Akiestar

I have been to Shang Palace and while I like the food and the ambiance, it is very pricey for locals (although granted, it's very fine dining). That's why my family doesn't eat there that often, and it's why I didn't recommend it.

I have not had Jasmine though: speaking of restaurants at the New World, there's a very nice buffet spread over at M2M.

Musken

We ended up going to Shang Palace in the Sangri-La hotel. Enjoyed it so much that we went back once more before leaving Manila. Great selection and service. Very large portions (even when ordering the small portions). We had way too much food, but love to try different things, so we ordered a lot even when the waiter kindly told us that it would be too much. When we wanted to leave, they offered to pack the left overs for us to take away, very sweet. Price level was high for Manila but not compared to European prices that I am used to, also much lower than at Amanpulo where we stayed in between our two visits here.

JDiver

FlyerTalker giblet, who went to serve as a Kiva Fellow in Cambodia for three months, has now been there nearly two years. But she travels, blogs, photograpsh, writes and is knowledgeable about Asian food, as demonstrated on her blog MyFatFace.com and in this CNN GO article on great places in Manila for street food (complete with locations and maps!)

Again this is street food, not proper gourmet food served in pricey restaurants; you won't find lechon baboy or even lumpia, adobo or kaldereta in her article, but you will indeed find balut, kwek kwek, silog and isaw on her list.

skchin

Thanks!

jaesun

while I figure seafood in Manila will be plentiful and fresh there (It's only an island haha). I wonder, any places that stand out or that I should try? I am thinking more of a Chinese or even Western style cuisine.

I was thinking on looking for some seafood buffets, but the couple places I saw had them on Fri nights. I will be there on a Wed night, and likely near Intramuros or Manila Bay (I think. Not sure what my plans are yet, and I am staying at the Traders Hotel in Pasay)

Mr. Roboto

Not a buffet, but approximately 1 km from your hotel:

THE LEGEND HONG KONG SEAFOOD RESTAURANT (名門港式海鮮餐廳)
Boom na Boom Compound - CCP Complex
Roxas Blvd.
Pasay City, Metro Manila
Tel: (63-2) 833-3388

Sweet Willie

a belated thanks for this post^

Trastevere

It's been 5 years since the last post on this thread so, while some great suggestions have been presented, I thought I'd request a refresh.

Heading to Manila in a few weeks. Taking 'fine' dining out of the equation (guess we could define that as white table cloth, multiple sets of cutlery throughout the meal, type dining), any local haunts to recommend? Staying near Bonafacio Global City but willing to venture. Open to different cuisines. Was recommended Chupacabra, Kokoro: Japanese Grinds, and Foodever21. Anyone been to these places or have others for consideration?

LAChargers

If you're in BGC, for Japanese, the best is Ogawa. My favorite Japanese restaurant in Manila. Thai BBQ below it is affiliated with the one in the USA but their food is very different. They have 4 chefs here from Thailand and are a bit better than Mango Tree which is around the corner also.

There is a Din Tai Fung and Tim Ho Wan which are both Michelin starred dimsum from Taiwan and Hong Kong. There are also a lot of Ramen places including Michelin starred Tsuta and newly opened Mendokoro. I think my preference is Ramen Nagi in SM Aura mall.

Souv is a pretty good Greek place and Va Bene is the best non-fine dining Italian restaurant around. There are a lot of higher-end Filipino restaurants but we tend to go to Abe. You have to try the crickets there. Sounds strange but they are really good. We call ahead to see if they have them because they often sell out quickly. Locavore is another solid option.

If you are in to buffets, NIU by Vikings in SM Aura is probably the best value and includes beer, wine and soft drinks. 2 other good options are the Grand Hyatt and Shangri-La at the Fort.

There are so many more places and this is only BGC. Feel free to reach out if you have questions.

**Make sure to stop at Bank Bar behind the storage closet at 7/11 in the RCBC building and see if you can find someone to take you in to Manila House (requires membership) for a meal or drinks.

clubeurope

During my short time in Manila this earlier this year, I was recommended by The Peninsula's Concierge to go to Sentro in Greenbelt Ayala. It wasn't pricey by Western Standards, and the Filipino food they serve is absolutely delicious (as is the cuisine in general).

In particular, I found their Adobo to be very good, and this garlicky fried fish dish (didn't catch the name) to be incredible too...

I had a very delightful dinner there, and couldn't recommend it enough.

Trastevere

Thanks for the suggestions. Very helpful. I will have a look...

LAChargers - Seems MNL is home base for you. Any other pearls of wisdom to share? Is there a solid presence of haberdasheries in MNL like, say, Singapore? Also heading up to Clark area one day for meetings. Recommend any lunch spots?

infamousdx

I liked DTF, but I found the quality of THW there was much lower than what I've experienced at the NYC location. Maybe the chefs for the day but everything was only OK.