Discover places you'll love in the Philippines

Fat Daddy's Smokehouse started as a small concept restaurant by siblings, right in the backyard in their house in Marikina. It was another EatUp Invite at Fat Daddy's Smokehouse that made me go to UP Town on one Saturday afternoon. If you are a meat lover and all for trying different flavors that will satisfy your food pallette, this restaurant may he the best for you! 🔵 Buttermilk Fried Chiken Livers Php 210 - These are the bomb! Deep fried chicken livers marinated in buttermilk coated with their homemade barbeque rub served with piedmont sauce! . 🔴 Hot Pork Poppers Php 175 - Tiny sliced pork belly deep-fried to perfection and coated with their homemade bbq rub with pedmont sauce on the side ⚪ Crispy Fried Pickels Php 185 - Deep fried sliced dilled pickles coated in panko and corn crust served with an Alabama style bbq sauce ⚫ Chef Pat's Ultimate Cheese Dip Php 250 - Melted Cheddar and Mozarella cheese with beef and onions served with tortilla chips. ⭕ Jera's Ultimate Pulled Pork & Bacon Nachos Php 330 (half) / Php 600 (whole) Layers of bbq nachos smoked pulled pork, smoked bacon, salsa and jalapenos, drizzled with homemade cheese bbq sauce and alabama bbq sauce These are just some of the starters available for your choosing. They also have a meat platter consisting of ribs, pulled pork and many others. We also tasted the different flavoured chicken wings which my favorite is the Salted Egg Chicken Wings! I think I immediately went into food coma even before the desserts were served! For your sweet tooth, these are what's available for you: 🥧 Bacon and S'mores Dip Caramel Drizzled Banana Pudding Peach Cobbler Pecan Pie Chocolate Cake Chocolate Spicy Cake Pineapple and Carot Cake Cajeta Cake Thank you for the invite EJ B and Ms. A for being such a gracious host! Good to see you again Salie D Nievs G and nice meeting you Jonathan R

There is a gem of a place that just opened last August at Burgos Circle just across Uncle Cheffy's restaurant. The restaurant is called NOOR which means light in Arabic and is coincidentally the same meaning of Chef-Owner Or Hakmimi's name in Hebrew. THE AMBIENCE It is a two storey edifice with an impressive open industrial kitchen at the ground floor. I love that one can pretty much see everything going on in the kitchen as one goes up the wooden stairs... Note the wall of well curated wines on your right as you go up... There are more tables for guests on the second floor.. The focal point is the vast floor to ceiling window which draws the eyes. It lends a warm cozy vibe to the area while creating an illusion of spaciousness as it lets the outdoors in. You will also find the bar and the restroom on the 2nd floor. Noor can actually seat 55 guests at any one time. THE FOOD The food is a mix of Mediterranean and European cuisine with Chef Or's own creative twist. Chef Or honed his craft in Tel Aviv while working with one of the best Chefs in Israel. Last Friday October 19, we were served the following : Cauliflower P350 This is one of my favorite dish. First of all I do not like cauliflower. Chef Or's version of cauliflower was quite unique and delicious, it converted me. I have a mind to replicate it at home. Amazing how cauliflower changes its texture beautifully when deep fried. It married well with the home made Ceasar aioli. There were sweet notes from the cauliflower, brininess from the anchovy and capers and earthiness from the oregano. The mouth feel was exquisite. Moroccan Cigars (P290 short ribs 2 pcs / P250 Fish 2 pieces Reminiscent of our very own lumpiang shanghai, you have the option of having short ribs or fish filling. You dip it in Chef Or's very own home-made satay garlic aioli or Harissa which is a delicious Moroccan chili paste .Chef Or found it amusing that our very own lumpia is a street food here in our country while the Moroccan cigars are only served during weddings and other big occasions. Chicken Thigh on Skewers P620 Chicken is marinated in paprika harissa and honey. They are served with syrian rice and lentils and home made harissa aioili. I loved how the chicken was tender, moist and flavorful. That Harissa Aioli was scrumptious "Tunisian in origin, Harissa is a delicious red chili pepper condiment now accepted as part of Moroccan cuisine.. Dried red chili peppers are ground to a paste with garlic, spices lemon juice and olive oil" - www.thespruceeats.com Fish Kebab P560 "...take a very humble ingredient and make it tasty " - Chef Or I loved how Chef Or candidly shared that the Fish Kebab is made from our very own Tilapia! I assumed it was either Dory or lapu lapu. At any rate, it was delicious. The fish was not deep fried apparently but was cooked "plantcha seared "' ( a thick flat slab of cast iron you place on your grill for searing - Wiki) It is paired with chopped Israeli Salad made of chopped tomato, cucumber parsley swimming in sour and spicy Sumac yoghurt. It was delicious and refreshing on the palate. Lamb Baklava P460 This was an exciting dish. Baklava is familiar to us as dessert. But in Noor, Chef Or made the sweet baklava into a savory dish. "Baklava is a rich , sweet dessert pastry made of layers of filo filled with chopped nuts, sweetened and held together with syrup or honey - Wikipedia Chef Or grew up in Israel surrounded by Arabic countries. He shares that he was greatly influenced by their food especially Morocco. Moroccans usually love to combine their meat with sweets. Thus the inspiration for his Lamb Baklava. "I like to play with textures and flavor" - Chef Or He seared the lamb with leeks, paprika, tomatoes, thyme then wrap it in phyllo as if making the real baklava . For sauce, he used a combination or raw tahini sauce, raspberry sauce and olive oil then garnished the dish with ground pistachio.The result is a perfect balance of sweet vs savory and crunchy vs. creamy. I'm amazed that there was no gamy taste coming from the lamb. I loved how the sweet-citrusy raspberry sauce cut through the richness of the raw tahini Moroccan Shrimps P470 Shrimps were marinated in Moroccan paste and Harissa then plancha-seared. It swam in a pool of home-made tzatziki and charred eggplant. Shrimps were succulent and flavorful and married well with the tzatziki "Tzatziki is made of salted strained yoghurt or diluted yoghurt mixed with cucumbers, salt, garlic, olive oil, with vinegar or lemon juices and herbs like dill, mint , parsley and thyme" - Wikipedia Noor Signature Cocktail P380 Gin / Fresh Basil/ Cucumber/ Fresh Lemon Juice/Tonic Water I did not even know there was alcohol in it. All the while I thought it was just a refreshing and delicious drink of basil-lemon-cucumber. Good thing I just took a sip haha Noor Cuban Beehive P380 Rum/Honey/Lime Juice/ Angostura Another delicious cocktail I recommend you try. Its pretty potent though Knafe P390 For dessert , Tair ( wife of Chef Or) was quite excited to let us taste the Knafe. Knafe is made up of shredded phyllo pastry, white cheese filling, butter and yoghurt pistachio ice cream. It was delicious! Again the play on texture and flavor was evident. You have the creaminess of the yoghurt vs the crunchiness of the phyllo pastry and the richness of the cheese vs. the sweetness of the ice cream. I thought it looked similar to Kouign Amman. But where Kouign Aman is puff pastry, Knafe is made of shredded phyllo. So they are really poles apart in concept and execution We were also served black Turkish coffee to match with the dessert . If you like really strong coffee, you will like this Before we said our goodbyes, Hezi one of the owners insisted we try their home-made hummus and made-from-scratch bread. Sorry I was not able to take a photo of the bread.Their home-made hummus was really silky and flavorful so different from the grainy hummus Ive tasted locally. Their bread was delicious as well. Nothing really compares to bread freshly made from the premises. Overall.... What an amazing afternoon learning about Chef Or's Noor. Indeed Noor lives up to its name of giving light or lifting up one's mood with the dishes that it serves. Light could also mean "less heavy" as Noor's dish are quite healthy and therefore customers are less likely to gain weight after gorging themselves on Chef Or's amazing creations. All the dishes served were scrumptious and note worthy. What stood out for me though were the Cauliflower, Lamb Baklava, Moroccan Shrimp, Chicken Skewers , Fish Kebab. I think I mentioned all of them haha. Home-made from the bread to the sauces and pasta, fresh ingredients, modern take on Mediterranean-Arabic-European familiar dishes, exciting flavors and textures, a passionate Chef who puts his heart on his creations....what's not to love? Most definitely returning with the piggery in tow. Can not wait to try the other items in the menu. Thank you for hosting us Chef Or, Tair, Hezi and for the invite Cam.

I love the vibe of this branch. It’s spacious and the lighting is just right. The interiors have a classic modern design with its neutral accents, glass windows and high ceilings. The other table beside me ordered the house Wagyu Burger | [Php495] and it looked mouthwatering so I decided to have the same. No regrets. Burger had a good portion and was really really juicy - dripping juicy. It may come off as slightly salty for the average consumer but I love a well-seasoned patty. The tomatoes, lettuce and cheese were the right second (third and fourth?) leads for the star. And I love how the burger came with house-made mini potato chips instead of the classic fries. They were crisp and delicious. I could munch on these anytime. To cleanse off my palate, I also ordered one hot Chai Chocolate | [Php160]. I can still remember how the flavors danced inside my mouth - rich, chocolatey goodness. Loved the latte art on this one too! Overall, I had a great visit. Food was great. Service was good and place was beautiful. They also have a great playlist. So that’s an A+ for me. Yes, I enjoyed. Yes, I'd recommend. And yes, I'd come back.

Shame on me coz I think I'm the one who isn't familiar with Alex III. My fellow foodies said that this restaurant is legend in the neighborhood of Tomas Morato. From the same family who brought out Aristocrat, Alex III also caters sumptous Filipino dishes that would make our tummy satisfied and happy. This season of parties and gatherings here and there, we couldn't really think of something to eat. Alex III will give you options for party menu. Luckily, I was part of the foodie meet up who tried their food set. PRICE: P2,950 (Good for 5 Persons) SET 1 * Chickeb BBQ or Pork BBQ or Pork Belly or Whole Fried Chicken * Special Pancit Canton * Fresh Lumpiang Ubod or Lumpiang Shanghai * Kare-kare * Crispy Pata * Steamed Rice SET 2 * Chickeb BBQ or Pork BBQ or Pork Belly or Whole Fried Chicken * Whole Crispy Boneless Lapu-lapu with Sweet & Sour Sauce * Camaron Rebosado * Special Pancit Canton * Shanghai Rice All of the sets are served with garlic peanuts, sushi sampler, and your soup (includes hot pot specialties), bottomless iced tea, and your choice of dessert (leche flan, pandan jellied tapioca, ice cream, bibingka or puto bumbong) My personal favorite was the Special Pancit Canton. Who wouldn't loved pansit canton? This is a staple food in every party. Aside from this, I also liked their Pork Belly which was tasty, crispy, and not too oily. The Sweet and Sour Lapu-lapu is also a game-changer, it's crispy and I loved how they made the sauce. I also loved the creaminess of Kare-kare - it's buttery and went well with the bagoong. Their desserts were also yummy, especially the leche flan. The ambiance of Alex III is very classic with homey vibe. The place is perfect for family gatherings that everyone will surely enjoy the comfort food they serve.

To say that I like Vietnamese food is an understatement. It's one of my fave Asian cuisine! Their hearty Pho, soulful Banh Mi, awesome Dry Noodles, delicious fresh & fried Spring Rolls and of course - Ca Phe Sua Da! I can eat Vietnamese food everyday! I have my favorite place for Vietnamese Food and it's my standard when it comes to taste and price. Hard to top this place. But when I heard that a Vietnamese restaurant from Vietnam is now here in Manila, there's no way that I will miss a rendezvoos there! Welcome to Propaganda Bistro... Located in Greenbelt 5, I knew right away that the prices will be steep. But that's okay, I guess. As long as they will deliver on terms of food quality and taste - done deal. Located beside Krazy Garlic, Propaganda boasts of colorful walls with ceiling to floor artwork. The place is vibrant! According to Jairus, the place looks exactly like the Propaganda restaurant that he went to in Vietnam! We were able to sample a couple of dishes. Let me start with my favorites! Beef Pho - a good hearty bowl of warm Pho, tasty with a good beef flavor. I liked this probably because it was leaning towards the sweet side. Chicken Pho - I would have to say that they know how to make good bowls of Pho. I mean, shame on them if they don't, right?!? Just like the Beef Pho, their Chicken Pho has that hearty and tasty broth. That type that you want to slurp when you're not feeling well. Fresh Spring Rolls with Beef - tasty little pieces of rice noodles with flaked beef in betel leaf, some greens, carrots and cucumber. Loved this! Best when dipped in the spicy ginger fish sauce! Propaganda Edamame Salad - this was good too. Generous heaping of edamame mixed with black rice, topped with tofu. The tofu was soft and silky with a citrusy hint. Crunchy Tri-Colored Rice Bowl - this was a crowd fave. Stir-fried rice in a bowl mixed with bits of veggies, topped with bbq chicken and fried egg. This was tasty, with just the right amount of saltiness. Mango Sticky Rice - Thai dessert in a Viet resto?!? The kakanin x gata lover in me is not complaining! Pretty good! The sticky rice wasn't too sticky, texture just right. The mango was sweet and the coconut milk tied everything well. Glad this was part of our dessert! Chocolate Ice Cream - this looked plain but it was good! It wasn't the creamy and thick type. It was a little icy, in fact, BUT I loved the "champorado-ish" tablea chocolate flavor. It also had this rough end note reminiscent of Chocola-te Batirol. Ca Phe Sua Da - my love for this coffee drink has led me to make my own recipe at home and that has become my standard! Happy to report that Propaganda's version hits the spot! Strong coffee, just the right amount of milk and just the right sweetness. I drank it when it was watered down already but I still liked it! Other dishes that we tried: Chicken Roll with Avocado and Peanut Sauce - had a bitter taste that Propaganda attributed to the Avocado Banh Mi - needed more liver pate and the baguette did not pass the "crunch test" Fried Spring Rolls - I thought it had bean sprouts but that assumption was contested and Propaganda said that we took too long in taking pics so the quality of the Fried Spring Rolls changed. I SHALL BE BACK FOR THIS! Bun Rice Noodle Salad - with pork bbq, fried spring rolls and veggies! This was way better than the Propaganda Bun with tofu! If you want some dry noodles when you go here - this is the dish to order! Ca Phe Martini - Vietnamese Coffee x Vodka x Kahlua x sugar syrup. This was okay. I liked the strong coffee flavor but the alcohol flavor was too much. We've tried a couple of other dishes that did not really make an impression... Overall - If you don't have any Vietnamese food preference already in terms of taste, flavor and pricing - Propaganda is a good starting point. Prices of dishes are steep but if you have the $$$ - go for it! Taking into consideration the location, interiors and overall ambiance - it's understandable why they priced their dishes that way. Personally though, I would not really spend that much for Viet food simply because I can go elsewhere and get better value for my money.

Second part of Looloo Rendezvoos. They've made some changes with their menu and rebranding the whole venture. Making their menu more approachable to customers. Beef Stroganoff (Php232) Creamy sauced pasta! At first it doesn’t look as appetizing but it was a delight to eat. Burger Steak (P239) Large beef patty with gravy on top? Yes please! Patty was lean and tender plus not too bad for the price. Beef Belly Rice (Php269) Their bestseller of course but when I was picking a few pieces on the plate. It was dripping with oil, just too greasy to my liking. Turtle Cheesecake (Php196) My favorite dessert. It was thick and dense, you can just taste the cream cheese and it comes in 2 other variants: Plain and Blueberry. I would probably go for Plain next time since I found the caramel overwhelming with it. Cheese Dip with Nachos (Php 135) Great meal starter. I love cheese, enough said. Cheesy Beef Rice (Php 299) I would probably have this for sharing cause it can be too filling. Tuna Belly Steak (Php 255) Huge serving of tuna but I prefer a difference sauce like honey soy or dill sauce. Chicken Steak You can’t go wrong with chicken steak. They’ve made the portion bigger but I still like the Teriyaki Boy’s Chicken Teriyaki Thank you also to Max’s Group for the generosity that evening. Thanks to Roegan T and Jessica G again for the invite.

Must Try: FLAMING MAKI 5/5 Sashimi Salmon 4/5 Gyoza 3/5 Tempura 3/5 Hiranos Special (Eel Sushi) 4/5 Drink Classic Margarita Quick Review I went here to celebrate my bff's birthday. It wasn't jampacked when we went here, the ambiance is a little too typical so it did not excite me though the place is filled eith halloween decorations. The service is really good and the waiters were very attentive and friendly. Food Sushi and Sahimi goes well with light soysauce. I want my own light soysauce at home It was a satisfactory experience overall but it wasn't the best. I'm not sure if the ones we ordered weren't just their specialty but it's fairly good. The FLAMING MAKI is to die for! It was the only remarkable dish we ordered. They flame the maki with fire giving the cheese a torched texture and a little burnt taste. It's loaded with melted cheese, di ako naumay ang sarap! Will go back? NO. MAYBE ONLY FOR THE FLAMING MAKI Tip: Go here on a Saturday night around 10PM for the live band. Ang ganda ng boses nung singer! Promise mapipilitang kang di umuwi kinilig ako sa version niya ng Chasing Cars and Crazy For You. Si koya naman ehhh... You make me kilig ️

Forget dining, I never thought I’d ever go inside Hello Kitty Café. Not that I’ve heard or searched for the reviews but mainly because I’m not a Hello Kitty fan. My friend, a male friend, was the one who suggested that we have dessert here. I was really surprised. I thought he was mocking me. But turns out he was serious. Lol. I have to say, they have really cute designs. I mean, the biskies were just adorable. Here’s what we got: Choco Chips Biskies Php175 Crinkles Biskies Php195 Oreo Mint Cappuccino Php210 Strawberry Peanut Butter Frappe Php295 It’s funny how I got the more “manly” choices (Crinkles and Oreo Mint Cappuccino) and my friend got the pink colored ones. The staff served both orders wrong. I can’t blame her though. It’s very misleading. I personally thought that there was nothing special with their desserts. The cookies weren’t moist or chewy and the frappes were quite watered down. Service was really bad too. It was slow and the staff was not accommodating at all. Needless to say, I’m not coming back. Not that it’s bad but I figured I can find better desserts elsewhere for the same value. It was a good experience though. The interiors and food designs were really cute. Food 3/5 Ambiance 4/5 Service 1/5

DAY 1 - STOP # 5 After getting enough rest in our room, my mom and I decided to grab some dinner nearby (as in walking distance near). Good thing there were lots of options near the hotel, and I chose to have our dinner at Tsokolateria. They have branches here in Tagaytay, as well as in Baguio. The Tagaytay branch is located inside The Boutique Bed and Breakfast, a rather fancy hotel located along the highway. Tsokolateria shares its space with Hawaiian BBQ, and you may opt to sit at their al fresco area, or in the indoor dining area. As for us, we chose to sit indoors because it was too dark outside, and the tables were a bit too low for us to be able to eat our meal properly. As expected, you may cross order between the two restaurants, but we just ordered from Tsokolateria. Here's what we had that night: ✅ TSOKOLATE EH (Php 195) - A bittersweet hot chocolate perfect for those who are not that fond of sweet drinks. The chocolate is very thick, and the slight roasty flavor gave the drink an interesting aroma. For the sweet tooths, you may opt to get their Tsokolate Ah instead, since this is the sweeter version according to our server. But if you've been paying attention during the discussion of Noli Me Tangere when we were still in school, Tsokolate Eh is better! HAHAHA. (Note: A serving is already good for 2 people who get about 2 cups each. Great value for money!) ✅ SMOKED BANGUS, DANGGIT CHICHARON, AND GARLIC CACAO (Php 295) - My mom is forever a big fan of bangus dishes, so I instantly knew she'd get this. The food boasts of various colors, which was too pretty to eat. My mom loved the bangus, but found the danggit too hard to chew with dentures, so I ate them for her. The native red mountain rice, which I found interesting, was not favored by my mom. I think she found it too heavy compared to the usual white / garlic rice. Also, I don't think the chocolate part was noticeable in this dish. ✅ CALAMARES PANDESAL (Php 275) - This was okay. Calamares were freshly fried, but I found it super hard to eat! I had to take off all the calamares so I'd be able to slice the bread. Also, I don't really like how they slathered the pandesal with so much mayonnaise. Just a suggestion: Maybe they can try to add some garlic to the mayo to cut through the oiliness and umay factor. The soup of the day was Bulalo, and it was tasty and tasted quite authentic, not what you'd expect from free soup. The Kamote Fries, on the other hand, was really delicious, buy the caramelized sugar caused the fries to stick together. I loved the ambiance of the restaurant, as it is quite laidback and relaxing. The neutral-colored interiors make the colorful food stand out even more! On the other hand, I found the waiters to be a bit loud, as some huddled around the counter talking to each other. They could improve a bit on their service. Nevertheless, I found the overall experience to be quite good, and since it's along the highway, its pretty accessible too! #TagaytayTrip2018 #EatDrinkSplurge

We were able to try the Catalan Party Package. Here’s what you can get when you ordered a Catalan package: Croquetas Pollo y Jamon – Homemade croquettes with chicken and Serrano ham. Love every bite of thie Croquetas. It was crispy on the outside yet soft on the inside. I love to dip it on the sauce, it’s just really addicting. Tortilla de Patatas – Spanish omelette with potatoes and onions. That’s thick omelette for you to indulge. Dip this to a sauce for more flavors. Ensalada Catalana – Mixed green salad with tomatoes, carrots, onions, and eggs dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and fuet extra. This Salad was refreshing. I can have this all day. Pollo Al Ajillo – Chicken sauteed with garlic and white wine sauce Paella Mixta – Paella rice with mixed seafoods, meat, and vegetables. I thought that the Paella was a bit dry but I was happy to see the generous amount of vegetables, seafood and chicken in there. All these are good for 10 persons (Php7,000) to 15 persons (Php8,900). Also, there’s Party trays on which you can customize. If you wanted to have some Paellas, Tapas, Carnes to Postres, you may add to your liking.

Tanke Saltwater Lagoon is every traveler's dream. When I saw photos of this place few year ago, I was amazed of how this placed looked like in the naked eyes. During my visit in Islas Gigantes, I was excited to know that this was included in our island hopping escapade. If you're familiar with Coron's famous lagoon like Twin Lagoon, this one has similar appearance. The body of water is surrounded by captivating rock formations. Water was green in color because of the plant's reflection to it. Our tour guide told us that the water dried up inside the lagoon sometimes in the afternoon or during summer. Also, tour is not permitted here when the waves are really strong. I guess, we were lucky enough to witness Tanke Lagoon on it's beautiful state. TRAVEL TIPS: 1. Secure your Tanke Entrance Pass and Environmental Fee at Balasan Port. This will be your ticket when visiting. 2. There's a 15-minute limit per group for staying inside the lagoon. This is to avoid the overcrowding of boats and tourists. 3. Feeding of animals are not allowed. 4. All forms of leaving traces like vandalism, throwing of garbage, smoking, urinating and defecating are stricly prohibited. 5. Enjoy and respect each other's time for photo taking. Tour Fee: Included in our package Entrance Fee: P75 per head

DISCLAIMER: Please give us the .5 system in the rating, because this resto deserves a 3.5 instead of a 3 star rating. Camon. Grrr... Hahahaha!!! This is the first time I tried (afaik) Peruvian Dishes in the sense that I have lots to choose from. :D Let's make this short and sweet. Holy shoot!!! I have to say that this place is very instagrammable. With beautiful and colorful murals, I'm sure your camera will love the colors popping out. :D Notable dishes for me are the following: 1. Pollo A la Brasa (Peruvian roasted Chicken) w/ mashed potato sides. I super love the mashed potato!!! :D 2. Tres Leches - not too sweet to the point of giving you sore throat. TBH, I'm not into limey/sour tasting food, since Peruvian dishes are known to be heavy on the maasim side. WHAT TO WORK ON: Tenderness of the meat. There were dishes that were served that are chewy when it should've been tender. That's all folks!!! --- PLEASE LIKE or FOLLOW my ACCOUNTS!!! :D |FB| https://www.fb.com/jacexperience |IG| https://www.instagram.com/jacexperience |YT| https://www.youtube.com/jacexperience |ZOMATO| https://www.zomato.com/jacexperience