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you asked, and i am (finally!!) delivering: here is my guide to good food and drinks at cartimar! all of the spots i'm listing are places i actually enjoy, and i had so much to say that i ended up splitting this into two parts 😅 here are pro tips for all the spots i covered here: -tionghwa makes all its taho fresh daily, and they tend to run out by 2pm. their fresh soy milk and siopao are still good, but consolation prizes all the same 🥛🥟 -zhang ji isn't the most authentic, but their fragrant soup (and their toppings like pig's feet and intestines) will def satisfy the need to refuel with chinese noods. what i featured were their beef rice noodles, which are a softer noodle variation from their usual—and the amount of szechuan pepper oil i put was already enough to hurt so good 🥲🔥🍜 -blue wonder is the rare cartimar establishment open past sundown (specifically, til 7pm). i don't drink coffee much, but they are the exception—and you can choose from 3 of their blends: original, floral, and dark. floral is my go-to! ☕️ #cartimar #cartimareats #tionghwa #zhangjinoodlehouse #bluewondercoffee #pasayeats #manilafoodie #spotmyfoodph #foodieph

just the most insane meal i had on my recent trip to tokyo, no biggie 👀 it was surreal piling my plate with ultra fresh king and snow crab legs, oysters, scallops and abalone (ABALONE!) like it was nothing 🦀🦪 but this is exactly the experience you get at @ginzahappo for 12,000 japanese yen 💸 would i go again? hell yeah!! though my wallet needs to recover first 😭 #ginzahappo #tokyoeats #tokyofood #foodinjapan #japanfood

i am OBSESSED with hokkaido soft cream, and always look for it whenever i'm in japan—so you can imagine how rabid i got when i discovered @msuperph serves the real deal in makati for only p290! ✨️🍦 beyond the plain soft cream, you can also get it in a parfait with seasonal fruits or granola. try it now at minna no supermarket along salcedo st in legazpi village! 👌👌👌 UPDATE: heads up that minna no supermarket has since made the size of their soft serve smaller, but the flavor is of course the same #whattoeatph #manilaeats #manilafoodie #spotmyfoodph #makatieats #minnanosupermarket

i learned three new things yesterday: 1) japan only started bringing strawberries to the philippines less than two years ago, 2) they're only really grown there in the winter, and 3) yes, they do actually taste really different! they are *very* sweet, almost like candy, and incredibly fragrant 🍓👀 @jetro_manila and @mitsukoshi_bgc have teamed up to show off how uniquely sweet and fragrant japanese strawberries can be, with six different spots in the mall dropping unique treats featuring them until *feb 17* (because these are extremely seasonal fruits!) was honored to have been invited to give them all these strawberry specials a taste, and can confirm each one really brings out something different! my personal favorites: [email protected]'s iced strawberry matcha 🍓🍵 which is one of my favorite takes because it really balances the bitterness and richness of the tea with the juicy sweetness of the strawberries [email protected] d'fined's strawberry cheese mousse 🍮🍓 which was a lot lighter than i thought it would be! the cheese was a great canvas for the berries -@sawadaichigocafe's tray of amarin strawberries 🍓 yes, this is kind of cheating, but hear me out: these are so sweet, they almosy taste like candy (no need for any sugar or cream). i didn't think strawberries could taste like that!! #jewelsofjapan #jetroph #mitsukoshibgc #japanesestrawberries #bgceats

everyone has their own binondo food trip itinerary, but also it's also good to know where to hide from the sun and chill in chinatown when the heat hits 😂 -@apologueph‼️ hands-down my favorite of the cafes in this list, being the least busy because it's practically in the outskirts of binondo. my favorite drink was their nutty black sesame latte, though if you really love ube, their binondo latte is almost like having jacked up melted ube ice cream. as a fil-chi though, i still think about the utter audacity of their pei pa koa latte, which has that distinctive minty aftertaste. -@thedenmanila: the oldest, steadiest cafe in this list, in the artsy bubble of @hubmakelab in escolta's first united building. they've been serving specialty coffee for ages now, and the dark, compact space is a nice break from the overstimulation outside. i was looking for something sweet when we came by, and their guava-forward pink tropikk hit the spot ✨️ [email protected] is smack dab in the middle of chinatown's chaos (it's near ongpin, binondo church, and dongbei dumplings) so it is understandably the busiest of the bunch. i ended up just enjoying the vibes in the shade outside with their refreshing mandarin coffee—one of the few takes i've encountered that balances kick and juiciness pretty well 👌 #apologueph #beanstro #thedenmnl #binondo #binondofoodtrip

PSA: mashed potato pizza exists in metro manila, and it's not just ridiculous—it's delicious 🥔🍕😤 think of the best japanese potato salad you've tried, complete with crispy bacon and some tangy kewpie, all on top of what i think is the best pizza dough in town. it's weirdly not as heavy as it sounds on the mouth, but you definitely will feel it after a couple of slices. it's one of the newest items on the menu at @pizzeriamaestro_ph, which has been my favorite pizza spot in makati since it opened last year. because more than uniquely japanese flavors like sukiyaki and unagi, the bread itself is just the bomb—and they're not out to gut your wallet. also new: 🍝 uni pesto pasta - an unexpected combo!! but the freshness of the fresh basil paste offsets the creaminess of the uni paste and mozzarella, and it all that works more with their thinner pasta 🍰 blueberry cheesecake - this is like the rare-style cheesecakes you find in japan, meaning it's soft and relatively light! i managed to finish most of this slice by myself 😂 🍮 tiramisu - probably one of the most interesting tiramisu's i've tried. it's not overly rich, and the coffee is definitely there to slap you awake, but the real secret weapon is a hint of wine at the bottom that makes it reaaally easy to have more. they're also currently working on fruit shakes and detox drinks that you can ask about! their cucumber-pineapple juice is light and refreshing, but their mango and banana shakes have got lots of natural sweetness if that's what you're after 👌 you can find pizzeria maestro on the 2nd floor of creekside, amorsolo st, makati. #pizzeriameastro #makatieats #foodieph #manilafoodie #japanesepizza

i cafe hop quite often these days, but i realized recently that my favorite coffeeshop hasn't changed in nearly 10 years 👀 i find myself coming back to @blocleafcafe when i want some peace—while in a gorgeous space, of course 😅 my usual orders are their ube latte (no coffee!) and chai, but their orosa is still seriously one of the more clever lattes i've tried so far ✨️ blocleaf doesn't have tons of outlets or high-speed internet, but that's not the point: it's the kind of place that invites you to be quiet or, if you're feeling daring, unplug and read (their collection of magazines is AMAZING, so you don't even need to bring your own reading material) #blocleafcafe #malatecafe #malate #manilafoodie #foodieph

yakitori is an extremely specific craving that i get *very* regularly, and i look for two things in a good spot: 1) being able to see the grilling in action and 2) a great balance of smoke and juiciness in every stick happy to report that recently-opened night spot @fukumimi_makati generally has good yakitori across the board 👌 however, there is a HUGE disparity between what they do well and what they go absolutely ballistic at 👀 must-try examples of the latter include: -fukumimi yaki: EAT THIS. it's the only skewer named after the restaurant for very good reason, with juices bursting out of every pore of that chicken thigh balanced out by the char and crisp of the skin 🍗😤 -cheese mochi maki: i thought the cheese on the outside was it, and didn't catch the crazy mozzarella cheese pull from when i bit into this 😭 the just-right chewiness of the mochi is seriously addicting, and the thin slice of pork just completes the bite -tsunagi (with tare): if you aren't a fan of chicken heart, this might actually change your mind. these are *tender* for laman pieces, and if you go for the option with the tare sauce, you get a lot of this nicely smoky sweetness! -yaki onigiri + chicken soup set: the CRONCH and salty outer layer of their yaki onigiri makes this a delight, but dipped into their collagen-loaded chicken soup?? chef's kiss. no notes. i made sure that these, combined with the fukumimi yaki, were all in my last bite. insanity 🔥 #fukumimi_makati #yakitori #yakitorimnl #makatieats #manilafoodie

enough bars and drink-driven spots have let me down that i generally don't expect any food beyond classic pulutan to be very good 🍷🤔 that said, i was genuinely taken off-guard by the new menu at @drwine.bgc really goes to show how much work they and @chefmarcsilvestre have put into amping up their food and making it a lot more adventurous 🔥 their OG chicken liver mousse was fantastic from the beginning, but their hamachi crudo offers lots of zingy flavor, and the tenderness of char-grilled octopus borders on black magic (and the potatoes + squid ink + crumb it's served with? chef's kiss 👌). their moroccan lamb is also decidedly not for the weak, with a delicious heat (and a lovely yogurt sauce) that may scare off a few people) i rarely order dessert (especially having a glass of wine) but definitely didn't regret it the buttery tarte tatin and their dense chocolate lava cake served ala mode 🍰✨️ #drwinebgc #bgceats #manilaeats #manilafoodie #foodieph

fun fact: i put a lot of work into choosing the exciting eats in my reel, but i really don't like thinking about what to eat on a day-to-day basis (doesn't help that i get home tired after work, and i'm not a good cook 💀) that said, i've started testing out different meal plans this year—one of the ones i definitely enjoyed most was @healthkitchenmnl, which surprised me with their sheer number of plans (with others tailored for diff med conditions!) which you can adjust the calorie count of according to your needs! i got their balanced plan at 1800 calories/day for around p675 per day—and frankly, the servings were *HUGE* 👀 enough that i sometimes couldn't finish them! the variety of the meals is easily their strength: they pull flavors not just from western and filipino food, but also thai, chinese, korean, and indian, which was pretty refreshing ✨️ some may not like how processed food like sausages and cheese show up, so it's good to double-check their menu 🧐 the delivery range they give is 3-8pm, with mine generally arriving around 4pm (so they're consistent). they send you your meal the day before—and in some cases, this affected the texture (esp for pasta). but regardless, this made having baon for work pretty stress-free! overall: convenient, varied, flexible, and generous. definitely worth trying! #healthkitchenmnl #mealplanph #manilaeats #foodieph #manilafoodie

there was a time that not having a prime spot facing the street with a lot of foot traffic was a death wish for a business, but that time is definitely not now. so many charming (and blessedly relaxed) cafes are really making the case for being "hidden" in makati—and i was stoked to go on a hunt and write about it for @spotph ✨️ these are just some of the spots from the article that i really enjoyed working in: @sulokcoffee - the cafe i spent the longest in, hands down. it's easily the coziest and the best fir free conversation in this list, with diff types of seating, a great view, and good signature drinks ✨️ (also: outlets and wifi!) @conveniencecoffeehouse - hands down the most peaceful of these cafes on a weekday, due to the low foot traffic the atrium of makati has on weekdays. lots of beautiful photographs and artworks! (outlets available) @majikasa - this one's a bit of a walk from the street (it's in the side alley of a warehouse behind another building), but it is drop dead GORGEOUS, and interestingly there are clothes on sale and an actual reading nook. also: outlets and fast wifi @loon_coffee - prob the one cafe that seems to really not care whether you find them or not. they have no signage beyond the obligatory lobby directory (incredibly bold!), and it's surprisingly spacious and busy on a weekend. will def be back to try their crowd favorite dirty loon! (outlets available) #makaticafe #sulokcoffee #conveniencecoffeehouse #looncoffee #majikasa #makatieats #manilafoodie

i am but a simple weeb: if i hear that a bar has a cocktail inspired by the legend of zelda, i will go 😤 let alone more based on cowboy bebop, pokemon, and mario. that's how i ended up at @speakingof81 in @makaticentralsquare 😂 to be very transparent, i expected to be in and out real fast—but their vibe was actually quite chill, perfect for having decent conversation and their drinks (though gimmicky) were actually quite good! as both a foodie and a legend of zelda fan, the deku tree 🍵🌳 was my favorite (could have had 3 😂), though the see you space cowboy was a close second! both went well with their extremely generous nachos—and i was surprised by how good their matcha toast was, too! softer than the usual, with lots of flavor we also got to try out their private rooms with an actual japanese karaoke machine. admittedly a bit pricey, with the lowest rate at p8,000/2 hours on a weekday night—but it's consumbale! so definitely manageable with a bit enough group #pluseightyone#plus81ph #speakingof81 #makaticinemasquare #makaticentralsquare #makatieats #manilafoodie #foodieph