Thursday evenings are lively here with an outdoor food market for the Filipino Happy Hour. Just…read moreoutside Glorietta 5, I "accidentally" happened upon the festival looking for unique nightlife.....and I found it. Anything you can manage to digest cones on a stick. Beef, chicken, baby squid with head intact. Yes, Ebiyaki, a Japanese indulgence. One can watch as the chefs cook up just about anything. Seating is limited but that is the convenience of shwarma in a stick.

Mercato has had quite the following since it started in BGC, these days, the food market finds a…read morenew home in the middle of the Makati CBD right across one of the busiest malls in the city. Found in the Dolphin Park (because they have dolphin statues there) and sanwiched between Glorietta 4 and 5, it's the most ideal after hours hangout for those who work in the area. The food fare found in the new Mercato is similar to its predecessor, shabu shabu, local street food and Filipino food abound. Cuisinier's barbeque pork skewers are also available for you to try. They're so good they were awarded the Tastiest Regional Specialty for Asia. Regulars such as Mio Gelati are also present here. The vibe is more picnic as opposed to food fair. Settled in a park with grassy areas to sit on, feel free to bring you banigs or sarongs when you're out with a group of friends. It may be loud, but it's definitely a fun place to hangout and eat.

If you ever worked or resided in this side of Makati, this particular jollijeep stall will…read moredefinitely ring a bell. They become heavily popular for their sisig recipe and I am here for it. I have always been a fan of this recipe (which is a top tier Pinoy food for me). There is usually a line during lunch hours which will make you wait for 10 minuts or more. They have a takeaway bag and or avail additional if you want to have it placed in a microwaveable container. Dine-in is served in a paper plate.

Ask any Pinoy what is a must try dish to eat when you're here in Manila and I bet they will say the…read moresame thing: Sisig! Every Filipino restaurant, even the fusion ones, must serve this dish! So, you'll have your high-end versions and also your supermarket versions that come out of a can (which are really not good! Seriously!). If I could, I'd eat Sisig every time I have a beer. But, yeah, for the sake of my heart, I hold back. Haha! Now, let's talk about Sisig sa Rada. This JollyJeep became popular on Facebook with the Makati lunch crowd. Their version of the sisig is made-to-order and prepared within 5 minutes! Every sisig order is fried in egg with sweet mayo on the side. For me, that's what makes their sisig yummylicious. The extra frying makes the sisig bits crispy! Also, the best part, a sisig meal is only Php54! Be prepared to eat standing and that you have to wait awhile during lunch hours. This sisig is flavorful, crunchy and fits everyone's budget. Definitely worth a try! Here's another tip: ask them to fry your sisig longer! :D

Great late night delivery option since they are open late. They don't quite have an overload…read moreoption, but the egg and lechon kiwali option comes close. Lugaw is thick and tasty. Definitely hits the spot during drunchies

We loved the food... ordered from grab and delivered to our hotel. Lugaw was still hot and…read moreeverything was nicely packed. Portions are small but the price is cheap so you can just order more if you're hungry.

Something happened yesterday that made me, well, love Manila even more. I was coming out of my bus…read moreon my way home from work, dropping off my stop at Makati Avenue corner Buendia, when I noticed tons of people with cups of dirty ice cream. I decided to look for the source and walked up to the dirty ice cream vendor. It ordered the P20 cup (of course) with all three flavors - avocado, mango, and cheese. Little unusual combination, but nonetheless it's a nice break from all the chocolate ice cream I eat all the time. Wow. Just, wow. Kuya Nilo's dirty ice cream might just be the best of its kind I've ever tasted. There was just something about it that made me, I dunno, think about when I was a kid and I used to love when the ice cream vendor passed by our house. The ice cream was of course made in the Filipino way, which you could discern from its unique texture and consistency, but the flavors were absolutely fantastic. The flavors tasted like home - you just get the feeling that the fruits used here were bought fresh from the market. This is Filipino ice cream making at its finest. In case you were wondering, kuya changes his flavors daily. So you could run into Melon, Ube, or Dalandan flavored ice cream the next time you go there. I asked Kuya Nilo, the owner of the stall, why his ice cream tasted so good. He says that it's because it's his own recipe - he makes it in a slightly different way from all the other ice cream vendors out there. He has a specific "timpla," that he's been making every moring since he started. In what way this is, I'm not sure, but whatever it is certainly elevated this particular vendor. He's been doing this every day for the last 15 years; so the next time you stop by this particular corner of Manila, make sure to watch out for Kuya Nilo's cart.

The barbecuing starts at around 5pm-6pm, It might sound a little late but that's how it is with the…read moresmall bbq stalls that put up and take down their stall everyday. I'm sure you have one in your village or somewhere near you and you know what I'm talking about. And that you also have your favourite one. It wasn't until recently that I gave the new kuya bbq a try because we had one for a very long time but it's been almost a year now and he hasn't been showing up, a lot of people have told me that the original bbq guy transferred. ANYWAY, I got a little of everything like isaw manok, dugo, bbq, etc. and the price was fair, I mean it was like the usual bbq charge. If you're going somewhere else or if you have something else to do you can just pay up and come back for it later (don't forget to tell him you're coming back). The bbq was actually good and the isaw tasted clean, he also really made sure that I had my big bag of vinegar which was cute even though I didn't want any since we had some at home. If you're in the area, why don't you drop by?

For food adventurers and explorers out there, a small street in Binondo called Carvajal Street is a…read moredestination that must not be overlooked if you happen to be in the area. I believe Binondo is best explored on foot so you can really take in all the sights, sounds and smells (both good, AND bad!). My boyfriend and I, after an hour or so of wandering around in search for fruits, finally ended up here. Since it's more line an alley than a street, it's easy to miss. Carvajal is lined up with eateries (a household name is Quick Snack) that have a LOT to offer, from classic Chinese cuisine, to traditional Filipino fares and other Asian cuisines. This street is also known for fresh produce! A huge variety of Asian fruits and vegetables are sold here in kiosks. Fresh tofu, tubs of fermented vegetables, some seafood and specialty food grocers can also be found here. Truly a foodie haven not only for those who love to eat, but for those who love to cook as well. Personally, I have not fully explored this small street thoroughly, but it's really worth mentioning. Take your time and see what each stall has to offer, and you'll never know what pleasant surprise awaits you.

Here's the thing about Carvajal Street: it's tiny as heck. I don't think it would even qualify as…read morean alley - an al fresco hallway, maybe. But this narrow street is where you can find some of the best restaurants in Chinatown. My personal favorite is Quick Snack, with their amazing fresh lumpia. A lot of people also come here for the fresh fruit stands, and the mom-and-pop groceries where you can get even the most obscure Chinese delicacies. Prepare to have your tastebuds invaded.

There are times when I'm left alone in the house for a few days. And sometimes, in some of those…read moredays I either run out of recipes or I'm just too lazy to cook. I'd usually order fast food from nearby. But on some occasions that I don't feel like fast food. I would just walk to this "Liston Manok" (Roast Chicken) stall and buy a whole roasted chicken for about Php 280. I'd finish it in one sitting, with rice of course. It's fresh hot from the rotisserie and packed full of flavour. There's also some grave for extra taste. This is perfect when you run out of cooking ideas and don't want those typical fast food restaurants. Or when you just want to celebrate with Roasted Chicken.

Finally got to try some other dishes which includes the following that I liked quite a lot: beef…read moresalpicao, and tapsilog, glazed pares wings (though I definitely would recommend the sriracha mansi wings over this). I also got to try their sizzling tinola which was the only dish that I liked a bit less than the others probably due to the meat seemingly having the flavour of boiled chicken (isn't much), then breaded, fried and served with gravy. Ambience: Good, spacious and well lit. Designs were unique and brings character. Taste: Great, not your typical pares house for sure. Presentation: Great Value: Great, good bargain Service: Great, their wait staff are attentive. Overall: Great, will definitely visit again and try the other dishes that were sold out.

Been hearing a lot about this hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves Filipino street foods like…read morefishballs, squidballs, and even pares. We often visit the place but found no place to park because of the always-filled Bugis across the street and the pub beside it. Tonight, I guess, is our lucky night. Rapsadoodle comes from two words: rapsa or sarap (delicious) spelled backwards, and doodle (a kind of art by writing scribbles), which is visibly displayed on one side of the wall. Most of the scribbles are pick-up lines and hugots that resonates the Filipino's way of love and comedy. OPMs are played in the restaurant which gives you a Filipino vibe. As for the food, they are neatly presented and clean, which kind of takes out one concern on food sanitation and safety as compaired eating it on the streets. Here are some of the things we ordered: - Beef Pares (Php85) - the classic street food rice meal of beef stew and rice. The meat is tender and the sauce is thick and sweet. A really good pairing with rice, which is unlimited. The sauce and rice is already considered a good meal. - Fried Chicken (Php150) - fried chicken quarter cooked like Max's and served with rice. I am not sure if it's just psychology that once rice is colored yellow, it implies that it is a kind of fried rice. Thus, I was looking for salt which I couldn't find. It was colored plain rice after all. The chicken is juicy but bland, but maybe dependent on the ketchup-vinegar-Jufran-like sauce. - Balls Platter (Php99) - unlimited option is available but I feared I would be too full to try anything else. The platter is composed of fishballs, squidballs, and kikiam, and served with an unli manong's sauce. The sauce is on the sweet side, but my favorite manong near my office still has a better sauce. As for the balls, I like the kikiam better because of the taste and texture. I can hardly taste the flavor of the fishball until I devoured the last few pieces. - Siomai (Php40/5 pcs) - they also have an unli version of this. Siomai is okay. Meaty, but most of its true flavors are covered in the sauce. - Bibingka Waffle - the best part of what we've ordered. I did not expect it to be this good. Soft and moist bibingka-like waffles served with a creamy ice-buko-style coconut ice cream and garnished with condensed milk, dessicated coconut, and brown sugar. An explosion in the mouth, this might be the one dish I will come back for. Overall, food is affordable and is great for students or people with a budget. It is clean so you can eat without worry. I was actually having a hard time deciding on what grade to give. For the taste alone, I would give it a 2.0. However, some factors were to be considered: how often can you eat pares and fishballs at an air-conditioned room? +.5. The bibingka waffle is really something special, +.5. With the rates of inflation and constant-rising of prices, this restaurant offers value for money dishes,