This is an interesting discovery among the booming food choices along Dona Soledad in Better…read moreLiving, Paranaque. The place has a very unassuming façade which looks more like a garage than a restaurant. But once you're inside, you will be surprised to find that the place is huge and is full of collectible vintage items. It really is amazing, from the vinyl records to the old plate numbers to the old movie posters, there's just so much to see in there. But it isn't just a place to visit for the décor. They have amazing food as well. So I'm just going to get this out there: Their nachos are the bomb! I've had nachos in big fancy restaurants, but they don't even compare to what Fat Frank's has to offer. It has meat. It has cheese. It has sour cream. It has salsa. It has jalapenos. It has all the good things you want in a huge order of nachos. If you're looking for a great date place where you can save money (but really don't want to look cheap), this is it. Just fill up on the nachos and their creamy, lovely milkshakes and you're pretty much set. An order of entrée is just icing on the cake...trust me, by the time you get to the main dish, you're already full. I highly recommend Fat Frank's to anyone into the American Diner feel and taste.

My family and I always enjoyed a bite at this burger joint especially on special occasions and/or…read morecelebrations. Very fond of their tapa for breakfast, burgers for snacks and chicken sate for dinner! Live the ambiance and warm service. A bit expensive but overall great food,

I live 2 minutes away from Sieg's. Although I go here just to get one thing, I go here very often…read moreas it's my quick go-to place for a lazy dinner. They have a very extensive menu, but since I'm vegan, that isn't of any advantage to me when they only offer a few veggie dishes that are veganize-able. As mentioned, I only get one thing here, and it's worth writing about. Sieg's sizzling tofu is very tasty (it has MUSHROOMS too! Which are always a GOOD thing unless you're weird) and can serve two for about Php 180. For this dish to be vegan, you'd have to give them specific instructions, which are to remove the worcestershire sauce or oyster sauce and replace it with soy sauce, no mayo, no butter, and no chicken powder. Whew. I also find it funny how local TV is projected on a huge white projector screen in one corner of the restaurant, and being a family restaurant, I guess they're trying to recreate a typical dinner at home with TV Patrol or a teleserye on.

Seig's is Filipino comfort food at its finest. This is one of the older food joints in the Dona…read moreSoledad stretch inside Better Living Subdivision in Paranaque. While its age is evident in its interiors, you'll soon feel like you're dining in an old house with only the best in Filipino cuisine on the offer. Classics such as Kare-kare, Crispy Pata and Corned Beef Sinigang are always popular but I highly recommend their Bicol Express. While most Filipino cooks would make this edgy dish with string beans, chili and coconut milk, Seig's adds a special twist to an old favorite with the use of sigarilyas and by topping it with a hefty portion of fried liempo (very crispy, and almost with a lechon kawali quality). The dish is savory but not too spicy. This is by far the best Bicol Express I've had - my mother is from the region, so I've had plenty. They also have a sampling of other western dishes such as their chicken roll or barbecued ribs, as well as a nice selection of pasta. For those who want to go for appetizers, you have over 20 items to choose from, including the surprising Tofu Sisig. Here, they use two kinds of mushrooms, soy and chili and silky tofu cut into squares and lightly breaded. It's actually good enough to be an entrée and eaten with a bowl of rice. Whatever dish you choose, Seig's is sure to deliver high quality dishes with an unforgettable taste. If you're still not full after the large portion servings, try the Frozen Brazo, it's the perfect way to end a good meal.

Gordo's Crispy Pata is the newest kid on the block. After a bright green sign was put up sometime…read morelast week, the kiosk did not yet open. The owner was taking it nice and slow, making sure the small outlet had the look of a winner. There are no secrets to making a good crispy pata, as I'm sure the owner knows. You first boil, dry then deep fry the leg of a pig. Of course the quality of the cut is important. For Gordo's to succeed, the owner must make sure to have a steady supply of the raw material. The taste should never differ from order to order, as failure to control the quality is a sure kiss of death. When I was still living in Quezon City a few years back, someone put up a business similar to this. Wanting to be a good neighbor, I decided to give the crispy pata kiosk a try, and I was happy with the result. Sad to say, that business closed after a few months. Their next door stall said that there was no constant supply such that there would be days when they ran out. Also, that ill-fated store looked pretty ordinary. At least Gordo's can be seen from a mile away. And for starters, they also deliver. The next time I have friends over for drinks, I'm going to give this newcomer a try. For now, I am wishing them success in this tough market.

Dampa sa Russia is where residents of Better Living Subdivision go to buy fresh sea food, as well…read moreas pork, beef and chicken. It's your typical wet market with its interesting sounds and smells. While a lot of consumers now prefer to buy fresh anything at the nearest supermarket, but for those on a budget it still makes sense to buy at a wet market because prices are usually lower. I only have one issue with Dampa sa Russia. The word 'dampa' has been used to connote a place where one can buy at a market, then have it cooked at an adjoining restaurant or two. The first real 'dampa' was located inside the Baclaran public market. A local food expert told me about it almost two decades ago, and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. More recently, the 'dampa' at the reclamation area not too far from the Mall of Asia has been the place to go. Even MoA has its smaller version. I am waiting for some entrepreneur to come up with a restaurant that cooks up the fresh seafood, etc. at Dampa sa Russia. There are still a few slots nearby. In the meantime, whenever I have a hankering for fresh seafood, Dampa sa Russia is the first place I go to. Yes, hygiene may be a problem, but so what? It's a wet market after all. It's located along Russia street, very near the corner of Dona Soledad Avenue in Paranaque City.

Good food good service price is recommendable. I will go back again . We need more dis countsread more

A little more "high-end" feel…read more This restaurant is located at the tail end of Newport Boulevard. There are plenty of places you can walk to but I'm glad we stumbled upon this one. I'm a sucker for interior design and the pictures don't do it justice. Props to whoever designed this restaurant. We went there for lunch and there was no line. Although the place was full, we got our food in no more than 15 minutes. The food itself was delicious. No complaints at all.

Along Bicutan, Paranaque's main thoroughfare of Dona Soledad Avenue, there's only one real place…read morethat doesn't pretend to be anything but what it really is - a place for guys to hang out and have drinks with their buddies. This would be Central BBQ Boy Grill. In the old days, it would have been referred to as a beer house, beer being the principal reason for its existence. Nowadays of course, no place likes to be called a beer house. And most places prefer a mixed clientele, meaning ladies are most welcome too. They can come in small or in big groups. They can be all-female or they can be with some guys. Why am I relating all of this in relation to Central? Simple. A close friend who separated from his wife a long time ago and who doesn't really like to play the field found his current girlfriend there. All he's willing to admit is that they met at Central, got along, and became a couple. Since we are a small, tightly knit group, this friend of mine invited me recently to have a few beers at Central. Parking is kind of tight so those who plan to stay for more than an hour or two should come as early as possible. On the plus side, their beers are really ice cold. See, I'm one of those purists who thinks that adding ice to beer is barbaric. During our drinking session, I noticed that there were some ladies who went there to also have drinks. I like the ambiance of the place, I like their ice cold beer, I like their grilled pulutan. In fact, I like everything about this cool place. Four stars to Central

When Roviliaz first opened a few months ago, you would see that usually empty parking in that…read morecommercial area beside Mercury Drug really full. Of course, every time a new restaurant opened in Dona Soledad, people are usually all over it. A few months down the line and Roviliaz is still attracting a good number of diners. So, I decided to try it. And I was not disappointed. Their most popular dish is the lechon liempo. While the order was small in size, it was definitely big in flavor. The few pieces were enough to make me order an additional cup of rice. Buttered chicken is another dish worth trying - very tasty and you'd really get that buttery goodness in your mouth with every bite. The true value-for-money food you should try is the chicken embutido. This is surprisingly good and tastes just like chicken galantina, very affordable at P160 per piece. It looks like they have a tie-up with the owners of Becky's Kitchen as they serve the same scrumptious cakes and brownies in Roviliaz. The people there are very friendly and the restaurant's interiors are easy on the eyes with the warm tones and homey seats.

Yet another restaurant along Dona Soledad Avenue in Bicutan, Paranaque City took its own good time…read morebefore opening last year. A somewhat classy looking sign had been put up and lit at night, but the place was not open for business for many weeks after. The place is also very near the Paranaque Doctors Hospital. From the outside, it was obviously too small to be a full-service, fine dining restaurant. But boy was that sign attractive. One time, me and my family were on the way home when we decided to give the place a try. Good decision. The place is said to be owned by a budding chef and it was easy to see why. Their food is pretty good. So good in fact that we have been ordering from them on a regular basis. What all of us like best are the desserts which are supplied by Becky's Kitchen. For those who are not aware of it, Becky's Kitchen is a cake shop located along Pablo Ocampo st., formerly known as Vito Cruz. Generations of students of De La Salle University, College of St. Benilde and St. Scholastica's College know of this place, which sells arguably the best cakes and pastries this side of Metro Manila. But back to Roviliaz. It's where I watched the Pacquiao-Mayweather fight. They charged a low P500, with P300 consumable for food and drinks. Yup, it's that kind of place. They're trying to attract a loyal clientele and I hope they succeed.

I love any store or restaurant whose owner has a sense of humor, even the naughty ones…read more Itlog ni Kuya along Dona Soledad Avenue in Bicutan, Paranaque City is one such place. I ask you, how would you translate its name, Big Brother's Eggs? Anyway, as its name suggests, Itlog ni Kuya's specialty is eggs, eggs and more eggs. It has very affordable "silog" meals like the classic tapsilog for P50. That's tapa, sinangag and itlog. If you don't care for tapa, there's also hotdog, tocino, longganisa and bangus to go with the fried rice and fried egg. For those with a very tight budget, a humble repast of kalog for only P25. That's short for kape and itlog, of course. That's coffee and egg for those who don't understand Tagalog. Their meal with the most borderline obscene name is pakaplog, which stands for pan de sal, kape and itlog which goes for P35. Pakaplog translates vaguely to "May I fondle you?" and you can see why a lot of folks aren't too happy when their kids see the item on the menu. A favourite among a lot of Filipinos is red egg, or itlog na maalat, and Itlog ni Kuya has this specialty, too. They also have balut as well as penoy, so those who crave the unhatched duck eggs can have their fix anytime of day, courtesy of Kuya. Since itlog na maalat, balut and penoy all come from ducks, the place recently included its Filipino version of Peking duck, calling theirs Pekin Kinulob. I'm not sure if I want to try this out, but the various silog meals are regular treats that I can go for anytime.

Tacos are typically flour tortillas-- same as they are un Tijuana. Restaurant is lacking Mexican…read morebeer and ceviche. Corn tortillas are crunchy. I have yet to eat LA style tacos: soft corn tortillas (asada, carnitas, birria, lengua). Still leaving a 3-out-of-5 rating. I'd leave a 3.5 but Yelp do not give us an option to add half-a-point :( The place is good place to eat: very quiet.

My 3 stars go to that awesome trio of various salsas that comes with their nachos! Possibly among…read morethe best salsas I've had (though it would be amazing if mango salsa will happen in the near future, too). Though, this 'moderno' Mexican establishment ~shockingly~ has no guacamole (I really do not understand...! But the staff has taken in our suggestion to add some guac because um... do I need to explain?!). They are just on their third day though, so I'm sure a lot of changes/improvements are bound to take place! But yes, this place is promising and is currently setting the bar high for future food establishments in Betterliving (or rather bleh-tterliving in terms of restaurant choices...). Here in the village it's quite rare to see these types of more 'put-together' restaurants who bother with interior design and ambience, so I'm glad Taqueria 101 has arrived. It's good to know that they're also very kind to vegans and will accommodate special requests the best they can. Certain items can be veganized (i.e. squash flowers & mushroom taco, taco salad, nachos)--just ask them to sub all the dairy and remove the meat, and you should be fine!

First stop at food trip of our vacation. Ordered typical daily life dishes that are hard to make…read moreand find in the US. Kare-Kare and daing na bangus. Rice and lugaw. The service was quick and patient with us after a long flight. The kare -kare was excellent. Good balance of sauce, vegetables. The fish is just okay. Popular food has better quality since there's more turnover. They also have a decent selection of peanuts and small packed foods. Recommend from me.

Home-cooked meals take time and a lot of effort to prepare. For those days when you need to whip up…read morean excellent Filipino dish but just don't have the time or energy for it, there's Lola Idang's. It's hard to believe that all the home-cooked goodness they offer won't even cost you that much. My top picks from this place are: kare-kare, crispy pata and pancit malabon. Everything tastes like it was cooked with so much love and care. The only downside, food takes a while to get served whether you are dining in or taking the food to go. But really, quality food takes time so best to set your expectations. You can call ahead to order and pick up. They also deliver to nearby areas but will only take orders for delivery until 7pm and it will take more than an hour for your food to arrive so plan ahead.