Experience Madrid Fusion Manila at SM Supermalls with Fusion Flavors

Last year, the Philippines successfully hosted the first ever Madrid Fusion exhibition to be staged outside of Spain. Madrid Fusion Manila is back for its second year, and with theÂ supportÂ of SM Supermalls, this gastronomic event has now transformed into a nationwide celebration of Filipino and Spanish flavors.

Madrid Fusion Manila 2016

Madrid Fusion Manila is back this year to celebrate the shared 300-year history between Spain and the Philippines with the theme, â€œThe Manila Galleon: East Meets Westâ€ from April 7-9, 2016 at the SMX Convention Center in SM Mall of Asia. The 3-day culinary event will bring together renowned chefs from Europe and Asia to showcase their cooking prowess in a Gastronomy Congress. A simultaneous exhibition of fine food, gourmet products, new ingredients and cooking technology will also happen at the Madrid Fusion Manila Trade Expo, so you can expect that itâ€™s going to be a fun and food-filled weekend for your family and friends.

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Dencioâ€™s Bar and Grill: Chillax Inuman Spot For The Barkada

Thereâ€™s no better way to blow off some steam after a hard dayâ€™s work than chillaxing with your barkada over good food and strong booze. That is exactly what we did when Dencioâ€™s Bar and Grill invited me and my friends to visit their Eastwood branch to try their bestsellers and latest food and beverage offerings!

Dencioâ€™s at Eastwood Citywalk has a simple yet inviting faÃ§ade that attracts big groups of friends or officemates, who are out for a few rounds of drinks. But that doesnâ€™t mean you canâ€™t drop by just to have lunch or dinner because, after all, do they have a sumptuous line of dishes and drinks that greatly appeal to the Filipino appetite.

The interior is very straightforward with its harmonious combination of wooden furniture with natural design pieces, giving it a comfortable and very Pinoy atmosphere. The al fresco dining area is ideal for groups with smokers. For non-smokers like me, they have two spacious air-conditioned rooms on the second floor, which can also be booked for private events.

Dencio’s Bar and Grill

Now onto our drinks! We were quite parched when we arrived at Dencioâ€™s, so we ordered four of their bestselling fruit shakes (PHP 85 each). One sip and we knew that they use only the freshest fruits and ingredients in whipping up these refreshing beverages.

Canâ€™t decide between ordering nachos or pork sisig? Donâ€™t fret; you can now enjoy both with Dencioâ€™s Macho Nachos (PHP 175). At first, we had no idea why it was named as such, until we took our first bite and realized that the dollop of meat on top of the nacho chips was actually made with sisig.

The next dish that landed on our table was the Pancit Dencioâ€™s (Platter PHP 205 | Bilao PHP 449). Itâ€™s a plate of canton noodles with fresh vegetables, pork, and seafood, all tossed in a thick and super flavorful sauce that I seriously wanted to eat it with a cup of rice. Haha!

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Master Garden: Authentic Filipino Food in Malabon City

In the 8 years that weâ€™ve been living here inÂ Malabon City, we witnessed it transform into one of the hottest foodie spots in Metro Manila. What this city lacked, however, was a casual dining restaurant that we can proudly call an original Malabon food concept, until Mr. Ernesto Chan, the genius behind the Master Siomai dynasty, has decided to establish Master Garden Filipino Specialty Restaurant, with the ultimate goal of putting our humble city on the Philippine culinary map.

Last week, we were invited by the Master Garden team to visit their restaurant and try their sumptuous dishes. Of course, I said yes! We only live 15 minutes away, so I would be crazy to turn down that offer!

Their spacious dining area blends natural furniture and design pieces with modern architecture, creating an inviting and cozy place to enjoy authentic Filipino food. The similar design concept can be observed at Master Gardenâ€™s second branch, which has recently opened last October 9th in Tomas Morato.

We began our lunch with a plate of their PinakbetÂ (Php 175) with a generous mix of vegetables sautÃ©ed in their homemade bagoong and crispy pieces of lechon kawali, making it the perfect dish to jumpstart anyoneâ€™s appetite.

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Kuya J Restaurant Names Jericho Rosales as Their New Celebrity Endorser

Kuya J Restaurant, formerly known as â€˜Ang Kan-anan ni Kuya J,â€™ has started as a modest family business in Cebu, which quickly blossomed to becoming the Cebuanoâ€™s favorite restaurant. And now theyâ€™re finally taking over Metro Manila with the help of the new â€˜Blockbuster Bida ni Kuya J,â€™ Mr. Jericho Rosales!

Blockbuster Bida ni Kuya J

When I arrived at Kuya J Restaurant in SM Megamall for their event and saw a standee of Jericho Rosales outside, I initially thought the restaurant was owned by Echo. That assumption was put to rest when our host, Sam Oh, called in Mr. Winglip K. Chang, the President of Kuya J Restaurant, and Chef Sheena Koseki, their Executive Chef, to present us Kuya J Restaurantâ€™s newest celebrity endorser.

Jericho Rosales, Chef Sheena Koseki, and Winglip K. Chang

Putting a face on Kuya J has two main criteria: one, his first name should start with the letter J (obviously hehe); and two, he must be someone people can consider as the â€œkuya ng bayanâ€ for his good track record and his irresistible charm. With those two things in mind, Jericho Rosales was definitely the perfect choice!

Kuya J Restaurant proves that they know the recipe for the next viral TV commercial by putting Jericho Rosales together with some pretty girls, catchy music, and Kuya Jâ€™s mouth-watering dishes! By the time youâ€™re reading this, you might have already seen their new TVC, but if you havenâ€™t, well, you can watch it below:

Kuya J Restaurant

Kuya J Restaurant is definitely one of the fastest rising Filipino restaurants in the country that offers delicious and authentic Filipino food in a simple yet relaxing locale that will surely make you feel right at home!

Their SM Megamall branch has just recently opened in June. And as if their 18 branches in operation are not testament enough on how successful the Kuya J Restaurant is, they surprise us by announcing that they are opening 50 additional stores nationwide before 2015 ends!

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Filipino Food Festival at Fresh Restaurant in Solaire Resort and Casino

Itâ€™s about time Filipino food got its well-deserved spotlight in the international culinary scene. More and more countries and word-famous chefs are getting interested with our diverse and rich cuisine. Fresh Restaurant at Solaire Resort & Casino has decided to grab this golden opportunity to highlight our culinary heritage by launching their month-long Filipino Food Festival with Chef Sau del Rosario.

Chef Sau del Rosario x 20 Years of Love & Cooking Book

Youâ€™re not a true Filipino foodie if you are not familiar with Chef Sau del Rosario. Heâ€™s practically everywhere â€“ from TV shows, magazine covers, newspapers, and even online. Coming from four generations of native Kapampangan chefs, itâ€™s no surprise Chef Sau pursued a culinary career as well. And by â€˜pursued,â€™ we mean fattening his resume with local and international stints and working with Michelin star chefs like Christian Plumail, Jacque Divellec, and Bruno Loubet. He delves deeper into his 20 years of culinary experience in his recently launched book, â€œ20 Years of Love & Cooking.â€ If you happen to visit Fresh Restaurant during Sunday brunches, theyâ€™re selling copies of his book, which Chef Sau would be more than happy to sign for you!

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Celebrate the Best of Filipino Cuisine at Corniche of Diamond Hotel

There are but a few world class hotels in the Philippines that celebrate the culinary heritage of their host country. Diamond Hotel is one of those few, and they promote our rich cuisine by launching an annual Filipino Food Festival. This year, they have asked 3 of Manilaâ€™s most celebrated chefs to come aboard and showcase their prowess by reinventing all-time Pinoy favorites at The Best of Filipino Cuisine lunch and dinner buffet in Corniche RestaurantÂ from May 13â€“23, 2014.

FILIPINO CELEBRITY CHEFS + DIAMOND HOTEL EXECUTIVE CHEF

Filipino celebrity chefs Bruce Lim, Sau del Rosario and JP AngloÂ join Diamond Hotel’s Executive Chef Marko Rankel in celebrating the flavors of Filipino cuisine. We loved every twist they added to the dishes they prepared for this food festival. 🙂

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Beef Pochero Recipe

As you might already know, our nanay is an excellent cook that’s why we’ve been eating very well at home since we were little kids because she can whip up a delicious meal even with a meager budget during the time when she was the only breadwinner in our family (which was almost 20 years of my life, that’s why we love her so much 🙂 ). Her specialties are too many to mention, but there are some dishes that really stand out for me. Two of which are her Kare-Kare (we already shared the recipe here!) and Beef Pochero.

Since Ken and I have been helping her with finances at home, we can now request for a repeat of some of her dishes as long as we provide the budget. 😀 Most of the time, though, she’ll just do it because she enjoys seeing us devouring (yes, that’s the appropriate word) her dishes. Now, she has another reason to cook her wonderful dishes – she loves sharing her recipes here on our food blog! Yay for all of us! 😀

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Binulo Restaurant : A Foodie Haven in Pampanga

Pampanga is dubbed as the Culinary Capital of the Philippines. No doubt about it, they truly deserve the title for every time I hear “Pampanga,” two of their most popular fare always come to mind – pork sisig and, my ultimate favorite, pork tocino. But stopping over at Binulo Restaurant in Clark, Pampanga for dinner after our short stay in Baguio proved that Capampangan cuisine has more delectable food to offer.

Binulo Restaurant is a single-storey establishment, but yet it’s quite roomy, and the tables are adequately spaced, providing guests more room for movement. The name of the restaurant is actually taken after a cooking method of the native Aeta, which uses bamboo or “bulo” as the cooking vessel for their food.

The first thing that landed on our table was a basket of Pititian with Atchara (Php 185). It’s the Kapampangan (or Capampangan) version of chicharon or fried pork rinds (if you love Cebu’s chicharon from Carcar, you will definitely love this too!), and it is served with vinegar and green papaya relish or atsara.

Usually at home, chicharon and vinegar would be more than enough for me, but coupling it with papaya relish added an interestingly sweet and tangy note that made it harder for me to resist stuffing myself full, leaving almost no space for the rest of our meal. 😀

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