OUR AWESOME PLANET

MAPLE: All Day Breakfast @ San Antonio Plaza, Forbes Park Makati

MAPLE is the high-end All-Day Breakfast restaurant by the Pancake House group with its flagship store in San Antonio Plaza.

We like Pancake House, and it's our comfort breakfast food with our boys. But recently we noticed the taste is getting too commercialized, the serving of the pasta is getting smaller, and the flavors are a bit diluted.

I'm glad that they decided to create a Breakfast restaurant for the foodies who demand a better breakfast experience all day. 

Here's our breakfast date experience at MAPLE:

The Best of ALL-DAY BREAKFAST Craze:

• BREAKFAST at ANTONIO'S: Welcoming 2013 with a Yummy Bang along the Ridge!
  
• MAPLE: All Day Breakfast @ San Antonio Plaza, Forbes Park Makati
• EARLY BIRD Breakfast Club: Starting the All-Day Breakfast Era in Manila?
• IHOP Philippines: Manila Goes Crazy Over IHOP?

PHAT PHO: A Vietnamese Kitchen @TheAbacaGroup @PhatPhoCebu

P.H.A.T. PHO (short for Pretty Hot and Tempting Pho?) is the Vietnamese Resto created by Jason Hyatt of The Abaca Group in Cebu.  There's not a lot of Vietnamese flavors in Cebu, and Abaca Group's Vietnamese concept is interesting with Vietnamese Chef Ahn Sy Hoang or Chef Bruce.

In contrast to the other Abaca restos, Phat Pho is quaint (with a capacity of about less than 30pax) but still hip. During peak lunch and dinner time you have to sit shoulder-to-shoulder giving up a bit of privacy just to get a taste of the latest Vietnamese cuisine to invade Cebu.

Here's our PHAT PHO Experience in Cebu:

The BEST of Cebu City Series 2013:

• PHAT PHO: A Modern Vietnamese Kitchen @TheAbacaGroup
• TAVOLATA: La Trattoria di Abaca - the BEST Italian Restaurant in Cebu?
• MAYA, Cebu: My Birthday in the Best Mexican Restaurant
• ABACA Restaurant in Mactan, Cebu by Jason Hyatt

Best Vietnamese Restaurants in the Philippines:

• BAWAI: The Best Home Made Vietnamese I've Ever Tasted
• PHAT PHO: A Modern Vietnamese Kitchen @TheAbacaGroup
• BA NOI's - Secret Vietnamese Hole-in-the-Wall in Makati
• LA PETITE CAMILLE: American Vietnamese Cuisine with a Dash Of Joie De Vivre?

SM AURA: Premier Shopping & Foodie Supermarket Haven + Sky Park @SMAuraPremier Taguig! (First Impressions)

SM AURA PREMIER is the high-end shopping mall of Henry Sy's SM Group, located in the Bonifacio Civic Center in Taguig. Some call it the SM Mothership because of its unique design and because it's the flagship pet project of Ms. Tessie Cozon (daughter of Henry Sy) herself.

With its Grand Opening today, SM Aura goes into direct competition with Ayala's Market! Market! and Bonifacio High Street combined. The rivalry is interesting to see, reminiscent of the stiff competition between Globe and Smart. In the end, we the consumers benefit from the rivalry with new and exciting choices in food, stores, and new experiences.

Here are our first impressions of SM AURA -- what we think SM did well versus Ayala, what SM can further improve on in the mall and the supermarket, and the places you should try soon...

MESCLUN BISTRO (formerly Cuillere) by Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara in Serendra

MESCLUN BISTRO is the casual version of the MESCLUN Restaurant & Cafe in Linden Suites by Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara, also the creator of Chuck's Deli, Paulene Chocolats Suisses, and the now-defunct Cuillere French restaurant.

Its name is inspired by the mixture of culinary inspirations (not only from French cuisine but also from other European cuisines) from Chef Kat's travels and collaborations with other chefs.

It's nice to follow Chef Kat's journey from Cuillere to Chuck's Deli and now to Mesclun. You get to notice the maturity over the years and see her personality in her culinary creations.

I'm happy to know that she's back in Serendra in the original location of the French resto that made her famous in the foodie circles.

Check out Mesclun Bistro when you are in Serendra (where Cuillere used to be located):

Related Blog Post: Chuck's Deli - Now Serving Awesome Sandwiches in Serendra!

What's New in BGC Restaurants in 2013?

• VASK: Traditional Basque Cuisine and Modern Gastronomy @VaskManila
• EARLY BIRD Breakfast Club: Start of the All-Day Breakfast Era in Manila?
• IHOP Philippines: Manila Goes Crazy Over IHOP? @IHOP_PH
• GYU-KAKU Philippines: World's No.1 Yakiniku Japanese BBQ Brand now in Manila :)
• MAD FOR GARLIC Philippines: Italian Korean Wine Resto (and Garlic Breath)
• MESCLUN BISTRO by Chef Katrina Kuhn-Alcantara in Serendra

BRASAS: Kicking Off the Latin American Fever in Manila :)

BRASAS is the first restaurant specializing in Latin American Street Food in Manila. Aside from Brazil Brazil, which is a churrascaria, you won't find much Latin American cuisine in the metro.

As the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil draws near (it kicks-off June 12, 2014), it would be interesting to see if the Latin American fever takes over Manila. Brasas is on the right track in leading the introduction of the cuisine to the local foodies.

Check out the flavors of Brasas in their flagship store in Podium:

The Best of Gourmet Food at Podium:

• BRASAS: Kicking Off the Latin American Fever in Manila :)
• JAPANESE MOCHI CREAM: Authentic Japanese Mochi Now in Manila!
• Borough, 24x7 NY Comfort Food in a Mall?

TAVOLATA: La Trattoria di Abaca - One of the BEST Italian Restaurants in Cebu! @TavolataCebu @theAbacaGroup

TAVOLATA is an Italian bistro that serves simple Italian dishes from The Abaca Group (known for really yummy Cebu restaurants like Maya Mexican Restaurant and Abaca Restaurant in Mactan.)

Its name means "to gather around a table", and the restaurant is designed to be a great place to hang out with friends or to celebrate special occasions.

It uses the finest ingredients from Italy like Finestra in Solaire, and has that informal feel, stylish ambiance and cult following like Wildflour in Manila.

It is worth flying to Cebu from Manila just to eat here. :)

Check out our Tabolata experience in Cebu...

The BEST of Cebu City Series:

• TAVOLATA: La Trattoria di Abaca - the BEST Italian Restaurant in Cebu?
• MAYA, Cebu: My Birthday in the Best Mexican Restaurant
• ABACA Restaurant in Mactan, Cebu by Jason Hyatt

GARDENS BY THE BAY: Singapore's Iconic Super Trees, Cloud Dome, and Sleeping Child Installation Art @VisitSingapore

GARDENS BY THE BAY is Singapore's newest icon -- a $1-billion investment over a 100-hectare green park zone located in Marina Bay's "new downtown" area. It is known for its 12 Steel Giant Supertrees and 2 cooled dome conservatories: The Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome.

It is a project by Singapore's National Parks Board, which aims to boldly transform the City of Singapore into a "City in a Garden" instead of just a "Garden City". It was recently awarded the World Building of the Year in the World Architecture Festival 2012.

This is definitely one of the Singapore attractions I would recommend for a date with that special someone or to spend time with the family. You need to allot 3 hours max to explore the gardens.

Here are some tips on how to have an awesome experience in Gardens by the Bay:

Your Awesome Singapore Series:

• GARDENS BY THE BAY: Singapore's Super Trees, Cloud Dome, and Sleeping Boy Child 

COCINA CENTRALE: Where the BEST of Pampanga Meets the BEST of Manila!

The Mercato Centrale group, organizers of the popular night food markets Midnight Mercato in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Cucina Andare in Glorietta Park, Makati, and Mezza Norte in Trinoma Mall, Quezon City, are bringing the premier food and lifestyle night market experience to the culinary center of the Philippines – Cocina Centrale at Ayala’s Marquee Mall in Angeles City, Pampanga every Friday and Saturday starting June 15 (Saturday) from 4pm to 3am!