JT'S MANUKAN GRILLE TAGAYTAY

A few years back, Joel Torre, an artist by heart and a true-blooded Bacolodian, brought the taste of Bacolod to Metro Manila. Now, JT’s Manukan has gone up in high altitudes in the breezy highlands of Tagaytay!

Together with my two fellow foodies, we have strolled up to Tagaytay to check out JT’s new branch and reached our destination just in time for lunch.  And yes! As usual, we arrived very hungry, with clenched teeth and growling stomachs, so ready to devour! Ahhh… another gastronomic delight waiting to explode!

But we were awestruck by the airy atmosphere of JT’s Manuakan Tagaytay. We were for a moment drawn to the serene atmosphere of the restaurant and almost forgot about food! The place is just so relaxing with wide spaces, a coy pond, and a roof deck! Imagine that! The cool vibe just makes you wanna linger with an ice-cold drink on your hand while gently swinging in a hammock! This branch is totally different from the ones we frequently visit in San Juan and Ortigas!

Okay, time to order!!!!

I personally love batchoy and my foodie buddy was at that time craving for kansi! So, for starters, we ordered two soupy dishes -- the one I love and the one being craved.

Served piping hot, the kansi soup warmed up our tummies and filled us with instant delight.  Simply delish! According to the owners, the key ingredient to this yummy, savory soup dish is being sourced out directly from Bacolod. What gives JT’s kansi it’s authentic Bacolod flavor is the “batwan,” a fruit used as a souring agent similar to “camias,” “sampaloc,” and “caramay.”

Then, there was batchoy! Ahhh…. Batchoy, I love… my comfort food! A dash of sukang sinamak gives the soup an added depth of flavor! Try it! 

Now, for the main course, we ordered JT’s bestsellers:

The pecho was tender and grilled to perfection. It’s golden and toasted outside, and the meat was moist and tender inside.

And of course, we had our favorite street foods served probinsya-style!  We had barbequed baticolon (gizzard), isol (chicken ass, baby! Haha!), atay (liver), and corazon (heart)! Literally, “gout on a stick!” Yummy! Haha!

The inihaw na liempo is also a must-try! We couldn’t just resist the protein intake that we had to order for more carbs! Extra garlic rice with lotsa chicken oil drizzled on top please! Awesome! Haha.

As they say, every delightful meal always has a sweet ending! And so, for desert, we had JT’s lehe flan! It was firm and had that nutty, caramel flavor I liked! Another must-try! 

JT's Manukan Tagaytay certainly gets my seal of approval! Unlike other commercialized inasal food chains that have been increasingly cropping up in almost every street corner of busy Metro Manila, JT’s Manukan modestly keeps a few branches.  I think that is the secret behind how the restaurant is able to successfully maintain the authentic Bacolod flavor of the dishes they serve.

Getting there: click here for directions

TOOTSIE’S TAGAYTAY

“Ah, thank God for the long weekend!”—I thought it would never happen.  Dark skies, sporadic heavy rains, and the downcast gloomy atmosphere almost spoiled the fun! We have planned to go to Tagaytay for a “mini vacation” for the very rare long weekend, but the weather seemed to be not cooperating. We were all excited, then, saddened by the last minute changes. It was such a major downer! Due to the bad climate condition, we opted to ditch our initial plan and just roam around Metro Manila instead.

Totally bummed out we were for our hearts were already all set for Tagaytay! But, thank goodness, Mr. Sunshine beamed over the cloudy skies. Ahhhhh…We suddenly felt giddy and excited again like kids at the candy store! 


“There goes Mr. Sunshine! Ayan na! Tuloy na!!! Tagaytay, here we go!”

Being close to Manila, Tagaytay is a quick escape for tired and weary urbanites in need of a rest from the hustles and bustles of city life. The cool weather, the fresh air, and the panoramic views make Tagaytay a haven and a hot spot for some R&R!

But our trip had turned out to be a bit stressful! Everyone from Manila seemed to have trailed to Tagaytay.  The traffic was really bad. It took us more or less two hours to travel from Parañaque to Tagaytay! Luckily, I’m stuck with my best buddies. Although we’re all restless and hungry, it was still one of the funnest long rides I’ve had!

Arriving in Tagaytay, we we’re already starving like crazy! As the one in-charge with the itinerary, I led the hungry pack at Tootsie's for a late lunch!

And the stressful events continued…

Tootsie’s was a full house! We needed to line up and wait for 35 minutes to get a table! But the gracious owner of the restaurant was really accommodating and made the wait more bearable. She was very apologetic for keeping us waiting and was really hands-on in making sure that everyone’s enjoying their lunch. For this, I give Tootsie’s a high five for good customer service!

The restaurant offers home-cooked style meals.  Most of the dishes on the menu are the usual Filipino favorites like Kare-kare, Lengua, and other dishes that our Lolas would usually cook during Sunday lunch or on special occasions.

We were supposed to order for Kansi Bulalo, but it was unavailable during that time. Instead, we ordered the regular Nilagang Baka. Well, it was unspectacular, plus it wasn’t served piping hot like I want.  I’ve certainly tasted yummy Bulalo and Nilagang Baka around Tagaytay, but that would be another story to tell.

There are other special dishes on the menu but we weren’t really feeling adventurous with food that day. We’re so famished that we just wanted to fill ourselves up and get over with our hunger pangs; and so we ordered the usual, familiar dishes.

The Chorizo Adelfa was nice. The fat rendered from the fried crunchy chorizo tidbits when drizzled over hot steaming rice was heavenly! Haha... I couldn’t resist it!

We also ordered Manang Jo Tadyang Inihaw—thick slabs of grilled spareribs. For me, it didn’t have the full flavor I expected and I think the meat needed to sit on its marinade for a little longer.  But, it was amazingly tender and I loved the smoky flavor.  The onion slaw that went with it made all the difference! In fact, it complimented the chorizo as well.

Another item on our order list was the fried tilapia. The plating was awesome, though I’ve seen it several times in other restaurants, it was still stunning. How they did it I think was just amazing. (Sorry, I didn’t get to take pictures of all the dishes we ordered. I was so hungry and just ate!)

Finally, among all the dishes we’ve ordered, my top pick was the Kilawing Puso ng Saging.  It was a little special compared to what we cook at home because at Tootsie’s, it had shrimps.   


On a final note, I would certainly recommend Tootsie's Tagaytay! The rustic, country-style look of the restaurant makes you linger for a while and enjoy it’s laid-back, homey atmosphere and of course, crave for the classic Filipino comfort food they offer. I just can’t wait to come back—hopefully when Tagaytay is less crowded—and try their other dishes.

'Till we meet again,Tootsie’s!

Tootsie’s Tagaytay

J. Abad Santos, Cor. Aguinaldo Higchway, 4120 Tagaytay City, Philippines

(046) - 4834629 / 0917-TOOTSIE

Good Eats on the Streets!

The display of vibrant colors and the symphony of different aromas had drawn me to this unassuming food kiosk in one of Hong Kong’s busy streets. For curios foodies like me, this joint is definitely a show stopper!

This wide array of tempting street food cuisine and inviting medley of different flavors would not fail to arouse one’s appetite that can absolutely lead to multiple foodgasms!!!

For the weight watchers or health conscious, they have deep fried tofu, seafood, and a couple of veggies dipped into a batter.  Then, there are those who are grossed out with greasy brown food. You can take your pick from their selection of boiled or steamed balls 'n dumplings and some bizarre-looking, heavily-sauced meats (not really familiar what kind and what parts they serve that's why I kept away from those). The rest on the table are for the brave and adventurous who are not squeamish at all with food.

On a personal note, choosing what to eat here could be a little daunting since there are so much food choices.  But what really amazed me about this buffet of street cuisine is that every kind of diet is almost well-represented. This only goes to show how truly diverse and rich Hong Kong's melting pot of culture is.  

Moshi Mochi!

I never liked desserts that much… Well, to start with, am not really the foodie with the sweet tooth type. At the end of a meal, would I order for a slice of gooey chocolate cake, drizzled with warm caramel sauce or perhaps a hot fudge double chocolate brownie with melting vanilla ice cream on top? Uhmmm… Sounds tempting and yummy, huh? But no, I’ll pass.  I wouldn’t mind skipping dessert and laying my teaspoon down to it's eternal rest! I would rather have a second serving of every hearty meal I’ve had, like saucy kalderating kambing over rice. That’s more like it! Yum! 

But recently, for some reasons, I’m starting to get crazy hungry over desserts. This sudden craving of mine is like a culinary awakening for my taste buds. I do still prefer the more savory dishes, but my appreciation for sweet desserts is starting to grow more and more.    

In one of my recent trips with my sibs, we’ve discovered this quaint sweet deli shop in Mongkok. Man, I tried not to splurge much with little travel money I had, but hey I just can’t resist it! We always stopped by at this store to buy some of these yummy treats on our way to and from our hotel! It's all worth the dough, ya'll! haha!

 From afar, the shop looks like a jewelry shop. The ambiance invokes an air of elegance and luxury; and for travelers on a budget like me, the store may be a bit intimidating.  But, these precious gems are really to die for! Mochi got me hooked at one bite!  

So what is it? Mochi is a traditional delicacy from Japan made from sticky rice and is usually prepared as a chewy dessert snack (similar to tikoy). These precious gems, however, are cream-filled and served frozen.  To enjoy these sweet goodies, you need to patiently wait for 20 minutes to thaw (or depending on the day's temperature... you will be handed out a printed instruction on how you can best enjoy it). 

My favorites: Chocolate Mousse ($10), Caramel Macchiato ($10), and Cream Chocolate ($10) -- sobrang panalo sa sarap 'tong mga  ito peepz! PongTrip  highly recommends: Green Tea ($10) and Sakura ($11). Stores recommendations: Blueberry Cream ($11) and Mango Yoghurt ($12).

Hopefully, this store will soon come to Manila (Shout out to investors! This is a business opportunity for you guys!)... Mochi Sweets, I'm in LOVE! =)

Visit their website: www.mochisweets.com.hk