Manila Restaurants

[CiriloE]

Will be going home after four years to visit Mom and Dad. Any recommendations to high end restaurants in the area? Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Filipino food...

Are the traditional Chinatown restaurants in Ongpin still any good? Have not been there in twenty six years. Still worth a visit or stick to hotel located restaurants?

Thank you much for your help.

Cirilo

[Stagiaire]

Red at the Shangri-La is pretty good. Tin Hau at the Mandarin Oriental and the Shang Palace at the Shangri-la probably serve the best upscale dimsum in those two areas.

Good Earth serves awesome nouvelle chinese, located at the Fort

El Cirkulo on Pasay Road serves Spanish/Philippine cuisine, the chef went to CIA. Tsukiji (for their Kobe beef) and Azuma-Ya (noodles), in the same building and owned by the same family, serves awesome Japanese food, though Tsujiki comes close to nosebleed prices for Manila standards.

Unfortunately, to get great Filipino food, you have to go a bit downmarket as the upscale Philippine restaurants turned to fusion in an attempt to legitimize their cuisine. Quite sad if you ask me....

[CiriloE]

Unfortunately, to get great Filipino food, you have to go a bit downmarket

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Thank you very much. Which are your favorites for the downmarket Pinoy places? How is old chinatown?

Salamat uli,

Cirilo

[maaraw]

Kababayan, mabuting biyahe sa iyo!

I've lived abroad for a long time but in the last eight years have been lucky enough to get to Manila almost once a month. Here are a few restaurant recs for you.

For Pinoy food:

1. Gerry's Grill- several branches around town, including at least two in Makati- on Jupiter Street and in Greenbelt 3 in Makati.

2. Kamayan- ubiquitous, a bit cliched perhaps, but the food is good, specially the lechon de leche. Their lunch buffet has all the standards, and very well done at that. Again, several branches around town but the ones I know of are on Edsa between Ortigas and Santolan in Greenhills, and on Pasay Rd in Makati.

3. Ang Bistro sa Remedios- in Remedios circle, Malate. A pretty place, with very good Kapampangan-style food, higher-end than most.

4. Via Mare- the coffee shop, not the formal restaurant (which isn't bad but I don't like my Pinoy food served European style!). In my humble opinion they make the absolute best bibingka and puto bumbong that exists in the country, and a very good pancit palabok as well. Again, several branches in town, but there's one in Greenbelt 3, and I'm sure there's one somewhere in Greenhills but I don't know exactly where.

5. Bangus- I forget the name of the strip of restaurants that's behind the Greenhills commercial complex (runs perpendicular to Annapolis St after the parking lot in front of what used to be the Greenhills theater), but that's where the branch I used to go to was. Almost everything in the menu has bangus in it.

The last time I went to the Ongpin Chinese restaurants was about eight years ago, mainly because I used to live in Hong Kong so I never really looked for Chinese food in Manila. But my parents and friends still go to Ongpin and they say it's as good as ever. One place you may want to explore is the fish market on Roxas Blvd near Baclaran. The market itself isn't that big, and is a normal fish market, but on one side are two restaurants where you can bring the seafood you buy and they'll cook it for you however you like, or if you ask them they'll recommend what they do best. The restaurant I used to go to was called "Aling Lety's" and I've never had a bad dish there.

I assume you know your Pinoy food so I won't put in specific recommendations for each restaurant but if you want them, just reply and tell me so and I'm glad to help.

If you want to try something unusual, the restaurant "Uva" in Greenbelt 3 serves fairly creative Philippine-inspired Western food- the dreaded fusion food. While not everything on the menu works, most of it isn't bad, and some of it is quite good- and certainly interesting and different. The ice cream there, though, is superb- specially what they have on the menu as "dirty ice cream" flavored with the cheap Choc-nut peanut chocolate candies I used to gorge on as a kid.

I tended to avoid hotel restaurants, but that was a personal choice. Just thought that it was more fun getting out of the hotels.

For non-Pinoy food, here are some of my favorites:

1. Pepato- Italian food at Greenbelt 3 (again), very pricey but one of the best restaurants I've been to in the world.

2. Sushi Tsumura- a small place on the 3rd floor of some non-descript office building on Pasay Rd, there's a small sign and it's about a block from a big bowling alley. (There's a good Korean restaurant in the same building)

3. Casa Armas, on Julio Nakpil St in Malate, for Spanish food.

4. Banana Leaf Curry House, one branch near Greenbelt, another branch in Eastwood (I think). Singapore/Malaysia style food, not bad.

Enjoy.

[Makan King]

Red at the Shangri-la is very decent, but the menu is rather limited.

I like Uva at Greenbelt 3. I remember having good meals there (although I cannot recall any specific dish).

[cfusion]

I will be going to Manila (with a stop in HK) this Feb. Any updated (2005) recommendations for good food / great restaurants? I'm looking for good local food, asian type food, unusual food, unique places. Thanks!

[PPPans]

How long will you be in the country? There are many great places within Metro Manila but much more outside. Do you have time for that? Around two hours away is Tagaytay (south) and then northwards you have Pampanga.

Let us know your general timetable and help you with your culinary itinerary.

[cfusion]

How long will you be in the country? There are many great places within Metro Manila but much more outside. Do you have time for that? Around two hours away is Tagaytay (south) and then northwards you have Pampanga.

Let us know your general timetable and help you with your culinary itinerary. 

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Will be in the country for two weeks. A two hour drive should be fine.

Aside from the criteria I've mentioned, I'm also looking for a very good Italian restaurant (a really upscale one).

Thanks.

[PPPans]

For Italian, read Marketman's review of Galileo Enoteca. Not fine dining but definitely authentic.

Check out Lori's review of L'Opera too. Her reviews of other restaurants might help you too.

[cfusion]

Check out Lori's review of L'Opera too. Her reviews of other restaurants might help you too.

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Thanks for the tips. I am in touch with Lori and she has provided her suggestions and her blogs are rich with very good restaurants to try.

Edited January 17, 2006 by cfusion (log)

[CiriloE]

I miss the eateries of my youth. The Barrio Fiesta in Dapitan off UST, the Ongpin eateries, Dayrit's in Makati, Casa Marcos in Pasay, the noodle shops on the second floor in Cubao, pondahan in San Juan, and the original Via Mare, when the owners still did not know whether it was a continental or local fare restaurant.

As far as the new eateries at the Fort, Mandaluyong, Power Plant, Greenbelt - the bigger the hype, the more expensive the price, the more disappointed I got. They just could not compare with the finer eateries in the NJ/NY areas.

One thing I realized, I do not need to eat high end in Manila. I need to eat the authentic Filipino cooking. I liked Gerry' Grill I but somehow did not like Kamayan. I would like to go to Barrio Fiesta again but am afraid to burst the bubble of the memories of the great food I ate as a struggling college student in the late 60s and early 70s.

In the two years I have been commuting I liked the following eateries:

Gloria Maris and two other less expensive Chinese restaurants in Greenhills.

Sasahana's Japanese Restaurant in Kawit, Cavite, authentic, tasty, moderately expensive. I stay away from the raw fish though

Antonio's in Tagaytay, the grill off the highway is good but the one that's hard to find is exceptional. The ambiance alone is enough to knock your socks off, but the food, said to be Italian influenced is just as good. A sleepover and breakfast at Sonia's Garden will make your week-end.

Cirilo

[AlexBernardo]

If you're a food and wine guy like me, Metro Manila is looking world class. The past 3 to 5 years have seen so many changes in restos, it seems skilled chefs and restaureteurs have arrived en masse opening up some creative spots. This kind of talent was simply lacking before. Where to begin...

For Spanish, Cirkulo is great for classic cuisine, Gaudi is one of my favorites for tapas, and Segundo Piso is unbeatable for its jamon iberico and decent wine list. The house rosada is perfect for washing down the jamon. For Filipino cuisine, I never go to the Barrio Fiestas and Kamayans, instead I love the bistro Recipes in Greenbelt. The sisig there is spectacular. I even like the updated Milky Way in Pasay Road, above Cirkulo and next to Tsukiji, which may well be the best Japanese in town but very expensive. And if I'm missing Paris, I can step into Bizou where the macaroons and coco tuile are not quite Pierre Herme but very good, and the savory dishes such as the shrimp pasta is tasty. For everyday Italian, the Cibo chain is not bad, though they've been slipping a bit lately. The one at Shangri-la is my favorite. Their house Chianti is usually good. For thin crust, Neapolitan style pizza Amici don Bosco is terrific, better in quality than most of the margherita-style pizza I can get in San Francisco. For Chinese, Good Earth is very good, mura pa, and he uses good ingredients. I also go to the chain Villa Maris, especially for the taho served in the bamboo container. I seldom make it to Binondo, but when I do I love taking out loads of maki from Manosa in Ongpin. Binondo Plaza has undergone a huge facelift and I'm hoping more up to date restos would appear soon. Meanwhile, having a Starbucks there is at least a good start as you can get espresso in the area.

Finally, I love the chain of Ice Monsters that have cropped up. A lighter, but equally refreshing alternative to halo-halo so I hit this after eating at a resto. My favorite is the buko pandan. Good thing they have a branch at the Shangri-la, but I also frequent the one at the Blue Wave complex, usually after eating at Kimono Ken's.

[CiriloE]

If you're a food and wine guy like me, Metro Manila is looking world class. The past 3 to 5 years have seen so many changes in restos, it seems skilled chefs and restaureteurs have arrived en masse opening up some creative spots. This kind of talent was simply lacking before. Where to begin...

Bizou where the macaroons and coco tuile are not quite Pierre Herme but very good, and the savory dishes such as the shrimp pasta is tasty... For Chinese, Good Earth is very good, mura pa, and he uses good ingredients.

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We were at Bizou last January but the lights went out in the whole area and we ended somewhere else. Will make a point to eat next visit which is in May.

We ate at Good Earth in the Greenbelt Mall but it was disappointing. Then someone said the one at the Fort is better. Is that true?

I have resolved not to eat at Barrio Fiesta and keep my memory of it being the best chain of Filipino food intact.

I will only stay 9 days in May but will try to get to Binondo.

Cirilo

[AlexBernardo]

Cirilo. I'd agree that the Good Earth at the Fort is better, as the one in Greenbelt is newer and smaller.

At Greenbelt, next to Good Earth, my favorite is resto is probably Recipes. You would not expect it, as it looks euro-modern bistro, but it's one of the best Filipino restos. The sisig is great as well as the laing, but pretty much everything on the menu is good. It's bistro-style small plates, not the old bandehado servings. I really think the future of Filipino cuisine is along these lines. Romy Dorotan at Cendrillon in SoHo, NY, has proven for the past 10 years that Filipino cuisine can be more sophisticated and world-class. And as talented as Romy is, I think the young homegrown chefs and cooks in Manila have even more to offer. And many of them are formally trained.

In Binondo, do try the ma-ki at Manosa in Ongpin. It's one-of-a-kind.

I hope you can report your findings on this board when you get back as I'm also curious what you find out. I'll be back in Manila in early September.

[CiriloE]

Cirilo. I'd agree that the Good Earth at the Fort is better, as the one in Greenbelt is newer and smaller.

I hope you can report your findings on this board when you get back as I'm also curious what you find out. I'll be back in Manila in early September.

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Sorry for the delayed report. Just to clarify things I had no choice of where we ate as I was a guest of my family and friends.

For Filipino food we ate at Sentro in Greenbelt where we had Sinigang na Corned Beef, sisig and Rated GG. It was fun eating brisket in sinigang soup and the fillet of galung-gong completed the meal. I will eat there again even on my own if and when I go back in December.

For Chinese I liked Zong at the Fort. I like this one better than Good Earth. It was relatively inexpensive, serves HK style Chinese cuisine in a clean environment. The place is small and was quite packed and I now know why. It was very good. Unlike Gloria Maris or the larger more expensive places, it is not a place to hang out. You don't want to make the people waiting outside wait longer that they should. Just enjoy your meal and then drive to Market Market and catch up on friends while eating Halo-Halo from Razon's. I am loyal to the original Digman's in Bacoor but at the Market nothing is better.

I did not get a chance to go to Binondo but made up for it by eating at China Bowl on Jupiter Street near Paseo de Roxas(?). It is a storefront resto with a Binondo ambiance and the good food to match. We had the traditional Fil-Am Chinese prepared quite well and we ate until it hurt. We came late with a group of 15 after 10 PM and were accommodated quite well. We closed it down but we never felt rushed.

Remembering an earlier post, I had a hard time resisting the temptation to ask my friends to eat at L' Opera instead of Le Soufflé but I was glad I resisted. I always enjoyed my meals at Le Soufflé and this time was no exception. Some friends said it had gone down in quality but I say it is still consistent. I make it a point not to order the pan-fried goose liver, Ossa Bucco, rack of lamb because the Lapu-lapu is great here. My waiter also gave me a taste of the available white wine by the glass so I can order the one I liked. Thank you. Great meal and hope to come back..

There is literally an explosion of restaurants in the Metro-Manila area. Some are better than others. The reliable ones previously noted in this thread are all good and worth trying but with only 5 days to stay there was so little time.

I must go to Malate and Binondo next time.

Cirilo

[bvmisa]

The most consistently good restaurant for me is Uva in Greenbelt.

I also like Bollywood for good, made-from-scratch Indian food (also in Greenbelt). It's much much better than the small Indian restaurants in Makati.

There is a Korean restaurant near Makati Ave which is really a cut above all others... but I don't remember the name!

Bykes Cafe along Pasong Tamo has great Mascobado Cheesecake!

There is a great restaurant in the Cavite area called LZM. People say their bangus is great (I'm vegetarian, I can't say speak for that), and it has great Filipino dishes. People come from all over to eat there.

Circles in Shangri-La Makati has a good buffet selection, and Dusit's Thai restaurant is great too.

Edited August 20, 2006 by bvmisa (log)

[angeljolie]

Circles in Makati Shangri-La indeed has a very wide food selection. It has Filipino, Japanese, Italian, Chinese, and American dishes. The pastries are also very good.

If you're craving for Italian, you definitely have to try Cafe Caruso in Bel-Air, Makati.