I love this place! It's also one of my favorite Italian places! I most especially love their hot…read morehoney that I dip in their bread that's so freshly baked! I love their pasta, the noodles are freshly made and the food is not too salty! Love their service, the waiters are very funny and jolly too! The ambiance is very casual it's more of a relaxing place to dine with friends or family if you want a more chill date night you could also go here! I love their pesto and chicken bites!

Mushroom Chicharon were crunchy but tasted greasy. The Salted Egg Risotto was very unique and the…read morebest tasting dish. I highly recommend it. I willingly return to eat here again.

Marikina is slowly becoming the newest food destination that might even rival household names such…read moreas Maginhawa and Aguirre one day. Casaño Restaurant is the newest establishment to capitalize on this potential. It's an Italian fusion cuisine that specializes on pasta. As of my last visit, the place is only open for dinner services, with plans on expanding to lunch services once all the quirks of the soft opening are ironed out. What I had: Red Wine Shrimp appetizer. It's a very tasty dish with the right umami to jump start your taste buds. Each shrimp is served on a ceramic spoon for maximum comfort. Aligue paste on Rigatonni served with Cream Dory A create your own pasta suggestion that hits all the right spot. Italian Dry Rub Ribs Tender and juicy baby back ribs served with the carbs of your choice. The meat's fall of the bone goodness while the mashed potatoes and pretty good. Arguably their best dish since I'm a straight up carnivore. Peppered Beef The beef was a little tough (the slice was as thick as Kanye's wallet) when we ordered it but the owners assured that the doneness will be perfect the next time around. Others: beef stroganoff (yey), cannelloni (yey), grilled cheese bread (okay) Bottomline: If you're in Marikina, then you have little excuse not to give this place a try. The create your own pasta dynamic allows countless combinations that will surely bring out the pasta lover in you. I have yet to try the Rigatonni Tower which my friends were raving about. Parking is convenient (multiple slots!) and the place is enormous. It's a house converted into a restaurant, with all the warmth and charm maintained. They even play your favorite Up Dharma Down and Ed Sheeran tracks with their classic Vinyl player. They sell some pretty sweet looking vinyl art on the side too of you're into those. The Brandon Boyd set sure looked fresh! Tip: Bring your SO here if you're looking for an intimate dinner for two. Just do it.

Was meeting one of my childhood friends here. She recommended me this place because it's a UP…read moreclassic. So i had to try it. We got the carbonara, the pepperoni pizza and their fried stuffed ravioli. Hahanap-hanapin ko yung lasa ng Carbonara kasi ang creamy! Everything was so flavorful and yummy. Service is great! The vibes were very cozy! Pagbalik ko sa Pilipinas this Will be on my list.

The food is really good. We ordered Bistecca, Salsiccia, Aligue Pasta (crab paste pasta),…read morefantastico pizzq, salad with balsamic vinegar dressing, and table wine (red). I can't say how genuine italian the food was but was really savory. Serving size is typical asian/ filipino size so if you ate a big eater, don't shy away from ordering more. They have a 3 car parking slot or you can park at the curve side. Ambiance: they have plastic chairs and tables. Not very fancy. I came here for lunch. It was not very busy but not very empty either. There were several of us here in this tiny place. We stayed here for a good 2 hours Service: the lady was very kind, prompt and very helpful.

Everyone experiences a familiar pizza-pasta craving from time to time. And this is exactly why I…read morefelt giddy when I discovered Picazza. My friend and I were hanging out at her place and we were too lazy to cook. Actually it's always been the case. We always feel the need to go eat outside every time we're at each other's places. I don't think that will ever change considering we've been like that since high school. We ordered a plate of cheesy bacon fries, some pizza and pasta. Actually it's pretty nice since the prices aren't high. The most expensive pasta costs Php 125, and that's their spaghetti with meatballs. And the pasta prices don't get higher than that. Neat eh? We only paid Php 75 for the cheesy bacon fries and the serving was unexpectedly big. I also saw that they have milkshakes available priced around Php 80, and they look good! Too bad I was full by the time I saw the milkshake section.

I am very fond of carbs so when I heard about this place, I decided to check out their branch in…read moreEton Centris. They have a wide selection of dishes and since their best seller is the beef lasagna, without any hesitation I gave it a try. While waiting for my order, they gave a basket of bread with butter. Once my order arrived, I marveled with how big the single serving is. One order of lasagna is almost good for two (if you are not hungry). It looks as good as how it tasted. It is generous in meat and creamy melted cheese. One more thing, the basket of bread is refillable!

As a native New Yorker I have to say this place is excellent and worth the visit. Their pizza is…read moregreat and the service was awesome. If you love pizza you should go here.

This is as close to authentic Italian food as I have ever got (at least as far as New Jersey…read moreItalians go). Eating at Napoli's reminds me of dining in with an Italian family inside their house. If dining here for the first time, make sure you have emptied both stomachs as all of their menu items, from salad to pasta to pizza, have very generous servings and great for sharing. They cut their pizza slices New York style - it enables you to experience folding your pizza slice in half, and then taking a bite of that double-layer cheesy pizza goodness (with your desired toppings, of course). I generally do not like anchovy as a pizza topping, but I'm willing to make an excuse for the way they prepare it through Howie's Special. The Chicken Cesar Salad and Eggplant Lasagna are noteworthy must-tries. Napoli is a good alternative to your mainstream Italian chain, with much better tasting food.

While waiting for taping to start on #The Foodcrawlers third episode of #ChatAndChew, I had…read morebreakfast at a nearby cafe 75 Lilac. I enjoyed the Crispy Bacon Silog very much. I have had deep-fried and battered bacon before, and I had always found it too greasy, and too thickly-battered. The crispiness of 75 Lilac's bacon is just right, and a spritz of citrus makes the whole meal less heavy but still filling. When we were served the Salted Egg Chicken Lollipops, the aroma instantly reminded me of arroz caldo. The scent of ginger was pretty strong, and there was not a hint of salted egg in this dish. I mean...I like it...but if you're looking for a salted-egg-yolk-tasting dish then you might be disappointed.

One of the newest dining establishments along Lilac! Dined here twice already, and yes, they do…read morehave good food, but I find their offerings pricey considering their small serving sizes. Here are what I've tried so far: First visit: 1) Chicken lollipops with salted egg - not sure if I got the name correctly, but I did enjoy this, though maybe they could decrease the sweetness here. 2) Strawberry cream cheese waffles - I love the syrup that they use here, it's not too sweet! Even the strawberry compote doesn't have the "umay" kind of sweetness. 3) Green tea creme brulee - would have loved this more had it been colder :) Kind of surprised that it has more or less the same price as a popular ramen shop's version. That ramen shop is located in a mall. Second visit: 1) Garlic baby squid - this is so good, but a bit on the sweet side instead of the garlicky side. Anyway, I was a bit shocked by its small serving. It's definitely not good for sharing. 2) Blueberry waffles - still good, but BURNT underneath :( I'm still interested to go back and try their other offerings, but I hope they could work on their price-serving ratio. Also, it seems that they overuse chopping boards as trays...I mean, c'mon, even drinks? They can consume a lot of table space.

Who knew that the Philippines has a solid chain restaurant that serves up decent Italian food!…read more Mama Lou's ended up as a Grab (rideshare) order due to our laziness going out for dinner in Manila traffic. Ben and I ordered a number of things, but our standout favorites were: *Their Meatball appetizer *Mac and Cheese *Pesto Salmon The pricing is pretty good too when converting from USD to peso. Great place for takeout or dine-in when craving Italian style food.

I've tried a good amount of Italian places in Manila and I must say this one is the best one for me…read moreso far. They are just consistent across the board with their salad, appetizers and pasta. Enough choices for a group and the price is not too hefty. They do allow pets in the outside seating which is nice since I mostly travel with my puppy. We shared some dishes with the 3 of us and we had a great amount to share since it's actually a good size portion and not Filipino portions. Customer service is also outstanding. I would come back definitely

Every dish that Mandi's Grill Grub offers is grilled to perfection, be it pork, beef, chicken, and…read moreeven fish. For our appetizer, we tried the Sisig Surprise - a pleasant surprise! Each small serving is visually appealing already because of the very creamy mashed potatoes that envelope a wonderful surprise: LEAN and grilled sisig! Lean, as in it has no fat, so that's less guilt! The milky smoothness of the mashed potatoes complements the meaty goodness of the sisig. This appetizer is so good, it could very well be a main dish! If you want more meat, then go for their version of the American rib, which is a meaty slab that is at least half a foot long! It's almost like liempo, but much softer, making it a lot easier to slice and enjoy! No need for a knife! Each serving also comes with MGG's fried rice, coleslaw, and mashed potatoes. MGG is also not afraid to experiment, so they came up with a grilled version of the Filipino classic, pork adobo! I thought the pork slices were going to be dry, but no!!! The vinegar-soy sauce marinade very much permeated the meat, making it a highly flavorful dish! There is a separate container for the adobo sauce, but there's a good chance you won't need it for the meat anymore (mix it in your rice instead!). Moreover, the adobo meat is topped with freshly ground garlic (peelings and all) and chives, while the plain rice is topped with a sunny side up egg. Sarap! Another Filipino classic that MGG offers is tapsilog, with of course, grilled beef tapa. Like the adobo, the flavor of the beef is not compromised as it already has a vinegar-y taste that's perfect for tapa! Each beef piece strictly follows a precise measurement, allowing diners to easily eat the thinly sliced meat. This dish comes with scrambled egg, MGG's salsa, and fried rice. We also tried two blue marlin dishes: the pinaputok na blue marlin belly and grilled blue marlin. The former is wrapped in aluminum foil and upon popping it, you'll be greeted by a very delicious smell! It has a very generous amount of MGG's secret sauce, which can be a substitute for soup. I enjoyed eating the pinaputok even without rice, but for me, the real star is the grilled blue marlin. It's simply good. Nothing fancy about it, just a buttery glaze, crushed garlic, and chives. It's thick, huge, and good for sharing, but I know that I could eat an order all by myself haha! It's so delectable that I forgot to take a picture of it (even the pinaputok)! My stomach is growling as I type this - I want to go back to Mandi's ASAP! Oh, and it comes with chili-garlic sauce and calamansi for a spicier and tangier gastronomic experience! But my ultimate favorite at Mandi's is their CRISPY BABY BACK RIBS. They were a surprise to me because I never expected ribs to be coated in anything; di ba usually as is lang sila when cooked? Galing! The ribs are topped with bell peppers, nuts, and very rich, cheesy, and creamy Bechamel sauce (made from scratch!). Ugh, ang sarap - napakamay ako to make simot the ribs! :D On weekends, they have special dishes like ulang (huge frehswater shrimp), shrimp inasal, porkchops, etc. They have also been experimenting on some desserts and other savory treats, so diners can try something new from time to time! Mandi's Grill Grub is located at the ground floor of #73 Bent II (same building as Nail Cottage, Cupcake Bites, and Breakfast Brothers), Lilac St. SSS Village, Concepcion Dos, Marikina. It's a cozy place with American accent pieces like superhero tin signs, old school Kellogs tin cans, and vintage soda signage.

Overall rating: 4.75…read more There are **hundreds** of restaurants and cafes in Marikina City, but I really only have two reasons to go to Lilac Street. Mandi's Grill Grub is one of them. Sisig Surprise - I have been to one too many hotel lobby cafés that offer versions of the humble shepherd pie that have been pretty disappointing. I must admit that I did not think too highly of Mandi's best-selling appetizer when it was first served. But, oh man, the mash and the mince in this tiny ramekin are packed with flavor. It reminded me of Lola Ote's sizzling sisig in that it is served already well-seasoned. Crispy Baby Back Ribs - Tender baby back ribs topped with a creamy bechamel sauce. I think my foodie journey ends here. I'm kidding, of course. Served with piping hot rice and mashed potatoes good for two--but I am certain that most diners would eventually refuse to share. I would love to see a version of this dish with Mornay sauce instead of bechamel sauce. Mandi's also serves Adobo Ribs and Pinoy-Style Pork BBQ.