The Side Tripper

When the sweltering heat of the summer sun subsided at 4:00PM, it was a relief to find myself at the Perlie’s Garden Restaurant in the cool breeze of Eastridge in Binangonan, Rizal. You could say it’s too late for lunch and quite early for dinner. As much as I would have opted for merienda, however, […]

Are you tired of the usual dishes you cook or eat in food chains that surround the Metro today? Are restaurants in the south such as Tagaytay or the north such as Pampanga getting even more crowded? If so, why not explore something different?  Why not head Eastward? Within  Angono in Rizal 30 kilometers east of Manila, there exists  Balaw Balaw Restaurant and […]

For many people, a visit to the Movie Stars Café is largely because of its unique featuring of Hollywood and fantasy super heroes and many other characters from Marvel and Pixar. People may have been coming here with their family and friends for the entertainment, because there are generous offerings of cosplays, and these alone […]

I find noodles to be a versatile dish crossing over all meal times. I think that noodle soups are most popularly consumed in the morning during breakfast among the Pinoy households, especially on cold weather. My family and I also commonly consume noodle soups in the afternoon during merienda time. However, our frequent problem has […]

When it comes to choosing where and what to eat, you could say that I hardly go out of my comfort zone. This is especially true for breakfast. Since it is the first meal of the day, having a satisfactory experience with food can truly make my day, and the reverse is also true. If […]

When it comes to food, I find that I rarely go out of my comfort zone. I can live with eating same dishes for as long as I love them. These usually revolve around dishes influenced by the Filipino, Japanese, Chinese and Indian. Familiar dishes dominantly my plate, and although I can be open to explore […]

Batwan is a sour fruit that is widely known in the Western Visayas region as an essential ingredient for kansi (beef broth), tinola, sinigang and other dishes that need tartness or a certain spike in soupy dishes. There was a time I had difficulty describing what it was to my friends in Manila, but that was […]

Words and Photos by Joanna Pilla Nothing hits the spot like warm hot chocolate on a cold weather. Actually, hot or cold, in whatever form, chocolate will almost always hit the spot on both good days and bad days. One of the best comfort food one could ever hope to find, chocolate‘s charm will never […]

Words and Photos by Joanna Pilla The classic ‘tourister’ question I get whenever people I know come up to Baguio is “where are all the good food joints?” and even if there is a restaurant named “that damn good sick joint” I always find myself answering “OMG” literally, actually, because one of my most favorite […]

Back in the days when I would own my Saturday nights, I’d usually drawn the worries of work behind and just enjoy the night over great food, great music and great company until the restaurant would close and we’d  literally be the last customer asked to leave. Days like these don’t come by too often […]