Salcedo Market

Have you ever wondered where Manila’s expatriates find the fresh ingredients that end up on their dinner tables, or where Forbes and Urdaneta residents go for breakfast on a Saturday morning, or where the coolest kids get their fix of sorbets and Japanese pancakes? Probably not, because, we reckon you’re already satisfied with the way your favorite supermarket’s shelves are stocked. After all, whether you shop at SM, or Market! Market! or at Hi-top, it is apparent how far supermarkets have gone in terms of the quality and freshness of produce they bring in, and the variety of products they manage to import from around the world. While most supermarkets are already sufficiently stocked and reasonably priced, you’re definitely missing out if the weekend Salcedo Community Market trip is not part of your grocery shopping routine.

Le Petit Artisan

For the longest time, the only decent bakeries in Manila were of course, the hotel bakeshops, Le Coeur de France and maybe even Delifrance. So, unless you’re a frequent visitor of that little shop at the rear end of the Mandarin Oriental’s tiny lobby or a member of Tagaytay Highlands, we reckon that, like us, you’ve had to settle for the loaves found at your friendly neighborhood SM supermarket or at the French Baker. We’re not saying that there’s anything wrong with these places, because there really isn’t. It’s just that, sometimes, when your mouth waters for that perfect deli sandwich, sliced bread in a plastic bag just doesn’t cut it. Try picturing three slices each of gruyere cheese and peppered pastrami, smothered with Grey Poupon Dijon mustard, sandwiched between – wait for it – Sooper Dooper white bread. Now that would be a total waste of really good Swiss dairy.

Mr. Jones

One would expect that, at least as a diluted form of backlash from 90’s Hard Rock-esque experiential dining, there would have been some sort of 50’s-style diner in Manila for some time now. After all, there is nothing Filipinos love more than all-day breakfast and fried chicken, and Pancake House doesn’t serve chocolate malt milkshakes with Paul Anka playing in the background. So it came as no surprise that we were eager to try Mr. Jones at Greenbelt 5 when we heard that it served diner favorites, in full mid-twentieth century regalia. You can just imagine the images of Denny’s grand slams we immediately conjured up, and the level of excitement we had to contain and when we heard that Mr. Jones had all-day American breakfast favorites on its menu.

Max Brenner

Just when you thought it was impossible for something more sinful than Max Brenner’s rich chocolate creations to occupy that coveted spot by the entrance of Greeneblt 3, Hermes opened its doors to Manila’s insanely wealthy set, where of course, no one else but Jinkee Pacquiao could actually exit with her entire posse of ten toting an Hermes shopping bag each. With the opening of Hermes, we thought that the rest of us who live paycheck to paycheck were left with one less place to visit for cravings of the sweet kind. Thankfully though, Max Brenner only relocated to the new Greenbelt 5, where its sweet desserts have actually become more accessible to those who have found sanctuary in the mall’s newest culinary offerings.

Canteen at Trilogy

A long, long time ago, back when Doogie Howser was still straight and Krispy Kreme boxes were the carry-on luggage of choice of millions of California-based Balikbayans, there was a little restaurant in Greenbelt 2 called Uva, which many consider to be one of the harbingers of the Chilean sea bass craze in Manila. Its chef, Fernando Aracama, had gained popularity among dining circles in the city on account of Aracama’s sea bass and his homemade chunky Chocnut ice cream. Several years later, after the demise of Uva and Chef Aracama’s relocation to the more fashionable albeit also defunct Cuisine, we find ourselves pleasantly surprised to discover that the man of Chocnut fame has set up shop in the most irreconcilable of places – Canteen at Trilogy in the heart of Makati’s central business district.