Food Delivery: Busan Kitchen

I surprised my family with flight tickets to Korea. But I was in for a bigger surprise when Covid-19 put a halt on all international flights. And even if flights pushed through, it was just too risky for us; especially when I'm expecting. Thankfully, we have pretty good Korean restaurants in Manila. A new one that claims serve authentic Korean fare is Busan Kitchen.

Hello, Busan Kitchen.

Busan Kitchen is one of the newest Korean restaurants in town. Founded by Mr. Kim Dong Jun, a Korean national born and raised in Busan, he is committed to serving authentic Korean cuisine to the Manila market. 

One of the Best: Ba Noi's

Ba Noi's has been known as one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in Manila. It never fails to delight the taste buds which always yearn for Vietnam's clean flavors. This led to the humble hole in the wall restaurant in Makati to expand to other areas, particularly Pasig. And when my sister suggested that we have lunch there a few weekends ago, it was an easy yes. 

Hello, Ba Noi's.

It has been quite a while since I've last dined in Ba Noi's. I remember that I would usually grab a bowl of phở and its tender stir-fried beef. 

Michelin Guide 2019: The Local, Thailand

One country that proved to be worthy to be part of everyone's travel list is Thailand. Aside from scoring the best bargain for cute outfits, Thailand is a wonderful place to go on a food adventure. And the first place we visited as soon as we landed was a Michelin Guide restaurant in Bangkok. 

Hello, The Local by Oamthong Thai Cuisine. 

The Local is located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Bangkok which is about an hour away from Suvarnabhumi Airport. Its warm and quaint interiors alone makes it a favorite by locals as it creates a vibe of enjoying food at home. 

Quality over Quantity: Sariwon Philippines

Manila has turned into one big Koreatown (한인마을) with several Korean barbecue joints opening left and right. There are a lot offering unlimited meat which I find quite tempting. But if I were to decide based on quality, I have a few places I go to and top of my list is Sariwon. 

Hello, Sariwon. 

Sariwon has been around even before the boom of Korean barbecue in Manila. Located at the prime Bonifacio High Street Central, Sariwon became a favorite by professionals in the area and a family destination on weekends. 

A Rich Taste of India: Royal Indian Curry House

Indian cuisine is not very popular here in Manila. You’d seldom or barely see an Indian restaurant in the malls or foodie havens. But when you do, more often than not, it would give you a distinct gastronomical experience. And that was what I experienced when I went to Royal Indian Curry House.

Hello, Royal Indian Curry House.

Our foodie godfather, Foodgrammer.ph, invited R and I to join him in an Indian feast last week. As curious foodies, we quickly said yes and crawled (literally because of the traffic) our way to Makati and was greeted by an impressive five-storey restaurant across A.Venue Mall. 

The first and second floor have the same interiors while the third floor is more of a bar or pub with billiards. The fourth floor is dedicated for private functions and the fifth floor is yet another bar with a cute jeepney as the cocktail bar. 

Our generous host suggested most of the dishes we were about to feast on that night. I just chose Sweet Lassi (PHP179) for my drink and went with whatever everyone’s getting.

First served were the Vegetable and Non-Vegetable Samosa (PHP149 and PHP199) and Sharaabi Chana (PHP249). 

At first, we were confused with how the server got to know which samosa is which. She let us in the trick and told us that the puffed pastries with lines on the edge are the ones with chicken meat while the ones without are just with vegetables. I liked the non-vegetable ones more as the chicken meat gave the dish more flavor compared to the ones with just potatoes and peas. 

Everyone loved the Sharaabi Chana but the rough chick pea like texture made my throat itch so I stopped after munching on two balls.

Love at First Bite: Chaya

It has been over one decade since I last visited Baguio and that’s why I was so giddy when R suggested that we visit the land of Ube Halaya last long weekend. I was thinking of all sorts of places to visit but I was warned by R that the traffic in Baguio’s as crazy as Manila’s. And he’s right.

After visiting the crowded Ben Cab Museum (and failed attempt to eat at Café Sabel) and the not in season Strawberry Farm, we were famished. R suggested that we pass by Legarda as he knows this Japanese place that serves good food. I also read about this restaurant called Chaya and it looks promising based on reviews. Long story short, we ended up in Chaya.

We were greeted by a quaint house with warm furniture. We got a table for two and ordered the following: Salmon Sashimi (PHP350), Spicy Tuna (PHP390), Sukiyaki (PHP390) and Isobeyaki (PHP150). We also ordered Iced Green Tea (PHP90) and Green Tea Shake (PHP120).

While waiting, we were given some complimentary appetizers—sautéed veggies and tuna. It was small but really tasty.

My Iced Green Tea was served next and it had that lovely real green tea taste. 

R’ s Green Tea Shake was better though as it tasted like green tea ice cream!

The salmon sashimi was divine! It was fresh and the melts-in-your-mouth type. This is a must order dish!