Ba Noi's Ca Phe is the more casual (and cheaper) younger brother of the Ba Noi's with which you're…read moreprobably familiar. I'm not sure when the rebrand of this branch happened - some time within the last 6 months - but it certainly is a better fit for the stretch of casual-fare restaurants along East Kapitolyo. The menu is a bit smaller with servings and prices to match. They keep the essentials when one is craving Vietnamese food: Pho, Fried and Fresh Springs Rolls, Vermicelli Noodle toppers. What is notably missing are some of the seafood options that standard Ba Noi's offers. The worthy replacement is their list of Bahn Mi's - vietnamese sandwiches served on a French-influenced brioche with your choice of filling. Head to Ba Noi's for a casual dinner before drinks at Capitol Commons. But, you'll probably want to go for an early dinner, as the parking on Kapitolyo tends to fill up quickly - check to see if there are spots available right in front, across the street the guard at the empty house lets you park if you're nice and let him know you're just going to be eating across the street.

My appointment with a client was cancelled, and so I took the opportunity to have a date with my…read morewife instead. We picked a restaurant wherein there is a high chance that both our families will not eat...and that's Vietnamese food. Ba Nois is a casual dining restaurant with black and white tables and chairs. Its walls hang pictures of Vietnamese lifestyle and culture. To try as much as we can, we ordered the spring roll and pork strips on dry noodles, large size (Php320) and the crepe with bean sprouts and side salad (Php250). Just for the sake of reminiscing our honeymoon in Vietnam, she ordered an iced truong coffee (Php110) while I tried the blended ice mocha (Php150). The crepe came out first and we were happy to see that it looked like the one we had in Vietnam. The crispy crust, eaten together with the bean sprouts, basil leaves, lettuce, and the special sauce has a nice, clean, and balanced taste. It is crunchy, sweet, and healthy, too. The noodles came out next. The combination of each ingredient makes it a wonderful dish: the bland rice noodles is complemented by the salty spring roll, sweet tocino-like pork strips, sourness of the vinegar-chili sauce, and the freshness of the vegetables. My disappointment would fall into the drinks. My wife's coffee was too light for a Vietnamese coffee, but we were glad that it was served authentically into a Vietnamese brewer. My mocha, on the other hand, was too sweet and too creamy. It was like a milkshake, and destroyed the otherwise good taste of the food. I was also disappointed to find that they do not serve banh mi. Service is ok. Ambiance is also warm, except for a certain fly that won't get off our table.

Visiting from SoCal. A culinaire friend wanted us to try out the dishes here. She and Benny's did…read morenot disappoint! We had very delightful food. The bistek, dinakdakan, ukoy and pinakbet were delicious. I'm definitely coming back here and telling my other foodie fam and friends. Service was fantastic. Our server attended to his customers very well. This restaurant is next to the supermarket. Best to eat here first before buying groceries.

Just finished a morning walk around Makati & needed to do a little grocery shopping. We stopped…read moreinto Rustan's & decided to try Benny's for breakfast. First the good: 1. Yes, the dalandan juice is fresh squeezed; 2. Beef tapa is tasty; 3. Atchara is outstanding!!! Great pickled side; 4. The male waiters are very attentive. Now the not so good: 1. The female waitresses are a bit . . . uninterested or slow. In fact, when they brought our eggs we had to return then because we asked for overeasy & got sunny side up; they were also very cold - - they must have been sitting around for awhile. Other than the service issue, the food was very good. BTW: They have a little stand on the side that makes puto bumbong which we took home after our grocery shopping for a snack - - it's good. Enjoy.

We visited Siklab in Makati for the first time, and it ended up being the perfect final meal before…read morewrapping up our trip to the Philippines. The restaurant itself is aesthetically pleasing, with a warm and inviting atmosphere. The service crew was attentive and made sure we were well taken care of throughout our visit. The food was simply delicious. We ordered the Chickboy platter, which included crispy pata, patis fried chicken, and liempo. The liempo was especially flavorful and well-cooked, while the chicken was juicy and satisfying. The crispy pata was good, though the skin could have been a bit crunchier for that perfect texture. We also tried the okoy, which was light, crispy, and not oily at all--definitely a standout. The gising-gising was rich and flavorful, while both the lomi and batchoy were comforting and satisfying, with the batchoy bringing a nice spicy kick. Overall, although pricey - it was a great dining experience and a memorable way to end our trip.

A Filipino restaurant located inside Robinson Magnolia, situated across the Garden and has 2…read moreentrances (one coming from the mall and the other outside the terrace). We are here for dinner with a few friends. To start while I wait for everyone, I ordered fish and squid balls. A typical street food with 3 sauces (spicy, sweet and suka). As everyone arrived, we ordered some appies first: crispy calamari, calamari cooked in olive oil, baked mussels. 6/10 Garlic rice: 8/10, Fried bangus: 9/10, Deep fried baby crabs: 8/100 Sisig: 7/10, beef salpicao: 6/10, beef bulalo: 9/10, garlic shrimp: 7/10 Overall, pretty good.

Having lunch here with family…read more We ordered Fish (Pompano) in black bean sauce and onions. Sinuglao (Filipino Ceviche), Chicken Inasal with grilled chicken liver and Talong (Eggplant) omelette. The fish in black bean sauce is grilled and moist, not dry. It's delicious! The Filipino Ceviche has chunks of tuna marinated in white vinegar and fresh mini chilies. It's spicy, taste fresh and taste great as appetizer. The Chicken Inasal is grilled and marinated. Soft and moist. The grilled chicken liver that comes along with the chicken is soft and marinated both are in the skewers. Taste great. The Catfish in coconut milk is fried and marinated. It's moist and soft, not dry. Taste sooogood! This Filipino restaurant is inside Robinson's Mall in Quezon City. Serving Staff are helpful and courteous. Their food is pricey and serving is average. But it's worth a try. Clean and neutral gender bathroom.

This is one of the oldest hot-pot restaurant in Manila. There are so many of ingredients choices…read morefrom seafood, beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, and needle. Three different taste of Soup also available. Freshness of all materials and pricing are reasonable. We can use there for business purpose too.

I am ashamed to say that I only discovered this place 2 years ago. Tien effing Tien is the bomb!…read moreThe first time I was able to dine here, we ordered off the ala carte menu but I had noticed that every one else was enjoying a hot pot meal. Subsequent visits were made and it was hot pot all the way from there. No regrets were had. (Skip this paragraph if you already know how to get there/park cause tl;dr) Tien Tien used to be located on Pasay Rd/Arnaiz so don't make the same mistake as me! They are now located in The Atrium Bldg along Makati Ave right next to the pretty pretty Zuellig Bldg. Parking can be a bit of an issue if you're not familiar with how it works but here are some hopefully helpful instructions based on personal experience of driving around in circles: If you're heading north on Makati Ave from Ayala Ave, you'll actually see The Atrium Bldg, that way you have an idea of where it is. Make a right on Paseo de Roxas and an immediate right into what looks like the parking lot/driveway of the Zuellig Bldg. Go past the lot onto the next street which is Apartment Ridge Rd and make a right there since it's a one way street. It's parallel to Makati Ave and just follows along the curve. You can park (or double park if you have a driver I guess) next to the wall and there should be an entrance to Tien Tien from the back. Semi bad thing is that you'll have to go through the function rooms which can be awks if there are a lot of people or if there's private party. Enough about location and parking, onto the food: Two things I remember about the ala carte menu is that 1) the seafood is super fresh. You can actually see the food (haha get it) swimming in the aquariums near the front entrance. 2) Eel in black bean/tausi sauce. Don't even think twice except maybe for the bones so be careful. Eat this with rice because it is so worth the calories. The hot pot blows so many other hot pot places out of the water. What Tien Tien doesn't give you in AYCE, they give you in quality. You have a choice of 4 soup bases and you can pick 2 in a split pot for variety. I personally prefer the wansuy soup base (stock with cilantro and peidan/century egg) cause I find it very light and refreshing. It also doesn't mask the taste of the meat, fish, etc too much and it absorbs their flavors too if you wanna drink the soup afterwards. Do not get wansuy if you have the genetics that make you think cilantro tastes like soap. Get sate instead if you'd like a spicy kick. The wantons, shrimp balls, and beef balls are all freshly made and take a little longer to cook so throw them into the soup first. The HK sliced beef is so red and fresh with just the right amount of fat. The rest of the stuff is pretty much standard. I unfortunately couldn't try the cheeseballs that people have mentioned because I'm lactose intolerant. Sad day. There is a sink near the entrance so you can wash your hands if you don't need to use the bathroom since it is located outside. In the dark empty building that could easily scare you if you're a scaredy cat like me. That sink is very much appreciated. The staff is great and very attentive! Very efficient and awesome service! We're sorry if we kept making you come back to pour tea, we wanted a whole teapot so you wouldn't have to go back and forth. However, I wouldn't recommend using the bathroom here because it's not exactly a golden throne.

Good Filipino comfort food restaurant that has a wide selection of appetizers, soups, and entrees…read moreclose to the Metro Manila area. We tried many dishes and enjoyed the ambiance in this Manila restaurant. A good menu selection if you like to test out your taste buds.

Not crowded and no wait when we came in around 4:00pm on a Wednesday. Not high end but comfortable…read moreinside with a/c. We ordered: Grilled Panga and Tanigiue, Kinilaw na fish, Chopsuey (I love the sweet taste) Baked Mussels, Adobong Kangkong, Crispy Pata (not much tabâ). Very good Filipino food option around this area. We're all happy with all the food we ordered. We'll go back again.

When I was helping my girlfriend look for a new place, we found a listing in the building above…read moreRobina Chicken House, and we went there to look at the place. It was a dead end, sadly, but we ended up going inside Robina since it was hot outside and we were famished. This turned out to be splendid idea. Robina, as suggested by its name, served fried and roast chicken, mainly, and in this endeavour it does well enough. However, its main draw for me is their chilled taho, which is just the perfect mix of taho and sugar, and chilled to perfection - best way to cool down on a hot day.

The number of times my family dined out when I was just a kid was few and far in between. So I…read moreremember all my childhood restaurant experiences vividly. Sadly, many of the places where we ate out have closed down. One food place that I never thought to visit again is The Robina Chicken House. I don't know the exact place where I had my first taste of roasted chicken, but I'm sure it was at Robina's. I thought they no longer existed but I was happy to discover their outlet along Finlandia Street in Makati. The restaurant offers many choices of Filipino dishes, including Crispy Pata, Pansit, and Chopsuey. But the only thing that I ordered during my visit was their bestseller, the Roasted Chicken. It took a while before I got my order of half spring chicken but I didn't mind because I was really excited to let my wife sample one of my childhood favorites. The chicken was still juicy and tasty even if it has since turned cold when I arrived home. I really savored each bite and didn't even bother eating with rice. My wife also liked the chicken because the meat was tender. The sauce that came with the chicken is unlike the liver sauce that's become typical these days. Rather, it's a dark brown syrup with strong hints of five-spice. The restaurant is open every day from 9:00am to 10:00pm. They only accept cash.

Kanzhu doesn't claim to be comfort food, but it sure functions like it. It is a little, unassuming…read morehole-in-the-wall along Tomas Morato. I've missed it a couple of times, looking for it. But it promises to be as authentic as Chinese hand-pulled noodles can be. I've never been to Northern China, but I'm pretty satisfied with what I've had so far. Especially on a rainy day! To start, try their dumplings. I'd try them all: Lamb, and Pork and Chives, in both steamed and pan-fried versions. It is heaven with its accompanying black vinegar sauce. If you're lucky, they'll give you some complementary salty fish skin to pick at. And my favorite! - their Braised Beef noodles, either dry, or with soup. Properly filling, it will warm your body and your heart on a cold, wet afternoon. In my experience, they are more generous with the beef with the dry version (they set the soup aside, but serve it nonetheless). Service isn't bad. At least, I don't recall any negative experiences. Our food was always served hot, fresh, and on time, and our water glasses were always filled. So, as far away as Northern China is, if Kanzhu is as authentic as it says it is, I'm good. I take comfort in knowing that I can visit it on any given rainy day.

I come from a 100% Chinese heritage which means my stomach knows some really good Chinese food…read more Comfort food for me is a piping hot bowl of noodle soup. From ramen to laksa, Beef Noodle Soup is the kind that I like best. We just came from a day trip from a Bataan-based resort which left us tired from the heat and hungry from the traffic. I've already had my fair share of beach food like liempo and clubhouse sandwiches so I was looking for something comforting and not too heavy. My brother frequents Kanzhu for some reason so I was always curious about this place. It was time I tried it. I am not a fan of spicy food but surprisingly, the level of heat in their broth offers just the right amount of kick to complement the soup. Truth is, it it wasn't that spicy, it wouldn't be as good. Meat was soft and tender while noodles were firm to the bite. Nothing more to ask but maybe some extra soup please??