That's Amare

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Adaam and Yves Organic Bistro

One of the newest in town! Great ambiance and food for some casual dining.

Trifecta - kale chips,  oyster mushroom chicharon, tara chips, with home-made aioli dip

Jacques and Gilles - nicoise salad of seared tuna, soft boiled quail eggs, french beans, baby potatoes, cherry tomatoes, olives, citrus vinaigrette. It’s just how I want a salad + raw tuna combination to be!

Noli Me Tangere - homemade Kitayama wagyu grass-fed beef tapa, 2 free-range eggs, black garlic fried rice, mixed hydroponic greens

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The Black Pig

The Black Pig is located at the Commercenter Alabang, where there’s very light foot traffic it makes you wonder how the establihements there survive. But they do! The Black Pig is even open as early as 8am and operates until 12 midnight as it becomes a bar in the evening.

Their breakfast is called The Pig Pen, and here’s what we tried. :)

64 deg eggs, applewood smoked pork shoulder

2 free-range eggs, butifarra sausage

They didn’t disappoint - tasted as how well-prepared eggs and meat should be. There seemed to be something lacking though, as there was nothing unique about the breakfast experience aside from the picture-worthy plating. :)

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Pablo’s Pub

I say there’s nothing special about this place. Probably because I’m not their market haha Their dishes are typical of those one might find in a pub.

Onion Rings

Truffle Carbonara (which, in my opinion, is just plain carbonara)

Grilled Porkchop

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Cue Modern BBQ

Grilled pear and parmesan salad - a good mix!

DIY Fish tacos - very crisp and they used sesame cornmeal for the fish breading :)

Half slab baby back ribs with oven roasted broccoli and cauliflower creamed casserole

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CoCo Ichibanya

AAAHHHH This is one of the best (if not the best) curry houses I’ve been to! Perfect for carboloading, dinner after a really long day, or simple for some rice + curry + meat cravings. 

Meals are customizable, with levels of spicyness and amount of rice prepared according to preference. Toppings can also be added as pleased. 

This one’s my favorite: Clams, spinach, and ripe tomato curry with sausage toppings :D :D :D

Pork cutlet and vegetables curry

Definitely for repeats!

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Single Origin

Yes to more breakfast places opening within the office vicinity! :)

Breakfast Sausage with Eggs and Waffles <3

Short Ribs Benedict

Surf and Turf Beer Dough Pizza

Green Tea and Passion Fruit Juice

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Some juicy ribs for 2 @ Rue Bourbon

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Sweet Ecstasy

Fourth and last stop: SweetXmanila on Jupiter St. 

A bunch of burgers, fries, and wings gone in X minutes. :)) Plus good milkshakes too!

One more group photo before we end the day. :)

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Esquinita, Rockwell

Third stop: Esquinita Sisig Tacos

Before turning to EDSA from Rockwell is this little corner that sells really good tacos. Worth a visit or even just a drop by when in the area!

esQuinita Nachos for pica pica

Mac n Cheese Quesadilla

Pork Sisig Taco (pork shoulder with crackling chicharon)

Tuna Sisig Taco (tuna chunks with kropek fish crackers)

Chicken Sisig Taco (tender chicken with crunchy chicken skin)

It wasn’t only a great day for eating outdoors while playing cards, but also wacky shots! haha :)

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DiCofi

Second stop: DiCofi, a Vietnamese coffee shop on San Agustin St. (walking distance from Salcedo Market!) 

Bahn Mi - simple, minimal filling and they got the right crunchyness of the baguette. (Bon Banh Mi in San Antonio village is still better though!)

and some cups of Vietnamese Iced Coffee :D

Just because we got the whole place to ourselves haha

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Salcedo Saturday Market

Hooray for a Saturday food crawl around Makati with none other than Cua cousins! We were blessed with good weather and light traffic, making us enjoy the hole-in-the-wall food hopping. First stop: Legazpi Saturday Market

Main attraction: Crab Rolls and Lobster Rolls from Bun Appetit! Reallllyyy good! Please be less pricey :(( At first I thought these expensive seafoods were just put in a hotdog bun. But the buns were actually french toasts! It made the rolls more flavorful (with butter yummmm) haha. Better to eat them fast so as to not feel the oiliness! =))

Hot and filling: Japanese Pancakes (with cream cheese and chocolate inside)! Thank you for being so yummy yet very affordable. Perfect purchase after the lobster rolls hahaha

There’s more room: The Reuben from Hillside Ranch. They’re thinly sliced US corned beef brisket! They said think bacon but beef. :D 

Here’s the sCUAd!!! :D

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Oooooma

Another Japanese restaurant from Chef Bruce Ricketts! Sensei Sushi and Mecha Uma both amazed me and I’ve been hearing about how unique this new Japanese rice bar is!

Uma Viche (Fresh lapu-lapu, pickled carrots and red onion, sesame seed, scallion, kangkong tempura, ceviche dressing) - I loved the flavor of this one. A bit sour, has fried texture, plus fresh lapu-lapu was interesting! :D 

Scallop and Tuna Aburi Maki (Torched scallop, tuna, cucumber, sesame seeds, nori crumbs, scallion, teriyaki sauce, spicy mayo, kimchi aioli) - This one’s good, very flavorful for a single bite. 

Soft Shell Crab Taco-Maki (Open-faced temaki wrap, crispy soft shell crab, aligue mayo, tobiko) - How often can we see a taco-maki, right?! Why are there only 2 pieces in one order huhu =))

Salmon Belly Maki (Crispy salmon belly, red raddish, scallion, ginger garlic sauce, aligue mayo) - I thought this would come out raw or just slightly smoked! Would have enjoyed it more that way haha But other than that, it was okay. :)

Overall, this place serves rich flavors. Definitely one of the must tries. But is it worth the hype? Not much. Dishes are on the safer side and for Japanese repeats, I’d rather head to Sensei Sushi! 

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Catabolic Cafe

It’s a new third wave coffee shop in Maginhawa and their Chicken and Waffes brought us here. Serving size was generous and their waffles came with what seemed to be like strawberry butter. Really good! :) It’s no surprise that this dish would bring people to this small cafe in the area.

The next dish, however, was more than disappointing. Their Kimchi Fried Rice was just a mount of rice (that’s not even rich in kimchi flavor) with pieces of grilled pork (tough and mostly fat!) and an egg which wansn’t wet enough to be mixed with the rice. :( Since they just opened this month, I hope this dish gets a make over! :)

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Tomahawk Chops and Grill

Another one of Kapitolyo’s affordable and good eats!

Fried Calamari

Grilled Tomahawk Chops - no doubts, it really is the house specialty! :)

Country fried chicken - however when it comes to the chicken, “so-so”, according to my lunch companions. They should have sticked with porkchops variations haha

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SUSI

All vegetarian for today’s lunch as we try out this plant-based restaurant in Burgos Circle.

Mr. Phoenix - A fiery crumbled “chorizo” sandwich with pan-seared pumpkin, tomatoes, kale, and sweet potato wedges

Quinotto - Teriyaki quinoa “risotto” with tamari glazed king oyster mushroom “scallops”

The Autumnal - Rigatoni with a spicy arrabbiata sauce, black olives, and crumpled tofu-mushroom “chorizo”

Eat Your Feelings - Dark chocolate cake with Davao cacao (Very dark and thick - definitely one of the best chocolate cakes!) 

The overall experience was really great! Light food yet very filling for the tummy. A bit pricey though :( If food wasn’t as expensive I’d probably come back often. :))

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Who wants Eggs for Breakfast?

From Marcos Highway to Sumulong Highway leads us to Eggs for Breakfast Cafe inside Velada Estate and Events Place. It’s an easy Sunday drive on a well-lit day for a hearty breakfast meal. 

The said-to-be most popular spot in the cafe is this one, right beside the grass wall with framed details.

One Pan Breakfast, their version of Full English Breakfast - sausages, honey cured bacon, eggs, baked beans, tomatos, roasted potatoes and shitake mushrooms 

Peach Ravioli

What’s not to love about this beautiful breakfast scene! :”>

Have a bright and sunny day everyone! :)

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Magnum Opus Fine Coffees

Belgian Hearbreak (densely textured milk blended with 60% Belgian dark chocolate + espresso) - It lives up to the fame it carries. More chocolate than coffee though! :)

Cold Ice Drip Coffee