Dampa Seaside
This is not a restaurant, but this market is the key to unlocking Manila's cuisine. The seafood market in Pasay offers fresh and cheap seafood, and vendors can speak basic Chinese. Don't forget to bargain. Crabs, lobsters, fish, and various shellfish are dazzling. After buying seafood, you can take it directly to the nearby restaurant for processing, ensuring the freshest taste. The way they keep mantis shrimp is quite unique; vendors place each mantis shrimp in a plastic bottle to prevent them from biting people, effectively 'imprisoning' them individually. Business hours: 10:00 - 22:30.
Hong Kong Master Cook Seafood Restaurant
The most popular restaurant next to the seafood market, still packed after 8 PM. The restaurant offers seafood processing services. Although the seafood itself is very fresh, their processing adds an extra touch. Business hours: 10:30 - 22:30
Paradise Dynasty
Paradise Dynasty is a Singaporean restaurant that started in 2002 and currently has 60 branches in 9 countries overseas. Eating Singaporean brand Chinese food in Manila might feel a bit odd, but I must say the main dishes are creative and meticulously prepared, worth a try. Highly recommended are the colorful dumplings, which are the signature of Paradise Dynasty. The dumpling skins and flavors vary, with the most vibrant red being chili-flavored. The dumplings should be eaten in a specific order, from light to strong, to appreciate the layers of flavor (Tips: Dumplings cannot be taken away as the recipe is a secret). Other recommended dishes include spring rolls, boiled black fish slices, and bone broth ramen. Business hours: 11:00 - 20:00.
Jyukai Japanese Restaurant
Specializes in various Japanese dishes. The shop offers both tatami and dining tables for guests to choose from. The waiters speak Japanese with a strange accent, but it does not affect the enjoyment of the delicious food. Recommended dishes include salt-baked edamame, octopus sashimi, grilled salmon, pork rice, sushi platter, sashimi platter, shrimp tempura, ramen, grilled salmon head, and assorted skewers. Business hours: 10:00 - 14:00, 17:00 - 20:00.
Mesa Filipino Moderne
Located on a narrow walkway on the first floor of Ayala Center Makati, the entrance is lined with many tables and chairs. During dinner time, both inside and outside are filled with diners. Filipino cuisine uses a lot of lard in cooking, and the restaurant is filled with the smell of lard, which can be a bit overwhelming. Recommended dishes: Century Egg Tofu (with shrimp and soy sauce, adding an exotic touch), Grilled Shrimp (special dipping sauce enhances the flavor of the shrimp, but it's also delicious without the sauce), Garlic Scallops (the garlic is fried and not served with vermicelli, making the garlic flavor more intense), Chicken Floss (can be served as a pre-meal snack, the chicken floss is crispy and not salty, and you might accidentally finish the whole bowl), Halo Halo (a famous Filipino dessert, with a cool and unique taste, shaved ice topped with purple taro ice cream and various colorful fruits, konjac, gummies, and beans, satisfying your sugar cravings while cooling you down). Business hours: 11:00 - 23:00
Gelatissimo
Italian ice cream, located on the second floor of Ayala Center, Gelatissimo offers a fresh and unique chili chocolate flavored ice cream. The first taste is the sweetness of chocolate, followed by the stimulating taste of chili, which is particularly interesting. Also, be sure to choose a cone, as it is the minimum respect for ice cream. Business hours: 10:00 - 21:00
Mexican snacks, Army Navy is a very distinctive chain store mainly selling burgers and burritos. The restaurant's decor has a strong military atmosphere, very retro, with the menu posted all over the walls. There is only one window and one cashier to communicate with customers. The recommended dish is the beef quesadilla, which costs 280P for a quesadilla and a large cup of iced tea. The beef is tender and just right, paired with onions and wrapped in a crispy tortilla, it tastes great. Business hours: 24 hours.
