Lunch at Mango Tree BGC

Thai food is definitely something that I crave once in a while, if not often. If I have to rank my fave cuisine, Thai food is totally in my top three.

So last Sunday, we went to Mango Tree in BGC. I was craving for Thai green curry, one of my favourite Thai dishes.

Mango Tree BGC

Ordered shrimp cake for appetizer. Juicy and so yummy!

Pork belly bbq. Love the dipping sauce. Extra dipping sauce will set you back P30. But it's worth it.

Super favorite. I love chicken green curry.

Pad Thai

Ground pork in Holy Basil. The lumpy fat makes it super good.

We had these with white rice. And by the end of the meal, I was stuffed and satisfied. Mango Tree is a little pricey though compared to other Thai restos.  All these cost around P4,000 (with 1 mango shake and 1 coke zero). But you gotta eat what you gotta eat. So yeah. 

Mango Tree BGC

7th Avenue, Bonifacio High Street Central

Taguig

Travel: High Tea at Thirty8 Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur

So last weekend, we were in KL for a much needed R&R. We were there for only 5 days but it was more than enough to recharge us. 

While googling for the best high tea in KL, Thirty8 at Grand Hyatt always comes up. Now I understand why they're always fully booked especially on the weekends. Situated on the 38th floor of Grand Hyatt KL (hence the name Thirty8), you get a very nice view of the Petronas Towers.  

I advise you make an advance reservation even if you're visiting on a weekday. We went on a Monday and while it was not fully booked,  the crowd was sizeable.

 

Afternoon tea set of sweet and savoury selection with a cup of coffee and tea (good for 2 pax) 

Price: MYR188 nett (P2,368)

I suggest you arrive with an empty stomach. We just had lunch right before we had the afternoon tea, so we were still full. And even with the three of us, we couldn't finish everything.

Will probably visit again next time we find ourselves in KL. 

Noche Buena 2022 around the Metro

If you haven't booked your Christmas Eve dinner yet, I've round up some of Metro Manila's Hotels' Christmas Eve Buffet dinner.

S Kitchen, Sheraton Manila Hotel

P3,900 nett

First seating 6PM - 8PM, Second seating 8:30PM - 10:30PM

The Grand Kitchen, Grand Hyatt Manila

P4,000 nett (6PM - 10PM)

P3,000 nett (11PM - 1:30AM)

Heat, Edsa Shangri-la Manila

P4,000 nett

Kusina, Hilton Manila

P3,400 nett

Dinner starts at 6PM

Cafe 1228, New World Hotel 

P3,000 nett

6PM - 10PM

Spiral, Sofitel Philipine Plaza Manila

P6,900 nett inclusive of free flowing wine, champagne, soda and juices

Sunset Bar, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

P5,900 nett

What do you think? Spiral, as expected has the most expensive buffet. Although, it already comes with  champagne and other drinks. 

As for my family, we've already booked with Kusina at Hilton. I am so looking forward to Christmas!

Barbara's Old World Charm

Our son had an event in Mapua Intramuros, so hubby and I decided to tag along and play tourists in Manila. After a morning of walking around the walled city, we were famished. The first restaurant we saw was Barbara's. We were intrigued as it is in one of those 18th century houses. It's a unique find. 

They have Filipino food and some Western food. That day I was craving for some pasta, so we ordered Carbonara, Spaghetti in Meat Balls and Grilled Cheese Panini. The pasta was good though it's definitely a Filipino version already. Our total bill was about P950 including one coke. Pretty affordable in a tourist area.

Barbara's is definitely one of those restaurants you have to try. The surrounding is beautiful and it has its old world charm. Food is good, service is fast and you get to be serenaded while having your meal.

Barbara's Intramuros

Plaza San Luis Complex, Heneral Luna Street

Intramuros, Manila

(02) 8527 4083

barbarasfoods20@gmail.com

 

All the Japanese food you love in one place

I think everybody loves Japanese food. And to have all the Japanese food you love in one place is kind of heaven! 

We had lunch today at Kiwami Japanese Food Hall in BGC. Arrived there a little before 12nn and all the tables inside were already taken. There were some chairs available at the bar table so we took it.

We had Mozzarella Katsu Sticks and Rosu Katsu Set from Yabu, Maebaru Bento from Hachibei, Akamaru Shinaji Ramen from Ippudo and Hokkaido soft serve ice cream in Lengua de Gato Cone. 

To say that we were full was an understatement. We had to walk for 20 minutes so we could breathe properly haha!

 

Kiwami Japanese Food Hall

For your Ramen wants - there's Ippudo

Hachibei for your Yakitoria cravings

Yabu for the Katsu lovers

..and Hannosuke for Tempura fans

Mozzarella Katsu Sticks P320

Rosu Katsa Set (180g) P490

Maebaru Bento P405

Akamaru Shinaji Ramen P400 (Classic)

Hokkaido Soft Serve in Lengua de Gato Cone P135/each

Kiwami Japanse Food Hall

Lower Ground, C3 Bonifacio High Street Central

Taguig

Breakfast Buffet at The Manila Hotel

We decided to stay at The Manila Hotel because our son had some events in Mapua Intramuros. We live in Mandaluyong and we did not want to drive back and forth and get stuck in Manila's traffic.

So yeah, breakfast was included in our stay. 

Breakfast at Cafe Ilang-Ilang

Egg Station

American Station 

American Station

Filipino Station

Filipino Station

Cold Cuts Station

Cereals and Ham

Fruit Station

Bread Station

Bread Station

...and Juices

If you look at the pictures, food is aplenty. But there's something missing. Or maybe I was just looking for some tocino and pork longanisa (they had chicken longanisa). 

Buffet at Kusina Sea Kitchen, Hilton Manila

So, we were in the mood for a buffet today. I immediately thought of Kusina. The last time we were there I was so impressed with their spread, especially the dessert station. And their 4-cheese (or was it 3-cheese) pizza was really GOOD. 

Off we marched to Hilton Manila. 

This time, the dessert station looked a little sad. There were no kakanin, no ice cream and no halo-halo. The other stations were still good although the lechon was missing. It was replaced with some streetfood which to be honest was a tiny bit underwhelming. 

The bread station

Sad looking dessert station :) 

Some candies for the kiddos

The paluto. The blue crab were really meaty.

Street food like fish ball, chicken skin, hotdog, tokneneng etc

Meats, Pasta and Pizza

Some Filipino dishes here

Dimsum

Indian, Korean and Chinese dishes

Salad station

Sushi and sashimi

I was a little disappointed but the ambience somehow made up for it. I like it that it's not crowded even on a Sunday. Unlike in some buffets, it would feel like you have to compete with the crowd to get your food.

P.S. The cheese pizza was not as cheesy and yummy as I remembered. Anyways, I already booked our Christmas Eve dinner with them so I hope it will be impressive.

Price: P2,720 nett per person

Kusina Sea Kitchen

Hilton Manila

1 Newport Boulevard, Newport City

Pasay City