There were bread crumbs on the table. Crumbs on the tray liner. And more crumbs on the saucers. A nuisance? If it were just ordinary bread, it would be. But we were having Paris Delice breads for breakfast and notwithstanding the proliferation of French bakeries in the metro, it really doesn’t take a cultured palate to know these breads are different from all that came before them.
Out of the box thinking at Pasta Box
With all the new eating places cropping up, it’s safe to say that there’s no shortage of pasta places to go to in Manila. The issue rather is where to go for good pasta that’s more imaginative than usual, tasty and yet won’t clean up your pocket as fast as you can clean up your plate. Your Happyfoodies happened to chance upon Pasta Box at the far corner of The Collective along Malugay in Makati and the clean, spic-and-span interiors worked like a charm in pulling us in and giving this place a try.
Vegging out gets new meaning at Wabi-Sabi
Yeah, I know the drill. Eat your veggies. Eat more of ’em. And eat ’em more often. Well, I’m no veggie hater; it’s just that pork, chicken and beef are just too commonplace and admittedly, too good to pass up come mealtime. Vegemeat dishes are okay but there aren’t a lot of places that serve them, and honestly, the dishes fall short on taste. Call it serendipity or luck but your Happyfoodies are just too happy to have stumbled upon a really nice veggie place — Wabi-Sabi Noodle House & Vegetarian Grocery at The Collective in Makati. We’re just too glad to find somewhere we can seek penance for all those trips to the nearby 8065 Bagnet.
It’s still Buon Appetito at L’Incontro
I remember passing by Reposo many years ago on the way to Saint Andrew’s Church along Kalayaan and the Makati municipio farther down the road, driving past a row of restaurants and establishments that include the familiar white structure that is Budji Layug’s shop. Fastforward to the present: the street is now called Nicanor Garcia, Budji now shares billing with Royal Pineda and there are newer shops and offices along the row but a lot of the restaurants have either moved or are now gone. One of the holdovers has a familiar name but the façade looks new to my eyes.
Cantonese as Fine as Jasmine
Just hearing the name of this widely cultivated flower calls to mind adjectives like exquisite, delicate and versatile. It is a flower of many attributes beyond its beautiful form. To have a restaurant bearing its name means having big shoes to fill. Good thing that Jasmine Restaurant found at New World Hotel lived up to its name, serving some of the finest Cantonese Cuisine in the metro.
Le Bistro Vert: Eating Green
THE SETTING: Located in the heart of the Makati business district, just a few flights of stairs from Valero Street upwards to Fraser Place Building at Streetside. Le Bistro Vert is a welcoming place, with its high ceiling, cool colors and large windows lending a feeling of being inside a greenhouse. There is a loft for private dining and special occasions and tables outside for al fresco dining.