AMBIENCE Restaurant was well-lit and very lively especially…read morewhen their staffers started dancing to what seemed to be a "Manila Girl" melody. FOOD & BEVERAGE The free bread they served before the big dishes tasted like doughnuts, and the second serving was burning hot! Peanuts were also free. All American Cheeseburger was simple, juicy and tasty while Beef Ranchero was the best of all dishes tried and something I would strongly considering for next visit. Crispy Chicken Strips and Chicken Strip Basket were the same but the latter was for kids. Grilled Bone-in Pork Chop had fine mashed potatoes with hints of tiny chunks while the meat was not too tough to cut. Meaty flavor was good but didn't make me feel too guilty to try. And for drinks, Raspberry Margarita was not that strong but pretty tasty and fun to drink slowly with our meal. I only had sips so it might be stronger than I thought. SERVICE Staffers were quick and smiling while wearing shirts with prints on the back saying "I Love My Job." We ordered a Beef Ranchero for dine-in and takeaway, but surprisingly, the one for takeaway arrived way ahead of the dine-in version plus the Chicken Strip Basket, also for dine-in. Our waitress shocked us when she offered to reheat the takeaway to be served for the meantime. A better suggestion would've been more appropriate and we chose to wait for the newer one after quite a number of follow-ups instead. The supervisor or manager that went to our table was apologetic. I just thought it would've been better and more heartfelt if he delivered his apology to the person who directly got disappointed; telling our parents was very polite but a tad bit safe and evasive, in my opinion. I'm still throwing a 3 as a rating because I still want to return and I know they have good food despite the pricing.

Before the big American franchises came to Manila, there was Racks. My first memory of this…read morerestaurant dates back to grade school. I remembered getting a medal for something and we celebrated at Racks. That was where I tasted my first baby back ribs which became one of my favorite foods up to now. This place disappeared in the south for several years, and thankfully it came back when the Food Street area in SM Southmall opened. Their baby back ribs obviously take center stage in that restaurant, but the classic pork ribs is a sleeping giant. It's so good, especially with Racks' special barbecue sauce. I like the spicy variation. Their country-style fried chicken is good too, and it comes with some muffins to be glazed with the best honey I've ever tasted. Finish that off with their Mississippi Mud Pie. Families love dining in this place not only because of the homey feel, but because they also offer really affordable group meals.

Ribs are BOMB! Wishing I lived in the Philippines. You can never get good ribs, in a mall, here in…read morethe U.S.

5 stars! My family and I as 9 people who came from EK had a very fun yet tiring time at EK. Great…read morelocation here at AllHome and a nice place to unwind with friends or family from here. Any time, any day, 24/7 of kind and caring staff. The food here while serving is quick, and the food? Delicious! Would recommened especially for a lot and a ton of coffee too. Late night dinners here are the best!

What can I say about Denny's... As always it's a 24/7 diner that's well known for serving…read morebreakfast 24/7. Back in the States it's not as 'upscale' as you would imagine it to be here. Although the interior decor is much the same as in the US, it seems the clientele here seems to be a bit more high end... in used to seeing a bunch of club goers grabbing breakfast here as the sun rises on them. Anyways on to the food. Actually not horrible, I found it more like comfort food for those of you who miss the traditions of being stateside. The serving of chicken fried steak was huge, but the patty was thin, and the serving of hashed browns was also inadequate. But you know there's just something about having chicken fried steak, hash browns, and sunny side up eggs for breakfast that just brings a smile to your face! The bacon was like really thin, like shabu shabu thin! Like it broke off when i tried to pick it up. Pancakes were on point fluffy and tasted great! Overall, hey man! It's Denny's... in the Philippines! So hoorah!!

I paid $80 (5000 pesos) for the last bone in rib-eye they had and still wound up taking it home to…read morecook properly for breakfast after taking a couple of bites. My sister's medium boneless ribeye came out more rare than my medium rare and she finally had to settle for ribs! Which were actually edible. Biggest problem was the cutlery! The serrated steak knives were so dull and bent, you couldn't even cut a tender steak if you got one. If you can't even give your customers a decent knife, don't complain when they send back a steak. I give the manager credit for apologizing and doing what she could but Expats beware. If you're craving a good steak, save your $ and go to Wolfgang's. I understand that things are different here in the PI. I'm amazed that there is so much variety among restaurants. But it is not the fault of the locals when the restaurant company gives them cheap tools and products just to cut costs! Bad cooking is something else, though. A horrible experience at a Mesa restaurant actually made my wife go back in the kitchen and show the chef in training how to make adobo! Overall, I love the PI and the local cuisine. I think I'll stick to the chain restaurants that I know for certain are consistent.

Best in the Philippines.. Remind me of home cooked food like back in America. A little piece of…read moreAmerica here in the Philippines.

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,

My sister treated us to this tall presentation of onion rings so the first good point is obviously…read morepresentation! Second is the texture where the batter's very thick and crunchy. Third is the flavor that almost made me think it had some sort of powdery flavor, and it had a delicious spice of sorts around it. I think I ate most of them at our table. :)

I've been eating burgers since God knows when, from the food chain to street burger; but believe me…read morewhen I say that BBB is the best burger that I've sunk my teeth into.Every product listed on their menu is mouth watering even before you see the real thing. I got the Bacon Bleu Cheese Meal, a fat and juicy 1/ 3 lbs. well-seasoned pure beef burger patty, smoked and grilled to utmost perfection, topped with fresh lettuce, white onions and sliced red tomatoes; finished with an abundant amount of bleu cheese and sandwiched by big burger buns similar to a freshly baked pandesal. The meal also includes their famous big cut fries and a soft drink of your choice. Also, you can't go wrong with their Jalapeño burger; their famous beef patty kicked with the spiciness of jalapeño, salsa, lettuce and cheese. If you love pasta, don't miss out on their awesome pesto spaghetti.

If you crave for quiet time, which you can't get in mainstream cafés, Carpe Diem is the perfect…read moreplace for you. They have a sufficient amount of plugs for your gadgets and free wi-fi - just what you need for your me time or study time. Aside from this, the café also serves great coffee and food. If you're coming with a big group just be sure to patient enough 'cos it may take awhile before they serve your orders. When I first dined here, I wasn't expecting much 'cos I've never heard that much about their food. Surprisingly, I loved their Chicken Teriyaki Rice. It has the right amount of sweetness and there's a generous amount of chicken. It reminds me of the Takaw Rice in Charbroiled. The café is a bit small so I won't recommend it for big groups.

The addition of Food Street in SM Southmall upped the ante of dining experience in that mall. One…read moreof the restaurants that make up this row of food establishments is Burgoo. I think it's the only place offering our American and Tex-Mex favorites in Southmall. This is where we go if we're craving for nachos, buffalo wings and burgers. I like getting the super sampler for appetizer because it contains all of my favorites: buffalo wings, cheddar cheese fries, mozzarella sticks and fried calamari. Another personal favorite would be the boneless buffalo chicken with bleu cheese sauce for dipping. It's Buffalo Wings without the hurdles (of deboning it). That appetizer can already pass for a meal, but if you're still up for something heavy, the Shrimps and Ribs Platter served with Rice Pilaf and mashed potatoes is perfect. The rice pilaf is really tasty and the mashed potatoes is creamy and well-seasoned. My family loves eating here because they offer big servings of our favorite comfort food.

If there was anything positive to talk about this restaurant, I would only be talking about the…read morenice interiors and good service. The food was not even underwhelming; it was just horrible. I visited this place because it was recommended by a popular and credible local food blog. To my disappointment, the promising review on their dishes never shone through in any of what we had ordered. Since they advertise that they're known for their meats, I opted for the baby back ribs with BBQ sauce. Tho that ribs were tender and falling off the bone, the sauce was just too sweet and extremely salty. It came with a side of OK-tasting french fries (perhaps to weather down the nightmare that is the BBQ sauce?). I also ordered some mashed potatoes. The mashed tasted too artificial and again, extremely salty. Are going for gallstones, here? I was thinking maybe it was just me, but then I sampled my friend's Truffle Pasta. At this point, I had no expectations that it would be anything different. True enough, although the pasta wasn't too salty, it was too garlicky and there was almost no hint of truffles. In a nutshell, it was like a carbonara you'd get in a Class B local resto chain. My friend and I were looking around the other diners if they were experiencing the same, but they all seemed to be enjoying the food. We didn't know if the whole situation was absurd, hilarious, or just downright appalling. I'm never going back to Mati's. Ever.

I live in the North so for me to go to a restaurant in the South, it has to be really, really worth…read morebraving the traffic for. Mati's Meat & Bread I quickly looking to be one of the bang for your buck steak places in the Metro, making it worth the trip. Mati's is owned by the same people behind local steakhouse chain Melo's, so you are at least assured of the quality of beef they use. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that they cook the steak right in front of you so you can control the doneness. If it's not to your liking, you have no one to blame but yourself. Notable highlights in the menu are the truffled bone marrow because the presentation is simply stunning. The taste isn't half bad either. Another dish worth mentioning is the Balut Aligue, which is as sinfully decadent as the name would suggest. Mati's gets two thumbs up in my book!