I love green tea, matcha (the bolder the better--authentic, ideally). Whoa, wish granted! I'm…read moreglad to find an authentic matcha source like Tsujiri in some random space in the S Maison mall attached to the Conrad Manila. Loved the experience ALOT. From the website: http://tsujiri-global.com/ "The time was end of ancient Edo period, and in 1860, the brand Tsujiri was first established by Riemon Tsuji in Uji of Kyoto, Japan. The founder Riemon tapped his own wealth to improve the tea industry, advancing and innovating the method to enhance the flavours and sweetness of the tea to accomplish in making the highest quality Gyokuro tea leaves. He also devised the tea cabinet to keep the tea leaves fresh longer, thereby enabled to revive the popularity and marketing of the Uji tea. His effort was well recognized by many and to attest to that, his statue was built in Byodoin, the Kyoto's world heritage temple" I've had two things here: the ceremonial matcha tea (eye-opening, heavenly) and the Shiratama sundae (green tea matcha softserve with mochi, adzuki, black sugar, which was memorable). Really glad to experience this authentic product outside of Japan and appreciate the flavors I've experienced here. Would love to sample again when I return to MNL. Visits: 3

The best Japanese tea ceremony for 1st timers... You would love the vibe it brings …read more.. I really enjoyed the taste of real ground matcha green tea leaves.

Was here for a quick snack while walking around eastwood. This is a korean owned establishment and…read moreat the time wasent busy. I ordered the strawberry cheese bingsu. But they have about 14 other bingsus to choose from. They really follow the mantra of do a few things exceptionally instead of a lot of things but just average. It was cold, it was delicious and it really hit that sweet spot. It wasent overly sweet but u knew for sure it was a dessert. The strawberries were fresh and quite delicious. The pieces of cream cheese was good as well. And the strawberry drizzle or jam was throughout the bingsu. We got the regular size which was quite enough for one person. It was an excellent treat while walking the hot streets of manila!!

I initially went next door, to another cafe, but the tables were occupied there. I was with a…read moregroup, six of us. I ordered an entire chocolate cake for around 1,000 php. The cashier / waitress went to the back of Yamoto's restaurant and got us a fresh cake, rather than giving us the display one. It was rich and tasty. She sliced it for us, so we ate there. The cake was large enough for 8-10, so we brought the rest as take out in the original box. Highly recommend this place. Good syuff. Good service .

When a group of fellas each with a sweet tooth gets stuck in traffic and has late dinner, expect a…read moremad dash to find a place to have dessert and coffee. That was our story. Thankfully, Yamato, Mitsuyado's sister restaurant (another favorite of my Dad's), takes their last call at 10:30 in the evening and closes its doors at 11. There were four of us but each just wanting something sweet to take out the after taste of our greasy dinner. We ordered one each of their Chocolate Éclair and the Strawberry Shortcake each reasonably priced at PhP70 and PhP120 respectively. Considering it was already late and that the ones we got were probably leftover choices from the earlier customers, both were still pretty good. They also sell regular joes, and by that I mean regular coffee - plain, black, brewed coffee. No available creamer, sugar, nothing. If it were other people, they would have complained. But the oldies I had with me liked their "cuppa joe" that way. I got my dessert, they got their dessert and coffee, everybody happy!

Before all these artisan ice cream brands popped up, there was Sebastian's. Before all these brands…read morehad all these weird, far out local flavors, there was Sebastian's. Before other brands popped up trying to push the envelope, THERE WAS SEBASTIAN'S. Sebastian's does not get enough credit for changing the way we look at ice cream. Talk about pushing the envelope; Sebastian's introduced us to Green Mango ice cream (with Bagoong), as well as Champorado, Sapin-Sapin, and Quezo de Bola. And with their price point being on a manageable scale, this ice cream joint deserves more love. Am docking a star because their physical branch in MOA is a bit on the pits. Hey, it has to be said.

I love experimenting in the kitchen. And I have a lot of appreciation for those for those who take…read moretheir experimentations to a whole new level. Sebastian's has become the epitome of innovation when it comes to ice cream, and I love how it has always pushed the envelope when it comes to offering new flavors for Filipinos to try. Green Mango and Bagoong ice cream, anyone? Or how about Bibingka Espesyal, Sapin-Sapin, or Puto Bumbong? I'm quite sure you haven't heard of these ice cream flavors before Sebastian's. If you're excited to get a taste, head to their nearest scooping stations and have your fill. But be warned: Some of their flavors, like the last three, are seasonal, by the way. But don't worry, you'll have many other equally yummy flavors to choose from there. Or better yet, head to Cold Comfort (the perfect name for their product, don't you think?), Sebastian's ice cream parlor, and get ready to ooh and aah over their selection of their ice cream sundaes, "dive bars", pies, and "burgers"! For those with non-adventurous palates, a.k.a. those who just want chocolate or strawberry or caramel, there's something there for your liking, too!

I am utterly in love with Purple Oven. No, seriously! They're my favorite bakery as of the moment,…read moreand for good reason! I don't really like sweet stuff, honestly. But Purple Oven's decadent revel bars changed that opinion pretty quickly! When I moved to the area, I was happy to find out that it's just one tricycle ride away from my condo (and I've abused that ever since). It's always been my go-to bakery for special occasions. Of course, the revel bars are always a party hit, as well as their cakes. But I think their cookies are one of the best I've tasted! (And i've tried alot, mind you.) The chocolate macademia cookies don't scrimp on either, and is absolutely mouthwatering, especially when they're just fresh out of the oven! (You can cheat this by putting it in the oven really quickly, at the lowest setting so you won't burn anything.) Purple Oven doesn't just do desserts either! They've got a pretty good selection of bread and quiches! Perfect for a lazy brunch at home. Just pop em in the oven the next day, and they go so perfectly with some coffee or tea.

Being a cake-lover, my husband once gave me 3 cakes from Purple Oven as a birthday gift. Yes, they…read moreare that good. When they opened a branch in Makati, I just had to go. I love everything about that place, I could really spend hours just smelling their food and staring at their desserts. And it doesn't help that they actual load a new batch of goodies in the oven every hour (with a schedule posted on the chalkboard of what's cooking by what time), I think I sat there for half a day and didn't even notice I've been there that long. Whether you're in for a savory treat or a sweet-tooth satisfier, they have so much to choose from. My top picks are still Grandma's Chocolate Cake which has layers of caramel between moist, rich chocolate cake topped with chocolate ribbons and the Banoffee Pie which has a pie crust filled with banana, cream and butterscotch. If you want just a quick bite, then try their cookie selection. I love the chocolate macadamia, very chocolatey and chunky and not too sweet.

For homemade-quality sweets, I will always recommend House of Silvanas. Their Food for the Gods is…read morefilled with flavour even at the smallest bite. Their bucayo, which a local sweet made from coconut flakes is a wonder for a quick sugar fix. Their Silvanas? Don't even get me started. Melt-in-your-mouth wafers with the perfect amount of butter and flavoring. They also have a few cupcakes which are even better and taste far less commercial than some of the ones sold by the pricier cupcake cafes. They also sell polvoron; classic and cookies 'n' cream. Both good. (Polvoron is polvoron. You can't sing much praises about it without sounding like you're pushing it.) They also have mango bars which I love because of the texture. A bit crumbly but still chewy and filled with tiny dried mango bits. Their Josephines which are sugar biscuits with light cream in between are also perfect with black tea or coffee and I love how the cream is never heavy. Their lemon bars though, lack a bit of lemony-ness for my taste and the cheddar used for their ensaimadas is bit too sharp and salty. Their cheese rolls are perfectly soft but ironically, lacking in cheese. All three are still good though.

Is it odd that whenever I go to House of Silvanas, I never get their silvanas? Stay with me on this…read moreone, because I need to talk about their other desserts that I absolutely love. When you go to House of Silvanas, there is a dessert they have called Black Bottoms, which are essentially cupcakes made with a cheesecake top (!!!!!!!11!!!1?!!), dotted with chocolate chips and moist, chocolate cake on the bottom. I never fail to purchase one whenever I feel bad, because the moment I sink my teeth into this cupcake, first taking in the creamy cheese and then the chocolate, my eyes roll back in delight, and I find myself making joyful squeaky noises in appreciation. I think it's safe to say that the Black Bottoms from House of Silvanas are my favorite baked dessert. My next favorite dessert would have to be Napoleones. While House of Silvanas doesn't have them, they do have a dessert called the Josephine. It's occurred to me that Josephine was the name of Napoleon Bonaparte's wife, so maybe this has something to do with the fact that the Josephine is kind of like a napoleone, only crunchier and more rectangle-shaped. One bite into the puff pastry reveals a sinfully delicious custard center, and before you know it, you've eaten the entire damn confection (more like inhaled, in my case). I should probably get to trying the actual Silvanas they sell here, but for the most part, the Black Bottoms and Josephines are top-of-mind, and they should also be your must-tries when you come here, too!

Chocolate Crinkles. Brownies. Devil's Cake with succulent marshmallow frosting. These are enough to…read moretransform me into a melted puddle of drool. I grew up a few kms from this Becky's, and went to high school nearby. We sometimes would beg and plead with our bus driver (who shuttled kids to and from school like a regular dude) to stop by here before our trip home so we can buy some snacks. I'd like to think he did at one point but I don't think he ever did. haha. We did come by with my folks and ended up with some of their goodies. My mom likes anything with nuts (walnuts, pecans) , and naturally, I hated them. But anything Becky's Kitchen makes is rather sumptuous and I, uhh, pretty much devoured them all. I haven't been back to this location since coming back to the country, but I went to the Pasig one. I also have a birthday coming up, and I'm seriously thinking of a food trip pilgrimage which includes going to this bakery. See you soon Beckys!

Becky's at P.Ocampo Manila has always been my top go to place for delish and affordable grab and go…read morecakes (and pastries) . This is a piece of heaven for a sweet monster like me. If you live or study within the area, you know where I am coming from. I mean how would anyone miss this unassuming happy place, there's no ads just word of mouth from their tons of clients in all walks of life. They are known for their brownies, Swiss Chocolate cake, chocolate mousse and cheese roll but for me by far they have the best Prune and chocolate cup cake ( I am not a fan of prunes but their cupcake is so awesome), Coffee cake ( which I always order) -- not too sweet, chocolate crinkles which we can devour in 1 sitting (100 pcs of them for a group of 10) and most recently their Brazo de Mercedes aka Victoria Secret. Be prepare to queue and it gets super long on a holiday but this shop does not fall short on your cake expectations ( it has been consistent over the years) Everytime I visit Philippines, I make sure to drop by Becky's because of so much joy (and happy tummy plus sugar rush) it gives me.

Grabbed some ensaymadas to-go from this famous spot. Got both a cheddar and a quezo de bola. Both…read morewere super delicious - cheesy and sweet, with the pastry itself being very light and fluffy. I preferred the quezo de bola more than the cheddar but both were delicious. Would def come back!

i swear hizon's mocha cake is basically a manila time machine. my lola used to bring one to…read morebirthdays and the rule was always "don't smash the box on the jeep ride home" . it's that super light chiffon + buttercream combo that doesn't feel heavy even after a big meal. also the ensaymada + hot tsokolate there on a rainy afternoon? undefeated. legit old-school manila vibes.

So, this is my 3rd visit to a Magnum: Rome, Copenhagen and now Manila. By far, this location is…read morethe cheapest at about $2.20 a bar, compared to double that at least in Rome and Copenhagen. This is a relatively new store and gaining recognition among Manileños. Seeming that there is a cafe that closed in 2015, this must be the resurrection of MM in a stall type setup. It's on the second floor of the MOA (Mall of Asia) next to an Illy coffee shop (perfect combo). You pick 3 toppings, all laid out on the counter. So the playbook goes: pick your ice cream, your 3 poison toppings, and the person behind the bar assembles your Magnum. The toppings were delicious, the ice cream authentic; Magnums shipped to world locations like Manila, frozen. The flavors are consistent to the brand ice cream-- the only difference is each city has it own local flava when it comes to toppings. Great product, one less star for new and untrained staff. Visits: 2 Tip: An espresso with this bar (next door) is delish if you like strong coffee.

Okay so I was sooo looking forward to this place. So basically you choose a magnum bar (vanilla or…read morechocolate) and you coat it in a chocolate of your choice and add 3 toppings on the coating. Okay cool right?! Wrong! I got there and the guy was like "The right kind of ice cream wasn't delivered so you can't coat your ice cream in chocolate." So I thought okay fine. So then I picked a pre-made chocolate ice cream bar (because they didn't have vanilla) and I picked my toppings. He charges me the same price even tho it wasn't the same experience. The chocolate ice cream bar was mediocre. This entire experience was just a let down. I should have saved my money. And they just opened so idk why they didn't have all their supplies restocked. But I made the toppings work by biting the ice cream bar to make it a little melts and dipping it in the toppings.

Visited this place for the first time. Was initially thinking of having a sweet bun + coffee for…read morebreakfast, was surprised to learn that this place didn't have any! Ordered hot food instead and it was (again) surprisingly good. Oat Latte/Cappuccino were also very good (there are very few baristas who can foam Oat Milk well). We chose to sit at the 2nd floor and service was still very good (we were the only customers upstairs). Only complain I have against this place is that they only have 1 shared toilet which I believe can be a challenge since this place is really big. Will definitely visit this place again, highly recommended!

We love the ambiance, service and of course the coffee. Our go to place for breakfast and coffee.read more