Pasto

Location: Greenhills Shopping Center, V-Mall, Ortigas Ave., Greenhills, San Juan, Philippines
Cuisine: Italian
Hours: ???
Phone: (02) 722-4992
Prices: About $15 per person
Credit Cards: All major

Food: 8
Service: 9
Value: 8
Environment: 8

Frequency: Unique

For the last meal in Philippines, we went a little lighter and ordered 2 pastas, a thin crust pizza and appetizers for 3 people. Portions weren't all that big either, so it was just right. If I wasn't stuffed this whole vacation, I'd say the dish sizes here are a little on the small side. Italian food is sort of a secondary must-eat for me here because the ingredients have a different taste... as they probably do in many parts of the world. A bowl of pasta or pizza can be made the same way, but the tomatoes and cheese will vary in taste. Click on the slideshow below for full comments on each dish.

Service is almost always a 9 in the Philippines, so there's nothing special there. The environment was cleaner than most places in the city and this is a restaurant in the mall! There were no flies and the decor was very classy. The dining area was well lit and had good acoustics. You get a good amount of food for the money you pay and they even throw in a free appetizer if you spend over 1000 pesos and use a BDO card!

Philippines Day 10

We didn't really go far on the last day. Instead, we just had people dropping by the hotel and Greenhill area all day long. We had Uncle Ramon in the morning. Uncle Ruben and family also came and stayed all day. For lunch, we ate at Choi Garden with Ifore and Jiselle's families. After that, my parents went back to the hotel to await more visitors. I went out with Ifore & Jiselle to get the last achievement on my list... Razon's.

When I returned to the hotel, Auntie Day, Auntie Remy and Auntie Shirley also came by. Then Uncle Mariano came over. My dad & I then went up to his apartment (also in the hotel). For dinner, we split up into 3 parties. My Mom went out with her family. My dad went out with Uncle Mariano & Auntie Susanna. I went out with Matt, Hanika and Margaret to Pasto (separate entry coming soon).

Licup Family Party

Philippines Day 9

Day 9 Highlights:

JT Manukan Grille is another must see for me on Philippines trips now and I was able to get there with Ifore and family on Day 9. For the full review, please see last year's entry.

After lunch we headed to Craft Coffee a new place that brews their coffee fresh. 

Then I went to get a birthday cake for my mom @ Red Ribbon. My mom's birthday is next week, but my dad & I will be heading back first. Also, it's better to do her birthday with all of her family present.

We ended the day with a huge family dinner party at Elan Cafe. This is typically done the night before we leave, but we actually have an extra day this year.

Philippines Day 8

Jollibee Unboxing

Philippines Day 7

We got a lot done for our half day in Boracay, getting up early for breakfast @ Seabreeze Cafe and then spending the morning on the beach and pool. 

Traveling back to Manila wasn't so efficient though. We were making good time until we arrived. The flight was short... maybe 40 min. Once we were allowed to use electronic on board, I played one of my Arkham Asylum recordings... 38 min and didn't get through all of it. When we got to Manila, there was traffic at the gate and we just sat on the runway for about 20 min. Then the drive back was so packed that it took us 2 hours to get back to the hotel... 40 min flight + 2 hour drive!

At least we ended the day with Chicken Charlie!

Boracay 2012

Boracay Part 2

• Breakfast @ Seabreeze Cafe
• Island Hopping Boat Tour
• Lunch @ Natalia's Kitchen
• Estacio Uno
• Jonah's Snack Bar
• Real Coffee
• Dinner @ Mesa

Boracay Part 1

Day 1 of Boracay included:

• Arrival by plane & boat
• Boracay Regency Hotel
• Lunch @ Hap Chan
• Exploring the Beach
• Thai Food for Dinner

Philippines Day 4

Whitney

Whitney is the newest of Auntie Shirley's 9 dogs. She's a playful miniature dachshund that kept me busy as the rest of the aunts were dealing jade jewelry.

Tunas

Bistro Remedios

Location: 1911 M. Adriatico St., Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines

Cuisine: Filipino

Hours: SUN-THU (11am-3pm, 6pm-11pm); FRI-SAT (12pm-3pm, 6pm-12am)

Phone: 2 523 9153

Prices: About $15 per person

Credit Cards: All major

Food: 9

Service: 9

Value: 8

Environment: 8

Frequency: Unique

Last year, we came to the Philippines partly for Edwin's wedding, but didn't really get to see him. He was busy before the date and then went off on his honeymoon immediately after. So I wanted to set this up to catch up with him and meet his new wife, Barbie.

It was also the first opportunity to get some good Filipino food. The area near my hotel is filled with chains, so it was good to get out and find something more authentic. Bistro Remedios was definitely the best meal of the trip so far. We most of the things I typically order at Filipino restaurants. The taste was just so much richer here.

Philippines Day 3

It was another event filled day with both sides of the family. There was lunch with my mother's side @ Gloria Maris... still the only OK Chinese restaurant I've been to in the Philippines. Immediately after that, we headed off to Makati to visit Auntie Luisa and family on my father's side. The we headed to Malate to meet Edwin and family on my mother's side. We had dinner at Bistro Remedios, which I will break out into a separate entry because it's a new restaurant for me.

Some quick stats for Gloria Maris:

Location: Greenhills Shopping Complex, San Juan, Metro Manila Philippines
Cuisine: Chinese, Dim Sum
Hours: MON-THU (11am-2pm, 6pm-11pm); FRI-SAT (10am-2pm, 5:30pm-12am)
Phone: 722-5508 to 10, 721-3504, 722-5760
Prices: About $30 per person
Credit Cards: All major

Food: 7
Service: 7
Value: 7
Environment: 7

Frequency: Common

Ifore & Jiselle (Reception)

Ifore & Jiselle (Video)

Ifore & Jiselle (Photos)

Philippines Day 1

Just escaping the first winter storm of the year, we arrived late Thursday night to make sure we had an extra day before the wedding in case there were any plane issues.

The first day of any Philippines trip is always filled with activity...

• Breakfast @ Elan Cafe
• Lunch @ Choi Garden
• Visit to Ifore's new apartment
• Dinner @ Buffet 101

Ihawan 2

Location: 10-07 50th Avenue, Long Island City
Cuisine: Filipino
Hours: SUN-THU (11:30am-9:30pm); FRI-SAT (11:30am-10:30pm)
Phone: (718) 937-7373
Website: www.ihawan2.com
Prices: $17/person
Credit Cards: All major

Food: 9
Service: 9
Value: 7
Environment: 8

Frequency: Unique

We finally tried out Ihawan 2, the 2nd establishment from the family owned Ihawan in Woodside. The Long Island City branch retains all of the items as the original, but seems to have a large grill menu. Since it was our first time here, we went with all of the usual dishes so we could compare. For more details on the food, click into the Picasa album.

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Get your own

Ihawan 2 opened up a few years ago and since it was the 2nd in the chain, it was build ground up with nice looking materials. It has a restaurant feel as opposed to kitchen or backyard BBQ like the original. The space is well decorated, has nice lighting and high ceilings. Seating accommodates mostly groups of 2 and 4, but the layout is very movable for larger groups.

Located just outside of the Vernon-Jackson 7 Train stop, Ihawan 2 is in a business/industrial neighborhood, so things are a bit slow around dinner time. We went tonight at 6:30pm and it was empty for a long time. They had only 2 other dine-in customers while we were there. So it's not as festive as Woodside, but could be just what you're looking for if you want a nice quiet restaurant with great food.