As a mommy, I do a lot of grocery shopping (obviously, I don't want my family to starve). MyOwn…read moreMeat Shop is my favorite place for meat shopping. Don't ask, mom's do that. We shop separately for everyday groceries, for clothes and yes, even for meat. This is a place where a lot caterers and restaurants get meat and fish in bulk. I love how everything is so organized. There are sections specifically for seafood, chicken, for imported steaks and for every kind of cut imaginable. The meats are packed so neatly, too! They vacuum-sealed in square bags so stacking them in the fridge is super easy. I love how fresh everything tastes when they're cooked and how lean the pre-packed meats are (even the pork). I love the selection of fish they have -- from Black Bass to Norwegian Salmon and in different cuts, too! Plus, if you're a frequent buyer, they keep records of you. Just tell them your name and they can show you records of what you've bought in the past. Great for keeping track of your budget...I don't know if they do this for everyone though, maybe just those weird moms who buy a week's worth of groceries as much as caterers do for a big event.

I am a gym goer, and there are seasons that it actually shows (albeit few). So I get a lot of…read morequestions about what I eat, how I prepare them, and where I buy my stuff. Well, I eat beef and fish, salmon in particular, and this is where I get them, in bulk. MyOwn Meatshop is, well, a meatshop, but they sell all sorts of frozen meats and seafood. Here you'll find imported steak cuts, frozen imported seafood like mussels, cod, salmon and other fish I've never even heard of, and I learned of this place by asking a caterer where they get their salmon supplies from. It is quite cheap, the salmon and the cod in particular, and they have it in different sorts of cuts and fillets. Do call in ahead to check on stocks though, as they are quite popular with bulk buyers and stocks may sometimes be limited. As for how I prepare my fish, let's just say that it isn't something that you can stomach on a daily basis, so let's leave that for another post somewhere else. "My meatshop? MyOwn Meatshop!" I just made that up. Thought you needed some cheese with your salmon. No? Ok sorry.

Here's the thing about Sevilla & Sons that impresses me: they actually sell Saffron…read more I have been looking for Saffron for a pretty long while now and I have failed time and time again to find that elusive spice. But when I dropped by Sevilla & Sons, which I visited for the sausage, I saw the cases of herbs and spices and was just so excited by it. Anyplace that sells more exotic herbs and spices will always tickle my excitement. Sevilla & Sons have herbs & spices from rosemary, thyme, to lemon leaves, and to the glorious saffron. They sell it in tiny boxes for P50, which is not bad at all. It's in small bulks, which is good because you can't expect yourself to use like a butt load of saffron in one go. But of course aside from the herbs, they have sausages. And they have a lot of it. I'm not an expert here, but these are pretty good sausages. You can tell they know their meat and that their meat has the fullest flavors you can have. Honestly, it's such a treat to have this place around the neighborhood.

The Guadalupe Public Market is the biggest of its kind in Makati. Here you can find plenty of…read morestalls selling fresh meat, seafood, vegetables, and fruits. But just like any public palengke or wet market, this place is not for the faint of heart. Expect the floors in the meat and fish area to be wet and smelly. And since this is an old establishment, the paint on the walls are already peeling off and the general condition of the place is grimy. However, if you can look way past the appearance of this public market, you'll find that it's actually a good place to buy not only wet items, but dry goods as well. Guadalupe Public Market also has stores selling traditional baskets, plastic items, affordable apparel, household cleaning materials, and even cheap diapers. Another advantage of patronizing this public market is that you can develop loyalty with your favorite sellers and they would be more than willing to give you the choicest cuts and huge discounts on your purchases. The Guadalupe Public Market is very accessible because it's near jeepney terminals and bus stops along EDSA. Plus, it has access to the Guadalupe MRT station.

very delicious ham , you can't forget about it panalo sa…read moresarap , hindi ka magsisisi at uulit ulitin nyo ang pagtangkilik sa mga produkto ng EXCELENTE.

Finally off my bucket list of to visit and buy. Known for a Chinese style ham, it is one of the…read morehardest products to find and get. It's only sold in his one store since the beginning of time. The ham is famous for its a sweet outside sugar crust and tender dry in the inside with a slight, not over bearing saltiness. It's different from western style hams in its dryness that doesn't take away from the taste. The ham come with the topping or without. It's usually eaten in special occasions or holidays. The location sells other pork products but it's best is the ham. It is an old foodie destination in the middle of the most dense and somewhat dangerous neighborhood.

I have to be upfront with this one. No need for fluff or colorful adjectives that would steer you…read moreaway from the main objective of Yelp reviews- to let you in on the best of this city. So far, we've covered thousands already and I am adding another to the list, and it comes in a form of a piece of meat that will leave your mouth in a dancing frenzy. I discovered Casa Amarilla the other day at the Gourmand Market in BGC. Having gone through all the free samples in the other booths (yes, I am one of those) my mouth started to look for something salty and luckily, I found this rustic looking booth in the middle of it all calling out my name. Little did I know that I would spend a half hour talking to the owner about how he was able to create such perfection! Yes folks, Casa Amarilla is the real deal and if you ever want to impress anyone with a Spanish meal, I suggest you pick up a bottle of Dominio de Pingus and 500 grams of what I believe is the best chorizo in all of Manila.

The bottled Mang Tomas lechon sauce or gravy had been part of our lives as Filipinos, using it as…read moresauce for either lechon, chicken, grilled or fried pork, and sometimes even lumpia or fried spring rolls. So imagine my shock when, on route to Quezon City from a sourcing trip to Manila, my friend told me we could pass La Loma to buy Mang Tomas lechon. I thought I hear him wrong or that he was joking, but he was VERY serious. On the way, he tells me that they were indeed the master creators of the sauce that the makers of the bottled sauce later on bought the recipe from. This however has not stopped them from roasting lechon and serving their heavenly sauce. It's really just a stall selling lechon and there is no option for dine-in, so we bought the lechon, got the sauce, and headed home to eat. Boy, it was delicious! Again, DELICIOUS! The lechon was superb, but the sauce, oh my goodness! It was thick and rich, with a distinct bite, and could be reminiscent of the bottled sauce but better. WAY BETTER. This is seriously the stuff legends are made of. For the company that bought the recipe, it's the stuff their company is made of and built on.

This was suggested by one of the YouTuber that I follow. This place is small but they carry a lot…read moreof different products. You can find the Hopia section on the right side when entering the store. This place can get crowded on the weekend but the check out process is smooth. The Hopia price is around Php68. It comes with a lot of flavors including the classic Monggo, Baboy and Ube. I tried the Ube-Jackfruit Hopia and it tasted good. The filling is not overly sweet and the jackfruit flavor is subtle. The pastry is soft and flaky. For Vegetarians: The Hopias in shiny wrapper are cooked using corn oil and the rest are cooked using pork oil. I got the tip from one of the staff.

My husband's favorite! Love their pineapple hopia. The best! We always buy here whenever we visit…read morePhilippines.