Birds of a Feather

It’s a food hall that opened last February 12 that houses 17 stalls which offer various dishes from Japan, Singapore, Vietnam, Spain, Mexico, and others. Everything from soups and salads to rice meals and BBQs to cakes and ice cream could be found there. A customer could even have their choice of meat or seafood cooked just the way they like it—just look for the store that offers it.

Ang Sarap na Di Mo Inakala (The Taste We Did Not Expect)

It was perfect with the nachos that came with every order of chicken, which wasn’t unusual. It also paired well with the saba, a savory-sweet surprise. And it was good with both viands of chicken. What else could the beans pair with?

Eating More When With Friends

But good food discoveries did not stop there. Out of curiosity, I took a piece of the top of the bread bowl and ran it over the fondue. I already knew the taste of the melted cheese. What surprised me was the bread, which by itself was just as good. Even though it was understandably soggy by then, it was still an understated winner.

The Tour Guide in Their Ears

While silence is preferred at the gallery, they also invite all entering individuals to download an app on their mobile phones, which would serve as their tour guide in their ears for the paintings and the history depicted in them. The app scans a painting, which then starts a narration—best done with earphones or headphones on.

A Smashing Good Time!

… Channel your inner Hulk, Thor, or someone just as infuriated to smash away at the treat until it is reduced to bite-size pieces.

Hidden Favorite, Discovered Berry

Suddenly, at the flip of a page, I saw a photo of a familiar treat: golden fried meat resting on a saucy, runny bed of yellowed softness with little pools of savory fluid—all topped with shreds of greens. It was in the Katsudon section and is the chicken version of the dish.

Yes to Nono’s

Imagine the best brazo de Mercedes you’ve had then add a generous dollop of lemon extract, which would be embraced by the fluffiest cream possible topped by lemon zest. I couldn’t imagine the meal ending any other way.

High Time for High Tea

Through cooperation with the Rustans Group of Companies, TWG Tea opened their doors in the Philippines in November 7, 2012, which was the seventh international opening for the company. As of this writing, they have six branches in the Philippines, all found within Metro Manila.

Listening to Authors

We listened to their tales of how they started writing and the inspiration for their works, answers on how to overcome depression, writer’s block, and other hurdles, and their opinions about literature, writing, and career choices.

Closure That Soothes

They have created a great number of ice cream flavors, some of them inspired by regional favorites and national treats: champorado with dilis (chocolate rice porridge with anchovies), sapin-sapin (colorful layers of rice cake), green mango with bagoong (fish paste), and the legendary leche flan pie. Some are now regulars and others are limited editions.

Cheeseburger for Me, Bacon for Them

When I saw my food, I was kind of surprised to see that the burger had a knife stuck to it. Guess they’re assuring me that the meat is dead. Thanks but I don’t think stabbing is needed.

More Talk, Accidentally Less Food Photos

From the Glorietta Activity Center where we met, we took the scenic route by going way up the fifth floor then taking the escalator well down to the basement, which led to a tunnel that connected it to Glorietta 5, also known as G5. A good excuse for this exercise: they’ve never been to those parts of the mall. It was at the second floor where our walk ended because we arrived at a place where I thought they would love the food.