All in Food Notes

Going Biggie in Hot Star

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. Hot-Star, a popular shop in Taiwan due to their humongous chicken chop, has now found its place in Manila!

"Lav, before anything else, how humongous is humongous?", you may ask. That's a fair question! Well, it is as long as your typical 12-inch ruler, it is bigger than your two palms placed side by side and it is larger than your face. If I haven't sparked a tinge of curiosity from you still, I do not know anymore what would.

Trying Out the Famous Dong Bei Dumplings in Binondo

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. Christmas is so near! I can already feel it from all over; from the traffic, the number of people that flocks the mall, the Christmas songs, advertorials, decorations, Christmas lights, that cool breeze, they all make the nearness of the holiday season more evident. And with that comes along the Christmas shopping too.

Celebrating BAGA Manila's 3rd Year Anniversary

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. Congratulations to BAGA Manila for celebrating their 3rd year anniversary last November 14 and 15! I am no first-timer in BAGA Manila but it was my first time to experience the new BAGA at their new location. I was still able to visit their A. Venue, Makati location for about three times, I think, before they transferred to Lakefront in Sucat, Muntinlupa City last April of this year. BAGA Manila is a food night market especially dedicated to barbecuers and grillers hence the name: BAGA = BArbecuers and Grillers Association.

Cravings' 'Fresh Picks', Here to Please

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. The weekend is here again and I know there are a lot of you who are still looking for something new to do and try out. Well, I got something up my sleeve for those who are on the lookout for some nice and healthy thing to do, and I know this might shock you but it involves eating buffet!

Spending Quality Time with the Family in Kainan Au Gusto

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. Kainan au Gusto is one of those restaurants that you will definitely try because of its air of mystery. If you do not look closely enough or if you are not looking at its side when you pass by it while you drive along E. Capitol Drive, it would really be easy to miss this gem of a restaurant! Those who only make the effort to go down and search for it behind the big trees would discover this place. A cafeteria-styled restaurant owned by the same owner of Cafe Juanita is what will greet you as you peek through the trees.

Flavorful Lunch on a Sunday in Gostoso Piri Piri

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. Joining in the long list of restaurants in Kapitolyo is this new kid in the block called Gostoso Piri Piri. What makes it unique is that this joint offers some authentic Portuguese BBQ that none of its nearby counterparts do offer. Moreover, it prides itself with their Chicken Piri Piri. Piri Piri is something that I often hear and see but had not have the chance to taste, well, until last week.

Going All-Meat in Nam Son

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM. For our Christmas Eve dinner in Vietnam, we decided to skip the fancy hotel restaurants and go somewhere that offers something that is filling and at the same time reasonably priced! Nam Son was just the perfect place to address both. A steak place in the middle of the green-conscious Ho Chi Minh City, we headed on to the restaurant without thinking twice.

Enjoying Pho Like A President in Pho Hoa Pasteur

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM. On our 2nd day in Ho Chi Minh, we looked for the alleged restaurant that serves the best Pho in town. It took us a while before we found the place as it stood almost at the near end of the long stretch of shophouses and restaurants along Pasteur. Truthfully, I was shocked to see how old the shop is but I know better that I could never trust the exterior of a restaurant as it could not be a determinant of the quality of their food.

A Short Break in Givral Cafe

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM. We were on our way back to the hotel, coming from the War Remnants Museum where we spent the entire morning touring around and looking at how the Vietnamese perceived the American phase of the Vietnam War, when this all-white cafe splashed with some bright red right at the corner of Vo Van Tan and Nguyen Dinh Chieu popped up and completely caught us off guard.

Colorful Sunday in Croque

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. We were on our way home when we chanced upon this bright, cozy restaurant in the middle of Pasay Road. It is hard not to stop by for a while to check out the place because it looks so inviting with its bright blue and yellow hue! I just love discovering new places when I travel around the metro so I seize the opportunity even though I was already itching to go home to have some siesta.

Back to Basics in Nha Hang Ngon

HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM - If ever there is something that I remember deeply during our travel to Ho Chi Minh City, it would certainly be the food! The food there was amazing! Nha Hang Ngon is the first restaurant that we tried when we went in Ho Chi Minh and I think this was the one which started the first of the many affairs we had with Vietnamese food.

Good Ol' Filipino Cuisine in Chika-an sa Cebu

CEBU CITY, CEBU - Looking for a nice Filipino restaurant that you can go to while you stay in Cebu? Look no more as Chika-an sa Cebu is definitely the place for you! With its simple yet inviting ambiance, appetite-inducing dishes and all-smiles waiters, you will instantly catch some good vibes from the place which would immediately force you to get a table for your party!

Comfort Mexican Food at Silantro

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. And I am finally back in Kapitolyo! It had been so long now since I last dined here and I had been missing this gem of a street in Pasig already. I do not want to think about its proximity to my workplace since it is so damn near it and it reminds me of the reasons why I could not go there as constantly as I wanted to. You know how work can get the best of us right and there are times that you inevitably spend the remainder of your night working and contemplating because you want to finish and achieve something.

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. Going to Crystal Jade Shanghai Delight was a straight traverse from the entrance of the Greenhills Shopping Center compound. I do not go here often but looking for it had been a breeze! Go straight through the doorway passing by the line of tiangges, go out to the courtyard where you will pass by the chapel, enter V Mall and at the back you will see then the gray facade splashed with some eye-catchy purple that complements the overall look of the establishment. I promise you, you will not miss it.

What's Your Trip? Simple Lang

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. I could not remember anymore why we ate out that particular night or why my mom asked if we could all have our dinner outside but I remember finding myself immediately searching for a place we could try out in Makati. I have always been the go-to person in our family for this kind of stuffs. Where can we go this weekend? Where will we eat after mass? What new activity is it in the metro that we could try?

Birthday Lunch in Korea Garden

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. To celebrate my birthday, we took advantage of the Aug 28 holiday and scoured down the metro to find a restaurant where we could dine. Though I love Japanese food (anyone who is close to me knows how much I adore anything raw!), I decided to change it up a little bit and go for Korean instead. Why Korean? I always had this notion that Korean food is super expensive but I was blown away when I tried eating in A-Won Charcoal Barbecue Restaurant in Hobbies of Asia and there is no turning back for me from then on.

Buffet in Richmonde Cafe in Richmonde Hotel Ortigas

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. I hold mixed feelings when it comes to buffets. Sometimes I like them, but more often than not I do not. Because quantity usually wins over quality. And quantity is given more priority to the point that quality is being compromised or worse, dropped from the equation. Restaurants just sometimes want to put more food out there without putting much effort into conceptualizing great food that everyone will commend and enjoy.

A Dash of Salt in Makati

METRO MANILA, PHILIPPINES. SALT is one of those restaurants that hides itself from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind. Tucked in the middle of a neighbourhood in Makati, finding it will surely be an easy breezy task... well, given that you are great with maps or if you have Waze installed in! 

Experiencing Asia's Best Chinese Restaurant That is Din Tai Fung

SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE. Taking centerstage today is this very popular Chinese restaurant that we tried during our stay in Marina Bay Sands. Located inside The Shoppes, Din Tai Fung is everything but unpopular. Originating all the way from Taiwan, this big international brand has not always had this kind of stature and it may come as a shock to many but Din Tai Fung did not begin as a dumpling shop either.