One of the most celebrated and well known festivals in the Metro is San Juan's Fiesta. Being a…read morepredominantly Catholc country, festivals celebrating saints is commonplace. San Juan for instance, commemorates the birth of St. John the Baptist, who is known in the bible as the one to baptize Jesus Christ. The fiesta is celebrated on June 24th of every year. If you were to describe the San Juan Fiesta in one word, it would be 'wet'. Or would 'drenched' by a better term? Either way, since you're commemorating John the Baptist, the tradition is to baptize other people as well. This entails dousing passersby and commuters with generous amounts of water. Games involving the use of water are also common during the festival, which include but are not limited to water balloons, water guns, and even plain pails. If you do business in the area and have no plans of getting wet, avoid going here at all costs on June 24.

Must visit if you're in the area on a Saturday morning. This market is held every Saturday morning…read moreat Jaime Velasquez Park in Makati. The market offers a wide variety ranging from Fresh produce, fruits , local Filipino snacks, seafood & a ton of food vendors. I loved the pumelo & went back to buy more. It gets busy so get there early. There's so much to choose from and wanted to try a little if everything. It's a great spot for a snack or lunch. Many vendors offer free samples. There are tables to sit but you can find a seat in the park to enjoy your food. I had a great time here. They also sell beautiful fresh flowers.

Just being here with all the plethora of food choices. In a setting right out of a movie, what more…read morecan you ask for. Considering you're in Makati a bougie neighborhood pricing is actually reasonable. They have everything, so I'm just going to tell you what we have. Puto bong bong made infront of you and Illocos empanadas fried fresh are the standouts. Just come here and take in life.

The Sidcor Market I grew up with can be found in EDSA corner Main Avenue--the current location of…read moreHypermarket Cubao. As far as I can recall, it was 8 years ago when it was launched again in Centris. I often visit every Sunday morning for my favorite Empanada, Pad Thai, and Buco Sherbet. This is home to a variety of food selection from regional cuisines to international flavors. Sidcor is also a great source of fresh produce, organic vegetables, and fruits. The price is at par with local neighborhood palengke and definetely cheaper than supermarket. Sidcor is open from 6:00am to 1:00pm but fresh market's stocks runs out easily. Be sure to arrive earlier. There are a lot of parking spaces available at Sidcor as well. Commuters can take the Quezon Avenue MRT station. It's a walk away from the train stop.

Spent a Sunday morning here is fun. Here you have 2 prices,…read morelocal and expat. Unlike in salcedo sat market, here you can find avocado for 150/kg, while it's 250-300php in salcedo! You can also find quite good collection of plants to decorate your home. Super hot though!!! But will come back!

10A Alabama is really difficult to find, at least at the time before I knew of Waze. It's a nice…read morequaint little home that frequently becomes a venue for art fairs. I'm a pretty artsy person, or rather, I love to appreciate artists by purchasing their work. The first time I went to the Art Fair that took place here, I got myself comic books, stickers, and a few postcards. Yup, I'm willing to splurge on things like that! I'm looking forward to future 10a Alabama events. You should too!

This unassuming little building, located in a bewildering maze of streets, has housed countless art…read morefairs. Trust me when I say it's a haven for artists and art lovers alike. There's a ton of cool, unique things like posters, notebooks, prints, and even handmade bracelets you can take home to add life to your room or give to a loved one who's sure to appreciate such a pretty and thoughtful gift. And for the creative types, you can stock up on your fancy brush tools here as well. Due to the distance, I've only been here once, but it was worth the trip and my friends and I agreed we should go back for another event!

Who hasn't heard about Maginhawa? Seriously?…read more PROS: It has the perfect balance of the residential- and commercial-area feel that a middle-class millennial like me is looking for while gearing up and growing up into an adult; If you haven't heard, Maginhawa houses lots of restaurants that are NOT franchises or chain ones, but small- and medium-enterprises by young professionals. It's a "for the yuppies, by the yuppies" kind of place that has all kinds of eateries, in every form of quirk and theme. There's a food fest by October too. Aw yeah; It's perfectly accessible to and from a lot of places. CONS: It's not as urban as Makita with its high rise condos and corporate offices a few steps away, nor is it some gated subdivision with tight security. As the tarpaulins state, "Mag-ingat sa basag kotse." TL;DR: Maginhawa is home. I've always been thinking that if I could relocate anywhere in Metro Manila, I'd still be perfectly happy here in Teachers Village.

Living very near the Tomas Morato strip has been amazing. This foodie haven means a wide array of…read morefood choices to satisfy every craving. So when I found out that the company that I will be working for is located along Maginhawa, I was extremely excited. I have never really tried roaming around the strip so this was my chance to do so. My office mates and I vowed to try at least one new restaurant a week, but failed to do so. Not only did we keep going back to our favourites, eating out too often was hard on the wallet. Thankfully, most of the restaurants offer student-budget prices. My favourites would have to be Katsu Café, Gerry's Jeepney, Pino, Rodic's , Jeck's Ku-Bo, and Crepeman. I have yet to try so many restaurants on my list, and the list just keeps on getting longer because it seems like there is a new restaurant opening every week.

If Maginhawa Street was a person, it would be a pop-culture savvy foodie who is probably part of…read morethe academe. It probably has a bunch of tattoos and buys most of its clothing in thrift stores, too. Malingap Street would be its younger sibling, carving its niche in the world, just on the verge of hitting puberty - with all eyes on it. We know Maginhawa Street as the place to be in UP Village, but Malingap Street is gaining almost as much traction as its better-known older sibling. Here, you can find eateries of a wide range of cuisines, from Korean, Pinoy, Lebanese, Vegetarian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian and so much more. Malingap Street is also home to The Z Compound, an intimate collective of eateries and drinking places where people of all stripes come to hang out and bond over a plate of bagnet on rice, a hot shawarma wrap, or a couple of bottles of beer. Before The Z existed, however, a lot of restaurants have found their home and a loyal fanbase there, including Don Day, an all-you-can-eat Korean buffet, breakfast places such as Pi Breakfast and Pies and Ally's. When you come to Malingap Street, it's impossible not to find something good to eat, or a place to hang out with your friends in a chill, relaxed setting.

I actually wrote an article about Malingap for Pepper.ph, which was a gig that I did a couple…read moremonths back. The research for the article brought me to a lot of places along Malingap street, and I must say it was a pretty good experience. I was able to make friends with a lot of the business owners around the area, and I love to think that the country is full of adventurous risk-takers who are willing to put their hard-earned money on the line to pursue their passions. Most of the businesses in Maginhawa and Malingap are mom-and-pop hole in the walls that started from really meager capital, and have grown into such well-loved names. I wrote in that article that if Maginhawa is popular because of it's tried-and-tested brands, Malingap is also worth trying because of the newer and more adventurous food choices. Of course, some of the restaurants, like Ally's and Uncle Moe's have been around for quite a while, but the shops and food stalls in The Z are still pretty much new. Pi Breakfast and Pies, Pino, and Pipino, which all come from the same family of restaurants and food ventures have also been satisfying tastes for quite some time now, and yet, many more restaurants have been popping up along the street. I love how the street is also expanding to cover the areas that are approaching Kalayaan. There is a newly-constructed building that is promising in its food-related tenants. There is now a Happy Thai branch (a local branch of the famous Thai-food place in Baguio's Ketchup Community) and a 24/hour sosy angus tapa place. The street has quite a variety in cuisine. There is typical Filipino fare alongside Thai, Vietnamese, Tex-Mex and Indian. I am glad that this eat street is just a couple blocks away from my place. Quite recently, there have been reports of theft, as snatchers are known to ride around the are on their motorcycles, so always be vigilant when you are walking along these streets.

We arrived to Legazpi Sunday Market around 10am and it was already bustling with people, especially…read morearound all the food stalls. It was nice to see a variety of things to eat or drink and even purchase like handmade clothing, bags, and trinkets. Since the market is right by the park, you have access to the restrooms and places to sit and eat. So we ended up staying in this area for a good few hours. We had a pleasant time, so we highly recommend checking it out!

Outstanding Sunday market if you want to stroll a bit and have a bite. The vendors were all…read moreextremely friendly, especially the chicharron tita who adopted me on the spot. While it initially appears very small, it's like Harry Potter waved his wand with the spell to make the inside of the tents bigger. It was a veritable maze of delicious goodies. Great spot to walk off a long flight and take in the local eats.

Salcedo Village is the place I chose to live and to raise my baby. Before making this decision, I…read moretook many aspects into consideration. One of them was the possibility of doing everything without a car. I mean, I can go walking everywhere I need - the market, the mall, the restaurants, the cafes, the laundry. All services I need are available. Here's a list of things I do and that are just a few steps from my place: I go to the pilates, I go to gym, I take a walk in Ayala Triangle Gardens or Jaime Velasquez Park, I go to many wonderful restaurantes (La Creperie, Wild Flour, Tsumura, Mendokoro Ramenba, Poco Deli, Blackbird and so on), I grab a coffee at Starbucks or CBTL....everything without a car! Salcedo Village hosts two lovely parks (Ayala Triangle Gardens and Jaime Velasquez Park) that are green oasis in the middle of Makati's busy Central Business District. This single fact would already justify living here, but there's much more :) The location is very good, it's easy to take a jeepney and MRT/LRT, it's full of expats and also filipinos enjoying the best in Makati. Oh, and it's close to Makati Medical Center, in case you need. So, when visiting Manila, don't forget to highlight on your map this fantastic area bordered by Ayala Avenue, Paseo de Roxas, Makati Avenue and Gil Puyat Avenue.

If you want the same dainty and homey feel that Legazpi Village gives you, then look no further…read morethan across Ayala Avenue, Salcedo Village Salcedo Village almost has the same ambiance as Legazpi Village but with more of a homey, residential feel added into it. They have more condominiums and apartments lining the streets than offices so it is easier to relax and unwind here. Couple that with a wide array of restaurants they have in the book, and you'll find yourself coming here everyday after work. Must tries are: 1. Coffee in Commune 2. Homecooked meals in Simple Palate 3. Wines in Terry's Selection 4. Dessert in Claudette's If you happen to drop by on a Saturday, visit the Salcedo Market which offers fresh produce and local and international foods!

I was lucky enough to have my friend Marella work in the DTI for a while and offer me a free ticket…read moreinto 2015's International Food Exhibition at the SMX. I was almost going to miss joining her, and she might not have gone if she'd be alone, and I'm glad we put those tickets to use. The IFEX covered the whole two floors of the SMX and was packed full of food distributors, small businesses, big companies, and everything in between. There were representatives from countries all over, and we got to experience cultures as exotic as Russia, as familiar as Malaysia, and even got a taste of those in our own Filipino regions and provinces. I have to give it to Japan's exhibit though--they had a huge assortment of stuff and had noodles and mayonnaise on crackers and sake and whatever else food they had to show on every turn. I have never tried so many samples all in one day in all in my life, basically. It was kind of insane how we would have a taste of something different every other minute, and it's a miracle how my stomach survived. I'm disappointed I wasn't able to buy as much food as I should have--stupid me not carrying money at the time--but hopefully I get to go the next time IFEX rolls in.

Manila's street food scene is certainly getting very exciting. One reason for that is the emergence…read moreof Poblacion in Makati as the center of this cool, hip street food revolution. Personally, I think the epicenter of it all lies along the unassuming Felipe Street. On this street, Chupacabra, the Mexican street taco joint that perhaps started it all can be found. Right across is H&J, a bar frequented by lots of foreigners. A stone's throw away is Tambai, a cool, yakitori snack house and Erwan Heusaff's The Red Light, which is more a test kitchen can also be found on this street. If you want to keep on exploring the area, a block or two away sits Señor Pollo, which is a Latin restaurant most known for their roast chicken. This resto is the brainchild of the Chupacabra folks, so expect it to be just as good. Those with itchy feet can even cross the other side of Kalayaan and explore more cool spaces like the Roof Deck at Z Hostel and Crying Tiger, a new Thai-Malaysian joint.

This street is THE Street to visit when you're in Barangay Poblacion, or what the youth and…read morehipsters fondly refer to as WilliamsBurgos these days. What used to be a tiny, quiet thoroughfare has now become the main hotspot for weekend warriors or yuppies looking for post-work libations, and street food primarily in the form of dirty tacos and yakitoris - occasionally, a Manong Balut will come through and peddle his wares to the drunks, so it can't be said that Felipe Street is exclusionary with the street food it serves. With the incredible rise of El Chupacabra in late 2012, suddenly, all eyes were on this tiny little side street. Aside from El Chupacabra, Felipe Street is also home to Tambai, a noted street shack where you can get excellent flame-grilled yakitori and beers. H & J is right across El Chupacabra, and is also a good place to get your drink on when Chupacabra is too full. The Red Light, a bar owned by Erwan Heussaff, is also down the road, located near a Korean KTV joint gaudily decorated with neon lighting. When you're in Burgos, it's no longer known strictly as a red light district. It's now one of the most happening food places in Makati.