I had dinner at Locavore while visiting Manila, and it was honestly one of the best meals I've had…read moreduring my trip. I'd been wanting to try Filipino food, and this place came highly recommended by some locals. The food was incredible. I tried the sizzling sinigang, and it completely surprised me. The flavor was sour, savory, and comforting all at once. I also had the oyster sisig, which was crispy, rich, and perfect with a cold San Miguel beer. Every dish came out hot and well-presented. The restaurant itself has a great vibe!!! lively but not too loud. The staff were really friendly and helpful, especially since I wasn't too familiar with Filipino dishes. They explained what everything was and even suggested a few must-tries. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone visiting the Philippines. And I'll definitely come back next time!

First time to try Locavore Kitchen & Drinks and na enjoy namin ang brunch dito sa Kapitolyo What a…read morefantastic meal! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.Tastes great! Eating something delicious right now.. i love it..

In Marco Polo's aim to not only keep up but to embrace and be at the forefront of the ever-changing…read moreculinary scene, they brought in Chef Giuseppe. With his extensive experience in Europe and in Asia, travels around the world, and of course, him being from Italy -I might be biased here, but really, one of the best places for a gastronomic adventure; he can definitely rise to the occasion. Cucina offers international flavors that appeal to the local palate. The dishes weren't tweaked to the flavors that we're used to but were handpicked according to the ones that everyone would certainly like and find more than interesting. On weekdays, you'll get to indulge on Chef's Beet Cured Salmon with Crème Fraiche, Ossobucco ala Milanese with Soft Yellow Polenta, and Beef Cheek Couscous and Grilled Vegetable. While their Italian Porchetta Stuffed with Sun Dry Tomato and Black Olive Pate, Baked Salted Fish with Chef Giuseppe's Special Sauce, and Wild Mushroom Risotto are what await the hungry weekend warriors. The crowd favorite for the night would have to be the Beef Cheek Couscous, but my heart goes to the Italian Porchetta that I still can't get over.

Twenty four floors up and with a good view of the Ortigas area; around about 2k for dinner buffet…read morewith a couple of hundreds in for unlimited wine; and having rock or slipper lobsters on the spread: these are a few reasons to visit Marco Polo Manila's Cucina. It's good value for money and well worth the spend for an occasion. Sometimes, they have foie gras as a part of the selection, but I've only seen that happen once. I wish their Filipino station looked more appetizing. Sadly, the dishes appeared dry, like they had been sitting there a while, overlooked by the diners who preferred the pasta, seafood choices, and carving station. I must have had two plates of lobsters when I was last there on a Sunday night, though! I really enjoyed that, plus the service of the accommodating wait staff on duty.

Seems like nobody has a recent review, although I'm a member of S&R and Lander's, I still do some…read moreshopping here. My wife has to go to the Precision Diagnostic Lab at Pioneer Center so we do some grocery shopping there. They have some items that S&R/Landers do not stock. Hunts Pork & Beans, Hunts Tomato Sauce, a large variety of posta other than spaghetti. They have my favorites, Fusilli & Rotini. Also can find low calorie Cranberry Juice. Since I spend P20K at S&R/Landers, I'm not concerned about the prices at Pioneer Center because they are reasonable and available.

This is one of the original supermarkets in the area. It is also one of the remaining few that…read morestill sells wholesale items and is complete with everything you can think of for your shopping needs! This place is not clean looking, more of a warehouse than grocery actually. They do have a meat and fresh produce section. They also have a section for picnic needs from utensils to foldable tables! Their selection of fancy beer is pretty good and the prices are very reasonable. This is my go-to place when I need to buy drinks or alcoholic beverages. Wholesale prices are just awesooome! :D You can find super-interesting international products like in SnR but at half the price and even on Buy 1, Take 1. Their promos keep changing every week which is why I'm almost always there to avail of sweet deals! Also, they accept ALL credit cards. They have free parking here too. No other grocery does this anymore!

Just when you think you couldn't fit another restaurant into Kapitolyo, they open up an entire…read morefoodpark. Insane. Having said that, Gastro Park Kapitolyo is a fantastic addition to the Kapitolyo food scene, if only for the fact that it was able to cram so many restaurants in one space. It also established 1st Street as Kapitolyo's second food street, sharing it with Kanto, Nori, and Ser Chef, among others. The layout of the food park was kept simple and straight to the point, and I appreciate the fact that it actually has a roof. As with most food parks, the outlets are good and decent although no outlet really stands out. I do appreciate the price point of the outlets though, as most of them have plenty of options below P150. That's a major selling point in my book.

A fun place to eat and go on a food trip with friends!…read more This Gastro Park has quite a variety of cuisines available. They have Filipino, Japanese, Singaporean, Thai, and Italian, just to name a few of them. I like that they also thought of how warm it can get. They provided ceiling fans in the middle seating area. The outer areas don't have fans but at the least the fans they have help keep the air circulating.

I still remember Becky's from their Malate/Manila branch. After 20 something years, i visit one of…read moretheir branches and fall in love with the taste, ambiance, etc. The cafe has this old Filipino feel with Batibot cafeteria (wrought iron + wood) chairs and dark wooden accents. They have green plants on each table as a centerpiece. Currently, they have the cafe decked out in christmas decor of wreaths with glittery bright blue, purple and gold. The gift boxes come in a bright red color, very festive! They sort of highlight the store too since they are stacked in shelves behind the refrigerated cases. I convince my husband to spend a few mins to have a slice of cake and coffee. It only takes a few minutes to gobble up the cakes, im sure! I had the swiss chocolate cake that has the creamy meringue outside its chocolate sponge cake and honeycomb bits inside. Heaven! I swiped one of the two crinkles on my husband's plate. It was decadent! If you've never had chocolate crinkles before, you're missing out. Plus, I've been around and these are gold standard crinkles right here. The box of 24 is only 300 pesos! WORTH IT! We decided to get a box of 24 to eat later at home As I write this review, I just got home after two hours of driving. I have already polished 5/24 pcs. It had been left in the car for 5 hours before we actually headed home but it is amazingly soft and tastes freshly baked. I can't praise this bakery anymore than humanly possible. Just try it! The other branches might be closed but this one inside Valle Verde 1 village is still alive. On regular days they have plenty of lot parking in front of the basketball court.

I've been a fan of Becky's Kitchen for years and years ever since I was a kid. I remember bringing…read moretheir deliciously fudgy, and sticky Brownies with cashews to my ballet school's potluck party after every dance recital every year without fail. In fact, it's still my mom's go to potluck contribution to any party or last minute Christmas gift to friends, as well as their addicting Chocolate Crinkles. If she ever comes home with any of them as a treat, I immediately zone in on the signature maroon box from Becky's and strategize the quickest way to get my hands on it then get to a safe place in the house where I wouldn't have to share. I'm happy they opened the branch in Valle Verde a while back because it's much nearer to where I live. What's more is that there's an actual dining area where you can have coffee and a slice of cake as opposed to their original branch in Taft with just the display cases, counter and some seating for waiting customers. If you have a chance to visit either location, I recommend their soft and flavorful Cheese Rolls and decadent Swiss Chocolate Cake in addition to their famous brownies and crinkles!

I must admit, the name is really catchy that I was immediately drawn to it and try whatever they…read morehad to offer. I'm not really familiar with Mexican food but for some reason, by the looks of it, I had a feeling that I might enjoy this one. The Chalupa, their main product, looked a lot like a taco but bold prints on one of their signage clearly emphasized that it's not. I ordered their Beef Chalupa which contained beef (duh), veggies, cheese and other good stuff. You can even choose to put their special homemade hot sauce especially formulated to competent the soft pita-like chalupa. So if you're a fan of tacos and nachos with all the meat and special, you should definitely give this one a shot. You won't regret it. I didn't. Note: Say Chipotle (chi-pot-lei)

What I love about Papa Chalupa? Everything! From the concept, to the name and.. wow, their food…read moretastes awesome as well! I first saw a stall of theirs at SM Hypermart (but I think that closed down), we wanted something different from our usual merienda (fresh lumpia, potato corner, pizza ollo, etc) beside the nearby stalls. I was so happy to have found it at the megamall food court, they also carry the iced tea brand All My Tea and it goes so well with their cheesy beef chipotle, for chicken lovers, you can opt to have chicken chipotle instead, both taste super good anyway). What amazes me too is that the customers get to see how they prepare the dough, sprinkling flour over it and then dipping it into the fryer. Such an interesting process and it's always nice to know how my food is being (safely) cooked.

7 Flavors is the buffet restaurant that is partnered by the famed chef Boy Logro. It's main concept…read moreis to have the 7 flavors of the palette presented in its dishes. With a separate cafe/bakery and buffet restaurant, we chose to check out their buffet. On weekday lunch, its just P399/head and P499 for dinner. We tried the lunch buffet and no food stands out. All their food items are all over the place. They have sisig, kare kare, spicy salmon head, chicken teriyaki, stuffed tofu, baked seafood, buffalo chicken wings, and roast chicken for their mains. It was really disappointing, especially, we know, for a fact, that chef Boy is one of the partner. Like the seafood chowder didn't taste like it. It just tasted like roux + stock + vegetables. It's more of a vegetable soup than seafood chowder. There an absence of seafood in the soup. The kare kare tasted like thickened sweet peanut butter sauce that was colored with annatto. The baked seafood has old prawns and squid that is about to spoil. The shrimp was mushy already inside the shell. It has a fishy taste already. This wasn't my first time dining here. It has improved over the course of 5 months, but it needs alot of work to compete in the industry. It's unfortunate to see restaurants that partner with famed chefs just to use their name for marketing purposes. The price doesn't justify the quality of the food. Your paying the same amount to produce quality food, it's how restaurants execute an present the dish that makes it food good. It's not the price tag. #TheFoodCrawlers #OngsFoodprints #SplatMNL

I was invited by the team behind 7 Flavors to dine at their restaurant so I can write a review…read moreabout it. When I entered the establishment, I was surprised to see that it was empty. Turned out, the buffet display was located at the second floor. There were limited offerings but they made sure to include all the basics. They had salad, tacos, sushi, pizza, fish, vegetables, roast beef, and dessert. Food was promising but almost all of them were no longer hot when I got them from the buffet table which was why I didn't enjoy eating them so much. It was an average dining experience for me.

My grandmother really has a knack for cuisines that aren't too mainstream and she stumbled upon…read moreCalderon in Kapitolyo. She loved it so much that she brought the family there for Sunday bonding. I found the place to be homey and cozy. It looked like a bricked house and once you've settled in a table, you'd feel like you're really in Spain. The music and ambiance really suite the whole theme. And don't get me started with the food! We ordered different things for the family to try and I must say that the food was good! We ordered the Paella Valenciana which is the flavor/variant we all know of. We also ordered the Caldo Gallego which was a hearty soup composed of beef, chicken, beans, vegetables and Spanish chorizo. We had the Salpicao, Croquetas and Bacalao ala Vizcaina (cod in tomato sauce). All of those dishes were really good! To end the meal, we ordered Sangria and partnered it with Bandeja de Jamon, Chorizo Y Quezo which was a platter of cold cuts, hams and cheese. The restaurant definitely captured the taste of Spain. I found it to be a great place to be with a big group or even just a one on one intimate dinner. The vibe for me was great. My overall experience in Calderon was pleasant! I would recommend Spanish cuisine lovers to drop by and try the food!

When I found out that a Spanish restaurant was opening in our neighborhood I was so excited and…read morewithin the first week of opening my family and I headed to Calderon. Honestly though we weren't expecting that much since it was only a neighborhood joint and we suspected would not offer Spanish dishes quite as authentic and fresh as those we've had in more expensive restaurants, but boy were we wrong. Calderon is fantastic. Their flavors was bold and their dishes though made with simple ingredients really pack a punch. The place is cozy and warm, the décor classic and earthy. The food offered is classic Spanish and we ordered salpicao, paella, gambas, and croquettas, all staple Spanish food. I was blown away by how tasty and great everything was. The tapas options are killer. I could honestly go home with a pot filled with their salpicao and just gorge on that and rice for a week. The ultimate test (at least for my mom) was their paella and it did not disappoint it was flavorful, salty, packed with meat and veggies. Calderon is certainly a must-try!

This is a very late review and the ramen that I ordered is probably not available anymore. Having…read moremy ramen fix at Ramen Nagi is always a good experience. I used to order the Butao King and the Red King a lot. But recently, I always make it a point to try their Limited King. Months ago, the Ebi King was still on their menu. I had mixed feeling about this because I like my ramen to have that porky and fatty taste. Seafood is a bit of a stretch for me. But the moment that soup arrived, the shrimp taste mixed in the broth was so delicious and different. It wasn't anything that I have tasted before in a ramen. It also had shrimp floss? I don't know what that is but the shrimp flavor of the soup, the texture of the floss and the perfect noodles always satisfies my cravings. Of course, service is always good here. In 5 -10 minutes, ramen is served. Staff team is friendly. Prices are still a bit high but I guess that's what you pay for quality.

What a find in Ortigas Center! I ordered the Butao (traditional) ramen. The soup was creamy and…read morespiced just right. The plus our server, Joshua (female) was polite, courteous and explained the menu very well. I'd recommend this to anyone who craves to eat authentic ramen.