Philippines’ Best Restaurants 2010: Philippine Tatler’s Ultimate Guide to Dining Out
It is finally here. The Philippine Tatler’s Philippines’ Best Restaurants Guide Book 2010. This year, the Philippine Tatler did away with the usual cocktail at the Manila Polo Club or hotel. The generous people behind the Philippine Tatler and American Express Selects have collaborated to bring us the Best Restaurants Charity Week. Beginning on August 13 to 20, 64 of the country’s best restaurants have joined the effort by creating special menus and have pledged 10 percent of their gross earnings from these menus to Hands On Manila, non-profit organization that does volunteer work with public school students in both elementary and high school.
So what are the participating restaurants? Listed here are the 64 participating restaurants. They’re arranged alphabetically. Take your pick and be ready to dine for a cause. Read the rest of this post »
August 5, 2010
· 
Arpee · 
5 Comments
Tags: 22 Prime, Acqua, american express selects, Antonio's, Astralis by Diamond Hotel, Aubergine, Azuthai, Banana Leaf, Banana Leaf Asian Café, Barcino Wine & Tapas Bar, best restaurants charity week, Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano, Chef Laudico Bistro Filipino, Chesa Bianca Swiss Restaurant, Cibo, Dimsum Plus, Enchanté Restaurant & Bar by Chef Jessie, Escolta, Fire Lake Grill, hands on Manila, Heat, I'm Angus Steakhouse, Inagiku, Indigo at Discovery Shores, Je Suis Gourmand, Josephine's Tagaytay, Kai, La Cocina de Tita Moning, La Regalade French Bistro, Lemoni Café, Lemuri, Li Li, Lusso, Mabuhay Palace, Makati Shangri-La Lobby Lounge, Masseto, Ninyo Fusion Cuisine & Wine Lounge, O'Sonho Portuguese Fusion, Paparazzi, Pasto, People's Palace Thai, Pepato, Philippine Tatler, Philippine Tatler's Ultimate Guide to Dining Out, Philippines' Best Restaurants 2010, Prince Albert Rotisserie, Red, Restaurant Verbena, Sala, Sala Bistro, Santi's Deli & Café, Senju, Shang Palace Restaurant, Spices, Sugi, Summer Palace, Tea of Spring, Terry's Bistro, Thai Patio, The Café Mediterranean, The Champagne Room, The Establishment - The Crystal Room, The Fireplace, The Oakroom, The Tivoli, Tosca, Trio, Umu, Yurakuen, Zao Vietnamese Restaurant, Zong, Zucchini's · Posted in: events, publications, restaurants
Tita C’s Kitchen: when you want homemade cakes
Here are the numbers you need to remember, including the prices. Because once you’ve tried this chocolate cake, you will never look for any other chocolate cake again.
This is how it looks like when you open the box. It actually looks less appealing than the usual cakes that we buy from our favorite bakeshops. Worry not, there’s more to this cake than meets the eye. Yup, it’s homemade. Read the rest of this post »
July 16, 2010
· Arpee · 6 Comments
Tags: chocolate cake with sauce, decadent chocolate cake, homemade chocolate cake, homemade desserts, tita c chocolate cake, tita c's kitchen · Posted in: F&B
Red Kimono’s Better Than Buffet
Japanese food rarely ever comes cheap. Mostly because the ingredients need to be fresh at all times. Sourcing these ingredients is not easy because many of the spices need to be sourced from Japan. So imagine my surprise when I tried Red Kimono Restaurants “better than buffet” smorgasbord. So why is it better than buffet? Because for as little as P535 (US$11.65), you get to order all the Japanese food you can eat from their special menu. Read the rest of this post »
July 15, 2010
· Arpee · 8 Comments
Tags: better than buffet, buffet restaurants, japanese restaurants in makati, little tokyo, modern japanese cuisine, red kimono, sushi places, tempura udon · Posted in: restaurants
Remembering Mommy
1990 was the year when I had the most wonderful vacation of my life. My sister offered to pay for our airfare and we all decided to go to Thailand, Singapore, Japan then on to the US. It was a month and a half of fun, laughs and great memories. Allow me to share some with you.
- Bangkok, Thailand. My mom had been itching to go to Bobe, market in Chinatown, because she thinks the trinkets are cheaper there than in the malls. My sister argued with her saying that it’s all the same as in the mall and that the goods are of the same cheap quality anyway. Mothers, in general, will never listen. Especially when it comes to shopping. They always think they know more than their kids do. It’s been my mom’s nth visit, but my sister had been living in Bangkok for two years by then. My ate knew more than my mom did, but my mom still insisted on her way and so off to Bobe we went. Hours and hours of scouring the little nooks and crannies of Bobe, she finally got tired (and out of cash) so we hopped in the first cab we could get and went home. When we got home, she happily showed my sister the stash she bought.  Two days later, she was cursing at herself. She saw the same stuff on sale at the Central Department Store. My sister and I had a good time laughing at her.
- Singapore. My sister booked us at this nice hotel called The Phoenix Hotel (sadly it’s been torn down now). It was located right in the middle of Orchard Road with its other entrance facing Somerset. I loved the hotel. It was my first time in Singapore, my mom’s too. I was amazed at the buildings and the really big airport. We were told that shopping was the best thing to do in Singapore and my mom wanted to buy a handycam. So there we were, looking around. The bad thing about coming from Bangk0k is that you think all people will appreciate a good haggle. Back in 1990, Singaporeans weren’t the friendliest of shop keepers, so if you haggle, you were expected to buy it. My mom haggled and haggled some more, but didn’t buy because she wanted to see if there was another place that sold the same item cheaper. The shop keeper wasn’t too happy and started saying unsavory things, mostly directed at us being Filipino. National pride took over and my mom started lashing out at the shop keeper for saying the things that he did. Her loud voice booming over the little man’s unintelligible mutterings. No, she wouldn’t leave without having the last say. That’s my mom.
- Tokyo, Japan. We were picked up at the Narita airport by some of the my sister’s friends from the Philippine Embassy and taken to a really small hotel called the Asia Center of Japan. Never have I seen such small hotel rooms! Really tiny! Of course, my mom complained about the room size and my sister told her that it was the cheapest hotel with a really good location. It was a stone’s throw away from Ropponggi. After settling in, we walked into a convenience store. My mom realized that a bottle of water cost about P75 when converted. Then she frantically did the math on all the meals we’ve had since we got to Japan, including the toll fees my sister offered to pay from the airport to the hotel. Again she cursed at the high cost of everything Japanese and despite all the walking and subway rides to this and that mall, this and that market, she realized it was all terribly expensive. By the third day, she was so thankful it was time to leave. She was happy with her pictures and that doll she bought from the airport, which she still kept in her room 16 years later.
- USA. After Japan, my mom found this place heaven. All the corned beef, luncheon meat and macaroni and cheese that we could get our hands on. My mom tells everyone she loves San Francisco. When we went to Illinois, she professed she loves Illinois. One city she hated; New York. 1990 was pre-Giuliani and there were guys in hairnets walking around the apartment we stayed at. In Trump Towers she despised the sale because it was too expensive to be called one, but kept egging my sister to buy that Bally pair of shoes because it was a good buy.
Four years ago today, her life ended abruptly leaving us confused and angry. I hated everything and everyone that made me feel bad about losing her in such a sudden and unguarded time. But the hate can only protect me for some time. I had to outgrow the hate and learn to move on. So now, I am moving on and grieving. Finally I have let the grief take its course and have learned to accept that she is no longer among us. She may not be there to smack me around when I make a mistake, but she is definitely there to celebrate our successes, big and small. My mom will always be my patron saint of shopping because she’s all I ever think about when I walk into a mall. Ma, without you we wouldn’t have been strong enough for anything. We love you and we miss you.
July 12, 2010
· Arpee · One Comment
Posted in: non-food
Making the Three Sixty turn to great food
Three Sixty is a restaurant and bar located at the second of the A.Venue Hall, Makati Avenue, Makati City. The restaurant cum watering hole serves more than just great food and drinks; they serve entertainment. The live music is awesome. I personally love their repertoire. They also let you sing to your heart’s content. They will play any music you like. Read the rest of this post »
July 11, 2010
· Arpee · 7 Comments
Tags: 360 restaurant, A Venue restaurants, banana crepe, Batang Yagit sings, buchi with ferrero rocher, Byahilo sings, ferrero rocher chocolate, korean beef stew, lotus rice, makati restaurants, resto-bar, three sixty restaurant, Winston Almendras · Posted in: restaurants
