Food discoveries during travel have always been the heart of Happyfoodies. And this Lakbay Norte 2, a familiarization tour of select places at North Luzon, we get to try out some interesting food stops along the way to Baguio from Manila on our first day. Our breakfast at SOUL Cafe in La Union, snacks at Cafe Isabelle and dinner at Hotel Elizabeth’s Flora Cafe.
Lolo Dad’s Thanksgiving Potato-Menu Special
While Thanksgiving is really more an American Tradition, Filipinos value good food and gatherings that every day, we find good reasons to be thankful for an eat. This year, U.S. Potato Board and U.S. Department f Agriculture invited Happyfoodies once again to partake on another all-potato full course meal. We enjoyed last year’s Chef Sau’s creations at M Café, and this time it is Chef Ariel’s turn to whip up some magic at Lolo Dad’s Brasserie.
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.
A Culinary Performance at Antonio Restaurante
There are Portuguese Restaurants, and there are Portuguese Restaurants with style. And the latter is where I would put this small homey restaurant called Antonio Restaurante at Taipa Island’s Old quarters, owned by Macau celebrity chef Antonio Coelho. We tagged along him that morning while he bought the ingredients he would use for the dishes he would serve that evening.
Macanese at Ristorante Litoral
“This is where we take our special guests” Joao tells us. Of course we felt honored hearing that statement. If one wants to treat guest to try great tasting Macanese food, Ristorante Litoral would be the best place to go. Chinese may have a big part in Macau cuisine being close to the country, but being under Portuguese rule for years, it’s inevitable not to fuse the better of two influences into one distinct cuisine – Macanese. Its Portuguese Cuisine using the best of the local ingredients found in Macau.
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.