What do you do when you land in Manila during a typhoon?
Eat, shop, eat. A mini culinary travel guide to the Philippines capital.
A clickbait headline you may ask? Absolutely not. The truth? Yes, indeed.
We arrive in Manila as a typhoon lashes through the capital. Fortunately, our plane lands right at the start, before Gaemi, as she (or he, or they?) is named, gathers pace, as she certainly does over our three-day stay.
We’re staying in Makati, the business district, which isn’t as affected as other parts of the city, and the rest of the Philippines. But we are forced to skip the sightseeing across town, and remain glued to this bougie neighbourhood, eating and shopping. Not exactly a hardship. And my kind of city break.
I am ashamed to admit that this visit is my first to Manila (and the Philippines), en route to a wellness retreat, The Farm at San Benito - less than a two hour drive. Even Filipino friends downplay the capital, claiming the city is far from tourist-friendly, whilst encouraging everyone to prioritise one or two of the gazillion islands. But I am suitably impressed. Chaotic Bangkok meets pristine Singapore.
A culinary travel guide follows with everything we soak up. Almost literally too. Sheltered from the rain.
Some of you may have received an automated Substack upselling email last week. That should never have happened. A settings glitch. Apologies.
Dining
Thank you to longstanding friend and regular FooDiva dinner guest Ishwar Chugani, as well as globe-trotting chef JP of Dubai’s Kooya Filipino Eatery for many of these recommendations - all in Makati district.
Toyo Eatery: No 24 on Asia’s 50 Best if you like to follow international listicles. A highly polished tasting menu concept by Filipino chef-patron Jordy Navarra. 99% of ingredients are locally sourced, with no beef for sustainability purposes. Plenty of pork, chicken and seafood though. Every morsel from the 22 dishes spread across eight courses offers a taste of Philippines. The ever-present storytelling for concepts like these is succinct. And therefore, the dining experience, thankfully, spans a mere two and a half hours. Longer tasting menus are excruciatingly painful. Try and bag a front row seat overlooking the kitchen with the chefs in action. There’s even a gift bag with a warm chocolate and sugar-dusted doughnut from Toyo’s very own bakery. AED370/ US$100/ PHP5,900. Advance online reservations mandatory with a deposit.
Metiz: No 85 on Asia’s 50 Best - and in the same hipster complex as Toyo. The chef-owner Stephan Duhesme’s French and Filipino heritage shines through every umami-laden, textural bite of another degustation menu - along with many a Chinese influence. He’s not only on the pass, but cooking, which we can see from our table IN the kitchen. A relaxed experience of under two hours. Eight courses. AED282/ US$76/ PHP4,500. Advance Whatsapp reservations with a deposit.
Atop Metiz, sits Stephan’s casual a la carte concept, Automat, which, on the night we dine, is privately booked by chef Jordy for his Toyo team. We end up chatting to them all. The camaraderie between the two chefs is palpable. No egos in this town.
Sarsa: Chef JP is likely the world’s most prominent ambassador for Filipino fare. Ask any Filipino, as I do, and he’s considered a rock star celebrity chef. He divides his time between Dubai and Manila, each with a casual neighbourhood eatery - and numerous consultancy gigs around the world. He also wins the award for the humblest chef I have ever met. He collects us from our hotel, amidst the floods, to ferry us to his restaurant Sarsa, where he proceeds to educate us on traditional Filipino dishes (sizzling sisig with different cuts, and tangy adobo) and ingredients (offal galore, and calamansi, a citrus hybrid). Pork is integral to his menu (barbequed pork belly skewers with the fat perfectly rendered) - in contrast to his Dubai restaurant which has no pork kitchen licence. Despite the rains, Sarsa is brimming with lunchtime office workers.
A five minute stroll away with the rains subsiding a little, and umbrellas that JP buys us, sits Spotted Pig Cafe for a decent double espresso and an affogato.
Tsokolateria: A café concept with a difference by Filipino restaurateur Happy. Savoury dishes are infused with a dash of local cocoa - a little like mole in Mexican cuisine. With no sweetness at all. Aptly named - tsokolateria translates to a chocolate shop in Greek and many languages. We visit the Greenbelt 5 mall branch in Makati.
Blackbird at the Nielson Tower: Our lunch venue on the day Manila comes to a standstill. A short walk from our hotel, but the typhoon begs us to grab a hotel car. Taxis are nowhere to be seen. A striking regenerated Art Deco building that housed Manila’s first airport hangar. Yes please to the twice-baked Gruyère and spinach soufflé paired with a green salad. For balance, of course. And blue swimmer crab omelette, an upmarket version of Jay Fai’s Michelin hawker stall dish in Bangkok. Whilst here, we pop into Manila’s grande dame hotel, the Peninsula, just across the road, for a glimpse of the wow factor lobby.
Sadly, my booking at tasting menu concept Hapag is cancelled because the restaurant has to shut shop with staff unable to travel into work.
I also missed (by one day) Dubai-based Filipino chef John Martho Buenoventura’s pop-up in Manila - another sweetheart hand-holding us with advice over the typhoon. He also runs supper clubs in Dubai. Follow his Instagram for dates.
A spot of shopping
Kultura is an Aladdin’s cave of modern Filipino handicrafts and artisan souvenirs, native ingredients and condiments included. A few outposts across Manila. I am delighted with my handmade watermelon clutch purchase from local brand, Ilha that ships worldwide, UAE included! 🇵🇸🍉🕊️
For more traditional knick-knacks - BalikBayan Handicrafts.
Mall of Asia is one of Asia’s largest malls, however Filipinos recommend the more boutiquey SM Aura instead. Whenever I travel east, I stock up at ridiculously affordable Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo. Hello elasticated jeans.
Sightseeing (which we missed)
Intramuros: The historic walled city. The name, ‘intra and muros’, translates to ‘within the walls’ in Spanish. Featuring Fort Santiago, Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Metropolitan Theatre and the National Art Gallery.
Chinatown in Binondo: The oldest Chinatown in the world, known for its bustling streets and Hong Kong hawker fare.
Rizal Park (Luneta Park): A large historical park dedicated to national hero, José Rizal.
Manila Baywalk: A scenic promenade along Manila Bay popular for sunset views, strolls and jeepney drives (old military jeeps used as public transport).
Quiapo Church: Famous for the Black Nazarene statue and the lively religious practices of its devotees.
San Sebastian Church: Gothic Revival architecture with a basilica made of pre-fabricated steel.
Housekeeping bits and bobs
We stay at the all-suite Raffles Makati which is connected to the Fairmont (same owner). In keeping with Raffles tradition, there’s a Long Bar and a Makati Sling, aka Singapore Sling cocktail. I prefer the margaritas. And the pork mince and chicken liver sisig with poached egg.
Emirates operates three nine-hour daily return flights to Manila.
Advance online e-travel registration is mandatory for all nationalities landing in the Philippines. Register here up to 72 hours in advance.
Grab is the local Uber app. However, completely useless during any kind of rain when it’s impossible to grab a cab. Hotels can organise car bookings.
Whilst, Revolut is accepted in the Philippines, tap and pay not so much, so, if you only have a virtual credit card, please insist that merchants enter card details manually.
And lastly, my Google maps link here to all the restaurants, hotels, shops and sights.
Any other restaurant tips for Manila? Feel free to share here so everyone can benefit.
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Fascinating food tour of Manila. I visited on an invite trip. Certainly didn’t go to such interesting places. As it was a while ago now I think restaurants that focus on local produce and sustainability might have been thin on the ground perhaps. We felt safe enough to wander round the Makati district where we were staying but warned not to elsewhere as too dangerous because of crime. Did you get a sense of this?
The walled city is almost actually cordoned off for tourists only.
Anyway, that fish looks amazing, calamansi is a delicious citrus fruit (thanks for reminder) and I love your watermelon bag!
Your excellent guide makes me want to return to Manila. Thanks Sam