Filipino Food Archives

5 Rooftop Bars in Metro Manila to Elevate Your Weekend Hang

12/03/2023

Looking for a Rooftop Bar in Metro Manila? Everyone loves a great city view. The daily commute, traffic, and overall business on the streets can grow tiresome. Sometimes you just need to take a step back from it all and get a new perspective. Whether you want to enjoy drinks with a view, taking a date, or even just hanging out, these spots may be worth looking into. So we’ve compiled a list of classy of sky-high rooftop terraces, cocktail lounges and sky bars for you to elevate your nights: 1. The Penthouse 8747 Overlooking the Ayala Triangle Gardens, the Penthouse offers an amazing view of Makati Skyline. What the bar offers: “Started in 2016, The Penthouse 8747 wants to provide a special experience for customers to escape their everyday duties by providing a peace of mind through great ambiance, convenient location, exceptional customer service and products of consistently high quality. The Penthouse 8747 is a classic and chic lounge that is greatly inspired by the art deco period also recognized as The Great Gatsby era.” Our food/drink recommendations: Taiwanese Whisky, Fritzgerald’s Truffle 410, The Penthouse Burger 480 Location: Lepanto Building, 8747 Paseo de Roxas, Makati, 1227 Operating Hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM 2. Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge source: Marco Polo Ortigas Strategically located in Ortigas Business Center, Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge offers a panoramic view of the metro. What the bar offers: “Indulge in mouth-watering samplers of antipasti, signature cocktails, wines, spirits, and champagnes amidst awe-inspiring vistas. It also features an 2 al fresco areas perfect for engaging conversations, completing the vibe for the ideal dining experience.” Our food/drink recommendation: Sapphire Road & Singapore Sling cocktails, Tapas Platter Experience: Rock n’ Roll Fridays with LOCKDOWN Band (9:00 PM) Saturday Night Groove with M.U.B. Band | 9:00 PM Location: 45th Floor, Marco Polo Ortigas, Meralco Avenue and Sapphire Street, Ortigas Centre, Pasig City, 1600 Operating Hours: Wednesdays and Thursdays (5:00 PM to 1:00 AM); Fridays and Saturdays (5:00 PM to 2:00 AM) Attire: Cocktail Chic 3. The Nest Dining in the Sky Source: The Nest dining in the Sky Highlighting the views of the Laguna de Bay, Filinvest City, Alabang and South Luzon Expressway, The Nest Dining in the Sky stylish indoor dining room that leads out to a very lush, green and cozy terrace, decorated with both dining tables and lounge sofas along with a rooftop pool. What the bar offers: “Steal away to The Nest Dining in the Sky, Vivere Hotel’s iconic rooftop bar and restaurant. Hovering 31-storeys above the Metro South, The Nest flaunts a most breathtaking view of the skyline-making it truly a magical place to make memories happen. A rich selection of international cuisine, continuously being innovated by our R&D Team-focuses on comfort food and the like. Pair that with hand-crafted cocktails (who doesn’t love a good sangria?), cozy corners in the midst of breathtaking views, entice those longing for more intimate contemplation.” Our food/drink recommendation: Lapu-Lapu and Prawns Harmony, Mussels Rockefeller, Location: 31st Floor, Vivere Hotel, 5102 Bridgeway Avenue, Filinvest City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City 1781 Operating Hours: Daily (4PM to 11PM) Attire: Cocktail Chic 4. Encaramada Rooftop Source: Encaramada Rooftop Bar FB One of the best views of Manila Bay can be located on top of the great Tryp by Wyndham Mall of Asia Manila in Pasay. Extra amazing in golden hour, the bar offers 360° views over the water, as well as over the city What the bar offers: “Like heights, cityscapes, and a pool bar? Head up to Encaramada! It’s like enjoying the same pleasures of Milagritos [Tryp’s restaurant] but next to a pool. The ideal place to be at night for a drink and a relaxing view of the bay” Our food/drink recommendations: Beef and foie gras, Boquerones and olives, Prosecco Zonin Sparkling Wine Operating Hours: Daily (11AM to 9PM) Location: Seaside Blvd. corner J.W. Diokno Blvd., Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City 1300 5. The Nautilus Whiskey Bar Source: The Nautilus Bar FB The busy Quezon Avenue with the QC night stars are treated better with Nautilus specialty food, drinks and liquors. Their stylish roof deck bar and restaurant provides fresh breeze along with some good drinks. What the bar offers: “Rooftop steampunk-themed bar at the heart of Quezon City. The perfect place to de-stress and unwind overlooking the QC skyline.” Our food/drink recommendations: Grilled Pork Belly, Pasta Vongole, 3 Wise Men cocktail, Japanese/Taiwanese/Highlands Whiskeys Operating Hours: Monday to Saturday (5PM to 2AM) Location: 10th Floor, 70 Sgt. Esguerra St. South Triangle, Quezon City 1103 pop-culture:5-rooftop-bars-in-metro-manila-to-elevate-your-weekend-hang

Missing Shakey’s Mojos? You are not alone

22/01/2023

Who wouldn’t love Shakey’s famous mojo potatoes dipped in gravy, ketchup, or special garlic sauce? It’s an automatic classic order to have a basket of chicken, a box of pizza, pasta, or spaghetti, with mojos. A staple potato chip with fries-texture best partnered with chicken or pizza, the perfect combo for mojo lovers! You will really know it’s mojos when you taste one. Yum! But what happened to mojos? Have you been to your favorite Shakey’s chain and heard the sad news about the “temporarily phased out” mojo potatoes? Have you visited other branches and noticed a new substitute for your all-time favorite mojos? Unfortunately, it’s been months since the famous potato dish went missing. Yes, missing in action (MIA). No ‘mo mojos to serve on the table. Even the so-called Chicken N’ Mojos combo is no longer a tandem since you’ll be having french fries instead (for now!). While there’s been a shortage in most branches nationwide due to global supply constraints, Shakey’s Philippines first clarified on their Facebook page that they’ve been “working really hard to get [us] mo’ mojos.” The complaints started on Twitter when some netizens posted about its lack of mojos. The post has garnered 16,000 likes on Twitter. The giant pizza store saw the post and responded through a statement. In the same Facebook post last January 1, 2023, Shakey’s announced that they would serve Mojo flavored fries as a substitute for mojos at some stores. Our Shakey’s experience will only be complete with mojos. Hence, as a substitute, Shakey’s continues to serve mojo-flavored fries, regular french fries coated with similar spices, and flavorings of mojo potatoes. It’s probably not the same (and they understand it), but they think we will enjoy it too. Not bad, right? On the other hand, according to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, servers at Shakey’s have been told that its mojo potatoes have been “temporarily phased out” due to issues with suppliers. The head of the office of Shakey’s Pizza Ventures talked to Inquirer, and a representative confirmed the supply-chain cases. The representative assured that “mojos haven’t been phased out, and they’re on the way.” The representative also said that they didn’t experience shortages from their suppliers. It’s just that the shipments just got delayed because of supply chain bottlenecks. In early 2022, Washington Post reported a growing global shortage of potatoes due to lousy weather, blights, or labor disputes. In May 2022, the Department of Agriculture confirmed a global lack in the processing variety of potatoes. The bottleneck problem and supply constraints should be sorted out within the month, so mojo-lovers can enjoy the taste of mojos again in all stores and branches. The staple mojo potatoes we all love since day one! Cue heartbreaking song ’cause we feel you! We may say goodbye to mojos in the meantime, but we’ll see each other again pretty soon. If you want to take a break from mojos, you can try the Mojos-flavored fries, Mozzarella cheese sticks, and Calamari crunch. Who knows, you’ll love it too! Don’t worry much, though, because it was reported that the availability of mojo potatoes depends on the branch you’re ordering from. So karma lang, it’s temporary. You can still check the availability of mojos in your nearest branch to see if some branches are still serving mojos. Let us know if you visited one! Come to think of it, though. We’re lucky that Shakey’s has encountered some supply-chain issues only and not some crisis issues like the country’s current onion and sugar woes (cross-fingers!). According to Esquire, Shakey’s mojos shortage follows other fast food chains in 2022, such as McDonald’s Philippines, which stopped serving medium, large, and BFF fries in April because of a limited fry supply due to the “global freight crisis.” In October, the fries’ bigger sizes returned to the menu. The mojo-flavored fries can be ordered by the bucket with dips or as a side to fried chicken or pizza. You can have or rate your Shakey’s favorites delivered via the Shakey’s website, Shakey’s hotline at #77777, Shakey’s Super App, GrabFood, and food panda. Looking forward to seeing ‘mo mojos again!

10 Pinakasikat na Tradisyonal na Pagkain Sa Ilocos Region

28/11/2022

1. LONGGANISA Ang longganisa ang isa sa mga tumutukoy sa Ilocos food. Ang pork sausage na ito ay sumikat sa Vigan, Ilocos Sur na gawa sa maliliit at matambok na parang sausage. Ang Vigan longganisa ay gawa sa giniling na karne ng baboy na hinaluan ng bawang, suka at mga ibang local seasoning. Ang longganisang Vigan ay napakasarap lalo na sa mga sausage lover na turista. 2. BATAC EMPANADA Kilala ang Batac, Ilocos Norte bilang oldest town sa buong lalawigan at itinatag noong 1587 ng mga Augustinians. Ang bayan ito ay naging famous sa empapada na kinukunsiderang ilan sa isa sa mga pinaka “the best” sa Pilipinas. Ang empanada ng Batac ay gawa sa green papaya, chopped up longganisa sausages, at hard-boiled eggs at ang kulay orange na ballot nito na gawa sa rice flour at ang kulay orange nito galing sa paggamit ng annatto seeds at ang seed na ito (annatto) ay sikat sa South America na ginagamit sa bilang pangkulay, medicine bilang sangkap sa maraming pagkain. 3. BAGNET Ang Bagnet sa Ilocos region ay kilala rin sa tawag na “chicharon baboy” na nilulutong deep-fried na belly ng baboy. Ang kaibahan ng bagnet, matapos ma-prito ito, pinapatuyo ito sa hangin at pinapatulo ang kanyang matika. Ang pag-prito ay itutuloy hanggang sa maging malutong ito. Ang bagnet ang isa sa mga paboritong Filipino food at isa sa mga pinakasikat na Ilocos cuisines. 4. PINAKBET Ang pinakbet ay isa sa mga sikat na ulam ng mga Ilocano na ang sangkap ay halo-halong gulay na mabibili saan mang sulok ng Pilipinas. Ang mga gulay ng pinakbet ang ay mga kamatis, talong, kalabasa, sitaw, okra, ampalaya. May sikreto ang mga Ilocano kung paano nila lutuin ang pinakbet na sinasahugan nila ng karne na baboy, chicharon o bagnet na nilalagyan ng isang bagoong sauce. 5. OKOY Ang pagkaing ito ay napakasarap dahil sa malutong na mga fritters na niluto sa malagkit na kanin at ginawang korteng bilog. Ang okoy fritters ay pinalamutian ng fresh shallots at hinaluan ng bawang at chili peppers at ang pagkain nito ay sinasawsaw sa “sukang iloco” na siguradong mapapa-yummy sa sarap. 6. POQUI-POQUI Ang simpleng Ilocano na pagkaing ito ang gawa sa inihaw na talong saka linamas na ginisa sa sibuyas, bawang at kamatis na may itlog na hinalo sa iba pang ingredients. Ang pangalang poqui-poqui o “poki-poki” ay nagmula sa Hawaii na kung saan ay nag-migrate ang mga ito noong 1980s. Ang ibig sabihin ng salitang “poki” ay “mash” o “slice” na kung saan ginawa ng mga Ilocano sa poqui-poqui food. 7. BAWANG o GARLIC CAPITAL OF THE NORTH (Sinait) Bawang o garlic, ito ay isang root crop na native sa Ilocos region lalo na sa Garlic Capital of the Philippines, ang bayan ng Sinait. Itong essential food condiment na ito ay matatagpuan sa bawat kusina ng pamilyang Pilipino at ginagamit para bigyang lasa ang lahat ng ulam. Bawat taon ng buwan ng Mayo, libong local at foreign na turista ang dumarayo sa Sinait, Ilocos Sur upang tunghayan ang piyesta na kinabibilangan ng local dancing competition na gamit ang garlic-inspired costume at pagpili ng Ms. Garlic Festival at mayroon ding paligsahan ng longest at most creative twined garlic. 8. DRAGON FRUIT “Saniata”, ito ang tawag sa Ilocos region sa dragon fruit. Ito ay produced at binebenta sa Ilocos buong taon. Ang dragon fruit ay napakagandang tingnan at taglay nito ang ibat-ibang health benefits gaya ng nakakatulong sa digestion, nag re-regulate ng blood sugar spikes at nagpapababa ng bad cholesterol. Ang dragon fruit ay full of antioxidants na nakakatulong para i-clear ang sakit na cancer at ang nasabing prutas din ay mayaman sa Vitamin B1, B2 and C, na tumutulong para i-repair ang tissue at panatilihing malusog ang ating balat. 9. ILOCOS CHICHACORN Ang chichacorn ay paboritong snack mula sa Ilocos Norte at ito ay mga butil ng mais na prinito hanggang sa maging malutong. Ang chichacorn ay mula sa “white corn” na karaniwang itinatanim sa Pilipinas. Ito ay nilalagyan ng flavor kasama ang garlic, cheese, sweet and spicy, adobo at barbecue. 10. DUDOL (An Ilocano food with Asian roots) Kung tawagin nila sa Ilocos ito ay “Dudol”, isang traditional na dessert na mayroong Asian roots at sikat din ito sa Malaysia, Indonesia at Southern India. Ang dudol ay nagmula sa Malay at India settlements mula sa coastal towns ng Ilocos region bago dumating ang mga Spaniards. Ang pagkaing ito ay gawa sa rice flour, coconut milk, sugarcane juice at annice at ang sikretong paggawa ng masarap ng dudol ay ang pasensya at patuloy na paghalo ng mga sangkap nito sa mahinang apoy. Ang dudol ay nakilala rin sa Guling-Guling Festival sa Paoay, Ilocos Norte. Ang Ilocos region ay nakilala para sa kanilang cultural at historical na lugar at lalo na sa kanilang mga kilalang Ilocano cuisine. Mula sa Laoag City na capital ng Ilocos Norte mula sa historic Vigan City sa Ilocos Sur, kayo ay mag ba-byahe at makakaranas ng mga “unique” Ilocos food. Halina at pumunta sa Ilocos region upang lasapin ang Ilocano traditional food.