If you've walked around the area, you will have seen the champagne bar Monopole beside BSA Suites…read moreand wondered what it was. I've just had the privilege of wining and dining at Monopole as I let the traffic pass on a Friday night. I don't regret taking my friend's invitation for this place! My friend and I finished a bottle of Gamay, a young red wine that they usually only serve by the glass. Since we had already consumed two glasses, they gave the bottle to us anyway at a little less than 4,000 pesos. That's a bit pricey for a Beaujolais wine, but we were liking it and didn't feel like going for anything heavier. During our stay, we were served table snacks. To sate our growing appetites, though, we also ordered their meatballs. Organic, they said, with truffle - and not truffle oil, from what we could taste, because the truffle wasn't overwhelming; it flavored the meatballs just right. Monopole is a nice, intimate venue for wine exploration or enjoyment. They offer glasses of wine in tasting servings to full pours, though longer conversations may require the bottle itself. Connoisseurs won't be disappointed with the classics they have from the main wine regions of France, the Super-Tuscan blends they have from Italy, and even a few choice vintages from Napa or South America. Don't expect any meals at the place, though, so come for pre or post dinner drinks.

It's just ok. None of the cheeses on the cheese platter…read morewere French (Cheddar, Parm, Gorgonzola) None of meats on the charcuterie platter were French (Spanish-y, Italian-y, and a hot dog) But all the wines are French. It's all about the wine here as the food seems to be inconsistent with the theme

If you're looking for a relatively inexpensive place for wine and cheese, try La Vie Parisienne…read more You can have a bottle of sangria or rosé for as low as P300+, and its cheese plates are decent. If you're craving for something more substantial to eat, LVP offers a quarter roast chicken meal for P250, shawarma pizza, and prosciutto pizza.

Sala is Makati's old guard. A well-heeled institution of a restaurant that has seen lesser…read morepretenders come and go, Sala is one of the restaurants that deserves its storied reputation. Okay, I honestly thought I wouldn't be able to try this restaurant out anytime soon, as it literally takes a small fortune to eat here. I was lucky, however, that my boss treated the team out to dinner at Sala. I did have a minor heart attack upon seeing the menu, but it does look inviting. I had an order of Lamb Cutlets, which was cooked to perfection. The dessert was absolutely divine as well. I'd love to come back here someday, preferably with a hot date. Need to pull out a mortgage first.

I'm not sure why I never cared to ask what the"free" and tiny hors d'œuvre is officially called,…read morebut it seems that everyone I know who's experienced it absolutely loved it!

This place offers THE BEST food and wine selection! Nice ambiance, music volume was just right…read moreallowing us to talk with friends we were hanging out with. Service was exceptional!! Parking garage across the place as well as street parking g available.

Another hangout place for wine enthusiasts and foodies. They're above average for food, but why…read morewhine, when you can wine. Smoked Fish Spaghettini (280 PHP) A decent plate of pasta that remained warm enough to enjoy even after 15 minutes of shooting. The overall seasoning is balanced and light in flavour, which fits the perfectly done pasta. Mixed Cold Cuts and Cheese Platter (580 PHP) This is the platter to pair with your wine night with friends. Oddly enough you don't save by getting this platter, individually the cheese (210 PHP) and Meat (380 PHP), but it's a pair to pair with wine. Cheese Pesto Pizza (430 PHP) There are 2 kinds of pizza lovers; the dough don't bother me feels so good or the top heavy toppings fanatic. I'm a dough lover and places that I get dough are Salvatore Cuomo and Motorino Pizzeria - I enjoy the thin and chewy kind that stretches and is lovingly soft. Vitto's pizzas are thin and have that feel good dough I seek, it's decent dough... As for the toppings it fairly average, cheese and pesto with some tomatoes. Crispy Bacon (195 PHP) Deep fired to a crisp and satisfying crunch that's ideal as bar chow (pulutan) Chicken Ragu (250 PHP) Chicken breast fillet stuffed with carrots, cheese, and mornay sauce, breaded, fried, and sliced. Pasta Al Funghi (240 PHP) Creamy good pasta with the right thickness of sauce. I enjoy the even coat and mix.

Not a wine expert, but I just wanted to try out wine bars for a change. It was Thursday when I made…read morea visit, and I was their only customer... I guess it doesn't get crowded on weekdays? Parking was a breeze as well (street parking in front of the restaurants at Tuscany). Their place is very purple-lighted (because grapes) and they have tables inside for large groups and outside for their smoking area. They played throwback songs (because TBT) which made my stay worthwhile. They sell wines by the bottle and by glass (sip, half, full sizes) and I was told that the wines by the glass were arranged according to their taste from "dry" to "sweet". At first glance, wines that are sweet are more expensive, but there are cheaper ones that are sweeter than some. Tried red and white, in the range of mid sweet and not as expensive. I'm glad staff gave tips on which to get. I also got their bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar which is one of the cheapest appetizers to go with both red and white wines. They don't have a happy hour promo but I heard from a friend they had this unlimited promo last year around July. I'm hoping to catch it and visit again soon!

Came here for a private dinner party and the food was awesome, the mushroom…read moreTruffle penne pasta was so good and the service was excellent. Also love their rooftop area with the beautiful view. A must try when in makati

Very urban and stylish bar/lounge with a very western/euro food menu. Big time social hang for…read moreyoung professionals that want to be seen and/or in the mix. Inside is crazy youthful and vibrant oozing in urban drip. There is definitely a design concept here that they bring to life quite well. Night time when the lighting scheme can take hold is when I think this place buzzes. But in honesty we arrived near sunset when it was still daylight and the space is still quite clean and impressive. Just has another buzz at night that's all. Just a note: even tho the interior is slick and upscale, the outside is in a not so hot neighborhood with lots of dark and narrow streets/alleys. I'd take public rides here if you can. Luckily arrived during one of their happy hours so it was 2 for 1 certain drinks. House cocktails and certain glasses of wine. Did an Argentine Malbec to start then slipped into a Tanqueray Tonic as it got darker. Warm weather makes me gravitate towards that cocktail, very refreshing yet a slow sipper to savour. Charcuterie Board (3.5*) Not sure if these are build-able or came as is. Someone had this coming out before I even ordered a drink. Big board like enough for 6 to casually nosh on. You will have to keep asking for more bread or crackers as they only give out a little with the board. I'm sure there is a charge for each basket of bread as it seems home made, very warm, meaty interior with a slight crust. We asked for refills at least 4 times, it's that good, good. Lots of components tried about 4 cheeses 2 soft rinds and 2 medium textured ones. Saw about 4 cured sliced meats, 1 smooth pate, 1 pork rilletes and a couple of tart condiments like a spiced pineapple and some pickled vegetables. All was standard except for the chicken liver pate which had a significant sweetness to it which threw many of us off. It wasn't horrible as it was kinda like eating a piece of meat that intermingled with something sweet like maple syrup or honey. Can't really say I want that for a pate spread but it was 'interesting'. Goat Cheese Salad ((4*) This seemed like a salad meant to share family style versus an entree salad. I only say that cuz the warm 'goat cheese' is a whole mini wheel of cheese, like way too much for one person to consume in one sitting. Salad was the standard fancy greens with cubed beets, walnuts and a light vinaigrette. That whole wheel of cheese I mentioned was fried in a crumb crust that was very crisp and when cut into, the cheese oozed big time. My take is the cheese seemed more like Brie to me cuz of the smooth texture, unless there is a soft rind creamy goats cheese I haven't had. Porchetta (3.5*) A rolled pork belly where the interior gets rubbed with salt and rosemary then the rolled belly gets roasted til the exterior gets crisp. This was rolled and seasoned quite well but after slicing they fried the slice to give it more crisping. Crisp it was (all throughout) that it gave off Lechon kawali vibes to me, more than Porchetta vibes. Again not entirely bad, just a gap between expectations and real time. Service quite professional for being a very youthful staff. I actually think this country excels in anything service related compared to where the US is now, where the avoidance of service is well on the climb. But great place to lounge/drink in a stylish atmo, food more just okay, so keep that casual and this place is more than able to impress. Rounding up.

I can't believe that no one has written a review for this place. I was happy that we had the…read moresecond floor all to ourselves. I was able to take numerous pictures, and I didn't have to worry about my table manners. Instead of us asking each other to pass the heavy trays or dishes around, we just excused each other for reaching for the food. With my luck, if I tried to pass or receive a dish, I would drop it. The food was delicious! We started off with the Pate de Jamon, and we ate that like there was no tomorrow. The La Cata de los Tres Olivos and the Tabla de Manchego were wonderful with our 3 orders of Jamon. I enjoyed eating the Ensalada con Queso with the Jamon, Pork and Steak dishes. The luscious appetizers, savory meat dishes, delightful Crema de Queso and Tocino de Cielo deserts is a good reason why my niece booked a reservation for her birthday in December. If you're coming here for their Jamon and wine pairings, don't come here when it's time for the elections like we did. Now we know why we had the second floor to ourselves.

I admire Great Escape's aplomb. A slightly upscale Italian trattoria and wine place in a…read moreneighborhood food park teeming with broke college kids? That seems like a tall order, but what Great Escape has accomplished so far in Maginhawa StrEAT is admirable. The container van-style Italian restaurant serves such traditional trattoria mainstays as bruschetta, pasta, oven-baked pizzas and antipasti. I think it is a clever idea to introduce the food-park going crowd to more sophisticated dining choices. It's good that it's there as an option. Students can flock to the cheaper and less intimidating alternatives from the other concessionaires in the park, but what Great Escape offers is something that the more mature crowds (who can afford. Ha!) can enjoy. Here, you don't have to worry about plastic forks or sauces dribbling down your front. They have real utensils and wine glasses that you can use if you want to dine in and enjoy a glass of wine. Their sangria is ace - sweet, not too heady and refreshingly fruity. I ordered the aglio e olio pasta, which turned out a bit too salty for my taste. I'd reserve my opinion and write about this place again in the future, since they are stil on soft opening and they are still probably trying to sort some things out with their recipes. What makes this place super unique is the mist-spewing sprinklers that they hooked up to their trellis. It releases a cool mist every now and then to keep their customers cool during the balmy nights, reminding one of dewy vineyards. Raymund, Herbie and co. should be really proud of themselves. They are doing a great job so far.

The servers were great. The wine tasted so woody and oaky that together with the creme' brulee made…read morethat perfect bittersweet taste that I really like. But thank goodness we only ordered a glass each not a whole bottle. The place could've been in a much better location if you ask me. When we were there, there was this tree with its roots hanging from the ceiling. I thought it was cool but weird at the same time. I guess they were going for that cozy Italian cabin feeling that didn't quite work well with the place, because it was originally set up as a loft. The stairs were a little too steep for a wine bar. I give it 3stars because the theme didn't work well with how the place was set up but the wine was great.

Perf chill drinking spot with friends. Try their flavored vodkas, Call Me Maybe & One Night Stand.read more

Friendly staff, affordable drinks and food. Slow service makes it lack one more star.read more