From being so exposed to Bicolano dishes, at first it would feel like, I was just experimenting…read more After contant orders and dining in experiences in their Katipunan branch, it has become a part of our weekend routine to dine and have a fill of their Specialty, Bagnet, and a take-home empanada all the time! Ilocos Empanada has unquestionable reputation in preparing meat (pork). It is always a rewarding experience to try on something new. Go now!

The place is ok. They have a wide range of food options but not every item is available. We tried…read morethe regular empanada and the all meat flavored one. You must try the all meat empanada. They are in huge sizes so you can pick just one and have it for sharing. I am not a fan of their noodles and the bagnet. They are too oily and not so good in taste.

While Mang Larry's is the more popular isaw stand, the one that's usually two stands away is what I…read moreprefer. Their isaw is orange, which is prettier to look at (heheh), and they don't overcook the isaw like Mang Larry's often does. My street food of choice is isaw manok, and I haven't found another isawan that serves anything as good as what they have here. The stall directly next to it sells fishballs and kwek-kwek, so hanging out on that lawn with a mere fifty pesos will get you very far. Pair your street food with some refreshing buko juice, and you'll understand why this is a UP student's standard meal. It's not just cheap; it's actually really good! The stalls moved from the empty lot right across Law to the one next to it. The old location is now a parking lot, and while the new one allows several cars to park as well, the ground is much more uneven and rocky. Girls, leave your heels at home!

Hindi ko alam kung bakit si Mang Larry yung sikat na isawan sa UP, dahil yung katabi niyang isaw na…read moreorange naman ang masarap. Medyo mapakla at lasang abo kasi yung kay Mang Larry kaya hindi ko tipo, itong isaw na orange sa tabi niya mas may lasa, siguro dahil may marinade na ketchup at suka kaya naging orange. Pero hindi ko alam, palagay ko lang naman yun. Mas masarap bumili sa isawan na to dahil bukod sa mas masarap ay mas kaunti ang pila, hindi ka masyadong maghihintay ng matagal para makuha ang order mo. Maliliit lang serving sa stick ng isaw nila kaga damihan mo na rin ang orderdahil kapag nabitin ka, hassle nang maghintay uli. Isaw baboy at manok ang lagi kong binibili dito tapos ay isasawsaw sa maanghang na suka. Mmm! Ang sarap nito iulam sa kanin! Minsan ginagawa ko talaga yun, nagbabaon ako ng kanin tapos bumibili ako ng isaw dito pang hapunan.

What it has going for it is its brand and name recognition. Mang Larry's has been an institution at…read moreUP for quite a while now. The order placement system is also very organized. The food order is properly itemized and priced in the printed order slip. It gets full very quickly nearing meal times. We had to wait a short while after placing our order at around 5:45 PM. Students, office workers, and tourists are the present diners when we ate there. What I did not like was the setting and service. It did come a long way now that it has a dedicated seating area and a covered roof compared to yesteryears when it was only a stand-up kiosk. It would have been nice if they went all the way and cemented the flooring and have chosen more presentable table and chairs. Durint the time we were present dining, we also overheard another customer having their order wrong. He ordered something around 20 sticks, but what came in the take-out bag was only around 16 sticks. It was a few sticks short. Lastly, do not expect to get good value when eating here. The small portions of food on the sticks are a little pricey and can add up quicky with just a few sticks ordered.

There is a reason why Mang Larry's is one of the most famous stalls in the UP Diliman Campus. It is…read morea small and humble cart near the Internatonal Center and the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice, yet it manages to drawn in hordes and hordes of students and faculty. It serves a variety of innards and offal, which I think shows the ingenuity and the resourcefulness of our street food eating habits -nothing goes to waste. On the menu are different kinds of isaw or pig and chicken intestines, and other adventurous stuff such as pig ears, tripe, gizzards and liver. People would actually line up and end up smelling like the smoke from the outdoor grill, which goes to show how good the isaw is. I personally don't like isaw very much, and I have already shifted to my veg diet when I came to UP, but my friends swear by the quality of the isaw sold by Mang Larry's. A friend remarked that he wouldn't even touch any other isaw, unless he is sure that utter care was taken by the vendor in cleaning the innards. They say that the stuff sold by Mang Larry's taste fresh and clean, and free from that undesirable taste of chicken poop that any amateur isaw vendor wouldn't think of cleaning out thoroughly. Anyway, I heard Mang Larry was able to send his kids to college because of his trade, to which I say, well done! Excellent job, hardworking and charismatic Mang Larry!

We first had food from Crepeman during the pandemonium of the name Maginhawa Food Fest. This was…read morelast October 2014. The crowd was intense and there were queues everywhere even in places you would not expect. We were lucky enough to be living in the vicinity since we had accessible parking space and a resting area when we got tired of walking around. By dinner time, it was almost impossible to get anything to eat without an hour of wait time. A lot of the restaurants and kiosks have run out of food as well. My brother was there to save our stomachs by falling in line for about 3,572.21 hours and getting us some dinner crepes. PROS: They offer both savory and sweet crepes. I find the savory ones better and more interesting as crepes in the area are usually dessert fare; Cheap prices relative to most crepe places. CONS: The blueberry crepe had too much whipped crème and too little cream cheese; The place is a little cramped which is a good thing for the business but a little ugh for me. This is not just during the food fest but even on regular days. TL;DR: Your wallet-friendly crepe fix in a convenient location.

Here's a place that's good for everything. Snack, dessert, lunch (well, in my opinion it works for…read morelunch), craving for imported soda... it works! Crepeman tastes like those long afternoons in Miriam College's cafeteria where all I lived on were their tuna crepes and nothing else. What can I say, I was cheap and on a forced diet. Good to see some things never change. Crepeman still has some pretty good (and pretty indulgent) crepes. Having had enough of their savory crepes, I usually go back for the sweet crepes I missed out on. The chaos is a personal favorite. Good when you need that sugary kick and can't decide what exactly you want off their menu. What can I say? I like my fruit. Also, don't be afraid of pork floss. It's probably one of the best things ever and having it in a crepe? Even better.

What is it about Quezon City and the fear of starving? This city probably has the most number of…read morerestaurants/eateries in any given square kilometer, and the addition of a new food park in Maginhawa street will just make this crowded scene even more so. Maginhawa 150 Food Place is the THIRD food park to pop up in UP Village (After The Zone and Maginhawa StrEat). A quick glance at its concessionaires reveals a very Pork-heavy lineup, with one or two stalls breaking away from that. All the stalls look fashionable and competent enough. Although I honestly did not taste anything that knocked my socks off, Maginhawa 150 ultimately has a very good lineup of restos. If my memory serves me correctly, Maginhawa 150 has a steak place, a vietnamese joint, a canadian outlet, a Bagnet joint, a comfort food place, and an ice cream place, among others. Not a bad lineup at all.

*Note: This is a 3.5 Star review…read more Carlo and I went here on one of our "Satur-dates". I was actually our first time at 150 Food Place so we took our time looking around. The very first place that caught our attention was The Piggery. I mean, with that name, we had to check out what they served! Yes, everything on their menu has pork in it or is pork. From the menu board, they mostly serve Asian Fusion dishes. I remember telling myself that I should try one of their best-sellers but, I ended with one of their newer dishes, the Gangnam Rice and Waffle Chips (a dessert cookie). Carlo ordered the Bacon Chips! The Bacon Chips were very good! Extra crispy and not oily, would have been perfect with a beer. The Waffle Chips were thin biscuits with maltose in the middle. Not too sweet, but needed something to go with it... Maybe ice cream? Now, the Gangnam Rice is kimchi rice with bits of thin bacon. I really wanted to like this dish but, it was just too oily and I felt a bit let down with the thinness of the "samgyupsal." So, next time, I promise to try their Tonkatsu Nuggets + Sisig Rice.

Arki Vickie's siomai is just one of the gems that you will discover after hanging around the UP…read moreDiliman Campus. When I started doing my graduate studies in the UP, I also started eating my way through the iconic campus favorites that students and faculty alike enjoy. Fishball and squid ball stands are commonplace everywhere in the campus, and there is alway something to eat or snack on in every turn. What sets Arki Vickie's food stall apart from the others is its offering of siomai with a quail egg inside. That seems like a simple enough idea. Nothing special, right? But it is actually quite delicious and much better than I thought it would be. A friend introduced the "arki siomai" to me, and he said that it would be much better when enjoyed with the signature Pantea that they also offer. Though obviously named as a pun to women's undergarments, Pantea is actually short for pandan tea, which is a milky and sweet accompaniment to the siomai. I would drown my siomai in toyo-mansi sauce and pour copious amounts of the chili garlic condiment, and would quell the fire and the spicy aftertaste with the tea. I am not a big fan of instant pancit canton, but I would find myself ordering it to go with the special quail egg siomai. The manang that sells the siomai is adorable. She remembers you by face or name and would also remember your pancit canton order (spicy, classic, toyo-mansi).

When it comes to siomai, most Diliman Iskos point at Arki Vickie's as the best around the…read moreuniversity. I completely disagree though, not because I dislike Arki Vickie. It's that the siomai at School of Economics is much, much better. Still, Arki Vickie's is still one of UP Diliman's pride and joys. The quail egg hidden inside the siomai is a nice surprise for those first timers. It gives the siomai more flair, for lack of a better term, I guess. Aside from the siomai, the pantea is also a must-buy. It's amusing how people just blatantly say, "Isang pantea po" ("One pantea please") to the vendors, and the vendors reply with "Anong size?" ("What size?") Now, I do agree with the others when they say that the pantea is the real deal. I just love the unique, refreshing taste! Too bad Arki's too far from my college, otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to purchase panteas all the time.

Mang Narry's isn't just another one of the dozens of food kiosks dotted all over campus. What sets…read morethis particular stall apart is their famous mango-graham shake. At P35 a cup, there's no better way to chill out and treat yourself to something sweet in between classes or after school. The shakes don't take too long to prepare either, so you can grab one even if your break is only 30 minutes. If you've got more time, you can try one of their many budget meals featuring any combination of fishballs, lumpia, pancit, or a variety of sandwiches. But it's really the cool, sweetly comforting blend of mango, graham, milk, and shaved ice that draws students, alumni, and outsiders here again and again.

When I was researching for my thesis in UP Diliman, my choice of merienda place was Mang Narry's…read morekiosk. What made me approach this kiosk was Mang Narry's welcoming demeanor. You see, I am not from UP. So when I had to eat somewhere near the buildings where I go for research, I picked the store in which the owner/vendor looked amicable. One of Mang Narry's staple meals was my childhood favorite instant pansit canton. I would usually get two servings of pansit canton; either sweet and spicy or original. Sometimes, when I felt really hungry, I would order pansit canton and burger. The food here were very affordable. Even when I eat a lot and order so many things, the cost would still be cheap. For my drink, I usually ordered mango-graham shake which was unique and refreshing. I was to learn later that this shake is close to becoming a star in UP Diliman. For those comforting, affordable and filling meals (and not to forget the welcoming smile), thank you, Mang Narry's!

Stars for their appetizer spicy eggplant dish and delicious complimentary starter soup!…read more Crispy fried chicken was on the dry side but supposed to be their best selling dish, and my sister swears that last time she had it there--it was amazing. So consistency seems to be an issue so minus stars for that The rice they gave us definitely tasted from the day before, and it was not even fully warm. I'm particular with my rice and would love freshly cooked rice. (I know my rice! Lol) Tofu Kangkong was alright nothing to remember by. I did not like the taste of tofu on this dish. If you love goat, their kaldereta kambing my dad loved! Their single dessert of mango gulaman was approved by all of us. Better than the mango dessert from Savory we had the day before. So it's a must order after a spicy meal. Parking is a hassle since they only really have space for 2 cars to park and they tend to tow around that area. Stars for: service, spicy eggplant appetizer dish (must order!) Kaldereta Kambing and Mango Gulaman Cons: old cold rice, dry inconsistent chicken, blah tofu *Would I come back? I would definitely come back for the eggplant dish! I just hope they work out the consistency in their cooking PS: took a picture of the menu for everyone!

I have travelled to Indonesia several times in the last few years, and I have come to grow fond of…read morethe food and the food culture. I was glad when I ran across Indonyaki a few months back because I would always crave for traditional Indonesian dishes such as satay, nasi goreng, ayam goreng and gado gado. Indonyaki doesn't disappoint with the flavors and the colors of their food, which the owner and chef Rodgie has studied extensively during his job postings as a resort worker in Indonesia and Malaysia. The small street-side diner which is inspired by the traditional Indonesian warung or small family-owned restaurant serves Indonesian favorites that are sold by food carts and peddlers in the streets of Jakarta, Bali and Yogyakarta. The long lines and the crowds that overflow to the curb are indicative of the restaurant's success. They are quite busy most of the time, and it could be a tad difficult to land a seat without waiting a while, but the servers are very prompt with the orders. I particularly enjoy the ayam goreng combo meal, which comes with fried chicken, fried rice, soup and iced tea. I also love the chicken satay doused with Indonesian sticky soy sauce and served with coarse peanut source. Rodgie admits to toning the spice profile down to something that the Filipino palate could readily appreciate, but if you are feeling adventurous, ask for their extra spicy sambal, or chili sauce. My recent favorites include the mie goreng (stir-fried noodles) and the kang kong and tofu stir-fry. The place also sells shawarma, which may be a bit of an identity crisis, a lovable identity crisis at that.