First Bite: Red Ginger

City of Dreams Manila has become a destination of choice for several locals and tourists alike with its top-class hotel amenities. Aside from the striking suites and the popular DreamPlay, City of Dreams is also known for its great selection of restaurants. And a few weeks back, I was able to visit Red Ginger. 

Hello, Red Ginger.

A trendy Southeast Asian restaurant tucked inside City of Dreams Manila, Red Ginger is a melting pot of cuisines from different neighboring countries. From Thai to Malaysian to our very own Filipino dishes, Red Ginger offers it all.

Second Bite: Hey Handsome

I was lucky enough to sample some of Hey Handsome’s dishes on its first day of operations thanks to Charlie Paw. A single bite of its Nasi Lemak convinced me that this place will surely delight foodies craving for Perakanan dishes. And just when I was about to wobble my way out, I was asked by the amazing restauranteur to visit again the following week and bring some foodies with me to sample the other dishes. I giddily invited my favorite foodies and they quickly said yes. 

Hello again, Hey Handsome!

We were supposed to come here for lunch but since Hey Handsome is still testing the waters, they switched from "lunch only" service to "dinner only” service. I’m sure you’re wondering why a talked about restaurant would only focus on lunch or dinner. I had the same question in mind but Charlie said that it is because of their kitchen’s limited capacity. They are still working on their commissary and once it is set, they could manage to hold lunch and dinner services. For now, we have to settle with either lunch or dinner. (Make sure you check their Instagram account to make sure when they’re open.)

Hey Handsome has two seatings for dinner, one at 6 pm and another at 8:30 pm. Since most of us are getting old, we went with 6 pm. However, the insane traffic made us start at 7 pm.

To start off, we ordered some drinks. 

Some of us tried Magic Milk (PHP180) and loved the slight tangy taste from yuzu yogurt and passionfruit. Surprisingly, they said that it was not spicy at all. I had the impression that it is because of the thai chili. I got Cherry Pop (PHP150) since it looked so pretty. It tasted great too! I was worried that it would have a strong taste of cherry (which I hate) but the lemonade flavor overpowered the red fruit’s taste. My drink also had a very faint taste of rosemary. R on the other hand went with Donkey Punch (PHP130) and liked the refreshing combination of lengkuas (or galangal), lemongrass, passionfruit and elderflower. I still find Donkey Punch spicy though. 

First Bite: Hey Handsome

Hey Handsome has been receiving praises from notable influencers from the foodie community for a month now. Actually, just knowing that the minds behind this concept are the ones who brought Your Local already convinced me that I have to visit this place ASAP. I really respect these young talents as they are not afraid of the insanely crazy restaurant industry we have now. And to use unconventional raw ingredients such as keluak,a big poisonous fruit found in Indonesia, among others, proves how passionate they are in their craft and in bringing new flavors to Manila. The restaurant was scheduled to open last Friday but since the owners want to make sure that everything is perfect, they had to delay the opening and moved it to August 17 instead. (Thank you, Charlie Paw for the heads up!) And finally, Hey Handsome is open!!!

Hello, Hey Handsome!

I was greeted by lovely interiors that reminded me of Your Local, only brighter and more Instagram friendly (given the abundance of light). The modern mixed with industrial feel, high stools and white and green tiles turn every corner of this restaurant perfect for shoots. 

I guess Nicco Santos, one of the owners, head chef and a photographer himself, considered how foodies love to take snapshots of food and restaurant interiors. 

The restaurant aims to infuse more “real” Asian flavors such as Peranakan, Thai and Malaysian. Though some of the ingredients are sourced in other Asian countries for more authentic flavors, some are sourced locally. I honestly could not really tell which ones are authentic tasting or not. As long as the dish tastes good, I’m a-okay with it! 

I have read several positive reviews about the Beetroot Paneer (PHP480), Nam Tok (PHP580), Bebek Penyet (PHP680) and Nasi Lemak (PHP645). I decided to go with last one knowing that is considered as a complete meal in Malaysia and Singapore.

Quite unfamiliar with the dishes, I did a quick research and found out that Nasi Lemak is usually composed of meat, salted peanuts, coconut rice, hardboiled egg and dilis. But it is wrong to expect “usual” when dining at Chef Nicco’s restaurant. Instead of serving nasi lemak (coconut rice) with meat, Hey Handsome paired it with sea bass otah infused with spices that is wrapped and grilled in banana leaves served with sambal, pickled soft boiled egg and peanut brittle with dilis.