I used to really, really love Japanese food, but when I stopped eating meat and seafood I realised…read morehow difficult it is to get Japanese food that's suitable for vegans here in Manila, as even vegetable ramen has stock made of pork bones, and sashimi and most sushi are all out of the question. So, most of the time I have to make my own Japanese food at home. Fuji Mart is just 3 minutes away from my apartment, and I do stop by here to buy some nori whenever I want to make veggie sushi, and Kikkoman soy sauce for when I want to make vegan yakimeshi. I mean, of course they have nori. But there are other things I like about Fuji Mart, such as they sell good Japanese tofu, instant miso soup, wasabi, Japanese breadcrumbs, kombu seaweed (great for making veggie stock!), Japanese spices, sesame seeds and edamame! I've never come across edamame being sold in supermarkets. I have yet to veganize my other Japanese food favourites, such as tonkatsu, ramen, and gyoza. But once I do take on those challenges, naturally this is where I'll be stopping by for ingredients.

It is so sad to witness the missed opportunity that is Fuji Mart Japanese Grocery. I mean there are…read moreso many Japanese products that can and should be sold here in the country. Whoever owns this grocery already put up the money to rent this slot, so it's odd that there are not enough products sold to justify it's existence. This place has the usual alcoholic beverages from the Land of the Rising Sun, including sake which I really like. They also have an assortment of tofu products, as well as some spices. But outside of this, they don't have too much else to offer consumers. I would, for example, like to see them carry the widest possible array of instant noodles, if only because the local ones and the made-in-China ones aren't all that tasty. Japan also has some of the best chocolates and assorted sweets that can grow on you. Even their ice creams with their odd flavors can be winners. Here's hoping that in the months and years to come, they can expand their product line. I'm sure they will have ready buyers for all things Japanese, not only because there is a small Japanese community in Better Living, but because us Pinoys have also developed a taste for all things Japanese.

This is part of a small chain of litlle restaurants that specialize in Pancit Malabon. There are…read moresix others with the same name and the oldest one is based in -- where else --Malabon. This Better Living branch is located at Dona Soledad Extension and when I went there last week, they were all complaining that the ongoing roadworks were killing their business. But I asked how they were doing before the road was closed for repairs. The lady behind the counter told me that business was pretty good up to that point. For now, they had to stay open for their clients who ordered and expected their hot pancit malabon delivered to their doorstep. They have a steady clientele so that the business continued to operate despite the absence of walk-in clients. The same cannot be said of the store beside them that specialized in pares and was previously open 24 hours a day. To be honest, I never liked pancit malabon, but it is clear that a lot of people do. Dolora's has been operating since 1990, so that's a good quarter century of providing the noodles with seafood-based sauce to countless Filipinos. I prefer pancit palabok myself, but most everyone I know like both palabok and malabon. Since they've been around for 25 years, I suppose bringing a bilao of their pancit would be most welcome when going to friends' homes to visit.

Lots of great chinese pasalubongs.. They are all very…read morehelpful. There are different varieties of candied dried fruits.

I think specialty delis/food stores have their own unique charm and Bee Tin in Bindondo is no…read moreexception. Located at the heart of Binondo on Ongpin Street, Bee Tin has not changed much over the years, making it a must-see stop in Chinatown. The Chinese deli/food mart has everything you need from preserves, imported food, Chinese candies and sweets, cured/smoked meats, dehydrated produce, frozen goods and more. I really like going here because there's so much to see and buy that's not usually in your local grocery. I think I picked up the habit of learning how to appreciate delis such as Bee Tin thanks to my grandma who'd always bring me whenever she needs to replenish her supply of preserves. Speaking of preserves, you really have to taste Bee Tin's selection because there's a lot of them! They are neatly stored in bins and you can buy them according to weight. My favorites are the plums - they are pretty large and the mix of sweet and sour has a nice effect on the palette. Another thing I'm crazy about is Bee Tin's beef jerky. While they also have the packaged kind of beef jerkey (I'm looking at you Cow Label), their own mix of the large and leathery strips of beef is a class of its own. You can also purchase these according to weight, and we tend to buy a lot of it. (Might as well make the drive worth it right?) The taste of the beef jerky plays between sweet and salty and the meat itself isn't too hard to chew on. Before I go to the check out counter, I also make a beeline to the chocolates and candies section. Sometimes they stock these really weird but good gummy candies from China (I once bought P5 packets of peach and cola flavored candies - these were really good!), and they also have imported Japanese chocolate snacks like Pocky. Other stuff you can see at Bee Tin are the packaged noodle soups, dry seaweed, Chinese candies and chocolates, haw flakes and lots more other stuff. Another plus for Bee Tin is that their prices are a lot cheaper than in regular groceries.

I'm Mart is a different store than I'm Mart II on Don Juico…read more This is the biggest Korean grocery store in Korea Town. It's walking distance from the corner of Don Juico and Fil-Am Friendship Hwy. There are a few parking spaces in the front and the guard can help you maneuver in and out of them: the street traffic can be busy. The fruits and veggies are better here than Puregold. Some of the items don't have price tags on them or on the shelf, so you'll need to use their price check scanner at the back. You'll find me here only IF I'm in the immediate area AND I am in the mood to pick up some seaweed snacks, frozen dumplings or specialty Korean items I need for a recipe. I would much rather go to the daughter store (I'm Mart II) on Don Juico near Puregold, because it's newer, cleaner and staff are friendlier.

Nice place. Reasonable prices. Friendly staff. Has most of the korean food and snacks you crave for.read more

The issue with the Makati store is that they will sell very expensive milk with an expiration date…read more5 days from now and the milk is already Turing bad when you open it and then the management gives you a hard time to get a credit even though we have been coming to this store twice a week for 2.5 years and as Americans we stand out and they all know us. Then they tell us to come back next time for the credit slip, when it should take 2 minutes to give you a credit slip that day, then you come back and they say they lost your request for a credit - Mickey Mouse business practices and this is wrong.

This is supermarket we choose when we have to do our big monthly grocery. There's a reason: The…read moreLandmark brings together good variety and also lower prices compared to Rustan's, for example. The highlights, for me, are the great variety of greens, fruits and vegetables (including organic ones!) and the fact that they sell Santïs meats, so I don't have to do two shopping trips. They sell also a good variety of rice (if you're not used to the filipino one, then they have Basmati, Jasmine, Brown Rice and much more) and beans. Thanks to the beans from Landmark, I can keep the Brazilian "rice and beans" tradition at home. And believe me, that means a lot to me :) I also love Landmark's food court. There's a green juice in some stall there that's is just perfect. I also like Bread Talk and Kumori, the Japanese bakery. I mean, there's a lot to explore there before you start pushing your shop cart! TIP: Landmark is cheaper than Rustan's and has much more variety than the SM Supermarket. Choose it for the big once-a-month grocery.

I can never remember when my first taste of the Jamaican beef pattie was. It's almost as if I've…read morebeen eating it since time immemorial, which wouldn't be too far off since I can pretty much have it every week. Some days when I'm out in the afternoon and thinking, "Hmm, what should I eat?" it kinda comes off as a joke since the deciding process is short and immediately comes up with the answer: "Jamaican beef pattie, duh." If you've ever seen a funky-freshly-dressed young gentleman walking briskly and eating into a paper bag around the mall, that's probably me and that's probably a Jamaican beef pattie. Walking around and eating out of a paper bag doesn't appeal to most people, so the Megamall branch did away with this indignity by offering you chairs and tables so it can be clear to everyone else in the basement area what it is that you're eating. After a day of walking around and looking funky-fresh, it's a relief to just sit down and bite into a piping hot pastry of soft, salty beefness. They also sell fruit shakes, which is fine, but you may be better off getting it somewhere else in the food court. Buy the shake first before you get a seat with the Jamaican beef pattie. It deserves your full attention. I don't think people understand the value of the Jamaican pattie as a foodstuff. It is life-changing. It changed my life. It can change yours.

I'd like to think that I'm not cursed, but it's too eerie a coincidence to be ignored when most of…read morethe Jamaican Pattie shops that I frequent close down or are forced to move out because their spaces are being knocked down to give way to new buildings, or because they just simply die out. It couldn't be the latter since Jamaican patties sell like hotcakes -I mean, they are brilliant and tasty. They are pretty affordable too, if you ask me, making it a runaway favorite among those who are looking for a quick and satisfying snack. I personally love the cheesy beef, though I can't count how many times I have scalded my tongue with the hot lava of beef and cheese filling because I would get too excited to bite into a pattie. For some weird reason, though, if that branch is a convenient spot for me to get this highly appetizing meryenda treat, it would close down within a few months. This has been true for the branch in Taft (near Vito Cruz LRT Station, which I'm sure didn't close because of losses; that place was always frequented by Benildeans waiting for the late trains), the one in the now defunct Park Square (which was knocked down to give way to a new condominium) and the kiosk in the bridgeway between the Recto and D. Jose LRT Stations. Kinda creepy, yeah?

When it comes to Food and Beverage, very disappointing how the service was so bad. Fast food should…read morenot take an hour to wait, and they serve your food, partial orders. By the time we get our second tray of food, the rest of us was done eating. Then you try to claim your food the second time, to tell you to wait 15-20minutrs because it's not ready. Horrible service.

I'm a frequent shopper of S&R Aseana at the back of DFA Aseana. Since I just live somewhere in…read moreAseana thus I go there min 3 times a week. Yesterday, seems awful day to shop. I need an assistance and I've been pointed 3 times to different staff and ended up I got annoyed and didn't buy the luggage I wanted to buy. Since no one wants to assist me. Some was pretending busy after I called her attention and the others were busy chatting with co employees. I have pictures and videos of the scenario. It happened April 29, 2024, around past 7 or 8pm.

Nice product just don't buy anything that you can't take home yourself, the agony is not worth it…read more For delivery: they make you wait 12 hours 8am to 8pm and you don't have a number to call and will not even tell you that it was cancelled I had to go on leave and stay in a condo with nothing in it not even a chair waiting for them, you can try FB messenger if they will even reply, even their phone number does not work, it gets disconnected the moment you choose to speak to an operator. I purchased a washer and dryer. never again. Pro TIP if you can't bring it with you, don't buy it!

We bought a refrigerator that is double door, and as soon as it was dropped off, it had a rattling…read more We went to customer service and was told that I if they were to pick it up, they can't until after the weekend, and then it would put you over the 7 warranty with the store. He said I would have to call the service number, which said that I need my receipt, which was printed on a disappearing paper. When I got it reprinted, they told me that they only have 1 year on it. It has a 10 year warranty sticker still on the ref. This was a double door fridge. Should not break within a year for 37,000 pesos. For a customer that spends a significant amount when I go, and have them tell me that they will do nothing about it? Shame. It's not a cheap item. And to receive no help. Well, you lost my business, as well as my sisters. Sad. I went again to talk with 3 different managers. He told me they have a protocol they have to go through ( basically tell me they will email my boss with the details, takes your phone number, and address. ) he said if he were to take the refrigerator back, it would come out of his pocket. (No it doesn't) if it were true you can file a claim for it because he was just following the law. The law says you must honor the warranty. There is nobody from American homes helping, willing to fix the refrigerator. It is a scam. Selling broken and defected products.

Friday, March 1 90°F 49% Humidity…read more Let's go souvenir shopping! Gift giving (pasalubong) is an important Filipino tradition, and Kultura offers a wide range of products that showcase the country's culture, cuisine, clothing, and craftsmanship. This retail chain is owned by SM and you'll find them inside most if not all SM shopping malls. I went to the one inside SM Makati. What do they have? Apparel - atleisure, polos, footwear, T-shirts, jackets, traditional outfits like filipiniana or barong, Accessories - jewelry, sunglasses, hats, shawls, tote bags, purses Food - dried mangoes, chocolate bars, jams, polvorón (shortbread), cookies, banana chips For the home - placemats, coasters, picture frames, utensils, ornaments, figurines, other diningware I didn't buy too much because it was still early in my trip; didn't want to overpack my luggage because I had two more flights to Mindanao and Cebu. I mostly browsed around to get an idea of what they had and made plans to stop at another location on my last day. But I did get a small bag of YeloYolo cacao cookies, which are as "healthy" as cacao can be. All real plant-based ingredients and an excellent source of fiber, iron, magnesium, protein, and potassium. Halal certified as well. Overall lots of unique gifts you can bring home and share with family, friends and colleagues! Philippines 2024 collection: https://www.yelp.com/collection/DHwKzvo7o_ll8jmXFFU3KA/PHIL-2024

Kultura Filipino is really your one-stop shop for Authentic & Quality Pearls, Barong, Filipiniana,…read moreand Local Souvenir items. It's located in the SM Makati mall on the second floor. Chances are you will find what you need. From a range of T-shirts, caps, magnets, keychains, coffee, cookies, candy, chocolates, chocolate dipped mangoes, handmade items, etc. I could've spent hours in this place.

Located close to the Starbucks the bread shop offers a big selection of specialty buns and breads…read more Pick out all the breads you'd like and then they'll package them at the counter. They have pre-packaged loaves and rolls as well. I really enjoy the shop for having such extremely soft breads. Personal favorite is definitely the spicy tuna bun. Their selection does range from sweet to savory. I haven't really seen any pastry type items in their display, but maybe some cake. They do have rolls and all easy to grab and go breads on lock!

Oh yes.... Clydes' frappes makes me smile... the prep time might need improvements, still I would…read morego to Clydes in a heartbeat than SB.