Click the image for a full-sized panorama. How timely that this post is coming out nearing the celebration of Philippine independence, even if these pics have been taken way back during summer during anoher one of those “one-day, town-to-province-to-town” trips (Like that one-day Baguio trip that resulted in a lunch at Hill Station). For most of the Philippine consumers, the Barasoain Church is something remembered as some important landmark printed…

Ah yes. The Philippines’ Metro Manila Development Authority, or as people fondly call them, the MMDA. Created a few decades ago supposedly because some former president’s wife wanted a mini government of her own where she can dictate the level of beautification, orderliness and number of indigent lady street sweepers of a booming metropolis, it has now evolved into this massive organization with a constant love-hate struggle between the city…

There are a few things that can make people go to Binondo on a rainy, power-outage filled night. One of them would be errands to get 60 pieces of some of the most finely detailed, full flavored home-made cupcakes (A later post will show this). This is not about the cupcakes. This is about a dinner after the cupcakes that took us into the bowels of Binondo, only to realize…

People in the Western Coast of the United States rave about the burgers of a famous fast-food chain that seems to defy the retail strategy of what excessive consumerism chains are all about. They are not as ubiquotous, which actually makes it all the more desirable, especially since they have not even branched out in the Eastern Coast of the USA. It’s all about In-N-Out Burger. Something about it makes…

In the Rockwell Center in Makati, there was this quaint little diner with bright colors and upbeat atmosphere that brings alive the heydeys of the 60’s and 70’s (Plus they had this great beer serving aptly called “Mugnanimus”). Gram’s Diner seems to be an institution in Rockwell, with its American Comfort Food selections flocked by the affluent crowd and stressed out law students. Now their doors open in one of…

AS OF OCTOBER 25, 2013, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THIS PLACE HAS CLOSED Let’s be real. Not all of us would think a place holds some exciting flavors from non-familiar lands if the logo design looked like this: The cartoonish letters mixed with basic colors shined in light box style makes it look more like the other more non-descript places that may have lackluster food. But never judge a restaurant…

Bought a pack of strawberries from the supermarket last week to serve as dessert after a new batch of baked baby back ribs. But after cooking and eating the ribs, everyone has forgotten all about it. Poor strawberries. They apparently rot and get mushy really fast. Something had to be done aside from eating them. Something fun, something very En Route. Remembering there was this recipe for a refreshing summer…

After that little stint in Tajimaya’s Yakiniku, a certain fire seemed to have ignited deep down in the bowels: a craving for sampling some grilled Japanese goodies, simply called Yakitori. There is an appeal to meat cooked right before your eyes, served with its flesh still sizzling from its encounter with a hot pan or fired up grill.     Apparently Nanbantei of Tokyo situated in Greenebelt 3 has been…

We can’t deny it that Korean popular culture or K-pop has already taken Manila by storm.  Can you say kimchi? For us at En Route, while we glimpse a few Koreanovela episodes every now and then, and go for the occasional bulgogi, the next closest we’ve gone to appreciate what’s from Korea is to eat ice pops from Korea. 😀 Binggrae is Korea’s #1 ice cream brand, the company behind…

It looks like Dumaguete is starting to embrace various culinary concepts with this restaurant in town 😀 After walking for a bit and enjoying the evening, it was time for dinner in a place that looked distinct and special. KRI Restaurant is a relatively upscale establishment with fusion cuisine that seems to be quite popular to both the adventurous and the more distinguished people in Dumaguete. And with its modern…

This has been a summer -long project in finding the right combination of spices, glaze, and cooking time. Some have even called it some sort of obsession (Like the obsession for both finding the mojito mint and grilling steak. But in the end, people have found out that such obsession benefitted them when dinner was served at home). Check out that mojito recipe here.   While it’s a bit late…

It seems like the Metro Manila foodie landscape is starting to appreciate the finer and more upscale gastronomic experience. What with the opening of the Bonifacio High Street Central, sparking an appetite to try something new while living out the cosmopolitan lifestyle that the relatively young working class work for through their hard earned money. The splurge all pays off, though, with a demand for exploring deeper into already known…

As of July 6, 2012, it was discovered that this place has closed. With the Katipunan Extension in the White Plains area officially becoming a legal light commercial zone, the first few establishments with low barriers to entry to put up shop here would be food places. And given that there is an abundance of it, it becomes a challenge now to be different. So one had an interesting concept:…

Yes. Why would anyone go eat at Uncle Moe’s? Why would anyone want to be in a spartan concrete room adorned with heavy stroke paintings, walls echoing an eclectic mix of Sade’s Smooth Operator, TLC’s Creep, All Saint’s version of Under the Bridge, and then switches to “Homebase” from Cafe Del Mar’s 6th album? Here, listen to that Cafe del Mar song as you read along:     Further, why…

There was this job that needed to be done in Baguio that required a return to Manila on the same day (Yes. Can you believe the drive for this?), so stopping at a lunch place to please a boss with impeccable taste for food was quite the challenge. Luckily, a timely review of Hill Station came about, and the place looks good. After all, if it is included in the…

Everyone has been raving about Yabu: the House of Katsu that you would probably think that another post from En Route is not going to matter. But it does. This is reaffirming that Yabu: the House of Katsu really does deserve all the raves from everyone else who has recommended, commented, posted, tweeted, or checked-in here. So one Saturday filled with errands for wedding preparations, hunger strikes, and knowing that…

Sunrise Buckets brings their awesome buffalo wings to a 2nd branch at The Grove by Rockwell.

 As of December 21, 2012, this place has already closed. From the outside, anyone can mistake this for anything. A furniture shop, some exclusive club, or some high end flower boutique as the name may suggest. But it is actually a sleek styled Japanese restaurant that fits the lifestyle trends of Fort Bonifacio.   Rose Modern Japanese Cuisine opened around October of 2011 presenting the Filipino taste buds with their…

Like the Oakwood in Premier Makati and Manila Peninsula, Dos Palmas has its own stories of controversy. From the abduction of tourists by terrorist groups last 2001, and the untimely death of a promising celebrity, its beaches can just speak volumes of stories. Makes you wonder if people still go to the place. More than ten years since those incidents and it is still humming, so it’s pretty safe to…

While touring Puerto Princesa City, one of the places that shouldn’t be missed (especially if you have kids) is the popular Baker’s Hill and Restaurant. It is just beside the Mitra’s Ranch that is normally part of a tour package. One thing that makes Baker’s Hill in Puerto Princesa popular are the baked goodies. Although not unique, they pack good flavor. The must try would be the monggo and ube…

Could it be that the best way to return criminals back to society is to slowly give them back their dignity in order to start life all over again? One system of the Philippines’ Bureau of Corrections seems to think so, and the progress of the Iwahing Penal Colony and Farm in Palawan might be a good example. The Iwahig Penal Colony started in the American occupation of the Philippines…

This was one of the highlights of the tour in the Crocodile Farm in Palawan: The chance to try something unique and realizing that this is one of the best food finds that everyone should really enjoy. Interestingly, crocodile meat is very tender and has a flavor and consistency similar to pork. Because of it, any spices mixed into the croc meat enhances its flavor. It may look a bit…