Manila

[FreebieFan]

Wasnt there a fella from Cali who was going to visit Manila in November, plough his way through hundreds of ladies showering them with p300 per lady, asking them to stay in youth hostels with him?

Wonder what happened to him and his TR.

He certainly had a lot to say before his visit.

[FreebieFan]

Haha just give me an effin' Big Mac. When I'm in the mood to step it up to some fine dinin', its Denny's,.

Think again http://sir.http://www.huffingtonpost...n_4296243.html

Although I agree with you about Dennys'. Great all day breakfast thats always welcome when fighting Asia to California jet lag.

[WestCoast1]

Well artichokes are okay, and rose petals as part of a salad are nice as well. But personally, I much prefer chocolate rose petals, a term I first heard from WC, and which he has illustrated superbly on multiple occasions in the photo thread. Now that's good eating.

You'd see it on the menu (complete with pic) as: Longannisa-split slender chocolate rose petals, complete with bullet nips and mountain oysters on the side.

[Soapy Smith]

Haha just give me an effin' Big Mac. When I'm in the mood to step it up to some fine dinin', its Denny's, Dominoes, or Olive Garden.

Well artichokes are okay, and rose petals as part of a salad are nice as well. But personally, I much prefer chocolate rose petals, a term I first heard from WC, and which he has illustrated superbly on multiple occasions in the photo thread. Now that's good eating.

[WestCoast1]

Olive caviar? Parmesan snow? Rose Petal artichokes? Liquid peas ravioli? Etc etc

Haha just give me an effin' Big Mac. When I'm in the mood to step it up to some fine dinin', its Denny's, Dominoes, or Olive Garden.

[Pip Jaeger]

never heard of michelin good food guides? they are the arbiter of gastronomical excellence and many european chefs would cook and serve their grannies to get a single michelin star, let alone three. one renowned chef even committed suicide when his restaurant lost one of the prized stars.

does the michelin guides not cover the states? what is in its place?

their guides do cover the usa (by city / area) , but outside of the hardcore foodie circles they are not as popular as they once were. in the late 50's and 60's the aaa (american automobile association) had pretty much supplanted them as a travel / hotel guide and to a lesser extent as a resto guide. though aaa is currently not as popular as it once was (mostly due to their ever increasing annual dues) as nowadays many people use the internet to plan and make their own travel arrangements as wellas get info about restos. as there is so much free info / reviews (both peer and from professional food critics) your average american is just not willing to pay $20. 00 (paperback copy) , or even the 4-9usd in the itunes app store, for a regional / city resto guide. and lets face it, the average american also thinks that places like outback, red lobster, olive garden, etc are "fine dining", when those with an educated palate know that places like that (although good) are not gourmet dining and they are in fact just a small step up from fast food places.

[Member #4698]

Does the Michelin Guides not cover the States?

Of course they cover the USA. Here is the 2013 NYC Michelin list.

http://usatravel.about.com/od/Food-A...taurants_2.htm

I checked and no surprise, there are no Michelin star restaurants in Manila. Hong Kong and Macau have some restaurants that made the grade however. I have eaten dim sum at the Imperial Court (MGM Macau) and the Eight (Grand Lisboa) many times. Both restaurants are outstanding. if you ever find yourself mongering in Macau give them a try. Love the braised abalone and roasted pork belly. Lunch was around 300mop.

http://gohongkong.about.com/od/where...chelinlist.htm

[Cunning Stunt]

If you want interestingly named dishes. Have a look at ElBulli (now closed) and Ferran Adria's creations.

Olive caviar? Parmesan snow? Rose Petal artichokes? Liquid peas ravioli? Etc etc

Its called molecular gastronomy and is supposed to concentrate, intensify and emphasise flavours. Personally, give me a good plate of steak and chips any day.

Queuing for weeks for a dish called bacon and eggs ice cream? In the states we have people that pitched tents starting already last week outside stores that advertise Black Friday sales (day after Thanksgiving; this Friday) in order to queue for the best bargains. I find it much more interesting that anybody would queue for days or weeks to buy anything, than that somebody flavored ice cream with bacon and eggs.

You do of course realise that it is an online, metaphorical queue of gastronomes waiting for a reservation? As far as I'm aware there is no queue of anticipatory diners encamped for weeks on end outside Hesters restaurant waiting to sample his weird and wonderful creations.

I had to check Wikipedia as to what a Michelin star is; I couldn't imagine why anybody would want to name food after some French tire brand.

Never heard of Michelin Good Food Guides? They are the arbiter of gastronomical excellence and many European Chefs would cook and serve their grannies to get a single michelin star, let alone three. One renowned chef even committed suicide when his restaurant lost one of the prized stars.

Does the Michelin Guides not cover the States? What is in its place?

[FreebieFan]

.

Queuing for weeks for a dish called bacon and eggs ice cream? In the states we have people that pitched tents starting already last week outside stores that advertise Black Friday sales (day after Thanksgiving; this Friday) in order to queue for the best bargains. I find it much more interesting that anybody would queue for days or weeks to buy anything, than that somebody flavored ice cream with bacon and eggs.

If you want interestingly named dishes. Have a look at ElBulli (now closed) and Ferran Adria's creations.

Olive caviar? Parmesan snow? Rose Petal artichokes? Liquid peas ravioli? Etc etc

[FreebieFan]

[QUOTE=Asian Rain; 1500954.

Time for a juicy Boss Burger with a thick shake at Burger Bar. Sarap sarap! Enjoy the Philippines, AsianRain[/QUOTE]Best burgers in Manila. Try Brothers Burgers.

[Asian Rain]

Truly fine dining is simply unavailable here though decent, acceptable restaurants are available. For the most part, Filipinos know little about culinary excellence, and quantity and low cost transcend quality. Chain restaurants are, for many, the epitome of excellence.

Agree. My view is you can't really have fine dining or culinary excellence without fine diners or people who demand atmosphere, experience and exclusivity along with their food. From my simple observation, being wealthy here means you take out as many of the family as possible, so it is more advantageous for influence to take the whole brood out to Italliani's and let them go to town on the free bread and bottomless spaghetti rather than take fewer family members to a super exclusive place. Hence the proliferation of Max's, Italliani's, etc. Where the layout is designed to scale up for big groups.

Yes, plenty of good grub in Greenbelt (fillet mignon at Chops is tops, super sushi at Kimpura, authentic Singaporean at Tao Yuan, Chicken Pho at Le Petit Camille, etc.) , but I can walk into ANY restaurant in Greenbelt without reservation in my shorts and sandals, so I wouldn't class that as "fine dining". The obvious fact is when you are the missing demand (fine diners) and thus will not have supply (fine dining). Just doesn't mix with the culture. And unfortunately, the influence of expats will not do much to change the situation. Just not enough of them around to fill the seats.

Time for a juicy Boss Burger with a thick shake at Burger Bar. Sarap sarap! Enjoy the Philippines, AsianRain

[Soapy Smith]

Try telling that to Heston Blumenthal in his British restaurant The Fat Duck in Bray. He has had three Michelin stars for years, is consistently voted in the worlds top ten restaurants, was Number one in 2005 and runner up several times.

Personally, I will try almost anything-except balut, dog or cat meat-and have very little knowledge of cuisine that others hold up as special. I have eaten caviar when it has been offered, but can't imagine why people get so excited about some gooey fish eggs. I have never heard of some of the dishes GE mentions, but I am impressed that he knows this stuff. I will assign him my proxy vote for the next Michelin star ratings. I had to check Wikipedia as to what a Michelin star is; I couldn't imagine why anybody would want to name food after some French tire brand. So I really just wanted to see which one of the Brits would respond first. You win.

Queuing for weeks for a dish called bacon and eggs ice cream? In the states we have people that pitched tents starting already last week outside stores that advertise Black Friday sales (day after Thanksgiving; this Friday) in order to queue for the best bargains. I find it much more interesting that anybody would queue for days or weeks to buy anything, than that somebody flavored ice cream with bacon and eggs.

[WhiteBunny]

I've only been to Manila for awhile but I consider these two shops to be good.

Chops at Greenbelt 5.

Lugang Cafe at Glorietta 5?

[Hutsori]

Theres a lot of great food out there (as there is in the UK) but you have to get past the stereotypes.

That, and one ought to venture beyond the malls.

[GoodEnough]

I know three French chefs here who own restaurants in the Philippines. Two of them have told me that the local ducks aren't good for cooking; apparently they're too skinny. I get excellent magret and confit de canard in Davao at Bon Appétit, but the ducks are imported from France. But this is in Davao and not Manila.

I think that some of us in my generation who love good food and varied cuisines have witnessed a semi-global or at least an international sea change in it's availability. During our lifetimes Large cities in developed countries fairly teem with excellent international restaurants with chefs from all over the world and the old stereotypes no longer hold true. I've had great meals in London, for example, equal to most meals I've eaten in Paris, and equally wonderful European food in New York and Hong Kong. I have also had excellent Thai food in the US and wonderful Western food in Bangkok. However, I don't think the Philippines has quite caught us, though the culinary scene is changing for the better and will continue to do so as more of the younger generation here travel internationally.

GE