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I was again invited by Zomato to dine at Flavors Restaurant , located in the lobby of Holiday Inn and Suites Makati.   Flavors Restaurant is a buffet concept open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Here are some of the dishes you can have at Flavors: Bread Station   Salad Station Flavors Restaurant has bread and cold cuts station. They also have a salad station, where you can either fix your own salad or try their specialty salads. 

Note: This location is already closed.  I was very fortunate to be given an exclusive advance preview of the UK's number 1 coffee chain: Costa Coffee.  Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa. Costa has since become a global brand with 3000 stores around the world.  At Eastwood Citywalk branch, Costa Coffee's flagship location in Manila which will open on June 29, I was able to try some of their drinks, snacks, and desserts.  I had to try their bestselling drink, the Flat White (Php 150) for something hot, and Double Chocolate Cookie Mocha Frostino (Php 165 for medio) for ice-blended. 

Still hung over the great gourmet and healthy food finds from the Bellysima Food Fair ? Or you didn’t have a chance to check out the innovative products by our passionate ‘foodtrepeneurs’? Then we’ve got great news for you (and your belly)! The Bellysima Food Fair is now an ongoing weekly market every Friday and Saturday at the Glorietta 5 Atrium from 10am-10pm! Discover some of the winning products from our foodtrepreneurs including edible cookie dough and cereal milk form MilkMan Dairy Bar, Boneless lechon belly from Cebu’s Best, the Kapampangan specialties from Apag Marangle, and Chili Flavor Praline Peanut Butter from Jacob’s! 

A restaurant you should visit whenever you're in Ximending is Modern Toilet , a Taiwanese restaurant known for its bathroom theme.  The entrance to the restaurant is adorned with toilets, where you can sit and take photos. The dining area is located on the 2nd and 3rd floors. All seats are made of toilets and the glass tables have sinks with poop display on it. 

Eating ramen will never be complete without a side dish, may it be gyoza, karaage, or a pork bun. Ippudo made the ramen experience more enjoyable by introducing new ramen sidekicks with Ippudo Matsuri! Ippudo Pork Bun Fried Chicken Bun I wouldn't miss on the two classic favorites: the Ippudo Pork Bun (Php 100) and the Ippudo Fried Chicken Bun (Php 100). 

Our second day in Taipei was more relaxed than our first day.  As opposed to our first day, we decided to get breakfast before going somewhere else. We ended up searching for a breakfast place near our apartment.  Along Lane 71, Section 4, Ren'ai Road, we found a small coffee shop named J Cafe .  Though Taiwan is much known for its milk tea, there are as many small coffee shops around the city.  Like any coffee addict, my day will not be complete without a cup of coffee. 

I spent the Independence Day weekend hunting for delicious food finds at Bellysima! Food Festival at the Glorietta 5 Activity Center.  From the organizers of Mercato Centrale, Bellysima highlights artisan products and healthier food choices.  Here are the vendors that caught my tastebuds: 1. Wise Eats Foods Ms. Marlyn of Wise Eats offer nitrite-free artisan sausages and preservative-free fruit butter, marmalades, and pickled veggies.  We tried three kinds of sausages: Hungarian Sausage (Php 70), English Bangers (Php 80), and Pusta (Php 100). I loved all the sausages but my favorite was the English Bangers.  Ms. Marlyn also runs a culinary studio teaching food business ideas like meat processing, baking and  infant nutrition.  2. Milkman Dairy Bar

I have been working in Ortigas for years but I haven't been to Ye Dang until recently when I had dinner with my workmates and A.  A really loves Korean food and he was so excited about trying Ye Dang as well.  Ye Dang is quite popular among those foodies who love Korean food. It's a shame that I haven't been here before since it's so near to my workplace. Oh well... banchan Like any Korean meal, we started with the appetizers or banchan. The banchan available during that evening include fish cakes, tofu, kimchi, anchovies, and gamja (potatoes). 

Note: This restaurant is already closed.  When we booked Taiwan, my thoughts weren't on the xiao long baos or the sights, but on Dao Ming Ssu and Meteor Garden. More than ten years ago, I would be running to our house from school to catch Meteor Garden on channel 2. It was the only time I got hooked on an Asianovela. Up to this day, whenever I would be asked which Taiwanese actor I really like, my answer would always be Jerry Yan.  Jerry Yan (source: http://mydramalist.com) Why am I telling this? Because this post isn't really about the restaurant. It is a story on how my friend Niki got to finally meet her ultimate Asianovela crush Joe Cheng. Joe Cheng is the main star of the TV series, "It Started With A Kiss" and its sequel, "They Kissed Again". Source: http://www.dramafever.com It was our first day in Taipei, and my friend Niki was told that her actor crush, Joe Cheng, owns a restaurant nearby. Our friend was initially relu...

One of the places I wanted to take A to is Green Pastures, definitely one of the restaurants I love. So we went to Green Pastures for Sunday brunch.  We started with the Caesar Kale Salad (Php 400 for small, Php 560 for large) and Harvest Chowder Soup (Php 220). For drinks, we had my favorite, the Organic Melon Green Tea (Php 120 per glass, Php 190 for refillable). Caesar Kale Salad Harvest Chowder Soup

We’re sending you on a food trip this Independence Day Weekend! From flavored flans to artisan sausages to edible cookie dough to carabao chicharon to twisted gelato flavors to chili-flavored coffee syrups to organic detox juices to chocolate-flavored surprises! And that’s just the tip of the  taste buds. From the organizers of the popular night food market Mercato Centrale comes the BELLYSIMA! Food Festival 2015.  It is a launch pad for passionate up-and-coming food entrepreneurs to share their artisan food creations alongside healthy and organic food products with equally passionate food enthusiasts! Set your tummies free this June 12 and 13 at the Glorietta 5 Atrium and be one of the lucky 500 participants to taste and evaluate some of the most exciting gourmet, healthy, artisan and organic food creations from over 30 local vendors.

The only restaurant I wouldn't want to miss in Taipei is Din Tai Fung , an international brand known for its xiao long bao or soup dumplings. We headed out to the Taipei 101 branch during our first day.  I was impressed with their queuing system: the guests are given numbers according to the number of heads per table. I approached the hostess and she gave me a queue number for me and my two friends.  We were also given the menu and order form while waiting for our table. Yay for advance orders. :) bag carrier for each table