Chefs' top choices

MANILA, Philippines - Claude Tayag

• Abé at Serendra — sinoteng baby squid. The sight of baby squids swimming in olive oil, garlic chips, and dried chili is just too irresistible.

• Lorenzo’s Way at Greenbelt 5 — black pata (blackened pork knuckle stew), served with a hard-boiled egg and plain cuapao or steamed buns.

• Sentro at Greenbelt 3 — sinigang na corned beef (corned beef in sour tamarind soup).

• Via Mare Café at Greenbelt 1 — crispy binagoongan (crisp fried pork belly with shrimp paste). Or if you’re in the mood for “high tea,” a cup of salabat (ginger tea) and its mouthwatering freshly baked bibingka topped with salted duck egg and kesong puti, or puto bumbong (sticky rice sticks with ube or purple yam).

• Cabalen at Glorietta 4 and TriNoma Mall — one of the most popular and enduring “eat-all-you-can” restaurants focusing on native cuisine. Cabalen does justice to the Pampangos’ reputation as excellent cooks. Our perennial favorites at Cabalen are kuhol sa gata (snails cooked in coconut cream); Pampango kilain, a pork, liver and lung adobo; grilled catfish with balo-balo and fresh mustard leaves; a rich and flavorful bulalo soup; betute or stuffed frogs, pindang damulag or carabeef tapa; beef kaldereta; sisig; its bestselling kare-kare.

Heny Sison

I have no particular favorite restaurant because I like trying food all over. Recently, my family ate in a newly opened restaurant at Greenbelt 5, Bulgogi Brothers. The ambiance is simple and cozy. The ventilation/exhaust is excellent that you do not go home smelling of the food that was cooked in front of you. The appetizer is very different from that in other Korean food establishments. It’s got corn, sweet yellow camote, and quail eggs. We were satisfied with the food we ordered — the Bulgogi Brothers special; the beef was presented in a heart shape. It was cooked to perfection in an induction cooker. The beef was really juicy. We also ordered stir-fried beef with mushroom and tofu steak for my vegetarian daughter.

Stephanie Zubiri

For lunch, I love to eat food that is fast and healthy. I am currently obsessed with CPK’s spinach, artichoke, and fontina pizza. The crust is nice and thin. I order with a side of arugula, loads of hot sauce, roll them up and I can wipe out a pizza by myself! I really enjoy Pho Hoa’s Pho Ga especially if it’s a rainy day with lots of Sriracha to beat the sniffles. With my girlfriends, we used to eat a lot at Cyma. I love their melitzanosalata, lentil soup, and chicken souvlaki. Fresh and light! My family and I, when we meet up for lunch, we really enjoy Sugi. An oldie but goodie. Agedashi tofu, radish sprout salad, and grilled gindara are sure winners. 

For dinner, I look for something a little richer and nice interiors. I love Sala Bistro. Colin Mackay does a great job in interiors and service. I always have the Casarecce with mushroom and truffle! If I want something light, the white bean, squid and chorizo salad or salmon fishcake are my top choices. For a more casual dinner, I go next door to People’s Palace and without fail order crispy Lapu Lapu in red curry. A dish I don’t like to share. Another favorite is Kai for more intimate dinners. Their wasabi oyster tempura is always good and their hatate or scallop sashimi is very fresh. When with my family we love Peking Garden. Great value-for-money Chinese food! Love their salt and pepper duck!

M Cafe also has the best music in town so on Thursday nights, you can catch me there bobbing up and down in front of the DJ! Casual and fun with a very cosmopolitan crowd!

Ernest Gala

• Crazy Garlik — crispy pata, garlic shrimp pizza oozing with soul- comforting cheese and generously topped with garlic and shrimp.

• Tony Roma’s — by far the best ribs in town. The marinade is an excellent blend of sauce and spices.

• Cabalen — from laing to kare-kare to tibok-tibok, Cabalen’s buffet menu is a gastronomic indulgence that showcases the best of regional Pampanga cuisine.

• TGIF —The chicken fingers, Buffalo wings, and burgers are crowd pleasers, while the brownie mud pie will tantalize your taste buds.

• Nuvo — Sopa de Mariscos (stewed seafood with creamy tomato soup enhanced with Pernod), pan-fried goose liver with calvados jus, caramelized apple and mango balls, and by far the best pepper steak fillet with potato gratin in town!

• Mary Grace — The ensaymada and cheese rolls are to die for, diet be damned.

• Chili’s — from tacos to quesadillas to steaks, the robust flavors will burst in your palate.

• Fely J’s — dilis-cious rice, melt-in-your-mouth kare-kare, and thought-provoking desserts like Sekreto ni Maria.