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!

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.

Great late night delivery option since they are open late. They don't quite have an overload…read moreoption, but the egg and lechon kiwali option comes close. Lugaw is thick and tasty. Definitely hits the spot during drunchies

We loved the food... ordered from grab and delivered to our hotel. Lugaw was still hot and…read moreeverything was nicely packed. Portions are small but the price is cheap so you can just order more if you're hungry.

Finally got to try some other dishes which includes the following that I liked quite a lot: beef…read moresalpicao, and tapsilog, glazed pares wings (though I definitely would recommend the sriracha mansi wings over this). I also got to try their sizzling tinola which was the only dish that I liked a bit less than the others probably due to the meat seemingly having the flavour of boiled chicken (isn't much), then breaded, fried and served with gravy. Ambience: Good, spacious and well lit. Designs were unique and brings character. Taste: Great, not your typical pares house for sure. Presentation: Great Value: Great, good bargain Service: Great, their wait staff are attentive. Overall: Great, will definitely visit again and try the other dishes that were sold out.

Been hearing a lot about this hole-in-the-wall restaurant that serves Filipino street foods like…read morefishballs, squidballs, and even pares. We often visit the place but found no place to park because of the always-filled Bugis across the street and the pub beside it. Tonight, I guess, is our lucky night. Rapsadoodle comes from two words: rapsa or sarap (delicious) spelled backwards, and doodle (a kind of art by writing scribbles), which is visibly displayed on one side of the wall. Most of the scribbles are pick-up lines and hugots that resonates the Filipino's way of love and comedy. OPMs are played in the restaurant which gives you a Filipino vibe. As for the food, they are neatly presented and clean, which kind of takes out one concern on food sanitation and safety as compaired eating it on the streets. Here are some of the things we ordered: - Beef Pares (Php85) - the classic street food rice meal of beef stew and rice. The meat is tender and the sauce is thick and sweet. A really good pairing with rice, which is unlimited. The sauce and rice is already considered a good meal. - Fried Chicken (Php150) - fried chicken quarter cooked like Max's and served with rice. I am not sure if it's just psychology that once rice is colored yellow, it implies that it is a kind of fried rice. Thus, I was looking for salt which I couldn't find. It was colored plain rice after all. The chicken is juicy but bland, but maybe dependent on the ketchup-vinegar-Jufran-like sauce. - Balls Platter (Php99) - unlimited option is available but I feared I would be too full to try anything else. The platter is composed of fishballs, squidballs, and kikiam, and served with an unli manong's sauce. The sauce is on the sweet side, but my favorite manong near my office still has a better sauce. As for the balls, I like the kikiam better because of the taste and texture. I can hardly taste the flavor of the fishball until I devoured the last few pieces. - Siomai (Php40/5 pcs) - they also have an unli version of this. Siomai is okay. Meaty, but most of its true flavors are covered in the sauce. - Bibingka Waffle - the best part of what we've ordered. I did not expect it to be this good. Soft and moist bibingka-like waffles served with a creamy ice-buko-style coconut ice cream and garnished with condensed milk, dessicated coconut, and brown sugar. An explosion in the mouth, this might be the one dish I will come back for. Overall, food is affordable and is great for students or people with a budget. It is clean so you can eat without worry. I was actually having a hard time deciding on what grade to give. For the taste alone, I would give it a 2.0. However, some factors were to be considered: how often can you eat pares and fishballs at an air-conditioned room? +.5. The bibingka waffle is really something special, +.5. With the rates of inflation and constant-rising of prices, this restaurant offers value for money dishes,

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.

I don't think anything else has the power to evoke nostalgia and comfort other than food, and for…read moreme one of the snacks that really hold power over me is the simple fried cheese stick. Cheese wrapped in lumpia wrappers and fried is one of the easiest, unhealthiest, best, most delicious thing to give a child and my mom and our cooks used to make these all the time for me and my brothers back when we were younger. And what better place to have unhealthy, fried anything than in the stalls in UP? This stall near the SC across the infirmary is possibly the biggest in the campus, and boasts a big selection of street food: the usual fishballs, squidballs, kwek-kwek, kikiam, chicken balls, and pancit cantion. But they also have glorious and cheap cheese sticks! And if that wasn't enough, they also have jalapeno poppers! They are a lot of culinary choices in UP, but I'm often just content going to one of these stalls and having at it with a plate of the simple cheese sticks.

When one thinks of a drinking session, one knows you need two things: good booze and pulutan. While…read moreyou could probably get a decent drink anywhere else in the Zone, this place has your pulutan covered. Unlike its neighbors, Eats Good has a menu mostly consisting of things that get deep fried and drowned in vinegar rather than full meals. Like I said. Pulutan. Perfect with a cold beer or one of the cocktails from that bar you pass on the way up to their loft. And for under 50php? Why not? So there I was, in the market for something new to nibble on while I waited for my main course. Here was a place I never noticed before. Eventually, I decided on the pig ears. Eh.... I don't know. First off, it took them a while to get my order to me. There weren't too many people and I don't suppose it takes that long to fry up a few pig ears. But at least my order got to me fairly hot and delivered straight to my table. And maybe it was just because I didn't know what to expect but are pig ears that chewy? Not rubbery chewy though, thank goodness. It just seemed to lack that crunch that one usually expects from a pig part. Underwhelming. The tiny menu selection and the all in all "eh-ness" of what I got doesn't really do much to make Eats Good stand out from the rest of its neighbors. Maybe they'll have something better once they step out of their dry run phase.

Upon entering Z Compound, you'd notice that it's populated by small restaurants ala food court…read morestyle. It can get hard to decide on what to eat out of the many choices but my best recommendation would be this kiosk called Eats Good Hongkong Street Food, located above BBQ Zone. They serve the best Chow Mian or Wok Fry Noodles topped with homemade fish balls or chicken balls. One order is not even enough. It's that good! It costs only Php 75 so you'll really be tempted for a second round. The homemade fish ball topping is not just any topping 'cos it's just as good as the noodles. It's different from the typical fish balls that I get from street vendors, maybe it's because their fish ball is freshly made from a dory fish. They also serve other foods like Pig Isaw, Pig Ears, Lobster Balls, Crab Fingers and Seafood Tofu. I haven't tried it but I think it's worth a try. It won't cost more than Php 50 so why not, right?

For food adventurers and explorers out there, a small street in Binondo called Carvajal Street is a…read moredestination that must not be overlooked if you happen to be in the area. I believe Binondo is best explored on foot so you can really take in all the sights, sounds and smells (both good, AND bad!). My boyfriend and I, after an hour or so of wandering around in search for fruits, finally ended up here. Since it's more line an alley than a street, it's easy to miss. Carvajal is lined up with eateries (a household name is Quick Snack) that have a LOT to offer, from classic Chinese cuisine, to traditional Filipino fares and other Asian cuisines. This street is also known for fresh produce! A huge variety of Asian fruits and vegetables are sold here in kiosks. Fresh tofu, tubs of fermented vegetables, some seafood and specialty food grocers can also be found here. Truly a foodie haven not only for those who love to eat, but for those who love to cook as well. Personally, I have not fully explored this small street thoroughly, but it's really worth mentioning. Take your time and see what each stall has to offer, and you'll never know what pleasant surprise awaits you.

Here's the thing about Carvajal Street: it's tiny as heck. I don't think it would even qualify as…read morean alley - an al fresco hallway, maybe. But this narrow street is where you can find some of the best restaurants in Chinatown. My personal favorite is Quick Snack, with their amazing fresh lumpia. A lot of people also come here for the fresh fruit stands, and the mom-and-pop groceries where you can get even the most obscure Chinese delicacies. Prepare to have your tastebuds invaded.

Yet another place I've never formally set foot in. Kayemito doesn't have the flash or bang of its…read moreneighbors. Truth be told, it's probably a level higher than a carinderia. It's also a touch on the small side, open air and not air conditioned. Definitely the kind of place that's a turo-turo with a menu. While I've never actually come here for lunch, I will tell you what I've come here for: the isaw. Yes, while UP is right in the backyard, there are times where I can't quite justify going all that way for my isaw fix. Thankfully, Kayemito covers the most basic of isaw cravings. Sometime in the afternoon, they set up a grill and start taking orders for isaw which they will cook the minute you order. There really isn't much to say about grilled pluck but it's good to know it's right there when you want it. Maybe someday I'll come back for actual food.

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.