Makati Restaurants

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Part two of my Kimpura Restaurant tips with more pictures!

This is will a two part tip with mored pictures. Kimpura is the oldest locally owned japanese restaurant in the philippines and it started here in the Makati Area in the early 1970's at the old Quad Arcade fronting the Hotel Intercontinental in the early 1970's and it has gone into several locations and renovations and has other branches as well. It's recent incarnation is at the fourth floor of the Greenbelt 5 mall (that opened in December 2010) and like it's more than 40 year history, it is still packed with people everyday (mostly well to do since the Japanese resto is high end and other ingredients are flown fresh from japan and other areas). Today Japanese dishes like sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki, teriyaki, ramen, that are now staples of the Filipino diet, and there’s like a Japanese restaurant on every other street. But when Kimpura opened its doors on October 10, 1970, Japanese cuisine like raw fish was still an exotic concept in the Philippines. If you wanted Japanese food, you went to the little restaurants in Ermita-Malate run by Japanese nationals catering to expats. The mainstreaming of Japanese cuisine in the Philippines may have begun with Kimpura. On a revisit to Makati, I have to rekindle my first taste of Japanese food at this Iconic Restaurant.

Favorite Dish: the dishes are typical of japanese restaurants but with teppanyaki Grills built in the tables as their specialty is teppanyaki grilled foods and the prices are on the high side like ordering a shake sushi at 350 pesos an order and angus beef rib eye teriyaki steak at 3200 pesos and order and they also have kobe beef starting at 4500 pesos an order. Although teppanyaki is their specialty, the also have a large and extensive menu of other japanese dishes.

Opens from 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm sundays
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm

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This is will a two part tip with mored pictures. Kimpura is the oldest locally owned japanese restaurant in the philippines and it started here in the Makati Area in the early 1970's at the old Quad Arcade fronting the Hotel Intercontinental in the early 1970's and it has gone into several locations and renovations and has other branches as well. It's recent incarnation is at the fourth floor of the Greenbelt 5 mall (that opened in December 2010) and like it's more than 40 year history, it is still packed with people everyday (mostly well to do since the Japanese resto is high end and other ingredients are flown fresh from japan and other areas). Today Japanese dishes like sushi, sashimi, sukiyaki, teriyaki, ramen, that are now staples of the Filipino diet, and there’s like a Japanese restaurant on every other street. But when Kimpura opened its doors on October 10, 1970, Japanese cuisine like raw fish was still an exotic concept in the Philippines. If you wanted Japanese food, you went to the little restaurants in Ermita-Malate run by Japanese nationals catering to expats. The mainstreaming of Japanese cuisine in the Philippines may have begun with Kimpura. On a revisit to Makati, I have to rekindle my first taste of Japanese food at this Iconic Restaurant.

Favorite Dish: the dishes are typical of japanese restaurants but with teppanyaki Grills built in the tables as their specialty is teppanyaki grilled foods and the prices are on the high side like ordering a shake sushi at 350 pesos an order and angus beef rib eye teriyaki steak at 3200 pesos and order and they also have kobe beef starting at 4500 pesos an order. Although teppanyaki is their specialty, the also have a large and extensive menu of other japanese dishes.

Opens from 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm sundays
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 6:00 pm - 10:30 pm
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm

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Illy is an Italian Coffee Company which is recognized around the world for it's exquisite coffees and espressos and is more high end than the regular Starbucks Coffee Chain. They also offer the Coffee Bar called Espressamento around the world (it differentiates from a coffee chain in that it offers alchohols and spirits some of them coffee inspired, in their coffee bars alongside the usual italian goodies like pastas, pizzas and anti pasti and biscotti and panna cotta and more. They have several branches in the Metro Manila area.

according to thier website: Espressamente illy cafés can be found in over 200 locations in 32 countries on 5 continents. Each provides an authentic Italian coffee experience starting with its design by an internationally renowned Italian architect to the perfection of the coffee in the cup to the refined, cozy setting where the art of Italian café culture meets the love of all things beautiful. In other words, the ultimate coffee experience. Passion and the excellence of espresso coffee, delivered directly to consumers’ palates. A fresh, light and delicate offer inspired by the Italian café tradition. Hot and cold coffee-based recipes, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, created by Università del caffè, to meet all tastes.

Favorite Dish: their expressos and capuccinos are to die for and are the typical italian strong tastes and costs 150 pesos for a small cup. the Iced Blended drinks will cost about 180 pesos for a small glass (12 ounces) and 220 for a large glass (16 punces). Assorted biscotti at 160 pesos and the cocktails will cost about 300 pesos a shot. the pastas will cost around 350 pesos an order and the panna cotta at 180 pesos an order.

opens: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm everday

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Pho 24 is an international chain of Vietnamese Pho Noodle House that started in Ho Cho Minh City and is now spread across south east asia (see my pho 24 restaurant tips at my Ho Chi Minh City Tips). Pho noodles began >100 years ago when ingenious cooks in Nam Dinh City near Hanoi, satisfied the gastronomic desires of Vietnamese and French residents by inventing the dish using local ingredients (e.g., rice noodles) and adding du boeuf for a bit of foreign extravagance. (Before the French occupation, cows in Vietnam were farm help) At its birth, pho was basically just boiled beef, noodles and broth. Inventive cooks then developed the raw beef version (pho bo tai) and chicken pho (pho ga), and during wartime when beef was scarce, they made pork pho (pho lon), plus There are other variations that exist,

In 1954, Vietnam was split in two. To avoid communism, many northerners migrated southward, bringing their pho culture with them. In democratic South Vietnam, pho made a brash turn away from its conservative northern traditions. It was embellished with more of everything -- meat, noodles and broth. The practice of garnishing pho with bean sprouts, ngo gai (thorny cilantro), hung que (Thai/Asian basil) and lime was introduced. Diners also started adding tuong (bean sauce/hoisin sauce) directly to their bowls. This freewheeling, adulterated incarnation reflected the southern Vietnamese penchant for eating wildly complicated food and lots of it. Then, as now, northern pho purists reacted with horror, decrying the loss of authenticity. Though philosophically liberating, tinkering with the sacred broth was an affront to strict northern cooks, whose pride and reputation rested in crafting a well-balanced bowl. (Pho Bac-North Vietnamese Style, Pho Hua- South Vietnamese Style)

Favorite Dish: the assorted beef pho noodles off course and the very good fresh and fried vietnamese spring rolls with viet sweet and sour dip. Pho 24 boasts 24 ingredients and choice beef, which has simmered for 24 hours to enhance its full and rich flavour. The 24 spices of Pho 24 include water, meat, marrowbone, salt, pepper, sugar, fish sauce, onions, shallots, spring onions, cinnamon, anise, ginger, cloves, coriander, radishes, lemons, chilli, saw tooth coriander, coriander, sweet basil, bean sprouts, chilli sauce and black soya sauce.Pho 24 boasts 24 ingredients and choice beef, which has simmered for 24 hours to enhance its full and rich flavour. It was founded in Sai Gon in 2003 by Dr. Ly Qui Trung, a Viet Kheiu (Overseas Vietnamese).

The restaurant offers nine kinds of beef pho: regular beef noodle soup, and then the soup with muscle, with well-done brisket, with well-done flank, with fat brisket, with tripe, with soft tendon, with well-done flank and fat brisket, and with well-done flank and tripe. Two special versions are PHỞ BÒ TÁI. NẠM, GẦU, GÂN, SÁCH, CHÍNH (beef noodle soup with well-done flank, fat brisket, soft tendon and tri) at 138 Pesos or PHỞ GÀ TRỨNG NON (chicken noodle soup with baby eggs) at 13 pesos., Pho Ga (Chicken) is at 99 pesos and the extra large bowls start at 158 pesos.

Drinks like softdrinks start at 40 pesos, Cafe Sua Dua at 45 pesos, Iced tea at 45 pesos. Rice Toppings starts at 158 pesos.

Pho 24 here in the Philippines has no Vietnamese Leche Flan and Yogurt, Jasmine Tea and there is small servings of vegetables. Pho 24 in Vietnam has no rice toppings, vietnamese maja blanca, dumplings.

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one of the oldest and most popular Spanish-Filipino Fusion Cafe in the Philippines.

Favorite Dish: the spanish churros con chocolate, which is from pure cacao beens grinded and pounded into a thick syrup with the light churros at 120 pesos an order.

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the only Japanese Restaurant among the restaurant row of the Quiet Ayala Triangle in the middle of the Makati Central Business District and the main clientele of the restaurant are the makati yuppies and the call center agents that are just walking distance from the restaurant and the place serves modern japanese cuisine tweaked into the filipino palate wherein the flavors are not that strong. they have assorted goodies like the wafu steak, many kinds of sushi and sashimi and maki variations and they have a good in house iced tea. the prices are not that expensive.

Favorite Dish: the wafu beef steak costs 350 pesos per order and japanese fried rice will cost 60 pesos an order, the assorted big maki pieces costs from 80 to 300 pesos an order depending on the base ingredient. Iced tea cost 90 pesos and is refillable.

Opens from 11:00 am - 2:30 pm, 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm today.
•Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 2:30 pm
•Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 5:30 pm - 10:00 pm

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this is one of the more popular and relatively inexpensive japanese restaurant cum ramen house in the middle of the Mini Japan Town in the Makati Cinema Square area of Makati City and a testament to it's authenticity is that even japanese expatriates frequent the place. They also have a branch near the poblacion of Makati City. The selections of food here is mainly Japanese noodles like the ramen or the hot and cold soba noodles and a sprinkling of japanese favorites like the assorted sushi and sashimi and some other japanese foods like the katsudon or several donburi meals and even the famed ebi tempura but their specialty is the hot or cold noodles.

Favorite Dish: the ramen noodles are avialable solo size or family size and come into different flavors and prices range from 220 pesos for a solo order to 560 pesos for a family order. sushi starts at 150 pesos per order and the donburi meals like the oyakudon will costs 230 pesos an order.

Open Daily 10am – 8pm

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Bizu is a local Dessert cum patisserie chain that caters to the ecletic tastes of Filipinos. They serve assorted kinds of desserts and freshly baked assorted breads and coffee from local sources and from the Italian Brand Lavazzo. The Assorted Desserts like the cakes are french inspired and they even have sugar free cakes and yummy chocolate cakes baked from Valrhona Bakers Chocolate, which is really a sinful treat. They also serve very good french macaroons available in different flavors. According to their website: BIZU was coined from the French word "Bisous". Translated in English, the word means kiss. “Beso-beso”, the Filipino term for kissing, is one of the most endearing and enduring qualities of Filipinos. We kiss one another to show gratitude, happiness, excitement, love and affection. A kiss inspires. And this inspiration begets energy. This energy, in turn, begets creativity. BIZU was born out of this inspiration. From this inspiration came the unique selection of cakes and pastries that were truly made to inspire. This is their branch at the Glorietta 4 area of Makati.

Favorite Dish: their famed french macaroons cost 40 pesos per piece and is available in different flavors. their to die for mini cakes are available in different chocolate and other flavors and comes in small sizes and the price varies from 250 pesos to 380 pesos for the sugar free variety and the varlhona chocolate cakes. coffee starts from 120 pesos a cup.

opens: 10:00 am to 9:00 pm everyday