There's a rumor going around about this really good restaurant with no signage near Rockwell, a hole in the wall if you may, that serves authentic Chinese food from Hunan Province. Well, it's true!
Originally, they only had a menu in Chinese. But now, they have two photo albums where you can point your order to the staff.
We tried out the Hot Pot Duck which is a bit on the spicy side but really good (Php350), Steamed Dumplings which you can also have fried (Php120), Chinese Pizza which is actually an egg pancake (Php60), Fried Pork Ribs (Php240) and Steamed Pork (Php200). And the best part is that for Php20, the steamed rice is unlimited!
Corner Tree Cafe in Jupiter Street was an eye-opener for me to the world of vegetarian food. I've always thought vegetarian food was mostly composed of vegetables and everything bland. But that's changed going through their selection of vegetarian dishes.
On their soup menu was something new, Spinach and Pechay Chowder (3) which is basically pureed leafy greens and potatoes with a dollop of organic yogurt on top. This was really good if I may say.
Visita iglesia to our Philippine churches has been a part of our lives as Catholic Filipinos. Every Holy Thursday, we visit seven churches, some fourteen, as we reflect on Christ's passion and death. I've done a whole lot of articles on Holy Week including Holy Week practices in the Philippines, which discusses Holy Week practices you could witness if you're at the right place at the right time.
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Batangas,
Cebu,
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Laguna,
Leyte,
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Manila,
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Rizal,
Southern Leyte
Here's a visita iglesia closer to home. After our trip around Sta. Ana, I decided to visit various churches in Makati City. There are two heritage churches plus an old chapel which I heard was no longer used as a chapel. But many of the churches in Makati are very noteworthy. One of them is even designed by a National Artist.
Nearby is the Nuestra Senora de Gracia Church (Guadalupe Viejo). This was bombed during WWII and what is left of it is the facade. This used to be a huge church complex.
The Sanctuario de San Antonio (Forbes Park) was built by the Franciscans after their mother church in Intramuros was destroyed during WWII. Except for the Augustinians, most religious orders moved out and established their headquarters elsewhere. In the main altar is a war survivor, a statue of St. Anthony from the original San Francisco Church in Intramuros.
In Greenbelt is the Chapel of Sto. Nino de Paz, commonly called the Greenbelt Chapel. It floats in the middle of a pond, and is surrounded by green. Robinsons should have done that to the Jesuit Church in Padre Faura.
The St. John Bosco Church or the Don Bosco Church (San Lorenzo) is another work of art designed by Architect Jose Maria Zaragoza. The statues that adorn the church were done by sculptor Eduardo Castrillo.
Saint Andrew Church (Bel-Air) is a work of National Artist for Architecture Leandro Locsin. But I felt, for some reason, that the exterior of the church was a bit neglected.
Other chapels and churches you can visit are the Guadalupe Chapel in the BDO Building, a building also designed by Leandro Locsin. I'm not sure though if it will be open on Holy Thursday. Then there's the St. Thomas More Chapel (Rockwell) at the Ateneo Professional Schools. I know Assumption College (San Lorenzo) also has a nice chapel. Another school chapel would be the one in Colegio de San Agustin (Dasmarinas).
Finally, another Locsin masterpiece that will surely be missed is the Church of St. Alphonsus Mary Ligouri (Magallanes) which burned down some years back. A new, but equally impressive church was built, designed by heritage architect Dominic Galicia.
Indeed it's a food haven waiting to be discovered. We all know about the Salcedo Saturday Market. But have you ever gone to the Legazpi Sunday Market, also known as the BSL Sunday Market? If you haven't, then it's about time you do and try out the great food!
There's so much more to munch on. Check out the fresh lumpia of Yan Ching, the pizzas and samosa at Pizza di Grazzia, Becky's Kitchen and the traditional Spanish tortillas of Mantequilla. Warung Warung serves traditional Malay food such as beef rendang, kari ayam and ayam goreng, while Singaporean satay is a specialty of Island Satay.
I also adore the takoyaki, gyoza and other Japanese dishes. Next door one would find japchae and other Korean delights. Have you ever tried Turkish baklava? Well, Anatolia Cuisine serves that and more Turkish pastries. And there's Indian food such as methi chicken, mushroom mutter, shahi paneer and dal makhni. There are different kinds of deli from all over Europe. And great hamburgers in a bun served by Monster Burger.
There's food from all over the Philippines, Ilocos empanda, grilled meats, seafood and other ihaw-ihaw and ulam, fresh and dried seafood, it would take another post to enumerate them all.
So what are you waiting for? Check it out every Sunday at the Legazpi Car Park, Legaspi corner Herrera Streets, Makati City. That's in front of Starbucks Herrera, very near the Union Church of Manila.
I'm a big fan of Indian food. So when I found out we were eating at Bollywood in Greenbelt, I did not have any second thoughts. And everything we ate was great. We started with the papadums, which are thin wafers made from lentils, accompanied by mint, ginger and yogurt dips.
We also had Star Pizzanaanas which are pizzas with a naan bread crust named after various Bollywood stars. We were served ShahRukh Kham or four-cheese pizza topped with cheddar, ricotta, mozarella and paneer cheese; and Aishawarya Rai which has ham, pineapples and capsicum for toppings. Of course, we had tandoori chicken and biryani as well.
For dessert, we had gulab jamum which are fried milk balls in really sweet rose syrup; and Bollywood mafiosi or pannacotta with fresh mangoes and rose water. They have a daily dinner buffet during weekdays and it's just PHP450 per head! At least I know where to go now when I'm craving for Indian food in Makati.
This is the view from one of my favorite hangouts, the Ritz penthouse apartment of my brod. I was there last Sunday for a frat party. And again on Wednesday, the night before the Peninsula takeover, for another frat event. The second photo was snatched from Bikoy. Hehe!
Since we got home quite late yesterday, I decided to go somewhere nearby today. A lot of people do not know that there is an impressive Second World War memorial near Makati Central Business District. 
According to the American Battle Monuments Commission, "The Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines occupies 152 acres on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from the east, south and west. It contains the largest number of graves of our military dead of World War II, a total of 17,202, most of whom lost their lives in operations in New Guinea and the Philippines. The headstones are aligned in 11 plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among masses of a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery. 
"The chapel, a white masonry building enriched with sculpture and mosaic, stands near the center of the cemetery. In front of it on a wide terrace are two large hemicycles. Twenty-five mosaic maps recall the achievements of the American armed forces in the Pacific, China, India and Burma. On rectangular Trani limestone piers within the hemicycles are inscribed the Tablets of the Missing containing 36,285 names. Rosettes mark the names of those since recovered and identified. Carved in the floors are the seals of the American states and its territories. From the memorial and other points within the cemetery there are impressive views over the lowlands to Laguna de Bay and towards the distant mountains." 
Designed by Gardener A. Dailey of San Francisco, the cemetery and memorial is located in the Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday except on December 25 and January 1. To read more about the place, download the brochure here. 