-style chinese restaurant at Rockwell. Had a good lunch there yesterday, but it could have also been the wonderful company I shared the meal with. Wasn't too cheap though.

Going to Classic Confections in Greenbelt 5 for an informal meeting later.
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Old May 16, 2010, 10:48 am
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In my experience the Sofitel has the best food I've had in Manila - I guess not surprising, they're French. However both their incredible buffet dinner inside and the one by the pool are just excellent and focus on Filipino food, especially the outdoor restaurant.

I will agree with previous posters that Filipino cooking is nothing to write home about - as someone said 300 years of Spanish cooking "improved" by 50 years of American cooking. Not a good recipe !!!!
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Old Jun 4, 2010, 12:34 am
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Manila Restaurants

I'm in Manila every six weeks. I'm not into Philippine food for the same reasons mentioned in other posts. However, there are exceptional Western style restaurants in the Fort and Makati areas. Some of them have already been mentioned like the buffet at Circles in the Makati Shangrila - the volume, diversity and quality of the food is unique. Another exceptional restaurant, but expensive is the Tivoli in the Mandarin Oriental - European Continental fare that has an excellent setting for a business dinner or romantic evening. Another excellent restaurant is Le Souffle at the top of the City Bank building in Makati. It is a private club during the day, but they open to the public for dinner. Beautiful view, good food, and romantic.

An exceptional dining experience, is Antonio's Restaurant in Tagaitai. A great place to go on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon for lunch. The setting is spectacular and the food is equally as good. Also in Tagaitai is Sonia's Garden where they grow all of their own salad greens and vegetables. Not as high end as Antonio's, but also good food and nice atmosphere. They are both set in the forest. Be sure to book reservations for both if you go.

If you like Thai food, People's Palace in Greenbelt 3 is probably the best Thai restaurant in Manila. For Persian and Indian food, Hossein's Persian Kebab, in Serendra and in Makati next to Burgos Street. For Cantonese Chinese food, the Peking duck at the Makati Shangri-la Shang Palace is delicious as well as the deep fried shrimp in honey sauce (not sure what it's called). Li Li at the Hyatt in Malate also has very good Chinese food. Both of these hotel restaurants are pricy. For Dimsun try Gloria Maris in Greenhills - very inexpensive and very good. Spices in the Peninsula Hotel has excellent Indian and Thai food.

One of my favorites is New Orleans Bourbon Street Steak House on Bonifacio High Street. Excellent ribs!!! You can order food from their next door seafood sister restaurant (don't recall the name). They have the most amazing crab in spicy barbecue sauce that will leave you licking your fingers for an hour. Be sure to wear a bib because it's messy.

There are dozens of other restaurants to try along High Street, Serendra and Greenbelt. Most are very good. Have fun.
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Old Jun 6, 2010, 3:37 am
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I agree with many of the things ManilaTraveler says but will add a couple of things. For Hosseins, don't bother with the one on Makati Ave. Go to the one in Serendra--much better.

For Sunday brunch, the crossover buffet at the Dusit is not to be missed. It's less than $30 per person and you get to go to 4 of their restaurants. Italian, Japanese, Thai and International. We have been known to spend a few hours there and you even get a 20% discount with a platinum Amex.

We used to go to Museum Cafe for Sunday brunch but they changed their beef from Wagyu to ribeye and cut out some of the other food so we found Dusit. Glad we did.

There's so much there that it will take a few times to enjoy everything.

Regarding People's Palace, have you eaten there recently? I used to think that it was the best Thai place also but we went there a little over a month ago and the food isn't as good. I've spoken with many other expats and locals who feel the same. Thai Silk in Serendra is decent but the quality has deteriorated a little also.

I'm not a big fan of New Orleans but it is decent. Clawdaddy's next door should be skipped--we've been there twice and the food was not good. However, we did not have the crab.

For Dimsum, there is a good restaurant in the Crown Plaza in Ortigas which some say is better than Hong Kong. I've only been there once and can't recall how good it was.

Another hawker center type place is at Tiendasitas. They have an outdoor one and an indoor one with the SM Hypermart.
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Old Aug 5, 2010, 11:31 pm
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In order to enjoy Philippine food, you've got to understand what it is and what it isn't. Philippine food isn't very "refined" since it uses simple ingredients prepared very simply. It uses big, bold flavors and it will never be known as healthy cuisine. I agree that for a lot of places, a lot less oil and a lot less salt is in order. It faces an uphill struggle to gain recognition as a leading ethnic cuisine choice.

That being said, there are quite a few places in Metro Manila that offer a glimpse into how good Philippine cuisine can be:

In Makati, head to Ab in Serendra, Caf Juanita or Bistro Filipino in Fort Bonifacio, Fely J's, Mesa, or Sentro 1771 in Greenbelt.

In the Manila Bay area, head to the Malate area and look for Bistro Remedios and Cafe Adriatico.

In Quezon City, the new kid is Caf Romulo.

If you're willing to go out of the city, head to Bale Dutung in Angeles City (reservations required, minimum party of 12).
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Old Aug 6, 2010, 1:24 am
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I only go sporadically to the Philippines but....

I've enjoyed Mingoy's and Alba's for Spanish food. Mingoys is a little fancier, but good (angulas!).

I had a GREAT birthday dinner about 2 years ago at Angel's Kitchen near Greenhills.
http://restolicious.blogspot.com/200...s-kitchen.html

By the Mall of Asia, there is a bunch of fish markets/stalls...with connected chinese restaurants making fresh fresh seafood dishes. I went to SIS Seafood....
lots of good stuff, lots of fruit stands, bootleg DVDs, etc..(also a lot of trannies in that area for some reason).
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