Everyone warned that my culinary cravings would be at a loss in the Philippines – that its not known for its food and cuisine is bland. However, we found a number of very nice spots with great atmosphere and fantastic food and the Filipino food I did try was quite tasty.
Hole in the Wall
A concept food hall located on the fourth floor of Century City Mall in Makati was so good we went twice. Inviting seating areas have a semi-perimeter of food court-like stalls with offerings like shawarma, deli sandwiches, fried chicken, tacos, and noodles. Stand outs for us were the umami chicken and waffles with miso whipped butter and maple syrups (didn’t realize we’d been missing it til then) and the sweet, salty, savoury bacon popcorn (warning: it’s highly addictive). For sweet tooth satisfaction there’s Scout’s Honor Craft Cookie Shop. We ordered a bunch of the pre-made cookies but next time we’ll opt for making our own in their choose-your-own-cookie-adventure set up.
Just off the circle in Bonifacio Global City is the most reasonable restaurant in the area and one with a very cool hipster vibe (not that that’s necessarily a selling feature). We started with their Boracay cold coffee, which had an earthy/nutty aftertaste none of us could quite figure out, but enjoyed the java none the less. Their side order of corn comes nicely seasoned with a side of siracha salt for extra flavour. It was here we had our first sampling of Filipino food with crunchy chili tapas and it was quite nice.
Tucked in on a small side street right behind the red light district in Makati is a fantastic, lively Mexican restaurant with tasty tacos and wings. Every type of street style taco we had was just delicious. And for a little familiar from home taste, the Tex-Mex style soft taco was almost exactly like Taco Bell (minus the sour cream, its absence was missed). The atmosphere is fun, though try to sit in the back area as the front allows smoking and its a smokey flavour not desired with dinner.
An Adventure with M.E. 