During my visit, I've had quite a bit of tapsilog and tocilog but this one stands out as a…read morefavorite! I do wish there was a bit more of the meat. We tried buying a side of tapa but they don't sell them as a side. Service was great as usual. Filipinos are very courteous, polite, and helpful. Bright and clean, this place is highly recommended!

Best place around the area for Filipino food at an affordable price and fast food. The rice that I…read moregot for my place was really clean and well made , not mushy

The Hickory BBQ Ribs are still the dish I would recommend first. The ribs are tender and flavorful,…read moreand they go pairs well with their Pesto Rice. Beyond the ribs, they have a really good selection of Filipino comfort food. The Beef Salpicao is rich and savory, while the Lengua & Java Chicken is tender and satisfying. These are the kinds of familiar dishes that make the restaurant feel less like a trendy café and more like a dependable neighborhood restaurant you can keep coming back to with family and friends. The generous servings and reasonable prices are another big plus, especially when dining as a group.

We celebrated our birthday party here this year. They have a section that is suites for private…read moreparties. Everyone enjoyed the food and the ambiance.

Excellent breakfast 2 longanisa, 1 egg served over rice for 99 pesos, less then $2. They don't…read moreserve coffee so we got coffee from Krispy Kreme. Breakfast for 4 for less then $10. The longanisa was the best I ever had seasoned to perfection w/a little spicy vinegar

Honestly didn't get why it wasn't a full house when we were there…read more Salu boasts of Filipino dishes with modern twists that surely reminds you of that fleeting feeling of coming home. It showcases both art form in food and interior design as the ambiance of the restaurant is very put together and well thought of. Another bonus point is that the staff and crew are very hands on with their customers, which is probably one of the reasons why Salu is a restaurant worth coming back to.

I forgot from whom I first heard of Salu, but it was quite trending in my circle of friends. The…read morereviews are mixed so I was more curious to try. I visited one Friday night and despite the restaurant being almost full, there was a parking space for me. Yey! I love it that the place has ample parking spaces. Salu has a classically modern interiors and feel. It is a place where you can bring your grandparents for a nostalgic feel yet can also bring your teens for a brief story on history. Salu showcases the favorite foods from around the country. We are a party of four so we were able to try some of their dishes: - Crispy Crablets - crunchy and well-seasoned. It is a good appetizer while waiting for your food or a nice chat with friends. I love the serving is a plateful and not just a few pieces. - Hito Sisig - probably my favorite from the dishes we ordered as it made me eat two cups of rice. This sisig, by far, is the best I have tried, and it doesn't have the fishy smell. It is soft yet crunchy, and has the flavors of a real pork sisig, but not the oil. - Pork Binagoongan Kare-Kare - two favorites in one. The peanuts in the kare-kare can be tasted so it shows that it was made from scratch. The pork liempo is thickly cut and the skin is crunchy while the meat is tender. - Pinakbet - while the taste of this dish is common, it is cooked well. I love the portion and the mixture of meat and vegetables. - Yema Cheesecake - light and not overly sweet, this cheesecake is very cheesy. Value for money. - Brazo de Kalabasa - yup, that's right, my all-time favorite Filipino dessert is made a little healthier with the use of kalabasa, or squash. The meringue has a soft, melt-in-your-mouth feel that is addicting. No wonder most tables are ordering this as a whole and not by slice. Service is accommodating and hospitable. Although it is my first time, I enjoyed the experience very much. The only reason this review doesn't get a 5.0 is because most of the items I originally want to order are out of stock, but I will definitely come back again to try them.

The third branch of the chain, TomatoKick Morato (TK3) is on the one hand an upgrade of what it…read moreused to be, but on the other hand, remains to be "your friendly neighborhood tambayan" (hangout). Owned by musicians themselves, TK3 has retained its identity as a safe haven for anyone who looks for good music; a relaxed, unpretentious atmosphere; tasty but affordable food, and cheap beer - all very important things to the "North" folk. The TomatoKick brand in general has food that is tasty, inventive, and comforting. I once had the Beef Fajita when the Katipunan branch was still open, and two restaurant iterations later, it is still my favorite thing on the menu. But there is nothing on the menu that I wouldn't recommend, because they are all so well-prepared. I would recommend the Tokwa't Bacon Liempo, Bacon and Cheese Fries, It's not gourmet cooking, but you can tell that the people behind the menu are inventive amateur cooks who really just love food. As for the music, for the most part, it is pipe-in, but still very tasteful. You can tell that the owners are passionate about this as well. On a regular night, you can expect to hear work by local greats, like the Eraserheads, and Franco; or respectable foreign acts that even music lovers such as myself have not heard about. In fact, I discovered one of my newest favorite bands through TK3's in-house playlist. On nights that there are live acts, it just gets better. They source some of the best in the local music scene, most of which are the owners' friends as well. It's not one of those acoustic places; I've been there when rock, ska, and reggae bands have played, and although TK3 is a relatively small place, it is more than enough to house the music.

The TomatoKick branch in Morato has fortunately retained their delightfully underrated feel - so…read moremuch so that there are times when this place is virtually deserted, and you can have a nice quiet meal with their signature piped-in music playing from the background. They also had a bit of refurbishing done - when I was last there, the walls were still bare like they were waiting for a fresh coat of paint. Should be done now, and I'll go back soon to check out its new look. Food-wise, everything on the menu is great. I'm a big fan of their Bacon and Cheese Fries. I was surprised though when I ordered a burger and it came with nachos, then I realized I ordered a MEXICAN burger. Now it kinda makes sense.

When I first visited Vagabonds, I thought it's a really posh place and that they serve fancy or…read moresophisticated food like wine and cheese. However, true to their full name, they actually offer gourmet comfort dishes. A few of them are okay, some need improvement, while there are others that I am unsure of. What I like: - steaks: good flavors, but I wish they could have better quality rice or use mashed potatoes instead - Mediterranean pasta: has a good balance of pasta and seafood, but a bit oily - quattro formaggi & garlic dip: I love cheese!! However, on my second visit, the bread pieces were a bit too toasted (i.e. sunog) - Southerner's soup: cheesy and has lots of bacon. BACON! Enough said. - Ibiza chicken: their best dish, IMO. - Toronto cheesecake: has lots of bacon, but the star of this is the actual cheesecake. The bacon could still be added, but on the side. Needs improvement: - burgers: lack flavor and any distinct quality - fries: colorful because of the paprika, but lacks salt. A lot of it. Also, they don't taste fresh. - bagoong wings: SERIOUSLY? Hang on, I think these need to be scrapped off their menu. Bagoong and chicken do not work well together. - chocolate wings: the problem here is the consistency of the marinade. On my first visit, this was my favorite among the 4 wing flavors we tried. However, on my second visit, they simply tasted bitter.

A friend gave me some Vagabonds gift certificates so I thought of visiting this new restaurant…read morealong Limbaga St. I invited my wife's family to share the blessings I have received since they are all food connoisseurs, I believe it will help me in my review and we get to try more dishes. Hehe. Vagabond means wanderer or traveler, which is what I like to do. So I felt I can connect with this restaurant. The ambiance is very colorful with painting displays and various mardi gras hats where you can take a picture with. Service is exemplary, the best I have seen in any restaurants. Servers were very attentive and will approach you at a snap of a finger. They also quickly bus out dishes to avoid clutter on your table. Refilling of water is quick so you won't go thirsty. The food, well, is another topic. They are cheaper and more reasonably priced than its competitors. But the taste has much to improve: - Saigon Salad - I got lost here. If you say Saigon, I would think that it is Vietnamese-inspired. The salad is actually a deconstructed Vietnamese spring roll, only it has a deep ginger flavor which is not found in Vietnamese cuisine. Lemongrass would have been a preferred taste. - Boracay Chori Burger - I got lost here as well. Don't get wrong, the burger was good, although it needs more binding ingredients since it was flaky and tearing apart as you bite into it. However, when you say chori (from chorizo), I would expect it to be garlicky or sweet, but none of these flavors were tasted, only spice. So maybe name it Boracay Chili Burger as not to set a wrong expectation? - Quattro Formaggio Dip - I arrived late and therefore didn't try the bread it was served with, but I did try the dip. It was gooey, cheesy, and garlicky. I would assume it went well with the bread sticks. This is a must-order! - East Coast Dip - a good dip as well like the quattro formaggio. Very clean in taste and creates an appetite. - Chicken Ibiza with Chorizo Pilaf - the best I have tried at Vagabonds. The chicken was crispy yet tender and flavorful. The mushrooms on the side complemented the chicken and the chorizo pilaf. Rice was also good but buttery. - Mediterranean Pasta - basically, seafood aglio olio. Made with seafood, garlic, and olive oil. I loved it on first bite, unfortunately, it ended there. I love its very seafood-y flavor, you can taste the richness of the sea, however, you can also taste the sea...salt. It gets saltier as you consume it. The pasta was not al dente, it was mushy. It's like the fettucine melted into starch then mixed with oil. Ewww. And although it was less oily than my friends who had it previously, it was still oily. - Tokyo Beef Steak, Southern Style Beef Steak, and Steak and Rice - I think steak is the expertise of Vagabonds as they were generally well. It has a beefy taste and it was tender. The only problem we had with the steaks was that it took a pretty long time to get to our table. It was actually the last to arrive among everything that we ordered. I mean I have already finished consuming the burger and pasta and the steak hasn't arrived. And when it did, it was no longer hot. I know you need to "sit" the steak, but it was near cold already when served. The sauces were also good as they accompanied the steak perfectly. The Tokyo rice was strange though. My aunt described it as "pastry dough". The rice was near-crispy (tutong) with a lemon-y taste. It was too buttery, and smelled like a fresh bread out of the oven. - Wonka's Delight - dark chocolate pudding topped with white chocolate and graham crackers. It was good. I like that they use real chocolates in making the dessert. The sad part about this is that their dishes uses a lot of butter and oil. While I was driving home, the taste of stale butter was still in my mouth despite having dessert and tons of water.

This is a satellite resto of the original razons. They offer all the options from any Razons…read more Especially the Halo halo which I stopped by to have. Nothing short of the same quality and service from any razons. This spot is also conveniently located in the mall so you can stop by after some shopping.

Summer is the perfect time to enjoy Halo-Halo. I remember my mom and grandmother say that the…read moreperfect place to get Halo-Halo in Manila is at Razon's of Guagua. When my friend and I went to Robinson's Magnolia for shopping, we felt like chilling first so we went to Razon's. I haven't been to this place, so I decided to order their famous Halo-Halo. When I finally got my Halo-Halo, I was so excited to have my first taste of it. The moment it went to my mouth, the ice immediately melted. The ice was so fine that I didn't even have to bite it. For me, the "softness" of the ice makes Razon's Halo-Halo popular. It doesn't have all of the ingredients or "sahog" that a typical Halo-Halo has, but it definitely stands out. It's also really affordable; you can buy it for 100 pesos. If you're planning to eat in Razon's for quality Filipino food, don't forget to order their super yummy Halo-Halo. You won't regret it.

Since this "neighborhood bar" was the only closest thing to being a decent watering hole near our…read morework, we would come by here at night for a beer..or two. The food is pretty good but often, a lot of their things found on their menu isn't available. Best part about this place is they make their own potato chips which are delicious! Good ambiance and is never too noisy which is rare in some bars these days. The staff could be better trained to pay attention to their customers rather than having to stand up all the time just to get their attention. Aside from that, they are all pretty polite and friendly. Beers are cheap and cold which to be honest, pretty much covers all bases of what you need in a bar.

For the longest time, Sawsawan was the go-to place for residents of Better Living Subdivision…read morelooking for a night out with the boys. In so many ways, it still is. For the non-Filipinos out there, sawsawan literally means dip. Filipinos like to dip their viands, whether it be ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce or patis (fish sauce). As a place to have a few beers, clients are expected to also order pulutan, mostly the kinds that need dips. It can be fish or any seafood, or chicken or pork, usually grilled. Although the outside of Sawsawan serves as an unofficial tricycle station, it usually clears by early evening. This is when the gents make their way there to meet friends for a few rounds of beer. Couples also go there on dates, by the way. It does not have the typical beer garden ambiance. There's ample parking for those who bring their cars, not only in front of the place but also at an empty lot a few yards away. Security guards make sure that the cars are kept safe. The place is neither too loud or too quiet, so friends can gather and exchange stories without too much of a hassle. As can be expected barbecued pork or chicken are the staples of the place. As for what dip goes with it, customers can mix and match their own. I like vinegar with a little soy sauce and crushed chili peppers. Sawsawan is located along Russia street, corner United Nations, very near the corner of Dona Soledad Avenue, Paranaque City. I don't need to say this but I will anyway. Don't drink and drive. Best to have a designated drive who has not had any alcoholic drinks. Better to be safe than sorry, no?