Gloria Maris

One of the many reasons why I love living in San Juan City is its proximity to most of the restaurants I love. Take for example Gloria Maris. There's one at Wilson St. and another one near Greenhills Shopping Center. One of the well-loved and most recognized Chinese restaurants by Filipino, Gloria Maris is known for serving home-grown and unique selection of Chinese cuisine.

For someone who has deep affinity for Chinese cuisine, things like this matter, believe me. Especially when your ultimate favorite Chinese restaurant is located in Binondo, which I consider really far, it is comforting to know that there are restaurants like Gloria Maris I could go to whenever intense cravings for Chinese cuisine hit me.

While I am happy with the dimsum they serve at Mr. Choi Kitchen, when it comes to roasting combination and noodles (especially noodles) I would choose Gloria Maris in a heartbeat. 

Mr. Choi Kitchen at Robinsons Galleria

Mr. Choi Kitchen located at Robinson's Galleria used to be one of the restaurants I frequent to during the time when I was still working in Ortigas Center.  They serve good dimsum which suited my liking, hence, the frequency of my visits during those days were slightly beyond recommended.

Known as one of the best traditional Chinese restaurant in Manila which serves authentic Chinese cuisine, Mr. Choi Kitchen has been in the list of most favored restaurants by most of the foodies I know.

When moving on to a new job commensurate to parting with some of the restaurants in Ortigas area which I regularly visit, my affair with Mr. Choi's dimsum was put into a halt. Recently, I was able to unite again with my favorite during some random snack meet up with a friend.

The Cake Club by Diamond Hotel at Bonifacio High Street

Dining at The Cake Club by Diamond Hotel at Bonifacio High Street in BGC Taguig is like getting in touch with one's childhood dream of entering the world of saccharine treats, yet, with a mature and sophisticated flair.  An addition to the posh line of restaurants at Bonifacio Global City The Fort, particularly Bonifacio High Street, The Cake Club by Diamond Hotel is set to offer sublime dishes and delectable desserts meant to satisfy discerning palates. 

While signature cuisines and delicacies of Diamond Hotel served at The Cake Club are proved to be noteworthy, it is the line up of their best selling cakes that take the spotlight.  And to complete the ultimate sweet experience they give to their customers, The Cake Club also offers luscious homemade ice cream of different flavors!

Our recent dinner at The Cake Club Bonifacio High Street was a saccharine overdrive which left a big smile on my face even days after.  Having tasted 10 of their best selling cakes and 10 best selling homemade ice creams after a hearty dinner was the best kind of initiation to any club there is.

Binulo Restaurant at Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga

Its color is that of a sad sunset refusing to let go of the gleaming sky.  I stared as it slides down slowly out of the bamboo called Bulo.  A golden breath of aroma leaped out as each freshwater prawn with glistening shell made its way from the bamboo reed to the immaculate pot.  Dining at Binulo Restaurant located at Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga yields a beautiful kind of epiphany and echoes a tradition as beautiful as history.

When I cut through the head of the plump prawn and separate it from its body, the prawn’s delicate and creamy curdy fat invitingly stared at me. The flow of sour broth stained with a translucent shade of mandarin seeped underneath its shell to moisten its flabby flesh.  There was a subtle resistance to the bite making the flesh bouncy with interplay of sourness from the broth and delicate sweetness that the prawn naturally has. 

Faultless is a rather dangerous superlative I rarely use, if not at all, when it comes to describing a restaurant experience.  Yet, all hands down to Binulo Restaurant, as there couldn’t be any other word that will aptly describe how our dinner went that night. Although Binulo also specializes in U.S. grilled steak, our host opted to go local that night. This led us to a feast of Kapampangan cuisine, tradition, history, and then some.

4Sharing Meals at Max's Restaurant and a Chance to Win an iPhone 4S

Max’s Restaurant, one of Manila’s best homegrown restaurants has once again launched a new campaign meant to make their diner’s dining experiences unforgettable. Aptly called “4Sharing”, this new offering by Max’s focuses on two things that Filipinos love to share, food and bonding moments.

Dining in groups for some bonding moments over delectable Max’s signature dishes takes the spotlight this time as Max’s created a scrumptious spread meant to be shared with your loved ones.  Good times, good food at the most budget-friendly price, “4Sharing” campaign is already good on its own but Max’s Restaurant as always has something more in store for its valuable customers.

When you avail of “4Sharing” group meal offering, you will have a chance to win a spanking brand new iPhone 4S weekly! Nothing beats enjoying quality time with your loved ones while sharing good food and having a chance to win one of today’s sought-after gadgets too! 

Want to know how to go about this Max’s new campaign? Read on.

Cirque Mother Africa at Resorts World Manila on April 19-22

A two-hour feast of high energy production of African sights and sounds punctuated by delightful new millennium circus act is about to take Manila, Philippines by storm as Cirque Mother (CircusMama) Africa run its 5 shows only production this coming April 19 to 22, 2012. 

Presented by Establish Events in cooperation with Media Central, this Cirque Mother (CircusMama) Africa world tour aims not just to entertain audiences around the world, but to provide part of the production’s income to help Africa.

Check out Cirque Mother Africa's ticket prices and discounts HERE.

Surely nothing beats helping other people while enjoying the process at the same time.  Want to know how to get hold of a ticket to this show? I suggest you read on.

Pan Pacific Manila's Dare to Flair: A Night of Flairtending Competition

Pan Pacific Manila, in cooperation with Asia Brewery and BoracayMag presented its first ever Dare to Flair event last March 24, 2012.  Held at the Pacific Grand Ballroom of the hotel, the flair tending competition showcases aspiring bartenders with their exciting display of flairtending skills.

Balkan Yugoslavian Home Cooking

If you are like me, whose definition of an ordinary day is waking up with your sense of inner carnivore creating a havoc to your cravings asking for some adventurous no non-sense meaty food tripping, Balkan Yugoslavian Home Cooking along Perea St. in Makati City can be your salvation.

A spot which specializes in Yugoslavian Home Cooking can be a tad daunting to some who is unfamiliar to such. But fret not, because once a forkful of mean meaty goodness hit your palate, dude, you’re on a roll.

While the menu consists mostly of meat, vegetables were also thrown in for a good measure. Read on and see for yourself what we have feasted on during our recent dinner at Balkan. Notice how it can be downright hardcore in terms of meaty dishes, but believe me when I say that dining at Balkan isn’t heart attack waiting to happen.  In fact, it’ll show that dishes like these are worthy to live for.