Oysters, Wine, Sake, Sausages, Sharing Of Knowledge And Building Relevant Connections At The CCA Show Kitchen

It was a gathering of friends in the industry that became an extended classroom for culinary students and a base for establishing and reconnecting partnerships and alliances anchored on shared goals. Welcome to the CCA Business Networking Evening at the CCA Show Kitchen...

CCA Culinary Director Philip John Golding and the Business Development team recently hosted the CCA Business Networking Evening at the CCA Show Kitchen in what could be a scalable template for future collaborative events. The impressive show kitchen is an elegant state-of-the-art space featuring an intimate dining area with its own open kitchen ideal for demos and rows of actual cooking/work stations for a unique private dining experience, pop-ups, collaborations, product launches, brand activations and events. That evening, the space lit up with an engaging exchange of knowledge and ideas among restaurateurs, suppliers, entrepreneurs and industry partners as the CCA Show Kitchen kicked off the first in a series of networking events showcasing its full potential and infinite possibilities...

Keeping It Real, Twenty-Five Years And Counting At Tender Bob's

Food trends come and go and as the local restaurant scene continues to evolve, the more we get to appreciate the comforting flavors that have endured wave upon wave of the "next big thing". Change is good and even vital in the continued growth of the local dining landscape. But sometimes, all you want is the comforting familiarity of the dishes you've always loved like steaks, ribs and burgers with honest, pure and real flavors.  At Tender Bob's...

Now celebrating its milestone 25th year of serving its own brand of comforting cuisine anchored on American style steaks, ribs and burgers, Tender Bob's remains a familiar and even nostalgic name when it comes to sumptuous dishes that's uncomplicated and downright honest. And you can always expect that bite to take you back to the very first time you visited Tender Bob's. That's what endears Tender Bob's to many of its loyal customers, twenty-five flavorful years and counting. Let's do steaks, ribs and burgers at Tender Bob's...

The Meat Of The Matter: Insightful Talks And An Elegant Rising Sons Dinner At The International Manila Food Festival in Newport World Resorts

Some food for thought to initiate engaging dialogue and a luxurious dinner by emerging chefs with Filipino roots from Orlando and Toronto marks the itinerary for the day. It's a full day at the International Manila Food Festival with a series of panel discussions and a sumptuous feast taking you to the meat of the matter at the first ever major international culinary event in the metro since Madrid Fusion Manila...

After a memorable inaugural dinner to formally open the International Manila Food Festival last August 7 at Casa Buenas in Newport World Resorts (more on my post here at Food For Thought: Rediscovering Filipino Cuisine With A Fresh Perspective At The First International Manila Food Festival in Casa Buenas), the festival gets down to business with some real talk on the current state of Filipino cuisine from industry stalwarts and a lavish dinner featuring contemporary expressions of traditional Filipino flavors by Chefs Lordfer Lalicon of Kaya Orlando and Danny Cancino of Mineral Toronto at Yawaragi in Hotel Okura. Both chefs, rising stars from the US and Canada, offer yet another fresh and creative perspective on modern Filipino cuisine for even more colorful layers in the evolving story of our culinary heritage. 

Food For Thought: Rediscovering Filipino Cuisine With A Fresh Perspective At The First International Manila Food Festival In Casa Buenas

In the biggest culinary event since Madrid Fusion Manila, Filipino cuisine once again takes the spotlight in a lavish spectacle spread out in four days at Newport World Resorts. The first ever International Manila Food Festival headlined by the country's best chefs both here and abroad shared a variety of flavorful expressions inspired by nostalgic memories and creativity in celebration of the local culinary heritage. 

Any local cuisine, they say is an eclectic collection of stories and memories passed down from countless generations retold in a dish. It's our identity and DNA, exquisitely plated representing who we are in multiple layers of comforting notes. At the launch and opening dinner of the International Manila Food Festival last August 7 in Casa Buenas of Newport World Resorts, guests were served a sumptuous preview of Filipino cuisine reimagined by the country's very best chefs joined by a new generation of rising stars from abroad with their own fresh, novel and creative perspective on traditional flavors. With a free reign on interpretations unbound by unwritten rules yet rooted in tradition, the formal media dinner opened up exciting possibilities on the state of Filipino cuisine on the global table. That memorable evening, new stories on local cuisine were shared and elegantly served...

A Private Omakase Feast By Chef Daniel Ken Miyamoto At Kappo In The Exclusive PVT Members Lounge

Shhhh...can you keep a secret? Spilling the tea on one of the metro's best kept dining destinations, revealed one exquisite course and plate at a time high up the vibrant Ortigas cityscape...

Exclusive. Members only. Private. Located forty floors above Ortigas at the elegant Exquadra Tower, Kappo at PVT Members Lounge offers an intimate and elevated dining experience unlike any other. Think of it as your own personal sanctuary far away and high above the hectic urban pace. And that view changes with the shifting light accompanying each dish to complete the experience. Membership does have its perks...

A Fresh Chapter Unfolds At The New Location Of Sugi Japanese Restaurant in Garden Towers Makati

Few restaurants in the metro's local and constantly evolving culinary scene have endured the test of time, and fewer still have reached the four decade milestone serving their signature cuisine. One of them is a very familiar name. For over forty years and counting, Sugi Japanese Restaurant has always been on the top of any list for exquisite and authentic Japanese cuisine, and a new chapter unfolds bringing the freshest flavors of the season...

Timeless, nostalgic, classic. Since the eighties, Sugi Japanese Restaurant led the upward trend in Japanese restaurants anchored on both quality and authenticity deeply embedding itself in Manila's culinary mainstream. Everyone I know has a story from the revered Japanese dining establishment from many years back including my own fond memories. But like the changing of seasons, a fresh and exciting chapter in its continuing story begins at its new location in Makati's Garden Towers. Read on for a reunion of familiar flavors and discover new dishes at Sugi Japanese Restaurant...

Tagaytay Food Festival 2025 Day 3: Bring On The Beef At Sinta

My culminating dinner at the Tagaytay Food Festival 2025 caps a memorable and successful second edition of the annual event with an exquisite savory feast at one of the southern dining destination's picturesque  locations. It was a fitting ending to solid and immersive three-day experience of vibrant flavors, celebrated and anchored on community and local pride. Welcome to Sinta...

The dramatic setting effortlessly weaves the place, cuisine and service in one elegantly effortless and seamless weave with panoramic views of the lake below. Delicately perched on a hillside slope for unobstructed views, Sinta by the PYC Foods Corporation (the same group behind high-end dining establishments in Manila including One World Deli, One World Butchers, The Tattooed Baker and Pardon My French) is one more chef-driven restaurant that's elevating the dining scene in Tagaytay. A purveyor of world-class gourmet products including premium beef in their restaurants and retail stores, it's no surprise Sinta curated an all-beef menu for the Tagaytay Food Festival 2025. Read on for a peek at the savory dishes from Sinta...

Tagaytay Food Festival 2025 Day 3: From Cebu To Tagaytay, Anzani Ville Sommet's Mediterranean Flavors Shines At The Premier Southern Dining Destination

Acclaimed and award-winning Chef Marco Anzani leads the latest wave of chef-driven restaurants in the southern dining destination with the opening of Anzani Ville Sommet in Tagaytay. The entry of yet another stellar culinary institution to the growing roster of Tagaytay's dining attractions reaffirms its undisputed and much envied position as the culinary haven south of Manila. 

From Cebu to Tagaytay, Chef Marco Anzani brings his modern and contemporary spin with his bright and vibrant New Mediterranean Cuisine to Tagaytay's colorful tapestry of diverse flavors at Anzani Ville Sommet. This is Day 3 at the Tagaytay Food Festival 2025, by far the most immersive experience yet while unraveling the region's many complex layers of exquisite flavors. Read on for a taste of the sunny Mediterranean high up in foggy Tagaytay at Anzani Ville Sommet...

Tagaytay Food Festival 2025 Day 2: Unveiling The Food That Binds At The Fatted Calf x Restaurant Fiz Singapore Dinner Collaboration

The rich, diverse and multi-colored tapestry of Southeast Asian cuisine with distinct threads of culinary traditions paint a vivid palette of bold flavors that define the region in the global table. Yet behind all the complex blend of spices, aromatics and indigenous ingredients lies a subtle even nuanced and seemingly invisible weave that ties and links our unique culinary cultures in a much larger more complex quilt. This is the food that binds, masterfully executed with each exquisite course at The Fatted Calf x Restaurant Fiz collab...

Chefs JajJay Sycip and Rhea Castro Sycip of The Fatted Calf and Hafizzul Hashim of Singapore's Restaurant Fiz take us on a deep and immersive exploration with Malaysian and Filipino cuisine finding common threads in an exquisite collaboration for the recent Tagaytay Food Festival. In a lavish multi-course feast, the chefs revealed threads of shared ingredients, techniques and flavors that ties Malaysian and Filipino cuisine together in a mutual homage and respect for tradition. Read on and find your seat for a unique one-time only dining experience at The Fatted Calf...

Tagaytay Food Festival 2025 Day 2: Food For Thought, A Heritage Lunch Buffet At Taal Vista Hotel's The Veranda and Sumptuous Sunset Sessions

The heavy fog and continuous rains up in Tagaytay failed in holding back the infectious enthusiasm of Tagaytay's tightly-knit community of chefs, restaurateurs, farmers and producers. Rain or even more rain, the organizers had a full itinerary lined up. 

The events of the day before still lingered as you wake up to another rainy day in Tagaytay. Not that I hate the rain, in fact the thick fog brings its own captivating spell to the southern dining destination. Today's festivities include an insightful session with industry stalwarts and yes, more feasts to celebrate Tagaytay Food Festival 2025's theme of The Food That Binds revealing even more complex layers in Tagaytay's ever evolving food and restaurant scene. But first, breakfast...

Tagaytay Food Festival 2025 Day 1: Celebrating The Food That Binds with Tradition and Creativity

How far would you go for the food you love? Three memorable days in Tagaytay proved that no distance is far enough to deter you from the food you love, not even the constant rains and fog could dampen your craving. More than nourishment, the food that sustains us also binds us together shaping and defining our culture and identity. In a celebration of creativity and community, the Tagaytay Food Festival 2025 edition reminds us once more how food reconnects us with the land, produce and local culture from the simplest staple to intricate expressions. 

From July 18 to 20, the famed southern region showcased its full tapestry of colorful flavors from traditional local and international cuisine to modern contemporary executions in a lavish display of regional pride. Chefs, restaurateurs, farmers, producers and brands eagerly responded to the call to represent the very best of Tagaytay as the premier dining destination down south of Manila in a unified and collaborative celebration. The first in a series of five posts, here's a look back at the Tagaytay Food Festival 2025 retracing the memorable events from Day 1...

Experience Dining Reimagined As Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts Unveils A New Chapter In Flavor And Craftsmanship

Starting July 24, Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts embarks on a bold new chapter in its culinary journey redefining and elevating the dining experience across its signature outlets. The hotel-wide program features exciting new flavors, immersive stations and reimagined menus for an elegant yet approachable experience deeply rooted in popular guest favorites, seasonal ingredients, refreshed spaces and a renewed commitment to sustainability and culinary excellence. Step inside Hilton Manila and experience dining reimagined...

The exciting new chapter uncorks the infinite possibilities and full potential of Hilton Manila Newport World Resorts' creative culinary team, unleashing a world of exquisite, rich and diverse flavors at Madison Lounge & Bar, Hua Yuan Brasserie Chinoise, Port Bar and Kusina Sea Kitchens. Bigger, better, leveled up and elevated, the extensive and lavish new offerings presents a vibrant new perspective on refined culinary expressions inspired and refreshed by unrestrained creativity. Read on for a tasty peek at dining, reimagined at Hilton Manila...

IloIlo's Famous and Iconic Dish Comes to Pasig at Pat-Pat's Kansi Ortigas

For generations, bowls of sumptuous and comforting boiled fork-tender beef shank and bone marrow soured with batuan filled countless appetites and nostalgic stories enriching our daily routines. Make no bones about it, the iconic kansi continues to warm our palates on both sunny and rainy days. From the Jaro district in Iloilo to the busy commercial and business district of Pasig, Pat-Pat's Kansi Ortigas brings its rich culinary heritage and cherished family traditions served in a steaming hot bowl of savory goodness at its newest location in the metro...

Recently designated as the first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy in the Philippines, Iloilo is home to many regional local staples that have shaped and defined our palate. From Batchoy and Inasal to Pancit Molo and Kadios, Baboy, Langka, Iloilo spins its own unique vibrant tapestry of colorful flavors to the rich and diverse weave of our national culinary identity. And when you mention Iloilo, the dish kansi is soon part of the conversation. And no other name is more associated with the local specialty than Pat-Pat's Kansi, now with its newest branch in the Pasig Ortigas area. Read on for a serving of Iloilo's pride in a bowl...

Vibrant New Stories Emerge at Makati's Poblacion...

An eclectic neighborhood in the midst of change and transition ushers in a new chapter in its on-going story. Familiar and new names in the 'hood paint a colorful tapestry constantly evolving yet remaining as diverse Poblacion has always been known for with its own distinctive pulse and creative vibe. Let's take a walk around the neighborhood...

It's been years since I last visited Poblacion, but the same spirit remains just as unique and proudly rebellious even defiant staying true to its non-conformist nature. Despite the changes and absence of former establishments, a new batch of hotspots takes their place continuing a tradition that has long defined the neighborhood alongside the enduring dives of Poblacion. It's this continuous wave of change that breathes and injects new life to the neighborhood forever in transition. Welcome to the latest chapter of Makati's iconic neighborhood...

When It Rains, Fire Up The Table Top Grills for the All-You-Can-Eat All Day, Everyday Yakiniku Feast at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ and Dessert at Morelli's Gelato

The regular afternoon downpour can just ruin any plan for the day. You can simply wait out the rain or better yet, fire up the table top grill. See you at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ and let it rain...

Known for its grilled thinly sliced meats, Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ which translates to "bull's horn" brings traditional yakiniku with an unlimited, all-you-can-eat twist all-day long guaranteed to satisfy any carnivorous craving. Priced at P 1,249 (adults) and P 598 (children), enjoy a lavish selection of appetizers, homemade pickles, fresh salads, soups, yakitori, eight savory options of beef, pork and chicken ready for grilling and desserts. And when it rains, the table-top grills at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ is ready to warm your palate and serious cravings (for more on Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, see my posts Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ, Now Grillin' at GH Mall in Greenhills on the formal launch from early last year and Fire Up Your Table Top Grill. It's Eat-All-You-Can All Day, Everyday at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ in GH Mall...from late last year). Rain or no rain, come hungry at Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ...

Meet Me at Podium Social for Coffee, Cocktails and Beer to Sumptuous Cuisine...

One floor with five exciting restaurants is bringing a new, refreshing and cool kind of energy to redefine the mall scene in Ortigas. The top of The Podium is transformed to become the next dining destination with its curated array of offerings all in one place. Welcome to Podium Social...

The Podium unveils its bold and innovative concept with Podium Social, a culinary hub that's bound to reshape the mall and dining landscape in the vibrant and ever changing commercial and business district. With a distinct vibe that sets it apart from the usual, this new hotspot is a much needed shot revitalizing the mall's evolving culinary character. And it's happening. Read on and head up to Podium Social...

Taste of Artistry: A 5-Course Filipino Tasting Experience at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine in City of Dreams Manila

The delicate balance between tradition and inspired creative renditions plays out in an exquisite tasting menu showcasing Filipino cuisine. The bold reimagination in the presentation of local flavors becomes an elegant expression of our rich culinary heritage, exquisitely plated and presented where the familiar becomes refreshingly new at Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine... 

Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine at City of Dreams Manila presents a refined and elevated snapshot of local flavors in an exquisite tasting menu dubbed Taste of Artistry, a lavish 5-Course experience featuring our rich culinary heritage. The special menu is a celebration of the flavors that continue to define and unite us with each course reinterpreted with the meticulous style and flair of Haliya Modern Filipino Cuisine. Read on for a peek at a Taste of Artistry...

A Taste of Tung Lok Seafood at Gateway 2

What's the first dish that comes up when you think of Singaporean cuisine? Laksa, crispy fish skin with salted egg and Hainanese Chicken would be on that list. But I'm pretty sure Chili Crabs would be in the conversation and maybe even top any list . And when you're craving Singaporean Chinese cuisine in the metro, Tung Lok Seafood always pops up automatically. It's time to #CelebratewithTungLok...

Tung Lok Seafood is widely known for a number of dishes including their bestselling Chili Crabs that's almost mandatory for the complete dining experience at the enduring Singaporean institution. But Tung Lok Seafood has a number of other specialty dishes to add to your long and growing list. Now, let's take a closer look at the list... 

As Thai As It Gets: Sabai Shares Its Elevated Take on Comforting Thai Cuisine

Local diners will soon experience an authentic taste of Thailand, meticulously recreated with an elegant spin for a refreshing and exciting new Thai dining experience. Inspired by the collective memories from cherished homestyle recipes, Chef Tob and his culinary team from Thailand recreate their stories with each dish at the newest Thai dining destination...

From the same group behind Uma Nota, the spotlight shifts to authentic Thai comfort food at Sabai offering diners a more intimate and deeply personal dive into real and honest Thai flavors. This is Thai cuisine lavishly prepared with heart and soul inspired by tradition and stories that define the rich culinary heritage. Read on for a sneak peek of Sabai...

#BoldEscape at Hann Resorts, The First Fully Integrated Resort Up North Day 3

The north is rapidly evolving, with the Clark Freeport Zone emerging as the premier destination. Leading the way with its impressive expansion and development is Hann Resorts, the first fully integrated resort in Central Luzon. It's Day 3 and the last day of a memorable #BoldEscape, and Hann Resorts still has so much to offer and discover...

As more upscale developments rise in Clark, relevant differentiation becomes all the more crucial in setting a brand apart from the rest. For Hann Resorts, being the first fully integrated resort in Central Luzon isn't enough. To cut through the competitive clutter, one has to be bigger and better, different and special with a continuous program in providing the very best customer experience. In three memorable days, I lived the integrated resort experience with Hann Resorts' elevated and luxurious take on gaming, dining, wellness, five-star hotel stays and shopping in a scale far above the competition. You'll need more than just an overnight stay at Hann Resorts to fully appreciate the integrated resort concept. In this third and last post from my #BoldEscape in Clark, it all comes together in a seamlessly woven and tight-knit experience from the pioneering and leading brand in gaming and hospitality (for more on Hann Resorts, see my previous posts for Days 1 and 2 at #BoldEscape at Hann Resorts, The First Fully Integrated Resort Up North Day 1 and #BoldEscape at Hann Resorts, The First Fully Integrated Resort Up North Day 2).