Happy 116th Philippine Independence Day

What can be a more fitting celebration for Philippine Independence Day than dining at our very own Filipino Restaurants and savoring our history through sumptuous Filipino dishes.

Here's my list of restaurant suggestions:


Aristocrat for its famous chicken barbeque.

Casa Roces for its beef tapa or tapsilog.

Culinary Institute of Aristocrat

Along with the Openrice.ph Team and another blogger, we got invited to observe an ongoing class at the Culinary Institute of Aristocrat in Malate. The culinary school is just at the back of Aristocrat Restaurant if you're wondering where its located.

The Aristocrat: An Affair To Remember

Last September 8, I joined a food tour organized by the Aristocrat Group and Openrice.Ph Team. We all met up early in the morning at The Aristocrat in Malate which is the main branch. This food tour excites me as I literally grew up eating at Aristocrat with every possible occasion that my family can think of. Sometimes during birthdays, Valentine's Day, Graduation Day (almost every year since my mother was a school teacher), after watching a show in CCP or MET, Sundays, or simply any day that my family had the urge to dine there.

A Foodaholic's Vignettes Of The Past Part I

I've been trying to recall how my love affair with food started because there are times when daughter asks me about it.

Hmmmm ... having a senior moment now- help!

But I'll try. One of my best memorable food and restaurant experience was at the restaurant of Good Earth Emporium. Ayan, buking na my age! hahaha. Anyways, Good Earth Emporium was a nice department store along Avenida (near Carriedo) in Manila. Aside from being a department store, it also had a sort of arcade with rides and a carousel (hope I'm not mistaken here or maybe I'm thinking about Quad?). Anyways, there's this restaurant inside Good Earth Emporium (not sure if its called the same, too) that serves Chicken-in-a-basket. This was my favorite and one of my most memorable food experience. The fried chicken pieces was served in a basket, hence the name. I love going to the Good Earth Emporium with my father especially on Saturdays because he usually brings me to his office along Avenida. And while he did his work, I was left to play with pens and papers and there's the promise of lunch or dinner at Good Earth or Quan Yin Chay in Soler Street.