Doughnuts with a Kikk: The Kikko Man, Kikko Shoyu Bonito and Kikkonana by Poison Coffee & Doughnuts in Collaboration with Kikkoman

They've done Champorado, Garam Masala even Mangga't Suman on doughnuts. But clearly, they're not done yet...

Poison Coffee & Doughnuts, one of the metro's innovative dining concepts, introduces yet another out-of-the-box creation in a unique collaboration with Kikkoman. That's right, and you read it right. When one of the world's iconic soy sauce brands gets together with the creative team behind Poison Coffee & Doughnuts, you can expect some truly inspired doughnut expressions setting it apart from the usual offerings. Think of it as doughnuts with a kikk.   

#BakBAKAnNa: Get It On with the Let's Get Litson by Kraver's Canteen

Down from the clouds, this one's a worthy contender for the top spot in the raging Litson Baka wars from one of the country's newest players in the growing cloud kitchen sector...

Kraver's Canteen, an innovative cloud kitchen, shares their inventive take on Litson Baka with their very own and wittingly named Let's Get Litson. Marinated for 24 hours, smoked and slow-cooked for six hours, the Let's Get Litson by Kraver's Canteen is unbelievably fork-tender with that melt-in-your-mouth finish delivering a savory burst of beefy flavors. And it's just one of many specialty offerings from the cloud kitchens of Kraver's Canteen. Ready to get it on? 

Taiwan in the Metro: The King, Taiker, Chee-Z and Hot Chick at Monga Taiwanese Style Fried Chicken

Authentic Taiwanese style chicken chop in the metro? You bet. And you'll find it at Monga Taiwanese Style Fried Chicken...

Named after Taiwan's traditional and oldest district where the local food culture continues to thrive with influences from various cuisines, Monga Taiwanese Style Fried Chicken takes their best-selling specialties to the metro with four stores serving their iconic chicken chop and soothing milk teas. 

Rain or Shine, It's Always Hot Pot Weather at Tong Yang Grill & Shabu Shabu at SM Megamall

The constant rain these past few days always trigger a response, like a serious craving for comfort food. And when it pours, it's hot pot on my mind... 

Tong Yang Grill & Shabu Shabu at the Mega Atrium of SM Megamall is open once again, and just in time for those rainy day cravings too. A gently simmering pot of comforting broth, a table-top grill and a whole variety of tasty offerings from tender beef and pork, chicken, seafood, savory balls and dumplings of every kind and garden fresh vegetables presents a tempting option for the rainy days. Or any day, really. Time to get your hot pot game on because Tong Yang is back.  

Black is Back: It's Black Truffle Season at Caruso Ristorante Italiano

 Caruso Ristorante Italiano brings out the Barolo for truffle season...

Caruso Ristorante Italiano celebrates the much-anticipated arrival of the prized Black Alba Truffle fresh from Italy prepared in lavish dishes for an indulgent and authentic taste of the old country at the heart of Makati. Available for a limited time only, early reservations are highly recommended. Widely regarded as "the diamond of the kitchen," the rare truffle offers a unique flavor experience that you can enjoy at Caruso Ristorante Italiano. That's while supplies last, of course.   

"Simply Classic Cuisine" by Chef Robert Lilja for Disciples Escoffier at Makati Garden Club

A memorable evening of fellowship, fine wine and classic cuisine at one of Makati's hidden gems relives the spirit of Auguste Escoffier in an elegant dinner...

Disciples Escoffier Philippines caps yet another year of camaraderie while supporting and promoting hospitality developments with a lavish dinner by Chef Robert Lilja at The Makati Garden Club in true Escoffier style. Following a successful dinner last month (for more on the previous Disciples Escoffier dinner, see my post, Chef Alain Raye Lights Up Poblacion with a Lavish Dinner for Disciples Escoffier at Dr. Wine Manila), Disciples Escoffier PH celebrates historic milestones with "Simply Classic Cuisine" created by one of Manila's very best chefs in an idyllic sanctuary at the heart of the bustling Makati CBD.  

Healthier Options and Tasty Nibbles by The #BrothQueen at Kim King's Kitchen

The long days of quarantine allowed many of us to take a closer look at our lifestyle choices and with personal health now a priority in a lingering pandemic, it's about time we did. Natural, organic and a more conscious approach to what we eat is a good starting point. And Kim King's Kitchen shows you the way...

Widely known as Asia's one and only organic bone #BrothQueen as well as a certified Gut Health Coach and Skin Nutrition Specialist with a PN1 certification from the UK, Kim King is the metro's leading fasting-focused lifestyle advocate with her customized meal plans featuring her specialty bone broths. The success of her bone broths led to Kim King's Kitchen, a complete online store showcasing a wide variety of healthy options from meal plans to platters like Roasted Chicken and Crusted Salmon, snacks and condiments, beverages, cakes and pastries, organic meat and even pet nutrition products. Also a personal coach, Kim King and Kim King's Kitchen are ready to help you make that first step to a healthier lifestyle. 

#CozyDayswithFRNK: Experience The Art in Breakfast with the New Warm Drinks Series, Fuji Kukki and Overnight Oats by FRNK Milk Bar

You've heard it before, a healthy and nutritious breakfast sets the tone for the rest of your day. Your first meal of the day, breakfast can make or break your day. FRNK Milk Bar sets it right with their new tasty and flavorful breakfast offerings...

FRNK Milk Bar presents The Art in Breakfast with their healthy and flavorful offerings for the month like the new plant-based Warm Drinks Series, Fuji Kukki and Overnight Oats. As the mad and hectic rush at the start of the week creeps back even in this new normal, take a pause and slow down and choose a healthy breakfast to start your day right. 

Just Ice It: A Soothing Cold Brew Trio by Caravan Black

The onset of the rainy season does little to lower the blistering heat, not even a dent. When the temperature rises and you need to cool down, just ice it. Caravan Black offers three soothing ways to beat the heat with their refreshing cold brews... 

Caravan Black unveils their latest selection of specialty cold brews, each one with its own distinct flavor and finish. That's three for the road with the Wilde White, Cold S & G and Cold Blonde to soothe your palate. Thirsty? Then, read on...

Breakfast Essentials: The Angus Beef Garlic Classic Style and Sundried Premium Beef Tapa by Tipsy Tapa

Everyone looks forward to a sumptuous weekend breakfast at home. The new normal may have blurred the lines somewhat but a good breakfast is still a much anticipated event. And when you have the Angus Beef Garlic Classic Style and Sundried Premium Beef Tapa from Tipsy Tapa, it's a feast that sets the tone for the rest of the day. 

Mention "comfort food" and everyone's favorite beef tapa pops up top-of-mind. The quarantine experience made us all rediscover the simple joys of enjoying a sumptuous breakfast at home as restrictions on mobility were enforced to curb the spread of the pandemic. The Angus Beef Garlic Classic Style and Sundried Premium Beef Tapa by Tipsy Tapa makes your breakfast or brunch or any meal at home even more special... 

Let the Good Times Roll with Liang Crispy Roll, Now Open at SM Aura...

Fresh, crisp and savory rolls fresh from the kitchen are ready to wrap up your appetite with vibrant flavors from the newest snack in town. Time to take your appetite on a flavorful ride and let the good times roll with Liang Crispy Roll...

Liang Crispy Roll brings its specialty savory rolls to the metro offering even more tasty options to shoppers at SM Aura. With over 12,000 branches around the world, Manila becomes the latest addition to a rapidly growing global network with its very first branch located at Level 4 of SM Aura. Read on for a tasty peek at the newest entry in the local food scene.

All Boxed Up and Ready-To-Heat: The Pancit Luglug DIY Kit and Heat and Serve Beef Papaitan by The Pork Project

 Chef Redd Agustin is back with new offerings from The Pork Project...

Pancit Luglug in minutes? Now you can with the new Pancit Luglug D-I-Y Kit from The Pork Project by Chef Redd Agustin. Everything you need comes straight out of a box, just bring out the trusty pot to get started in the kitchen. Easy Beef Papaitan without the long hours in the home kitchen? No problem. Chef Redd Agustin makes it easy and uncomplicated without the fuss. Ready?

Healthier Options with the Plant-Based Whopper by Burger King

 100% flame-grilled. 0% beef. Could this be the much awaited shift of the future?

Burger King rides the plant-based meat alternative wave with its own creation, the Plant-Based Whopper, offering an affordable and tasty option adding a new narrative to the growing global demand for healthier options. And when one more iconic brand in fast food takes the leap to the other side, it all bodes well for the plant-based movement. The future is looking bright. And quite tasty too with that subtle smoky finish we all love...

Take Me Back to Enduring and Comforting Italian Flavors at Mamma Mia

Good food is best enjoyed with great company at your own unhurried pace, and nothing brings family and friends closer quite like Italian cuisine with its comforting, hearty and rich flavors. It's what Italian moms have known all along, delivering consistently familiar flavors that trigger fond memories like a warm hug to the palate and body. At Mamma Mia, that's what you get. Everyday.

They say enjoying a favorite dish is like going home and the limitations of both time and distance momentarily disappear with each flavorful bite. The food experience is transformative, taking you back to a place or time like a portal. Consistency and quality are key to that experience and four years later after it opened, Mamma Mia still serves their dishes just the way you remember it (more on my experience from 2017 on my earlier post here). Come on in and enjoy all your favorite dishes at Mamma Mia and relive the good times...

New in the 'Hood: Art and Coffee at Coffee Artea in Poblacion

Art and coffee combine for a soothing and refreshing blend at Poblacion's newest establishment. Care for a Leche Bruleé Latte?

Coffee Artea is the newest cafe and mini art gallery in the resilient and vibrant neighborhood of Makati's Poblacion taking the coffee experience with a touch of local art. The second part in a two-feature series (see my earlier post here at A Sip of the Local Neighborhood Culture at Coffee Artea in Makati's Poblacion), here's a deeper dive at Coffee Artea and their specialty offerings...

A Sip of the Local Neighborhood Coffee Culture at Coffee Artea in Makati's Poblacion

The narrow streets of Poblacion are slowly getting back to its once vibrant character as quarantine restrictions are eased up. The familiar destinations along with a new neighborhood Café is breathing life back to the laid-back and casual Bohemian character of the 'hood...  

Like an extended patio, Coffee Artea adds yet another colorful weave in Poblacion's multi-colored fabric with its own unique take on soothing coffee and tea-based handcrafted beverages using the finest indigenous local ingredients. Step inside Coffee Artea for a taste of the local neighborhood coffee culture in the first of two parts on Poblacion's evolving story in the new normal... 

#GuiltlessGoodness: Avo Nice Day with Koomi PH

Our insatiable thirst for refreshing ice-cold beverages gets another satisfying fix with the guiltless goodness of natural drinking yogurt...

Koomi PH brings their specialty Natural Drinking Yogurt to the country adding one more flavorful option to our list of favorites. Blended with silky smooth yogurt made daily and fresh fruits, Koomi PH offers a much healthier option versus the usual sugar-laden drinks common in the market. And their Avo Nice Day blended with fresh avocados just hits the spot. 

Days of Wine and Good Food: Don Revy Showcases Top Wines with Excellent Value at Dusit Thani Manila's The Pantry

A sumptuous meal is elevated and transformed when paired with that most elegant of libations, a glass or bottle of fine wine. Don Revy shows you how at The Pantry and other restaurants in Dusit Thani Manila with attractive retail prices that will have you going for another round without worrying about your budget.

Don Revy Philippines, a boutique importer and distributor of fine wines and spirits from around the world, collaborates with Dusit Thani Manila for a unique and memorable dining experience. Pair your meals at The Pantry and other restaurants of Dusit Thani Manila like Umu and Benjarong with a curated selection of wines across 29 wine regions from nine countries all in one spot at The Wine Pantry by Don Revy. And best of all, you get to enjoy all these fine wines, from reds to rosé, crisp whites, light to full-bodied and mid-priced to premium wines at attractive retail prices and not hotel rates. Read on and find out more on this unique collab... 

Bento Box? Make That The New Lechon Bento Box by Lydia's Lechon

For well over 55 years, Lydia's Lechon has become part of the culinary mainstream and countless family celebrations with her specialty offerings. True to her promise of bringing #EverydayHappiness, Lydia's Lechon unveils another exciting and new offering to satisfy your lechon cravings...

Your lechon craving, satisfied with a fully loaded bento box. From their iconic lechon to innovative product offerings like their Lechon in a Box (more on my earlier post here at Happiness in a Box: The New lechon in a Box by Lydia's Lechon) and sumptuous Family Boxes (see more here at #LydiasLechonBringsHappiness: Mother's Day Week Family Boxes, Delivered Straight to Your Home by Lydia's Lechon) comes yet another exciting new offering, the new Lechon Bento Box. The usual bento boxes are given a unique spin by one of the country's enduring culinary icons with its latest offering conveniently delivered to your home or office. Ready for your Lechon Bento Box? 

Proudly Homegrown: Enchanting Libations by Destileria Barako with The Liquido Maestro at Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen

 A proudly homegrown brand goes for the world stage and a share of the global spotlight...

Destileria Barako and Kalel Ervin Demetrio aka The Liquid Maestro, lead the charge taking local Filipino spirits to the world stage with their artisan small batch creations. A follow-up feature to my previous post (see my earlier post, A Night Out in Monochrome, at Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen), take a deeper dive at one of Poblacion's popular bars at Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen. Read on for some refreshing libations with a local spin...

Let's Get Crackin' with Succulent Crabs Conveniently Delivered to Your Table From Alimango House by Red Crab

Access to fresh quality seafood is now easier and more convenient in this new normal with the lavish offerings from Alimango House by Red Crab. A quick DM, Viber or online order is all it takes for the ultimate crab feast heading your way...

Transform your home dining experience with the plump and succulent crabs from Alimango House by Red Crab, conveniently delivered to your doorstep. And when you think about it, there's just no better place to enjoy fat crabs than in the comfort of your own home. From hearty local flavors to familiar Asian-inspired crab dishes, add Alimango House by Red Crab to your list of seafood options. And you'll be so glad you did.