My favorite bento, best boneless crispy pata and other food tales

Thanks to Anton for mentioning this humble site as one of his favorite blogs on the Philippines. Anton’s Awesome Planet is the one to go to if you want a fresh take on unique places in Manila and fascinating hideaways in this country of 7,107 islands , complete with beautiful photos at that. My only regret is that I haven’t been gallivanting like this fellow blogger does, this being a year of “downsizing” my personal affairs (read: “due to a running mortgage and mounting bills, I have become poorer, hehe). As a result, I had to shy away from joining Pinoy Travel Blog and other commitments. Who knows, better luck next time.

But I still like to share with my readers some of my spare stock photos on Flickr and thought it best to make this post on the food places I hang out in. Here goes:

Japanese is my all-time favorite cuisine and since I live in the center of Manila, you’d most probably find me at the Miyabi Restaurant whenever I get intense wasabi cravings. To spare myself the agony of choosing from their thick menu, I always order their Jo Bento which has a little bit of all my favorite selections – tempura, sashimi, salmon, shrimps, vegetables and beef fillet – all at $10. For lunch, Miyabi has good, reasonably priced offerings which come with either free fruits or drinks. Service is good, the staff are accommodating and you can even see the open chefs cooking in the open kitchen. Miyabi is at the second floor of the Pan Pacific Hotel Manila. I definitely recommend it as one of the best mid-priced Japanese restos in town.

Mini Shabu-Shabu is another excellent place to try if you want to revert to fat-free, healthy eating. Their branches , found in different malls and other commercial areas in Metro Manila, are distinguished for their circular shape so you get to see your fellow diners happily sipping their soup. For a little more than P300, you get to indulge in your shabu-shabu passion which you cook – meat, veggies, noodles, dumplings and egg – in your own steaming, hot, boiling oven.

I did say “grease-free” but Mini Shabu-Shabu’s seafood fried rice is a must-try. It can stand as a dish on its own and is definitely yummy!

Taqueria Chilanga was a small, quaint eatery I discovered while strolling through the airy confines of the Shang-ri La Mall in Mandaluyong. What I meant was that I had to “find” it since an editor said it’s one of the best Mexican places in town, and is owned by a friendly Mexican lady. As expected, Taqueria is where you satisfy your fixation for delectable tacos, burritos, quesadillas and more. The ambiance is bright, pleasant and has a nice country feel to it. Their a la carte offerings and combo meals are surprisingly very easy on the pocket. Apart from this, Shang-ri La has a very interesting gourmet row which I definitely have to try next time.

A friend invited me to visit Eurotel, a new budget boutique hotel in Las Pinas City, south of Manila which is just in front of the SM Mall. In between looking at the rooms and hanging out in the coffeeshop, I discovered the best boneless crispy pata to make me forget my name for a while. It makes use of your basic crispy recipe, after which the meat was stripped of its bones then mixed in a secret spicy, piquant sauce with chili peppers thrown in for good measure. Despite being smothered in a sauce, the pork skin still retained its crunchiness and the meat soft to the bite, making the experience unforgettable. Eurotel’s crispy pata is one reason to make you go the distance from Manila, traffic and all.

Requiem to some of my favorite restos 🙁 Sad to know that “For Rent” signs are now posted in what what used to be two of my favorite restos, among them Sofah and Alda’s , all in Malate. Alda’s was a favorite date place and I will surely miss their banana cream pie. Hopefully, better ones will sprout in their place.