Ray: Come to where the flavor is. Come to the Singapore Hawker Centers. Used to be scattered along the streets at evening, those moonlighting hawker cart days are long gone replaced with centers under strict hygiene controls. And the variety here is great! There are some that are more popular such as the Maxwel Food Center that houses the Bourdain made famous Tian-Tian Hainanese Chicken Rice shack, but any hawker…

Hutong – “One of the Top 5 Chinese Restaurants in the World.” That is a tall order given how many restaurants there are around the globe. And what more, to say it in the place that iconifies the best of Asian cuisine: Hong Kong. Surely, there has to be something about the cuisine, location, and restaurant experience in Hutong. What can be in Hutong of Hong Kong that makes it…

Well here’s a swipe at the spicy chicken sandwich market. McDonald’s figured that it can get a good share with their more ubiquitous store locations. It says that it is “Chicken Spiced Right”. At first look, the more premium bun and larger size makes it look like the bigger, flashier brother of their Crispy Chicken Sandwich (which, currently, seems to be leading against Jollibee in the cheap chicken sandwich wars)….

  This is a post that is over 10 years in the making. Funny how in all those 10 years, never brought a decent camera to the place, so all the pics are from phone cam takes over the past few years. It doesn’t do justice to how pretty some of the dishes are in Terry’s Bistro. Been going to this place for close to a decade now, and it’s…

Not everyone knows this, but the Dutch were a mighty nation during the colonial period of the world. We are talking Spain, England, France kind of mighty. Heck, they even annexed Cape Town, some parts of Indonesia, and even the edge of the Americas. So you know they come from a proud race whose influence can probably still be felt until now by the presence of some of the largest…

When you do a quick Google search on “German Restaurants in Manila”, no definite name seems to come out. There was one just half a decade ago called Mickey’s Delicatessen in Jupiter Street in Makati, with the sausage making now continued at the quaint Poco Deli in Kapitolyo and Ayala Triange Gardens. And for those in the know, the hidden Treffpunkt in EDSA got some more hams, sausages, and discounted…

This aims to give everyone an idea of what you may expect once you book your flight with certain airlines. While it is something that may not influence your choice of airlines, it can give you an idea of the flavors they are serving. Besides, aren’t we all curious to see what other airlines may be dishing out to their passengers? If this leads to better air travel experiences, that…

For those who normally read En Route, one of the cuisines rarely featured by this time of posting would be of the Korean kind. The closest thing ever to it would be a report on the invasion of Bon Chon of Manila and an effort to replicate it with a recipe for Korean fried chicken. And so one night, with a friend who craves for Korean food after her numerous…

This was given as a gift by a friend who shares the same enthusiasm of the dreams of this blog reaching the shores of France. . Laduree is actually a French brand of luxury pastries, but they are known also for making some of the best macarons in the world. There are outlets already in London, New York, Hong Kong, and other global melting pots. It will not be surprising…

Several raves and write-ups on the quirky, secretive, and fun loving vibe of Umami Hambaagu House have sprung up ever since its opening. This Japanese adaptation of the conventional burger patty has drawn a lot of fans. Some chefs and restaurateurs have even been seen eating here!   Is it the dish and menu selection? Is it the casual and kiddie appeal of the decorations? It probably is both, and…

I have a few staples when it comes to a beach vacation.  I need a beer or any other alcoholic drink in hand, a lounge chair, lots of inactivity, sun, sand, and sea. When it comes to Filipino beaches, we will always give Boracay as an example.  It has long been the top of mind choice for vacation getaways of both locals and foreigners.  For me, it’s the home of…

  Let’s be real. When people talk about the idea of wine drinking in the Philippines, there is just a minority who will find it an appealing opportunity for an enriching social experience. Wine is still, for the most part, a psychological barrier to entry for most that think that wine is only reserved for those affluent few who can afford the perceived high price tag. People should realize, though,…

And the inflow of foreign restaurant branches continue to pour into the Philippine food scene. For the last part of 2012 to early parts of 2013, Philippines based The Bistro Group of TGI Fridays fame has been busy bringing in and creating new restaurant concepts for the sit down, non pretentious casual diner. Modern Shanghai is already up, and very soon, the kid cult favorite Chuck E. Cheese will be…

It seems that retrofitting houses into restaurants is one of the more popular methods in getting yourself known into the Filipino food scene. After all, everyone likes a good story, and houses always provide such. From Cafe Xocolat and Ninyo Fusion Cuisine in Katipunan area, to Juanito Bistro in Kapitolyo, and the cult favorite Lime 88 Street Food in Mandaluyong. There’s just too much to mention and all of them,…

When people first hear the term “hotel restaurant”, there are a few words that pop out: Exquisite Extensive Extravagant Exclusive Expensive After all, the very hotels that come into mind would be those like The Peninsula, Sofitel, Banyan Tree, or Shangri-La. So the restaurants that are associated with it such as Escolta, Spiral, Senju, Red, or even the Champagne Room of Manila Hotel carry with it heft price tags for its…

The Philippine food scene may be entering a new era with the industry now looking at the food truck craze that will be starting very soon. Some may think it is an old concept. Mobile food shacks already prowl the streets on three wheels courtesy of modified motorcycles, or the famous “Jolli-jeeps” ironically situated in permanent locations along the Metro Manila business districts.   Jolli Jeep Image source: http://brailledskin.blogspot.com/2011/02/jolly-jeep.html Jolli Tricycle…

This is a tribute to a Vietnamese restaurant whose value was overlooked until it has closed, and has morphed into something new somewhere else. Dear Aquaknox: Your grand looking restaurant with high ceilings to match your tasty Vietnamese cuisine will be missed from the streets of Pasay Road in Makati, where you have been replaced by a sushi bar / steak house combo whose goods are yet to be tried…

This post is actually a result of a conversation about craving shawarma in the En Route Facebook page. There were three contributions, but one was at the far end of Quezon City (where apparently there is a SECOND Mindanao Avenue in that place). The other one was a very famous name from before but just forgotten and buried under the ever-piling junk in cyberspace. It was Jacob’s Shawarma in the…

When an intense craving for the Japanese kind begins to envelop your whole brain, and for all valid reasons you are situated in the Philippines and not in Japan, the best bet to get quality Japanese grub would automatically lead you to Little Tokyo in Makati. Then when you get there, you still have to decide which restaurant you think is best in cooking a particular dimension of the Japanese…

  Hong Kong has a cuisine that is heavily influenced by the various Chinese province inspirations for dishing out great tasting food, and there has been one restaurant that has served as one of the institutional pillars of Hong Kong for over 60+ years: Yung Kee. Yung Kee has become quite a big name, that a Google search for “Best Hong Kong Restaurants“, this one almost always lands on top….

There are a few places that become a mainstay for people. Something like a default place to go to if nothing special or unique comes to mind. Here at En Route, there are quite a few: Dinelli in Burgos Circle Fort Bonifacio for great sausages, cheese, wine, and free wi-fi Yabu: House of Katsu for unbelievably delicious pork katsu at value for money prices Chatime. The official milk tea of…

      Traditional family love. When all is gone in the world, only family is what is left deeply engraved in our hearts and minds. They are the first people we know, and probably the last that we ever think of. And every action that we do is a result of how we have been with our family. So even relatively avant-garde ideas of cooking is the passion, the…