{"id":4181,"date":"2025-05-14T02:25:21","date_gmt":"2025-05-14T02:25:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev-alumn-nus.pantheonsite.io\/alumnus\/?p=4181"},"modified":"2026-10-08T07:33:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T23:33:54","slug":"a-foodies-guide-to-manila","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/2025\/05\/14\/a-foodies-guide-to-manila\/","title":{"rendered":"A Foodie’s Guide to Manila"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I always look forward to brunch or dinner on Sundays! With new restaurants popping up in Manila, there\u2019s a wide array to choose from.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

FAVOURITES TO RE-VISIT\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

But along with the new, the classics remain unperturbed and always worth revisiting such as Mamou<\/strong><\/a> for its quality and fairly-priced steak and Via Mare<\/strong><\/a> for its Filipino fare.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Mamou\u2019s classic angus rib eye<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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CLASSICS WITH A TWIST\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>

Though Mamou also serves some serious pasta and its own hearty renditions of Filipino fare, Via Mare\u2019s next-gen version, Manam<\/strong><\/a>, has proven to be the \u201cit\u201d place for family and friends\u2019 gatherings with its perennially full branches all over the metro at all times of the day. Must-tries at Manam include its sisig, watermelon or corned beef sinigang and pancit palabok.<\/p>

NEWER EATS<\/strong><\/p>

What\u2019s also exciting about Manila are the spots that serve as safe spaces for anything new. One such spot is the Maginhawa strip in Teachers\u2019 Village, Quezon City, a thriving area known for cheap but delicious eats for university students. One recent family favorite we have there is called Gubat<\/strong><\/a> (translates in English as \u201cjungle\u201d) where utensils are unheard of and ceramic plates are replaced with banana leaves. Its simple Filipino menu is a palate cleanser and a fun and unique alternative to the usual haunts of the city.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Manam\u2019s to-die-for crispy pancit palabok. Photo source: @manamph on Instagram.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Gubat\u2019s adobo flakes with rice and salted egg. Photo source: @happyyyytummy on Instagram.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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We would come here after spending an afternoon walking\/jogging around University of the Philippines\u2019 century old beautiful tree-lined academic oval, which is conveniently closed off to transportation on weekends, while trying street eats like balut, fish balls and sorbetes ice cream.<\/p>

CASUAL VIBES<\/strong><\/p>

Similarly, in the heart of Makati\u2019s financial district,\u00a0is the Legazpi Sunday Market<\/strong><\/a> where fans of the flea x farmers\u2019 market vibe can enjoy sifting through an assortment of locally made products \/ sourced produce while ruminating on tasty street food, some with a gourmet touch.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Nearby, Paseo de Roxas<\/strong> along one side of the Ayala Triangle is also closed off on Sundays with cafe and bakery pop-ups. We enjoy meeting up with friends here on a weekend morning to people watch and watch a variety of dog breeds being walked, while the kids play in the playground.\u00a0<\/p>

WEEKEND FOOD TRIPS<\/strong><\/p>

If one is willing to drive up north of Manila to Pampanga, Denlim\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> private dining in San Fernando is a must try with friends who love food, as well as artist Claude Tayag\u2019s Bale Dutung<\/strong><\/a> in Angeles.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Paseo de Roxas\u2019 furry friends on a stroll<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Denlim\u2019s Kitchen specialty: Pugon Liempo (pork belly cooked with firewood). Photo source: @denlimskitchen on Instagram.<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Chef Claude\u2019s fresh pako salad<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Photos courtesy of Karla Hotchkiss-Rufino<\/h6>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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To find more travel recommendations from the NUS community, visit the NUS Food & Travel Map<\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Karla Hotchkiss-Rufino (MBA \u201910), Treasurer of the NUS Alumni Network Manila (2023-2024), shares her top dining recommendations for anyone hoping to enjoy a meal in the Philippines\u2019 capital city. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_theme","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life","category-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4181"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16015,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4181\/revisions\/16015"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alumni.nus.edu.sg\/thealumnus\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}