Kaiku wasn't our original destination. I've never even heard of a Spanish place called Kaiku. But…read moreit was getting late and we wanted something to fill our bellies stat. When we saw on their signage that they had paella, we were parked in no time and heading up the building's second floor. Inside Kaiku is a very homey vibe. It's airconditioned but there are wooden tables and very mommy ornaments hanging on the yellow walls. Save for the tacky streamer challenging you to Karl's Spicy Wings Eating Challenge, the place was actually pretty quaint. I was beginning to worry because there was no other customer in sight. Apparently, Kaiku is more known for their catering services. The server recommended their paella, but warned us that it would take 25 minutes. Despite our need for immediate gratification, the prospect of a warm paella was irresistible, and so we ordered it, along with calamares for appetizer and the sizzling beef and mushroom. The calamares arrived first. As disappointing as the portion sizes was, it was pretty good and not the typical beer house calamares. This one had flavorful crispy breading that didn't try to conceal a fake, rubbery squid. Kaiku's had real squid that was tender yummy even without being dipped in vinegar. Then came the beef and mushroom, which was the bomb. Sizzling in a skillet, so creamy and flavorful and well complemented by the green bell pepper. Finally, the Paella Valenciana. Served piping hot, which is how a paella must be served, was incredibly delicious and generous with toppings. Fresh shrimp that wasn't overcooked, sweet opened clams, and fresh tomatoes. I probably would've finished the skillet by myself. Overall, I'm glad we ended up eating at Kaiku. Lovely food and great service for a reasonable price are always welcome.

There's another Mex/Latin food spot in Kapitolyo. Su Casa…read more Seems they originated from/near NAIA Terminal 1. The new spot is now where Taco Vengo used to be on the Kapitolyo food alley (Moe's, United Coffee, etc.). They got a nice interior and weekday food & drink specials. I haven't tried lots yet but I went with their Barbacoa Burrito last night and it was pretty good with the exception of overcooked rice(?) Will definitely try their Taco Tuesdays. Let's roll mi amigos! Minus 1-star for the rice. Soft opening jitters? Hopefully will get better. Will re-review with more mains tried.

If i were to talk about the old Marcus, this would have been 5 stars, and it saddens me that the…read morenew Marcus has come to this. Let's start with the thing that i still love: the Wings. They are crisp, tart, hot and incredible. Dare i say it's one of the best i've had in town. It's definitely a must try. Now for the disappointment. The Bone Marrow from the old menu was nowhere to be found. Bad move, Marcus, bad move. The steak, which was supposed to be medium, was charred beyond recognition. Not even a sliver of pink meat in sight. It was too sweet and had a "nitrate" taste that it almost tasted exactly like tocino. And this was beef. It came with decent gravy, exactly two tablespoons of it. Servers were almost always nowhere in sight. I got my first refill of water after the entire meal. That's also exactly why i didnt even bother asking for more gravy, which was a pity. Not gonna come back. But i did overhear the next table order a ton of caldereta pasta, maybe it's worth a try. I'm gonna wait for more reviews til i even consider giving them another chance. Oh, and just so you know, i was a loyal customer before they closed for renovations. I went about twice a week. Sad.

Gastropubs (or at the very least, establishments that satisfy the criteria of serving good beer…read morewith decent food) have recently been sprouting all over Metro Manila. This is of course to everyone's delight. As a Quezon City resident, however, such establishments seem to be few and far between in my area. I'm not saying that Quezon City is completely bare; it is just that there still is a relative dearth when it comes to finding a place that serves good foreign beer to go with food beyond the usual bar grub in Quezon City compared to cities like Makati and Taguig. Go further up north, and you'll find strips like Congressional Avenue wherein such establishments will be even more difficult to find. Well, now at least, Congressional Avenue has Marcus. It is one of the few places that I know of in the Congressional Avenue-Tandang Sora-Project 8 area that goes beyond your usual local beer selection. Some of the beers in its arsenal are gastropub favorites and staples such as Duvel, Blue Moon, Hoegaarden, and Chimay. Marcus also has a decent selection of burgers (as the name of the establishment suggests). While I have had higher quality burgers in the past, Marcus' burgers go a long way as far as value is concerned. You can have a decent sized burger (choice of quarter pound or 1/3 pound) for more or less, 200 pesos. I usually get a quarter pound of the mushroom burger (160 pesos) when I'm around. A nice touch to the establishment that one cannot miss is a wall that has a colorful tribute to the Fighting Pride of the Philippines, Manny Pacquiao.

A carinderia often populated by students of nearby schools and residents of close subdivisions,…read moreJuncel offers a wide selection of Pinoy viands, affordable student meals and friendly service. My favorite would simply be their tortang talong. The eggplant is grilled, peeled then fried with egg. The smoked flavored torta goes well with plain rice, beef caldereta and a slab of their juicy grilled liempo (yum!). They are also famous for their adobo, menudo and giniling which cost only Php40.00 per dish. Dine at Juncel anytime of the day as they are open 24/ 7, great for quick late night stopovers, takeout, or early morning after-party hangout. Juncel has been patronized by locals since the 1990's and due toof it's success as a carinderia, they were able to expand their business and now offer Silogs, different sizes of pancit bilao and accept catering services for weddings, baptisms and birthdays too!

A restaurant where Jollibee, McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Burger King, rolled into one! My latest…read morefind in our Metro Manila brings us all to Cafe Maria Jerica!!! It's open 24 hours, 7 days a week, how cool is that?!? They serve big big big burgers, platters of pasta, 12" pizza, blended blue lemonade and iced tea, and virtually almost all fast-food food served. It's a carinderia turned classy. They have stylish seats, meals were plated neatly, there's an attempt at plating, food was fine. I ordered Joshua's creamy mac n cheese. I did see and taste the creaminess of it, I was hoping for more cheese. The pasta noodles weren't macaroni but penne. Tuna bacon pasta was yummy! It's actually a must try. The burger was really big! It's juicy naman pero I think there's a lacking flavour in it pero its passable pa rin. If you ever go hungry and happen to be in this area, this will suffice your hungry stomach. Must try for every one!!!

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.

I'm always up for foodventures or food adventures in any city I go to. I especially love going to…read moremarkets to buy the freshest ingredients I can find. I also sometimes don't want to have to go to a far market then have to drive home then prep and cook. Thankfully, at Dampa on Macapagal, you can go from choosing your preferred fresh seafood and directly into one of the specialty restaurants and have them cook your fresh products for you. One of my favorite paluto restaurants at Dampa is Super Wok. You basically just have to bring your fresh seafood, weigh them one by one and tell the server how you like it cooked. They are also good at suggesting on special ways they prefer to cook them so be open minded about your choices! You pay a nominal fee depending on the weight of your goods and that's that! Your seafood buys are always guaranteed to be cooked the best way they know how to and I'm always happy with the outcomes. Service can be slow especially when the restaurant is full. But the staff are nice and patient so it makes up for the noisy and very basic ambiance of the place. Make sure to call ahead for a table reservation otherwise you will end up having to line up for a table. It may not be the fanciest place in town but they sure as hell can cook the heck out of your seafood!

Tried their lunch meals as I was looking for something light to eat. I ordered for squid sisig. It…read morewas tasty but it had what looked like liver bits in it. I'm a pescitarian so I thought I was getting just seafood. The food was ok but nothing spectacular. The staff were all attentive though.

You know you've been watching too much Food Network when you craving for American meals you don't…read moreoften find in the Philippines. After watching Guy Fieri describe a an Oyster Po' Boy with his trademark Fieri jargon, I instantly got on my laptop to search for places within the Metro that actually served the Po' Boy. Lo and behold, Murray's New Orleans. Makes sense that I would find a New Orleans specialty in a restaurant named just that. So one time when I was looking for a place to eat dinner along High Street, I went to Murray's and ordered the Shrimp Po' Boy with no second thoughts. It wasn't what I had imagined it would be (I'm still waiting for the day when I could eat an authentic Po' Boy in the US of A), but it was pretty close. It was great and juicy and filling. I didn't like the fact that to get to the non-smoking area, you had to go through the smoking area which is by the bar outside. Doesn't really make sense. It's also hard to catch the attention of the waiters and waitresses when you're inside. That one time I was there, the waitress took so long to get my payment for the bill, I had to go outside to where the register was and give it to them personally. I also stood there waiting for my receipt and change in my attempt to pressure them. Yeah, I get like that with mediocre service.