Barcino is known to be the wine place in Manila. There's usually a Barcino in most of the premier…read moremalls. The wine by the glass prices are actually not bad that's why I think a lot of the adults come here and unwind. I'm not a wine person so whenever I go to Barcino I would always ask the server to help me out. I usually go for the white wines because I like my wine sweet. If you don't want to drink, you may also try the food here. Although, I'm not a huge fan of their food. I find it to be passable. It's not something I'd randomly crave for. But if you are a big group, you can order a paella since the serving of this is pretty big. Oh and if you don't want wine, they have imported beers to choose from. I like the SM Aura branch because they have outside seating which is perfect for sunset watching.

Barcino has been around for more than 10 years in manila and has over 7 branches. The SM Aura…read morebranch must be the nicest one! The have a comfy set up on the rooftop with couches overlooking the fort and a nice relaxing water feature in front where during the day children are playing. Barcino is known for being an authentic spanish wine and tapas bar and they must do something right with so many branches. Although the food is not excellent, it is always consistent. The croquettas are my favorite, the paella also taste good but it just comes in too big of a pan with too thin of a layer of rice, so your expectations are never met. They have a very good selection of spanish wines, although they aren't really cheap. Having a tinto de verano, a fruity wine similar to sangria, at this outlet is a perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon.

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.

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.

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.

Rooftop bar at the Seda BGC. Great views over BGC. Stopped by here a couple times during our visit…read moreto Seda to grab a drink and some small plates to share. Smaller menu, but a good variety of choices to share. We got a bunch of plates to share amongst the table, but they're also a good size if you want a meal to yourself. The crispy pata, calamari, and sisig were our favorites of all our visits. Also have a good bar menu. They were out of about a third of the menu during our visit, but what we did end of ordering was decently enjoyable. The Hiyas and the Isla were good. Plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, and we had no problems in getting a walk-up table. Great music playing. Menu was a bit overpriced - probably due to being inside of Seda. And they were also out of a few of the things we tried to order. Good choice for a nice night out with a great view of the city. Perfect choice if you're staying at the Seda and want to grab a bite to eat or a drink and don't want to leave the hotel. Would 100% recommend this for dinner over Misto.

This is our second stay at this hotel. As soon as we check in, we always go straight up to the…read morerestaurant and bar called Straight Up! Great view, great food and great service!

My one and only time in Vyne was when I was stupid enough to sign up for a Calligraphy Workshop…read morewith Pencasso Project (hold on, I'm not dissing them, I'm showing you guys how stupid I was) which was on the same day as my graduation! I had already paid and had already promised my younger cousin that we would do this together. Unfortunately, right after the graduation ceremony, I had to rush to Vyne and not celebrate lunch with my family. Given that it was a 5-hour long ceremony, I was hungry as hell. We were served a sandwich which I'm pretty sure wasn't as good as it actually was, but I was just too hungry to care. We also had dessert, a brownie. A really dry brownie. It was a Sunday and Vyne was supposedly closed, so I guess the cook or whoever prepared our food wasn't in the mood for that over time. Calligraphy class with the three ladies of Pencasso Project was fun though. I just thought that there were way too many students that they weren't able to teach their craft well. Already having taken other calligraphy classes, I had wished that they taught how to take care of your nibs and pens too.

Vyne Tapas Bar and Restaurant offers a very cozy atmosphere on the rooftop next to Hyve, giving a…read moreromantic view from above of the city. The location is of course supreme and the service all around pleasant and professional as can be. Can not find a single fault with the staff actually, they were excellent and seemed to know exactly how to present themselves while we were there. The food was delicious, of course, and a wonderful experience. The restaurant showed great and professional presentation of the dishes that matched our, no exceeded, expectations perfectly. You will want to try the short ribs, they are just the tastiest dish. How well they managed their fusion menu is a testament to their professionalism. Take for example their apple and bleu salad, it offers exactly the perfect blend of tart and sweet. And their thai scallops? The unique blend of fruit and meat just made my tastebuds sing with delight. Yes, sing! This is definitely a place to hold a party with your most intimate friends and enjoy a time well spent in beautiful surroundings over good food and, of course, great wine.

One star short only because I didn't feel like moving on with dinner after the really wet crabmeat…read moreravioli. It sort of ruined the drive especially when they could not figure out the wine to pair it with. Too much sauce guys! I like my ravioli almost dry and rich with flavor. On the upside... Great wine selection, duck confit buns (YUM!), ambiance, and smoking area. Great job with the remodeling...classy! ...and by the way, the service was OUTSTANDING!

It was actually an animal-welfare fundraising event that gave way to my experience in CAV. Apart…read morefrom the fact that I was impressed the restaurant supports the cause for agreeing to participate, they also made it extra special because Chef Markus Gfeller prepared two four-course fine dining menus (one of them, a vegetarian option) specially for the event! Oh, did I also mention that there was a choice of bottomless Beringer red or white wines for your classy drinking pleasure? The place is just superb and huge, with a relaxing atmosphere that glows with the afternoon sun. And at night, the it gets more romantic with its warm lighting. The food was overall satisfying and different. I especially liked the pomelo sherbet dessert above all that I dream about it from time to time. It was a totally new experience to me who isn't a huge fan of wines overall. I enjoyed the white wine though. It is very..."potent", to say that in a less elegant manner. That said though, in a normal day, I wouldn't spend so much in a place like CAV. Perhaps at another fund-raising event when I know my money will save lives.

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!