I went to the one in the Ayala Mall! This place is so good and the service is great. The owner is…read morefriends with my mom so I am prob a little biased. But I mean cmon the pictures of the food even look good. The vibe of the restaurant is so cute too bc of the paintings on the walls.

My brother brought the family here to celebrate his son's birthday. Prior to this I've been…read moresomewhat unimpressed by the higher end places we've been going to. Really, I'm okay with not so fancy places but this place was absolutely delicious. It's like a different take on Filipino dishes. The lumpia is so yummy!!!

A small but atmospheric restaurant in salcedo village. The servers were all wearing Maria Claras…read moreand had their hair in a bun and spoke straight Tagalog (but super fast as if she memorized it) The food was delicious. We were disappointed that they didn't have the fried carabao cheese, but everything we ordered was delicious. The fried binagoonan was specially memorable. Unlike other Filipino restaurants, their portions are smaller so take note if you're in a large group and want to order family style. The server was helpful in making suggestions on what to order. The food arrived promptly. This is the first restaurant we visited upon arriving in Makati. The double credit card slip requiring you to sign twice freaked us out a little. The restaurant explained that one copy goes to them and the other goes to the bank. But after a few days we realized it's more common practice.

Mabuhay! This place has good Filipino food. The interior is designed reminiscent of the Spanish…read moreera. The staff are courteous and spoke in Tagalog (even on the phone when we were making reservations). The dishes that I personally liked are relyenong talong (eggplant stuffed with longganisa- Filipino sausage) and the bangus salpicao. The tamarind iced tea gave me flashbacks of my childhood when my Dad made tamarind candies. The place is a bit cramped but the food experience makes up for it.

Pan de Amerikana is a house turned topsy-turvy, as you might notice from the inverted car on the…read moreroof and the chairs hanging from the ceiling of the open-air restaurant inside. Luckily, their exceptionally lovely bathroom remains on the ground. Claiming to be the first and only upside-down restaurant in Southeast Asia, Pan de Amerikana was once a small bakery selling fluffy and gargantuan pandesal at P6 each, until it branched out to include Filipino comfort food or lutong pambahay as well. Although in its earlier years I could've sworn that Pan de Amerikana would put out larger and fresher breads, I understand why that would be a lot harder to come by these days, what with the bakery's popularity. Thankfully, their pandesal is still soft to the touch, even if it's been a while since I last had one fresh out of the oven. The best thing about their pandesal is that you can have it with any kind of filling, but it's also tasty enough that you can eat it plain.

The first time that I learned about this resto was way back 2 years ago,…read morebecause of my bestfriend. We made plans of dining here but due to schedule conflicts, the plan has been pushed through at the end of my mind. It was around early this year when my partner and I accidentally came across this resto. We were heading somewhere in White Plains when our taxi passed by here. My partner was the first one who noticed it, we even asked the taxi driver to make a U-Turn and drop us instead at Pan de Amerikana. The rest is history. The facade is very unique, this is the only resto I've been to with upside down facade. Very photogenic! Even the Range Rover was upside down. Their lobby consist of wooden chair, framed photographs and a chess board game. The main dining area and the lobby was separated by a wooden bridge. Inside, it felt like an old house with lots of memorabilias from the 80s - sepia-colored photos of Filipino celebrities on a portion of a wall, colored glass lanterns, potted plants and wooden tables and chairs. Their menu consist of Filipino foods - Silog breakfasts, chicken, pork, beef and fish dishes, short orders like pancit, Pinoy desserts and shakes. They offer wide array of choices and the prices are relatively inexpensive. You can get a complete meal below P200, I can spend the same amount when I go to fastfood but nothing beats a 'lutong-bahay'. The taste is good, if not great. It's like your grandma's version of home-cooked meals. Recommended dish: Crispy Mushroom (Appetizer) Though are known for their pan de sal, we weren't able to try it. I'd be happy to dine here everyday if it weren't too far from me! PS: At the time of visit, there was no service charge. :D

Artsy Café in Maginhawa lives up to its moniker. The restaurant has kitschy interiors, tall…read moreceilings and accent walls of turf, exposed brick and whitewash. It also has a charming fence separating its front porch from the street. The trellis outside keeps the heat out, making the outside seating comfortable and sheltered from the elements. When the rest of Maginhawa seem to embrace the fun and youthful energy of the students that frequent the neighborhood feeding holes, Arsty Cafe is one of the few ones that seem to have the entire family in mind. For one, the prices are not student-friendly, and thus, you would always see entire families or groups of friends dining here. The food is home-style, and it feels like it was made by your mom for your weekly family Sunday brunch. For a while, the restaurant was still on soft open, but what I really loved about their menu are the pastas, which are well-seasoned, al dente and restrained. Service is a bit slow, especially during the busy hours. The servings are quite small considering the price points, but you will appreciate the care and the thought that went into the creation of your meal. I recommend the Puttanesca pasta, with a bright and astringent sauce of pureed tomatoes and capers. I also love the Frutti di Mare Pasta, which is creamy and rich but not overwhelming. It's probably not the best, but it'll do when you have a whole family in tow and you want a quiet place that serves "real" food.There is usually a waiting list, especially during dinner service.

My brother and I can literally just talk for hours, and since he's usually out of the country…read morelately, we just never run out of topics. We've always known Artsy Café exists and we decided to try it recently and ended up staying there from around 6pm to past 9pm. It became one of our well-loved places to catch up. PROS: Artsy has beautiful interiors and quirky décor that lives up to its artful name. I love the mismatched tiles on the floor and the really high ceiling with the chandeliers. I wasn't expecting it to be so spacious inside when looking at it from the outside. Their porch is pretty cozy too if you feel like going al fresco. Plus, their expansive space is a one-up from the usual space-inferior hipster café/restaurant that litter the area; Our food was served quickly and with ample servings. CONS: Even on a weeknight, this place tends to get packed for dinner rush. We had to cut our convo short when we felt that the space we were occupying could be for other patrons who wanted to eat, so we left. TL;DR: Artsy Café attracts the pseudo-hipster/yuppie crowd but can satisfy anyone looking for a nice place to eat and have good conversation.

The first time I have heard of this restaurant was about 3 years ago when I was looking for a…read moreromantic place to propose to my then girlfriend. I found this in a list, I think in Facebook, being included in the top 10 most romantic places for proposals. Eventually, I did not choose this restaurant. Anyway, I chanced upon this again via a truffle 4-course dinner coupon from Deal Grocer. I thought this was a good idea to finally try this one out. The place is indeed romantic. After we parked our cars outside, a doorman will escort us to a cute old house. The walk on the cobblestone road with torch lights seemed romantic. The interiors of the house feels cozy yet homey with the interior frames, with a feel of a fine dining French restaurant. We had a complete dinner starting with an amuse bouche of seared tuna and cucumber salad, then a choice of duck confit salad, and beef tartare. For the main course, we had butter poached shrimp with shimeji mushrooms and angel hair pasta, and beef cheeks in truffle sauce. For desserts, we had pavlova with fruits and truffle honey. The main courses were great. The shrimp pasta was my favorite, while the beef cheeks were melt-in-your-mouth tender. I was not a fan of the appetizers as I find something lacking. The dessert was too sweet for me and it was the only dish that I could not finish. Nevertheless, the restaurant is a quiet place for the couple to bond over a glass of wine.

Whenever someone asks me for a date place recommendation in the Metro, I never waver in my…read moreconviction and commitment to Lemuria. Tucked away in Horshoe Village, Lemuria, loyal to its namesake, is an almost hidden slice of paradise in the city. One step inside the place and you can immediately feel the romance wafting in the air. The cuisine they offer is French-Mediterranean but there's none of the dreary fusion fare that everyone is offering these days. Instead, they focus on the classics with an emphasis on quality and execution. For starters, you can't go wrong with the escargots which are French snails sautéed in almond and herb-butter. If that's not decadent enough for you, get a steak for the main course. They have plenty of steak options, but for me, the Filet Mignon is perfect. Feeling a bit demure or want something a bit lighter? I recommend the Sea Bass, which hits all the right notes all the time.

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.

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.

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!