Makati Restaurants

Thursday January 12, 2012
Our official VT Dinner Meet was held at BARBARA'S in Intramuros. Barbara's offers traditional Filipino and Spanish recipes. We had the pleasure of experiencing a wonderful buffet and a cultural presentation for the price of 550 Philippine Pesos plus any drinks you may have.
The Buffet offered soup, salad and dessert station, plus many delicious hot and cold dishes.
Crystal Chandeliers Made for a lovely ambiance. Tables were quite close, so it was a little difficult to get around to talk to other VT Members and also it was open to the public.
Barbara's is in the San Luis Complex in Intramuros.

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When Shirene, VT Member Appleseed, suggested we meet up with her for lunch, she suggested OOdy's Restaurant in the Greenbelt which offers Thai dishes. I've never tasted Thai dishes before, so didn't know what to expect.
Along with Shirene, Hans and I, Fergy (planxty) and Claus (Cachaseiro) joined up with us. Hans had mentioned on Facebook that we would be there, so had no idea who would show up. The waiters were so patient with us, as we explained we were still waiting for others to join us.
After we were all settled in, we gave our orders. Hans had Pad Thai and I had Chicken Pad Thai. I really enjoyed my dish as it had generous amounts of chicken and wonderful noodles and vermicelli. There was also a side of peanuts and bean sprouts which you add to your dish as you like. Fergy had Sukothai, a kind of soup.
Overall, I enjoyed my first Thai experience. Also the restaurant itself was very bright and cheerful and the wait staff was very friendly.

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Hans and I were so excited to get to meet JumpingNorman's Mom and her husband. She was just as I expected - warm, funny, so cute. They treated Hans and I for lunch and they picked the BANANA LEAF Restaurant which is located in the Greenbelt 3 of the Ayala Center.
They ordered the dishes which included prauns with vermicelli and noodles (pic #2), chicken sate' sticks (Pic #4), crab (pic #3) and other seafood. It was quite delicious and very different. The Crab was encrusted with seasoned bread crumbs.
The unique thing about the Banana Leaf is that a banana leaf is actually your plate. It's OK to eat with your hands, but chop sticks and forks were provided. I just can't get the hang of using chop sticks.
They call their food Filipino Fusion as it's a combination of Malaysian, Indian and Thai dishes.

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Our very favourite restaurant in Mikati turned out to be GERRY'S GRILL, We went there a few times during our stay. Located in the Greenbelt 3 area of Ayala Center, Gerry's Grill offers Filipino Dishes at great prices. Locals also seem to love this place. The waiters are always friendly and cheerful and there are many TV screens playing the latest music videos.
Our favourite dishes include: Gerry's Grill Fried Chicken (228 pesos) - about five small pieces of fried chicken which also comes with french fries and a small bowl of sweet ketchup (pic #3); Sizzling Beef Spare Ribs (275 pesos) (pic #4); Lechon Kawali (225 pesos) - a nice piece of tender pork with the crusty rind on one side of it; Pork BBQ Sticks (125 pesos for two sticks) (Pic #5).
For dessert we had Halo_Halo (95 pesos) which is like an ice cream sundae.

Good value, with touches of semi-fne dining quality. The menu at Relish is not long. But the dishes are always satisfying. The place is small (seating is a bit cramped but you are not paying through the nose)

It is always full at lunchtime - go early or reserve by phone. The interior is well-lighted and tastefully done. Seating is a bit cramped so it is not for a romantic date. But go there for affordable good food.

Favorite Dish: For starters, the artichoke/cheese dip is great. Try the herb roasted chicken and lamb shoulder.

Tsumura is where the Japanese expats dine - that says it all. The ingredients are fresh and the sushis are great.

Order a set meal for P600 (USD14). The servings are generous - by Philippine standards.

Buffet food is never excellent but it can be good. A buffet meal is convenient when your guests have widely divergent tastes. It also saves you the trouble of poring over the menu and selecting your meal.

Alba's has a good selection of Spanish food in its Sunday buffet lunch or dinner: tapas, paella valenciana, pasta chorizo, pasta with baked eggplant, anchovies and 3 cheeses, cochinillo (roast piglet), crispy pork knuckles, lengua (ox tongue in sherry sauce), fish in lemon butter sauce, pollo al ajillo, etc. Dessert of canonigo, chocolate mousse, fruit salad, peach jelly.

Dinner buffet costs P50 more and includes roast beef.

There is another Spanish restaurant, La Tienda, on Polaris Street, almost across Alba's.

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Just as I stepped inside thisfabulous cafe, I was hooked. The chandelier was uniquely elegant and yet I felt at home! In fact we spent almost three hours here, as I loved to immerse myself in the warm ambience of this grand place for anyone who loves something different to spend time with friends or colleagues, discussing work or simply catching up with my former student who I am grateful to for taking me to this seemingly popular hub of trendy people! I looked around me and delighted myself at the quaint decor- homely pieces yet elegant pottery, books of all kinds, and the like. It looks like a French cafe (only thing missing was a fireplace) but bigger as it has two floors of glorious space served by very friendly staff.

Favorite Dish: I love the ensaymadas and cheese rolls and also the different flavours for their iced tea were a change from the normal cafes I am used to in Sydney.

They have peach, raspberry, lemon and other flavours for their iced teas aside from the traditional kapeng barako (native Batangas coffee) and thick heavenly hot chocolate similar to the ones my youngest son loved to sip during our travels to Italy last year- Milan, Venice, Savona and Ancona, etc. I promise to go back when I visit the Philippines again and take my family with me! It is something we can be proud off as Filipinos indeed!