Places to Eat in Manila

My nights seem to be filled with so many friends and food. Both go together most of the time. I have three eating joints I spent with friends this week and they have their respective specialties. It was like traveling through three countries.

[UPDATE 2023: Some of the restaurants listed here may have closed or are no longer in operation in this location.]

Korea Fellow Feeling

I don’t know why the name of this eatery is such, but it has always piqued my interest whenever I pass by this place. I got my opportunity when I attended an event right next to Korea Fellow Feeling. Located in Vito Cruz St. (near Taft Ave.) and close to universities, it looked like a place where students can hang out.

The smiling cat’s face with a chef’s hat looked like an anime I’ve seen on TV. Still, it’s very welcoming. The place is small and could fit about 10 to 15 people. One wall is a collage of K-pop artists, including that of Sandara Park, who made a name in the Philippines by joining a talent search.

Like Korean diners I’ve seen in Seoul, this one is also narrow and has a photo of its menu on one side of the wall. The usual Korean fare is there, such as the gyoza, bibimbap, and ramen. Since it was a rainy night, I ordered for ramen or noodle soup. My friends got some gyoza and maki. Another friend ordered ramen, too.

While preparing our food, they first served us some kimchi which tasted just right for my sweet tooth. It wasn’t too spicy, otherwise, it would ruin my dinner. Our ramen came and we were surprised at how huge the bowl was. It could feed three to four people. We divided one order (and still had so many leftovers), and had the other one packed to-go. The ramen was filling and at over a hundred pesos (about USD3), it was priced reasonably. I can’t wait to come back and try their other Korean offerings.

Tokyo Bubble Tea

Who says all you can order here is tea only? That’s what I thought about Tokyo Bubble Tea located in the Fort, Taguig, until a friend told us that they have some Japanese food in their menu. Since it was late and I didn’t want to go home at midnight with a full stomach, one of my friends and I opted to split on the California maki and the tofu steak.

But we were wrong. It wasn’t somewhere close to a light dinner after all. The tofu was so delicious as it was smothered with a sweet and sour sauce, onions and mushrooms. The California maki also tasted fresh and yummy. And when we thought we’d only have water, the tea slush was just too tempting to be ignored. I got a passion fruit tea slush. The “bubbles” or black pearly bubbles (my own description) were sweet that it balanced the sour-y flavor of the passion fruit.

Our bill amounted to P270 to P320 (about USD 6.50 to USD 7.50) each. Plus the other orders of three more friends, we had over P650, which granted us a free box of truffle chocolates. At first, we were excited about our free dessert. But when we realized how satisfied we were with our dinner, nobody even had the interest to take home the box of chocolates.

Lola’s Best

From East Asian cuisine, I move closer to home — Filipino food. Lola’s Best is located in Jupiter St. (near Makati Ave.) and operates 24/7. They have dinuguan (pig’s blood), laing (vegetable leaves cooked in coconut milk), and other home-cooked Filipino meals. My favorite is the bangus (milkfish) sardines. It’s like sardines in Spanish oil, but the fish is really milkfish, which teems in fresh water.

They have a set menu at P89 to P99 (over USD 2) that has rice and a drink. They normally have Moringa Citrus or Raspberry iced tea. And while you are having dinner, you can view the collage of old photos of grandmothers with their grandchildren. Nice way to remind you of home.