Twice I've been here and each visit gets better and more interesting…read more Now, this is a fish market, and as most (if not all) wet markets go in the Philippines, the area as a whole is a bit of a mess, so wear appropriate clothing - SHOES are a must. (I would know, I made the mistake of wearing flip flops the first time, but in fairness, I didn't know we were going here.) Both times, I was lucky enough to witness plenty of boats coming in from the sea with their fresh catch. The variety of seafood is unbelievable - a couple of dozen types of fish, seafood including tuna, red snapper and salmon, crabs, shrimp, clams, mussels, prawns, octopus, etc. There was fresh seaweed I haven't seen for decades (arorosep, I believe it's called.) I even got to witness some sort of bidding for some reserved products. Walking around is an experience like no other. Price point?! Almost everything is pretty much a bargain buy. If you're patient enough and can haggle, you'll get what you want for the price you want to pay. (So long as you're reasonable!) Immediately on its outskirts closer to the main street, there are plenty of vendors selling dried goods - mostly dried salted fish among other products. There are some interesting buys there as well. It is a bit chaotic and it can be overwhelming with the crowd, but it was pretty much an organized frenzy. I found it fun just walking and looking around. I ended up buying and bringing stuff home for dinner. It can't get any more fresh when many of their products were (literally) just harvested a few hours prior. (On a personal note, this is my 1,000th vendor Yelp review!) Anyway! It'll be on my next MUST STOP for fresh seafood (and then some) for sure.

Bretto's has adapted to this pandemic by closing their branch inside of Clark Freeport, and…read morereopening their cafe on Don Juico (take out only). This branch is also their main bakery where they make THE BEST breads: soft, fluffy with a crust that has a satisfying chew to it. They're well stocked when it comes to canned goods, albeit a bit pricey. Fresh fruits and veggies are now available, which you can find in the refrigerated section. There's a deli and a grocery section with exotic spice packets and lots of imported goods from the US and Europe. Make sure you're wearing a mask before you enter. At the door the guard will check your temp and spritz your hands with alcohol. Currently there's no limit to the number of customers that can enter at one time; you will definitely need to remind the other shoppers to keep their distance. What irritates me about this place is that many items are missing price tags. I come here mainly for their baked goods and specialty items. I'm looking forward to trying out food from their cafe.

I thought I would NEVER again set foot in a Fresh Options meat shop; but, I am always up to giving…read moredifferent branches of a business another chance. Why? Because management, staff and quality control can vary greatly. I was walking around Korea Town, and as any good Elite would, I was adding business pages to Yelp. I stumbled upon Fresh Options and decided to hold my breath so I could take pictures inside. Low and behold, this branch didn't have the stench of its sister stores. I stayed away from the fresh meat section, because they haven't earned my trust just yet. Glancing at their frozen section, they had many packaged meats that were prepared and ready to fry up or pop into the micro. I decided to take home their tapa, sisig and longganisa. The packages were perfect portions for hubby and me, and at reasonable prices at that! Not the healthiest option since the prepackaged meats have higher salt and fat content than preparing meals from scratch; but it makes for a great alternative in emergencies when you're short on time. I like getting their Chunky Pork Sisig.

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.

DO NOT STAY HERE! Catfish hotel. We had a horrible experience with our room and with the staff. We…read morecame here for our honeymoon and thought this was a high end hotel. The rooms are dirty, there are stains on the walls, floors, furniture and bed sheets. The bathroom was not cleaned - everything was dingy and the shower walls and door had built up gunk on it. Deciding to give it another chance, we requested to move rooms and they would not move us. We even asked if we could upgrade but there was nothing they could do with it being full booked. When asking for a refund due to the cleanliness, they refused to give us our money back. So, I've resulted to leaving a review and sharing my experience since they could not work with us. We ended up leaving an hour after check in and booked La Grande Residence down the street (AMAZING stay, would highly recommend). Save your money. This hotel overcharges for what you get. You can find a way better one for half the price.

We had a good stay. We were able to bring our dog with us, which is a plus. The food was great,…read moreespecially the Lebanese dishes that are exactly like what we had in Dubai. The rooftop pool is open 24 hours, so my children enjoyed the ambiance and swimming until 2 am and didn't want to sleep! There is also a live band and nice restaurant facing the pool during our weekend stay and we ordered some Korean and Japanese food that were delicious also. Overall we were happy with our stay and we will consider this place when we come back our hometown for a visit.

Sasmuan Delicacies is the perfect place to go to if you're looking to buy pasalubong for your…read morefriends and loved ones. I consider it as the home of the best-tasting Filipino sweet treats. They sell polvoron (powdered milk candies), yema, pastilyas, pili tarts, and many more. I often go here whenever I want to eat something sweet after lunch. I don't normally order desserts in restaurants because it's too expensive, so I often look for desserts in different food stalls that can satisfy my sweet tooth. Sasmuan Delicacies is best known for their milky and great-tasting polvoron. They use local and pure ingredients to produce their polvoron. They have a variety of flavors to choose from that everyone will surely love. They have Butter, Choco, Cookies and Cream, Ube-Pinipig, and many more. This polvoron just melts in your mouth and won't leave you gasping for air. If you're looking for sugary treats to satiate your craving for sweets, then head over to Sasmuan Delicacies.

I was once invited to a fancy birthday party and I had no idea what gift I should buy to the…read moreelegant and sophisticated birthday girl. The only thing I knew is that it should be something that I could buy there at Greenbelt. A friend of mine then suggested me ROYCE' Chocolate, a kiosk located in Greenbelt 5. "A box of good chocolates always works" - she said. I trusted her and bought a box of Au Lait Nama Chocolate, their classic one. Of course I've tried lots of different flavours before making my choice. It was a hard decision, come on! It's fine chocolate! :P Oh my God, I ended up buying a box for me also. However, since it's kinda pricey, I've promised to myself that the glorious box should last for a month at least. Of course I broke my promise. Of course I ate all the box. But I was pregnant, craving for good chocolate. So I'm forgiven.

One Christmas, my brother was so excited to give his gift to papa. He then warned me that his gift…read morefor papa was only for him and it wasn't to be shared with other people. He gave papa the gift and it was opened in front of everyone. It was chocolates from Royce. Of course, the little brat in me went ahead and got chocolates without asking and forgetting the fact that I am allergic to chocolate. Oh my. It was heaven in my mouth. A few days after Christmas, I went to the kiosk and ended up buying their Baton Cookies, potato chips and a box of their classic chocolate. Silly me couldn't resist and I gobbled everything up before New Year came. I was sick with asthma. But who cares?! I was eating a piece of heaven.