City by City - Manila
"Manila is a vast metropolis, encompassing contrasting neighborhoods and sub-cultures. Our itinerary today includes a luxury hotel, a bohemian marketplace, a colonial walled city, a nightclub, and two wonderful but quite different eateries." (by On Networks, City by City presented by Carl F. Bucherer)
The Story behind City by City - Manila Show
On Networks contacted me early this year to help them create the Manila Episode for their City by City show. The formula for their Asian shows is to feature and recommend 5 places to go to in the city to their discriminating viewers. This would include the Best Hotel, the Best Night Club, the Best Dining Places, and the Best Art Place. I decided to feature the following in the show:
1. Makati Shangrila -- The Best 5-Star Hotel in Manila (unfortunately the Shang People did not show up for the interview)
2. Lolo Dad's in Malate -- The Best Restaurant in Manila (Featuring Chef Ariel Manuel) - This is the #1 Restaurant in Metro Manila!
3. Cafe Juanita -- The Best Filipino Restaurant in Manila (Featuring Dr. Efren Vasquez) - My Favorite Sunday Filipino Buffet!
4. Cubao X -- The Best Art / Bohemian Place in Manila (Featuring Bong Salaverie, of Vintage Pop) - I love the Cubao X vibe and I hope to be part of the community someday.
5. Embassy Club -- The Best Night Club in Manila (unfortunately Tim Yap was not available for the interview on the night of Valentines Day)
Thanks to Wilson who joined me for the 3 days shoot around Metro Manila and for capturing the essence of our beloved city.
Live an Awesome Life, 
P.S. I'm thinking of sharing a guide on how to do a Manila Feature shoot like where to get the shooting permits, who are the contact person, why shooting inside the San Agustin Church is expensive etc.. Let me know if that would be interesting for you.
CAn you buy the watch for a discount?
Posted by: enzo | Tuesday, June 02, 2009 at 06:08 AM
Haha, not sure. They are the sponsor of the entire show but I don't have a
contact with them directly.
Anton
Posted by: Anton Diaz | Tuesday, June 02, 2009 at 06:12 AM
Those are edgy watches. I like to have one.
Posted by: enzo | Tuesday, June 02, 2009 at 06:51 AM
Yes, that's interesting and data that's not readily available everywhere.
Posted by: I Wei | Tuesday, June 02, 2009 at 11:39 AM
I just realized that I haven't done the best Pinoy resto yet:
http://bilihingpinoy.blogspot.com/search?q=filipino+restaurant
Posted by: I Wei | Tuesday, June 02, 2009 at 11:41 AM
Cool documentary. Very nice work.
For the hotel recommendation, I would have gone with the Sofitel Philippine Plaza with its pool and bayside views. The Shang is a great hotel -- but it is quite generic and does not have a Manila stamp to it.
Of course, the ideal choice should be the Manila Hotel but Emilio Yap has deglamorized that hotel fully.
Posted by: Roger | Friday, June 05, 2009 at 02:30 PM
Thanks Roger! Yeah, Sofitel is nice after it was run by the French :) You
are right, I should have went for Sofitel...
Posted by: Anton Diaz | Monday, June 08, 2009 at 02:24 PM
Congrats! Manila is well-presented in that video. We need this kind of opportunity to help market the Philippines as a tourist destination. We have so much to offer but is currently underappreciated(even by its own people).
Posted by: Edil | Sunday, June 14, 2009 at 12:43 AM
http://bilihingpinoy.blogspot.com/2009/06/best-filipino-restaurant.html
Posted by: yangiwei | Sunday, July 19, 2009 at 12:04 PM