Masarap Bank Holiday Brunch

Masarap is a group of friends who want to raise awareness of Filipino cuisine. Their food is modern Filipino fusion, so they take inspiration from their favourite childhood Filipino foods and then have their our own special twist on traditional recipes, and it is delicious!

At the end of May they had a pop up brunch at Old Street. The main included: Tocilog Taco – tortilla with sweet marinated pork, cabbage slaw, lettuce and topped with a fried egg; a mini Kare Kare Burger Slider – slow cooked beef brisket boiled until soft then cooked in a peanut, garlic and onion sauce with cabbage slaw, and pickled papaya; Sisig Fries – fries with pork shoulder marinated in lemon with nacho cheese, pico de gallo and gaucamole. For the desert, we had ube leche flan cake with macapuno buttercream, at first I was not too sure how the ube and the leche flan would taste together but it was really good! Two of my favourite deserts in one. My favourite food from the brunch were the fries, I thought they were a really interesting twist on a classic. Even though they do not have any upcoming events, I will definitely keep my eye out and book my seat for their next one!

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Eating In Boracay

Lemoni Cafe

This cute little cafe in D’Mall was great for lunch. The interior is fresh and light and their staff were nice and helpful. Located in the middle of D’Mall (next to the Ferris wheel) it was really easy to get to. Sadly, they did not originally have what I ordered, this is something that happens all over the Philippines and is definitely something to get used to, but our meals were still delicious and their deserts (which we were too full up to try) looked amazing as well.
What We Had: Lemon Lunch Box (soup, salad, sandwich and dessert) and Longaniza with two eggs and garlic rice.

SpiceBird

After reading great reviews about SpiceBird we decided to try it for ourselves. Located around the same location of the Lemoni Cafe meant that it was quick and simple to find. When we got there it was empty, which was a big surprise since they are rated highly on TripAdvisor in Boracay. We ordered two dishes and the mango and mint shake, which sounds weird but is a match made in heaven. Their flavourful food lived up to the reviews and their sauces are as creative as the names they give them.
What We Had: Peri-Peri Pulled Pork Sandwich and Peri-Peri Pork Board

The Sunny Side Cafe

For our last day in Boracay we wanted to try something different for breakfast. They have a variety of food and drinks to spoil you with, we only ordered two dishes because the portions were very generous. I really wanted to try their pancakes but after having too many crepes in Manila, I decided to just share with my mum. Good food and a great view overlooking the beach was the perfect way to end our holiday in Boracay.
What We Had: The Sunny Side Cafe Champorado made with Malagos Chocolate from Davao, topped with sweet mango, candied bacon and caramel ice cream

Lemoni Cafe
SpiceBird
Sunny Side Cafe

Eating In Manila

Usually when my family and I eat out in Manila it is the standard Jolibee or Chowking, which are still delicious. But we decided to try some different places in Manila this time. Sky Deck is a restaurant on top of Bayleaf Hotel. Because of the restaurants location, there is a wonderful 360 degree view of Manila and of the port, and this is the main reason that Sky Deck is so popular. Their food is nice and they offer some filipino sharing options that all come at a decent price.

My sister and I love crepes. So, when we passed Crepe Amelie with it’s cute metal exterior and European inspired decor, we had to eat here. Their pink lemonade is so refreshing on a hot day in the city but honestly all of their drinks sounded delicious. We actually came here twice on the same day so I can say that both their savoury and sweet crepes are magnificent. Definitely need to come back here when we are back in Manila!

Sky Deck
Crepe Amelie

Maynila Pop Up ft. Le Happy Chef

Maynila is a fairly new organisation that host different Filipino food events, from pop up restaurants to street food. Their first pop up restaurant was on the 23rd of May at Maida Hill Place in Westbourne Park. The chef for the night was Rex De Guzman and since we had been to his own ‘Taste of the Philippines’ pop ups and loved them (you can read more about them here and here) my sister and I decided to attend this one as well.

The menu for the night consisted of the starter: Pork Sisig – fried pig head terrine with sriracha mayonnaise, quail egg and pickled ginger with radish; the main course: Chicken Adobo sa Gata – chicken adobo with chilli and coconut cream with kangkong, chayote, crispy garlic and chilli oil, served with jasmine rice; and finally for dessert: Leche Flan – set caramel custard and turon  with calamansi and lime sorbet. Even though it was not really a dish, my favourite food on the night was the little tocino and pinakbet crostini that we had as we came in. I loved the tocino flavour and I thought it was amazing that you could even taste the crackling (I think that’s what it’s called – which I love.) My sister and I had such a wonderful meal and I am excited for their next event.

Maynila

Lutong Pinoy

Lutong Pinoy (Filipino Cooking), was established in 1996. We are a small family run business, whereby we aim to provide Filipino home cooking food that provides comfort for everyone. With our wide selection of dishes at affordable prices we aim to provide comfort food for all our kabayans those that miss the taste of Filipino cooking back home.

The first time I visited Lutong Pinoy was with my family a few years ago. I remember seeing lots of Filipino food (mostly things I did not recognise), how my mum made friends with the family that was siting close by and watching Filipino TV for the first time. Since then, I have visited the restaurant again and again, for a karaoke social, Kamayan Wednesday (that I highly recommend!) and to introduce people to Filipino food. They really brings a sense of authentic and traditional Filipino food and culture to London and I think this is why they are so popular amongst the Filipino community here. I would recommend trying one of their sizzling dishes, they come to you piping hot and are perfect for a cold day in London

Lutong Pinoy