I've always wanted to try Torch, but it was only recently when they opened up a branch in Alabang…read morethat I go to try it. What can I say? People rave about this place for a reason. The reason? Delicious food. We went there for Father's Day and the place was swamped, which is probably why service was a little slow and the waiters seem a little frazzled. But they were still courteous, and the dads got take home free wine that day. Now about the food ... I don't know where to classify them under because they did Japanese well,their pizza was so fine and there was just a great selection on the menu that you just can't order everything even if you really wanted to. Some of the delicious dishes we ordered were the Grilled Chicken Quinoa Salad (we had 4 orders of that!), the Cream Cheese Salmon Roll, White Truffle Sausage Pizza and the Chicken Alfredo Pizza. Everything we ordered tasted great. Even the Frozen Brazo de Mercedes for dessert. Yes, so much food, so little time. Which is why I'm eager to come back soon. I'll go early and try their breakfast sets next time.

Pivo Praha can be found near the Makati City Hall. At first, you might think that it's a sketchy…read moreplace, but you'll soon realize that it's actually pretty safe. Parking is difficult, but I went in the day, so I'm not sure if parking would be easy by then. Food isn't anything great. What you really want to try is their beer. I mean, it's a microbrewery after all! My favorite one is their Weizen. If you're a weakling like me and you like fruity beer, then that's perfect for you. But they also have a classic beer, a dark beer and a light beer. Perfect for beer lovers of different kinds. What's awesome about this establishment is that you can actually see them brewing the beer! You don't see a lot of that in Manila so it's quite interesting to see.

Great Czech-style draft beer at good price! Food is only so-so. Nice quiet atmosphere to chill…read moreout and have a conversation

Their spot used to be where The Burgery: The Bad Boys of Burger was located. It was a bit of a…read moredowner when they closed because that meant I won't be able to have my daily dish of their P99 Cookie Dough Plate. However, Lucky's Burger & Bar was a good addition to the number of places where you could drink and dine along Tuscany. We tried out their Truffle Fries (P135), Fried Mozarella (P225), Creamy Mushroom Truffle Pasta (P255), Lucky Burger (P180) and Buttermilk Fried Chicken (P175). The truffle fries had too much truffle which can be overwhelming for some. Their burgers, however, are a different story. The prices of their burgers are not bad at all! The cheapest among their selection is the Chorizo Burger (Choriii Burger) at P130. If you want a meal upgrade with iced tea and fries you just add P75. Drinking with friends is also great here. When we dined here, even when it wasn't happy hour, we were able to experience their buy-one-take-one promo for P138. They have a list of cocktails where you could select your poision. I shared the promo with a friend and I got the mojito and he ordered the piña colada. Not much of the interiors has changed when Lucky's took over the spot of The Burgery. I just think they changed up the names of the items in the menu because their descriptions weren't very far off. I just wish they didn't take out the Cookie Dough plate! It would have made my trips really frequent.

It was after a practice game with my teammates in nearby McKinley Stadium that I first got to visit…read morethis restaurant. We were all tired and thirsty, but the cozy interiors and chill vibe of the place quickly put us at ease. It's now become a tradition of sorts for us to cap off our weekly scrimmage nights at Lucky's. Their menu seems to change quite regularly (from my experience), which is great because not only does it tell you that the owners are constantly working to improve things, but it also allows you to discover something new to try with each visit. I order a different plate every time and I've yet to be disappointed. It's also a good place for some late night drinking. They serve beer and a good selection of cocktails. Make sure to snatch a long table outside to really get the drinks flowing.

My favorite restaurant in that Shangri-La Plaza. They serve French inspired Filipino food. Love the…read moredesign and decor of the shop. They even have outdoor seating. We got the grilled porkchops and bulalo. The porkchops was delicious and perfectly cooked. Comes with a side of rice and salad. The bulalo on the other hand was great! Very hearty, comforting, and full of rich beefiness. Lastly I would like to talk about the service. The waitress was very kind and attentive, I believe her name was Yumi. She recommended the dishes and it was great. Overall would recommend this place if you're around the Shangri-La Plaza or SM Megamall!

The ambidence of a french cafe with attentively made filipino fusion brunch. Out of everything at…read moreEdsa Shangri-La, I'd rate this on the side of higher value. Great staff where the manager isn't too proud to clear a plate. A decent go-to especially when breakfast isn't included in your hotel room. Also worth just MRT'ing over to as it's right outside the Edsa station.

Located on the 3rd floor of SM Aura is this 2 piece concept composed of a Bistro and a cafe located…read morealong the hallway of the mall, both serve an equally great experience. More than just burgers.. The Cafe portion is more than just an extension of the bistro, it functions as the drink and dessert station for both. The cafe area has a max capacity of 36 people with a diverse layout of long and circular tables, the long bench and padded chairs provide a relaxing place for a post-meal lounge session. The Bistro on the other hand is a geared towards a quick meal setup with the hard seats encouraging a faster turnover. The Chef's Gallery is much more visible than their first branch at Net Park, which was obstructed by the bar. Overall a chill place to have a hefty meal. Wise Burger (395 PHP) Reyjohn decided to be healthy when he ordered this chickpea (veggie) burger or was he not wise enough to read the description, regardless of that he still prefers the moist version from green pastures. Grind's chickpea patty is certainly a hefty piece and will fill any hungry tummy with ease. The bundled potato chips were crisp and the side salad made from local greens and dressed with their secret sauce actually delighted Reyjohn much more than the actually burger itself. Their burger buns are simply amazing, soft yet sturdy enough to handle and forgiving enough on the bite. Pork Chop (495 PHP) The hefty tomahawk piece you get here will satisfy most hungry tummies. It's lean meat issous vide and seasoned to a delightfully light salty flavour, texture wise a nice meaty challenge to slice, minimal fats and if any are thin enough not to notice. Chocolate Shake (200 PHP) Thick and dark chocolate made from their very own artisan ice creams. It pairs well with their meaty USDA burgers and other meaty dishes. Ice Coffee (120 PHP) A light coffee drink that's smooth with a decent mix of caffeine. Overall a solid experience that's worthy of many revisits.

I think I'm on a sandwich phase right now because everywhere I go, I've been ordering sandwiches…read moreand it so satisfyingly delicious every time I get my fix. I found myself in Shangri-La last week and the moment I saw the sign that says sandwiches, I immediately wanted to try it out. I mean yeah, almost all restaurants serve it or some form of it but a restaurant that declares it serves SANDWICHES. PASTA. and something else definitely deserves my attention. I love it when a restaurant menu is cleverly named. Like my sandwich "Animal Farm" which is a turkey and bacon sandwich, Journey to the center of the Earth is a sausage sandwich. It's cute, admit it. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, the indoor space is a little cramped but it'd be a good place to stay a while and do some work on your laptop or read a book, the chairs are cozy but hey they make up for it with the large outdoor space. The food looks awesome and I liked my sandwich (Turkey & Bacon) even though the bread was a tad tough and as for the other one, I like my sausages to have that strong meaty tough flavour, like it just came home from war and it's the meanest sausage ever but theirs were the nicest one I've ever tasted, no strong flavour there. Still, there are a lot of other options on the menu I've yet to try and I'm holding out judgement. You can't judge a book by just reading one paragraph now, right? Check it out and see for yourself! Let me know what you love about Pages so I can put it on my list!

If there's one restaurant I frequent at Shangri-La, Pages Deli is it. First of all, I really love…read morethe cozy ambiance of the restaurant and it makes a perfect setting for a date or if you just want to be alone and read a book. Speaking of books, the interiors are similar to a reading room with plush chairs and pretty mood lighting. Keeping up with Pages Deli's book theme, the restaurant's sandwiches are also playfully names around famous book titles such as Of Love and Other Demons (chorizo and swiss melt sandwich), Gulliver's Travels (shrimp sandwich), To Kill a Mockingbird (chicken sandwich) and Canterbury Tales (turkey with cranberry). Apart from the playful take on the sandwiches, Pages Deli also offers soups, salads, brunch items, pizza, various kinds of deli and cheese platters, dessert and coffee. In addition, they also have a selection of wines, cocktails and local and imported beers. One of the sandwiches that I frequently order at Pages Deli is thier Charlotte's Web Sandwich. Served on whole wheat bread, the playful take on the children's classic is composed of deli ham, fresh mango, honey dijon mustard, tomato and lettuce. This sandwich is filling and Pages Deli definitely does not scrimp on the ingredients. The deli ham was sweet and it complemented the fresh mango and honey dijon mustard spread. On the other hand, their pasta is more for those with a heavier appetite, and I really like their Carbonara pasta. The sauce is very creamy and is made on the spot and has bits of bacon, basil, mushrooms and topped with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and toasted garlic bread on the side. As a huge coffee fan, Pages Deli also offers a limited selection of coffee choices, and my favorite being the Ice Cafe Latte. The blend is very good and it's quite refreshing and will either go best with your sandwich or pasta order.

Monte Cafe is located on the second floor of a building and I didn't think that it would have that…read moremany customers because it was quite out of the way. But by night time, it was full! It was filled with many people, mostly students (they looked like students because they were studying or working on group projects, that sort of thing), and a smattering of foreigners. For me, this was the nicest, best designed/decorated place that we visited that day. I loved the interiors! It even has this hip wall, like a Pinterest coffee infographic come to life. If I had a place like this nearby, I would hang out here, too, instead of at Starbucks. THE FOOD We had Seafood Pizza (P275) - I liked this. It is very cheesy and just delicious! We also tried their Mozzarella Sticks with Marinara Sauce (P190) - this was the dish that I liked best. The mozzarella stick was served hot - crispy outside, gooey inside. Just perfect with the marinara dip. For pasta, we had the Aglio Olio (it's only P100!) and it already comes with a 65-degree egg. That egg looks like it's made of plastic because it's so perfect, like one of those Japanese food displays, but it's real! This dish was okay, but not something I'd reorder. I had their Java Chip Frappe (P185) - it was nice and creamy, but P185 is kinda high... I smelled their coffee, and their coffee smells really good. I mean, it's coffee the way I like it - Fresh. Not over-roasted. If I find myself in the area, I would go back for their coffee because I can imagine it would be pretty good. IMPRESSIONS This seems like the most upscale place that we visited in Antipolo. Guess that's why everybody's hanging out here. The food is good but not something I'd make the effort to go to Antipolo for, but if I did find myself in the area, I would drop by Monte Cafe for the ambience and the coffee.

This place has been buzzing in my hometown for quite some time now, so I decided to try it out when…read moreI went home one weekend. The interior is very nice, lots of wood elements with bright coloured chairs and tables, polished cement flooring to match. I was thinking, this place is good! Unfortunately, that was the only good thing about this place. Their menu is simple, and it took me no time to order something. First up, their pumpkin soup. It was so watered down that you can barely taste anything, not a hint of pumpkin in it, even. Then there's the wings which was very disappointing. It has this odd taste to it, I can't even figure out what it taste like. Their pasta like the baked macaroni and cheese and the seafood marinara wasn't so special either. I didn't get to try any of the cakes they offer, but I know it's their saving grace because it's supplied by Chocolat, which is our go-to place for last minute desserts for parties.

After eating a heavy, delicious dinner, we thought of having something cold for dessert. We were…read morewalking around Malate and I remembered there was a bingsu place near the circle. Since my friends and I have never tried the place, it was a no brainer to head over and eat there. The interiors are simple and bright. There are colorful post-it all around to make the place livelier. But, the place was quiet and had a peaceful vibe. We ordered the regular of 4 flavors: Injeolmi, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Mango Snow Flake. Even though it was a regular size, it was enough for 3-4 persons to share. The bingsu was very simple but, the best ingredient was the ice! I liked the fine and smooth texture of their ice shavings and the sweetness was just right. The fruits though were not consistent as some pieces were sweet while some a little sour. The Injeolmi was very good. I would order that again. You pay as you order, then you get your order from the counter. That's it! Not a lot of entertainment here because the space is small. So, enjoy your bingsu and the company of your friends. :)

I have just discovered the wonderful Korean dessert known as Bingsu, and I've also found a place in…read moreMalate that serves an excellent version of it. Bing's Fong can be found at Remedios Circle, in possibly the most Korean building in all of Metro Manila. They have a machine that produces snow ice; as opposed to shaved or crushed ice, snow ice is fluffier and lighter, resulting in a dessert that is sweet and heavenly. Incredible.