List Manila - Ramen Spots

There's nothing like a nice, steaming bowl of ramen to warm a hungry belly. Japanese restaurants have been a common inclusion in the food and beverage services in Manila for a long time now, many of which know how to whip up a mean bowl of noodles. Below is a list of just a few places where you can satisfy your ramen craving.

Kenji Tei Ramen House, with its sleek interiors, lends a contemporary feel to the traditional ramen bar. The menu includes hot options with their house-made noodles in your choice of broth, including shoyu and miso, as well as cold noodle options . The restaurant has recently expanded with new branches in Alabang Town Center and Greenbelt 5.

Any ramen fiend in Manila has eaten at Ukokkei Ramen Ron, or has at least heard of it. It often tops lists of the most authentic Japanese ramen in the area. You can watch as the chef whips up a bowl of Miso Chasu with ramen noodles brought in from Japan.

Raku Hokkaido also brings in noodles imported from Japan. The good food and cozy atmosphere keeps their branches relatively packed, so be sure to come early if you want to snag a table.

In Makati, there is a short strip of Japanese restaurants that has been lovingly dubbed as Little Tokyo. The strip houses a handful of culinary gems and is also home to Choto Stop. At first glance, this Japanese mini-mart seems like a strange place for noodles, but their miso ramen is well known among the foodie crowd. Stop in for a bowl and do a little shopping while you wait!

Not too far away, bright neon lights lead the way to Nihonbashitei. Don’t let the karaoke bar exterior fool you; the menu brings in Japanese food lovers all day and all night long. For something a little different, give their Cold Sesame Noodles a try.

Another big player in the Japanese food and beverage services in Manila is Ramen Bar. The restaurant lives up to its name providing various shio, shoyu and miso options. Enjoy a hefty serving of noodles off their Big Bowls menu.

Ajisen Ramen in Quezon City is part of an international chain that first opened in Japan over 40 years ago. Its claim to fame is its original white pork broth and al dente noodles made from whole wheat. Branches can be found in countries around Asia and in the United States and Australia.

New ramen places are always popping up around Manila. Go out and find a bowl of your own favourite kind today.

Bars in Metro Manila

Filipinos enjoy gathering around with their office mates or friends after work and on weekend to enjoy drinks. Be it just to hang out or some business meeting, getting together with alcohol is part of every culture. For that very reason bars nowadays offer a wide variety of beer, wine, and spirits from all over the globe. There are a good number of bars and clubs in the Philippines that are perfect for enjoying a night of drinks.

The Distillery’s 3 branches around Metro Manila says it all about them. They aim to supply the crowd with whiskey, vodka, tequila, and foreign beer at reasonable and competitive prices. The place is usually packed with people but enough elbow room for comfort. High ceilings and a dim ambiance give it a cool place to relax and just enjoy with the company. Their branches are located in Eastwood City, The Fort, and Jupiter st. The crowd is great and usually filled with young professionals who want to catch a drink or two after work. Drinks usually range around 100 php to 200 php depending on the drink.

Draft Gastropub is a place not only for great drinks but also for great food. They specifically serve European food generously. Draft is located at the Fort and is usually best to call and make reservations since it seems like it’s always full. The gastropub definitely has a pub feel with wooden planks rowed in for walls and booths. Customers can also choose to sit in front of the bar and share a story or two with the bartender. The waiters and waitresses are very friendly and eager to serve. This place serves almost every drink one is hoping to find. Beers such as Stella Artois, Hoegaarden, Becks, Guinness, and Leffe are on top of their list. They got a great selection of sandwiches, burgers, ribs, pasta and dessert to go with their drinks. One bottle of Hoegaarden goes for around 150 php and above.

Tourists and locals looking that are looking for a different kind of club, Sky W lounge bar is the place to be. This bar is located on the roof deck of W Building in Fort Bonifacio Global City. The place is classy and refreshing since it’s an open air area with huge fans to circulate the air. The place overlooks the Global city and is on the pricier side with drinks ranging around 200 php and above. This place requires reservation on their guest list and a proper dress code to get in. This bar is the place to see and be seen right now in Manila. Everyone comes to have a great time.
Republiq Club is located in Resorts World Manila and boasts the best nightlife and parties in the Metro. It is one of the biggest dance clubs in Asia with around 13,000 square feet of dance space to guests to move around and have a great time. International artists are invited often to draw the crowd into it’s dancing halls. The club caters to a younger crowd and never runs out of music and movement making it one of the best among bars and clubs in the Philippines.

Restaurant List - Ortigas Center

List of Restaurants - Ortigas

Ortigas Center is Metro Manila’s central business district and second to Makati. It is a nest for skyscrapers, shopping malls, and restaurants. With such a busy area, there is bound to be great food lying ahead. Ortigas is home to a list of restaurants in Manila that can arguably be among the top in the country.

Filipino food prides itself in the distinct taste of its dishes cooked to the liking but very dependent on the local’s palate. Each region usually has their own version of a staple dish like lechon, adobo, and crispy pata. Mangan has a variety of dishes that every local can binge on. Their signature dishes consist of kare-kare, adobong baboy at manok, and halo-halo (which every restaurant claims is special). Thinking of being a bit more fancy? Then Cafe de Bonifacio raises the standard in Filipino cuisine with its “revolutionized” food. They take local favorites and add a bit of class in both taste and presentation. Their Ensaladang Talong is a great appetizer leading into the main dishes such as Sinigang na Tadyang ng Baka and Crispy to the Bone Hito ni Ka Freddie. Ube macapuno roti is a good end to a wonderful meal. For those with a bottomless gut, Dad’s buffet is love. This family favorite restaurant serves everything from buffalo wings, paella, lengua, callos to pasta and tempura. Starving for a day may be the best way to enjoy a buffet at Dad’s.

Just about every Filipino loves their burgers. And Charlie’s Grind and Grill, Brothers Burger and Good Burger prepare them best. Black Angus burger is the staple at Charlie’s Grind and Grill. For the ultimate food session, order some buffalo wings and truffle fries to go along. Usually caters to people on the move, Brothers Burger is a perfect stop.  Flame-broiled burgers are served in different sizes along with a range of ingredients. Best known for their classic Brothers’ burger made with a juicy beef patty, lettuce, tomatoes, catsup, and oatmeal bun. Lamb burger and a grilled chicken sandwich is a good choice for those abstaining from beef. And for those looking for the unorthodox burger, Good Burger is the joint. It starts off with a choice of white or whole wheat bun. Next is a choice between chicken or veggie patty for the vegetarians and those just simply wanting to try. And to finish it off, choice of flavors which include but not limited to Cheesy Mushroom, Salsa Mex, and Garlic Barbecue. Certainly a lighter choice for the health conscious.

Persian cuisine has always favored the local palate. And some notable restaurants can be found in Ortigas. Arya is a family owned and operated restaurant that serves authentic persian food. Kebabs are what you look for upon dining. Chicken or beef kebabs go perfectly with grilled tomatoes, hummus, and pita bread. The prices are a bit higher, but service and food quality is definitely up there. For those looking for affordable persian meals, Uncle Moe’s is right on the money. Shawarma rice meals and kebabs keep the stomach full without murdering the wallet. To push it all down, a cool yogurt shake does the job.

Great food for working people or passersby can be found around Ortigas. Its best to ask around or survey the internet for great eats. Certainly in a list of restaurants in Manila, Ortigas is home for several great ones.

Top Travel Agencies

This would be a particularly important list, nowadays travel agents are surging because they give insider info and deals as opposed to DIY bookings.  Best to try making plans on your own and call these companies to compare after.

Travellers have the luxury being able to choose among hundreds of Philippine travel agencies. The dilemma here is that is easy for any agency to claim to that they have the best and most reliable travel agents, but it is difficult to establish what truly qualifies them as being “top”.

Below is a list of travel agencies that through exemplary sales and outstanding service have been recognized by customers, business partners and international organizations as being among the top travel agencies in Manila.

Rajah Travel is the Philippine agent for major international tour operators including Contiki Tours International and Insight Vacations that are famous for their escorted tours. It has also received awards for being the best Philippine travel agent by Travel Weekly in 2007 and by the Travel Trade Gazette (TTG) in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2011.

Fiesta Tours and Travel in Malate has been arranging hassle-free travel for the past three decades. Aside from affiliations with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the Marine Travel Alliance, it is also one of the few travel Philippine travel agencies which boasts an ISO certification.

Adventure International Tours is the country’s exclusive dealer for American Express Travel. Known for providing exceptional service, it deals mainly with corporate travel for a number of multinational businesses in the country.

Blue Horizons Travel and Tours was chosen as the Philippines’ best travel agency in 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2010 by the readers of Travel Trade Gazette. Since its establishment in 1981, the agency has launched their Islas brand which specializes in arranging Philippine luxury tours.

Scorpio Travel and Tours efficiently provides a wide spectrum of travel services and as the founding member of the Quezon City Travel Agencies Association and the Philippine Travel and Tourism Council, it has actively worked to expand the country’s travel and tourism industry.

Pan Pacific Travel has been appointed as the general sales agent for international tour director, Trafalgar. The agency is also proud to have received numerous awards from trade partners for service excellence and sales generation.

Marsman Drysdale Travel, Inc. is the recipient of 9 Kalakbay Awards, which are given in recognition of major contributions to Philippine tourism. Offering travel and tour services since 1975, the company has now opened offices nationwide.

Rakso Travel and Tours is the newest agency on the list being operational for only twelve years, but its exemplary performance in providing exciting packages to domestic and international destinations has made it another of the few travel agencies in Manila certified by the ISO.

Sharp Travel Service, Inc., with 60 years of excellence under its belt, has taken experience it has gained and adapted to the different technological economic advances since its establishment. To serve its extensive client base, it continues to train its travel agents to maintain the same level of amazing service.

Philscan Travel and Tours rounds off the list with its high-tech approach to travel, using the latest innovations to exert its position as a top travel agency. Since its establishment in 1988 has made links in over a thousand destinations in over 80 countries around the globe.

The list of travel agencies goes on, catering to practically any and every travel need to destinations in the country and abroad. Call one today and find the right one for your travel needs.

Museums in Metro Manila

Here is a list that some may not find as exciting as say a list of clubs and bars.  But I am a firm believer that you must build up and strengthen your brain cells before reducing them with alcohol.  Give these a try, the newly renovated National Museum is my favorite.

Many museums in Metro Manila have managed to preserve the historical richness of the Philippines while others have taken to creativity and interactiveness to impart modern knowledge. Most of them old and some of them fairly new, museums around the Metro have only gained popularity over the years. Whether historical or modern, these museums have become iconic in today’s society. Many travel agencies include travel packages to these museums upon request.

The University of Santo Tomas is not only the oldest university in the Philippines, it also has the oldest museum in the country. The University of Santo Tomas Museum of Arts and Sciences houses many historical oddities that span the history of the Philippines under the Spanish rule to the present. It contains a lot of Spanish colonial artifacts like the voting dice used by Spanish friars to determine school marks of students and pieces of old churches. It also showcases the actual chair Pope John Paul II used during his visit to Manila in 1981.

For those looking to appreciate fine art during the historic period of the Spanish colonization in the 19th century, the National Museum of the Philippines is still the best place to go. It holds the award-winning 4-by-7-meter Spoliarium painting done by the famous Juan Luna depicting a gruesome chamber where dead gladiators are dragged into under the Roman arena. It also showcases the works of another famous painter, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, who painted The Assassination of Governor Bustamante and His Son. Apart from the exhibits of famous paintings, the National Museum of the Philippines also has displays of old artifacts, jewelry, potteries, coins, lizards and other reptiles, as well as an exhibit of the origin and progress of the native Filipinos.

Adopting a more contemporary approach to showcasing Philippine History is The Ayala Museum located in Makati City. This museum is located beside Greenbelt, one of the poshest malls to shop in. It is fully air-conditioned and utilizes mixed media in the exhibits. On display in this museum are a diorama of Philippine history, a boat gallery, a lot of gold artifacts, and embroidered treasures. The Ayala Museum also houses lots of art by contemporary Filipino artists as well as National artists.

In contrast to the richness of Philippine history, The Mind Museum located in Taguig aims to impart new knowledge in its showcase of modern science exhibits. This museum takes people into the different facets of modern science, exploring Atoms, Earth, Life, Universe, and Technology. Their displays are highly interactive and cater to inquisitive minds. What is nice about this modern museum is the fact that Filipino artists were asked to collaborate to make The Mind Museum still very nationalistic. The highlight of this museum is the large T-rex skeleton. Inquiries about travel packages that include this museum can be addressed at the reception.

As museums in Metro Manila continue to embody the cultural and historical richness of the Philippines, others have also moved forward to create new experiences that still manifest the spirit of the Filipinos. Both historical and modern museums have become iconic to the art and cultural scene and have become as integral as the treasures they hold within them.

            

About Everything Manila

Everything Manila

This is our project about anything and everything you need to know about Metro Manila and the Philippines.

We intend this to be a guide blog with lists and definitions of activities, places and brands primarily in Metro Manila and the rest of the Philippines.  We are not experts but rather we give our opinions based on our experiences hoping they would help people.  We are not insiders and do not hold loyalty to those we feature, although the occasional friend may be there.

We love to write and take pictures and we share them with friends and acquaintances all over the web not because we want to call attention to ourselves but because we want to have everyone with us at least in spirit.

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