Philippines | Manila

My first trip to Manila was basically a work trip and there wasn't much opportunity to explore Manila more other than to visit good places for dinner. Getting around is pretty easy with use of Grab. There's actually a pickup stand outside the airport dedicated for grab pickups. As my data plan, I used Changi Recommends portable wifi. For accommodation, theres actually a wide selection of listings on Airbnb so i'm sure you can find something you need

Manam is a popular restaurant that services Filipino cuisine. My colleague recommended the fried pork cheeks (house crispy sisig) and beef short rib soup with watermelon (good to start with this as an appetizer). The kangkong with coconut cream and pork (gising gising) and crispy fried noodles with shrimp sauce and squid (crispy pancit palabok) were pretty good but my favourite was yam ice blended sago milkshake (Ube Sago)!

When you're in Manila, try to make a trip down to this secret bar for a hidden inside a commercial building. Once you're there, it's pretty easy to figure out the place as there will be some 'bouncers' standing outside the entrance. I shall not spoil what's in there so make a trip down if you can! Drink are a little bit pricey but I would still pay for the ambience.

Headed down back to BGC for brunch at wildflour cafe. It was pretty crowded and they serve really good brunch items. The portions were pretty good too. I order the Ricotta Cheese and Blueberry Pancake, topped with some scrambled eggs. There were also some bread at the counter which is perfect for sharing. Would definitely head back there if I'm back in Manila

The raging bull burgers near Shangri - La hotel is also pretty decent if you're fan of cheeseburgers. The thick cut fries were pretty normal as i'm not a huge fan of them.

The time spent in Manila was pretty short, almost felt like I was here for a food tour. You might wanna get some banana chips from the airport (which is a perfect snack to go with your binge-watching habit)