We remember the drinks, but we do get curious about who the brains are behind some of our favorite cocktails. They definitely deserve celebrity status in our books. Without them, how would we ever discover the flavor profiles of the wonderful world of alcohol and spirits? We raise our glasses to them and say, “Our compliments to the bartender.”
Ray: Work beckons, and it’s off now to a quick trip to Singapore. Some leisure included also, in the form of a The Layover style weekend to search for the ‘soul’ in Singapore. It’s one year since we got married and close to two years since the Hong Kong Disneyland Proposal 🙂 To maximize the time, it will be an early morning flight. After a few Makati Manhattans and those…
It’s been long overdue as it is already past the second half of 2013. Nevertheless, it is a great way to recap some of the tasty memories of 2012 that are now probably lost in accumulated lipids. Started off as a criticism of how burgers are cheaper than salads, and now has morphed into a celebration of the tastiest morsels this side of En Route. We are not to blame…
People who are in touch with the bar scene in Manila are wondering where Exit Bar is. So where is it really? Well…. we won’t tell you. We won’t tell you that it is in Makati just walking distance from Greenbelt 1. We won’t tell you that it is through the Plaza Cafe in Corinthian Plaza. We won’t tell you that you will have to guess which “Exit” door…
After a Tapas Food trip in Barcelona, having more tapas bars in the metro is a welcome sight. You have probably heard it through the grapevine, if not the newspapers that have featured the latest and revolutionary restaurant that has taken the Manila food scene by storm. Vask Tapas Bar and Restaurant brings some Spanish cuisine mixed with the personal molecular gastronomy touch of its head chef J. Luis Gonzalez. Chef…
First impressions when seeing a pint of Guinness is the anticipation of that refreshing moment as you drink a properly poured pint of this world famous beer. First impressions when seeing a tray of Baked Macaroni with Cheese is tasty comfort food. Maybe good for those rainy days. It is a far cry to think that Guinness be made part of a baked macaroni recipe aside from being…
 For those who frequent the Salcedo Weekend Market in Makati, there is a high chance that you would have come across the Hillside Ranch brand of Roasted Beef Belly and Corned Beef. These are succulent chunks of bovine that have been sacrificed for the ever demanding consuming public. An invite for a taste test of these Hillside Ranch beauties was held at Trellis in Makati City. Apparently, the purveyors…
During our brief stay, all we had was glorious sunshine. It was so glorious that the parks were full of people, locals and tourists alike, basking in its rays. It was like looking out on a beach, with girls sunbathing in their bikinis, guys walking topless, European teens (mostly guys) introducing themselves randomly to other groups (mostly girls) – all minus the actual beach.
Ray: First of all, a disclaimer: These shots of booze and calorie intensive food were taken over a course of a few days and not as one glutton-fest evening. It is just impossible to eat and drink all that food (OK fine it is possible, but just not gastronomically practical). On the great institution that is the London pub, I am a big fan. I am a fan that any…
Summer in London welcomes us with sunny skies, a break from the typical gloom and rain we hear about a lot.
Back in the lunch at Mesclun branch in Linden Suites, a couple of friends got to talking that there doesn’t really seem to be a great Japanese restaurant in the Ortigas Business District area here in the Philippines. If Japanese food was to be talked about, it would always be one of the favorites coming from the Little Tokyo Area in Makati. There is, however, one great find that a…
Finally! After so long…. Aubergine. Aubergine (French for eggplant) has been in Fort Bonifacio for quite a few years already, quietly hidden on the second floor of the 32nd and Fifth commercial complex. While everything around it has been constructed at a staggering pace, it’s been here all this time, quietly serving great haute cuisine. Sometimes it feels like a guilt trip to have tried younger places in the area like…
During one get together, a good friend mentioned that there is this brand of home-made, non commercialized ensaymada and cheese rolls that just need to be ordered as a small treat once in a while. It comes from Pampanga so it needed some advanced booking if ever you wanted to get a piece of it. Friends said that it was well worth the trouble. If our experience with Yulo’s Strawberry…
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…
This Budweiser Lime-A-Rita came as some form of “pasalubong” a long time ago. Budweiser probably figured that it can tap the margarita party drinking market by making a ready-to-drink version that can easily be opened in a can. As per the product label, it just says that is a “Margarita with a Twist”. That twist, upon research, is a hint of their Bud-Lite with Lime flavor. Craft beer is really…
It was all over the radio going to work and returning home for the past few weeks. The first impression was that it sounded like a musical that was going to be played at the Resorts World in Manila, and then just suddenly talks about a sweet-salty, sauce-less pizza, a premium product of prosciutto and boursin (pronounced borsan) cheese. Not sure what boursin cheese was, but since the wife was…
(Side note: Click this to open a new window to see an infographic on proper sushi etiquette.) Every time the movie Jiro Dreams of Sushi strangely pops up as the movie of choice for a stay-in night at home, the crazy cravings for Japanese sushi just comes out and holds on to the taste buds until the next day. It may be the cinematics, it may be the film treatment,…
Favorite Filipino dishes, we all have them.  These are usually what you feast on during Sunday get-togethers with family, cooked by your mom or lola no less. Chef Bruce Lim, of Chef’s Lab, admits he can never compete with someone’s mom’s home-cooking. Case in point, my mom’s sinigang will always be the best for me.  But what he can do is bring Filipino cuisine to a broader foreign market, the kind…
Did you know that bathroom breaks were once a communal activity before Queen Elizabeth I popularized the idea of making it a private moment? So it is in that line that we present some things you may not see if kept private in these bathrooms. If ever you happen to visit these places, check them out! Oh, and apologies if the pictures don’t look as clear as the ones normally…
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…
If you haven’t been to Fort Bonifacio over the past year, you will find that the old Pier One bar has now been replaced by a more permanent looking structure that houses some new goodies that is reviving that side of The Fort Strip. On the higher floors, URBN Bar and Kitchen has been attracting the partygoers looking for the trendiest place. You will see it’s named URBN Bar and…
¡Hola! Ray: Freshly fried squid, some bread with tomatoes and olive oil, iberico ham in almost every corner, a bottle of rosĂ© wine that costs less than a glass of wine in Paris. All this while surrounded by the green leaves that is a sign that spring has come, with lively people coming from the beach front, and basking in that cool spring breeze. This is the life! While people…
