Makati Chronicles: Hawker Chan Philippines Opens its Third Branch in Glorietta 3

Hawker Chan is easily one of my favorite brands last year but it having branches in polar opposites made it hard for me to visit it regularly. The struggle will finally end though as Hawker Chan opens its Makati branch!

Hello, Hawker Chan Philippines!

Our beloved soya chicken is finally available in Makati starting TODAY, March 4, 2019!

First Bite: Little Flour

It has been several months since Wildflour's new concept Little Flour opened. I've been planning to visit and check out how different it is from the well-loved brunch place but my schedule never cooperated for a short brunch. Luckily, R's friends decided to have dinner there one time to welcome back two balikbayan friends. And it was my chance to sink my teeth into its famous young coconut pie.

Hello, Little Flour.

Little Flour has similar ambiance as Wildflour with its predominantly brown interiors and pastry display. 

Stress-free Holidays: Sobremesa Christmas Packs

Christmas is just around the corner. Okay, maybe it is still a few blocks away. But it is better to be prepared than joining the whole city go crazy during the holiday rush. More than looking for presents, I find prepping potluck meals more time consuming and tiring. Thankfully, there are now several places where I could buy mouthwatering dishes. And one of my favorites is Sobremesa.

Hello again, Sobremesa.

This Peruvian restaurant is definitely more than its talked-about cellphone cages. It offers a variety of dishes catering to meat and veggie lovers or simply anyone who appreciates good food. 

First Bite: Roadster Roasters

Several restaurants open every day making it impossible for me to visit them all. But when a new restaurant gets nothing but praises from foodies, I find myself rushing to the place hoping to have my taste buds delighted as well. Though there were several instances when I was more disappointed than impressed, there are also pleasant experiences where I could say "worth the drive/getting stuck in traffic for". And last weekend, I was happy to say that the new restaurant along Sheridan was worth the trip. 

Hello, Roadster Roasters.

It may be a bit challenging to find this restaurant on the ground floor of TV5 Launchpad as it's not that visible from the road. There's also a tree blocking its facade making it more hidden. Thankfully, I'm familiar with the area and I easily found the home of 12-hour brisket.

First Bite: Yo! Panda

It frustrates me whenever there are new restaurants quite far from me. It frustrates me even more when I see its mouthwatering dishes. But thanks to some errands, I managed to swing by SM Megamall and finally got to try Yo! Panda.

Hello, Yo! Panda. 

I saw a handful of posts about this place last weekend and it gave me an impression that it only offers egg waffle sundaes. I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that what I thought to be a dessert store offers other modern Hong Kong dishes such as baos, noodles and rice bowls. Without much thought, I decided to have lunch here instead of going to another restaurant that I have been eying for months.  

Yo! Panda’s area is small and quite cramped especially for those sitting by the walk way. It was also quite hot inside. I guess it was because it was a bit crowded and the location of the restaurant, being near the exit, makes it harder for the A/C to do its magic. There were some flies too that remind me of Uptown Mall where the fly to human ratio is 1:1. The place is charming though.

I quickly ordered the recommended Cantonese Style Beef Brisket (PHP280) and a glass of Premium Hong Kong Milk Tea (PHP130) while my sister went with Scallion Chicken Chop (PHP230). My mom arrived a couple of minutes after and ordered Burger Steak & Rice (PHP280) and a glass of Yo! Panda’s Signature Iced Tea(PHP100). My mom and sister also ordered Mango Cheesecake Vanilla Soft Serve Waffle (PHP180) for dessert.

My rice bowl arrived first and after a few snapshots here and there, I took a mouthful.

The beef brisket was undeniably soft. It was almost the melts-in-your-mouth type of meat. And simply typing those words make me salivate. 

First Bite: Flatiron

It was my mom's birthday a few Saturdays ago and we celebrated it at my aunt's place who prepared a seafood feast. Since the feast was for lunch, I invited my mom for a part two celebration at Flatiron. 

Hello, Flatiron! 

This was my second time visiting this restaurant. I went last week but no dish caught my interest. Also, their bestseller beef brisket was out of stock that time. Luckily, it was available last night. 

We sat at the table with the Uptown Mall fountain as our view. The small lights on top of our table seemed busted and kept on flickering making us dizzy and disoriented. We requested for it to be turned off before one of us pukes or something. They obliged but turned the lights on again after a few seconds. The on and off of lights happened thrice and it made me snap and told them with a very firm voice to turn it off. And they finally did and kept it off throughout our meal. 

We ordered Garlic and Rosemary French Fries (PHP180), Flatiron Beef Brisket (PHP850), Pizzaiola Pasta (PHP395) and Chicken Piccata (PHP450). Since the prices of the drinks are unreasonable, we didn't order any and just had filtered water. 

Our order of fries was served first and it was quite good. It was crisp and dashed with rosemary. 

It also went really well with the thick garlicky dip. Serving size seemed to be a bit stingy for its price. 

The mains arrived next.

Restaurant Love: CO/OP Manila

Quaint coffee shops never fail to make me giddy. But quaint coffee shops that serve good food make me happier. Shops like Tweedle Book Café, Refinery, Yardstick and UCC are just a few that make me go gaga. Last week, I went to one of the cutest cafés I know… CO/OP Manila.

Hello again, CO/OP Manila!

It has been a while since my last visit. I recall that I only had dessert and coffee when I visited this cute place for the first time. This time around, I went for dinner and I realized that there are only a few savory options. Anyway, I decided to go for the Smoked Salmon (PHP370) while F got the Tartufo (PHP370) and R got the Beef Brisket Sandwich (PHP390). I also got the CO/OP Iced Tea (PHP80) while R got the Strawberry Lemonade (PHP150).

I noticed that the place is practically empty. It’s a perfect place to catch up with friends on a weeknight or the sanctuary of a person cramming.

First served were our drinks.

My iced tea was sweet yet refreshing. R also liked his strawberry lemonade. Though I couldn’t get much from him but a simple, “’k lang.”

Soon, our dishes were served.

Smorgasburg: A Foodie Destination

I love weekend markets! I just do not like that it closes so early. I want to munch and munch (then digest) and munch some more! While traveling, it never occurred to me that I will be visiting a weekend market. But the video R sent was just too convincing that despite being tired from walking and the long 2 hour travel from Staten Island to Manhattan, N and I just couldn’t help but gooooo~

Why hello there, Brooklyn Bridge!

It was easy to spot Smorgasburg as it is located very near the famous Brooklyn Bridge. I instantly fell in love with the brick walls surrounding the open food market.

Our eyes sparkled seeing a lot of promising food vendors. There’s this concessionaire that sells ADOBONG LUMPIA (6 rolls for $7) and there’s this kiosk that sells amazing BEEF BRISKET ($10 per sandwich). But I’m getting too excited.