Delightful Finds of a Foodie — Metro Manila, Ph 🇵🇭

I always have a ready appetite for Chinese food, it's savory and comforting. Near our home, we recently tried this restaurant Modern Shanghai for a quick taste of that plain but flavorful meal. We ordered the usual steamed shrimp dumplings, fried rice, and beef and broccoli. This place is very pricey for the food we got ( a cup of rice costs $5 😥 ). This reminded me that fancy does not always equate with delicious food. I'd still prefer the food places in Chinatown ( My Food Crawl Diary of Binondo —the Manila City's Chinatown ) I shared about here last time.

A good coffee fix — In the Philippines, I only know about Baguio City, Tagaytay City, and Antipolo as the few of the mountainous areas where you can get a dose of good coffee. Antipolo is now being known for the coffee shops with overlooking view of the city, Kaulayaw Coffee is one of them. For a coffee shop, it's very spacious that it can accommodate so many. I went there to meet my friends from graduate school, although it was a weekend, we were able to get good seats. Their Spanish Latte was good, what I always look for coffee is that it's not too sweet, and they just got it right. Of course, the place was just an excuse, the long overdue stories with my friends really were what made it feels like home.

A gem in the city — I grew up in the province and went to college in another province. I'd say, all my life I've been walking under the shade of trees and feeling the wind on my face. But, things changed when I moved to the city for work and graduate school. Little did I know, this casual restaurant is hidden just a walking distance from our research building. We used to dine here for dinner when we would have to work late, but recently, I was able to go there for lunch. The place was just so beautiful because it's surrounded with shrubs and books! One of the best things in Gubat is that they encourage going green as they serve the food on banana leaves and don't offer utensils 😅🤣 They do have a wash area where you can wash your hands, so it's okay. The food is also great! I was able to try burong kanin or fermented rice (something I'd never try, but...) because I haven't really eaten anything from their menu that didn't taste good.

A good day for brunch — One of the things I realized about being an adult is that you only have a few time to be present with your friends. This is one the weekends that my schedule matched with my friends, only, if we'll meet for brunch. Amidst my hesitations because of our chosen place, I agreed to have that change of environment. There's always that running joke about the people who live in Metro Manila, those who live in the south side always adjust with those who live in the north side. When I got to the place, I was 100% sure I wanted to move in the south. It was just so quiet! Or maybe because it was early in the morning. Bungalow Cafe has a lot to offer! We already ordered so many (this was for three people only) but all I can say is that, I still have a lot more to try. The food was great, albeit pricey. They also offer pastries aside from meals and I think it's what I want to come back for ☺️.

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