Over The Moon with Moonleaf

Milk tea. This might be the most popular word nowadays (Anne Curtis being the second one). If you don’t know what it is and the craze it’s been causing Metro Manila, then it’s safe to assume you’ve been living inside a cave. With the plethora of choices where one can have their milk tea fix (see our Happy Lemon and Serenitea review here), differentiation can be very difficult for milk tea entrepreneurs.

Not for Moonleaf Tea Shop.

Starting in Maginhawa Street, UP Village, this once humble tea shop gained fame from college students who frequented the place and has become one of, if not, the fastest growing milk tea place in the country. It is also the first one to have ventured outside Manila (they have stores in Pampanga and Naga). Moonleaf also diversified its offerings; aside from teas, they now have their own planner which sold like hotcakes last Christmas season.

Charlie's: A Yummy Burger & Chicken Wings Combo

Manila is rapidly becoming more receptive of “hole-in-the-wall” restaurants, and this next foodie place is no exception. Imagine a diner beside a carwash...how hole-in-the-wall can you get? There’s no need for fancy introduction or build-ups because if you’re a foodie like us, you’d definitely know what place we’re talking about: Charlie’s Grind & Grill.

Internet-famous for their Black Angus burger and chicken wings, Charlie’s has become one of the most visited (and populated) food places in Kapitolyo, Pasig . That says a lot especially when the place is filled with lots of equally good dining places. Hello Mad Mark’s, Thai Dara, RUB (which we will review soon!), Milky and Sunny...the list could go on and on. Charlie’s has grown a fan base especially among the working people around the Ortigas area, so much so that people are willing to wait for “parking space” just to be able to grab a bite of Charlie’s famed burgers. And you know what? So did we.

Siopao, Mami, and the Giant Siomai

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI! GONG XI FA CAI! XIN NIAN KUAI LE!

 

No matter how you want to say it, we at The Glutton Guide would like to greet you HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! :) And because we like following themes, why not a review of a Chinese restaurant, yes? I'm sure the water dragon will approve.

Masuki can be considered a hole-in-a-wall restaurant. More popular to the Chinese residents of Greenhills, Masuki has now grown to be known by Filipinos outside Greenhills, mainly through blogs like this. But, even before they established their branch at San Juan, they started at a place where Chinese food would be best - Binondo, Manila. Yes, they are one of the food places you can find along the busy streets of Chinatown. Not everyone knows this, but Masuki is the younger (and hipper) son of Ma Mon Luk. Yes, that really old restaurant in Quezon Avenue. Before it was named Masuki, we believed the food place was called Ma Kong Mami. If you're in the Binondo branch, try looking for the somewhat hidden engraved 'Ma Kong Mami' signage inside.

A Divine Murray & D'Vine

If you are new in the area, Serendra can be very intimidating. You scan the row of restaurants and you see unfamiliar names like Gaudi, Abe, Chelsea and the likes. We wouldn’t blame you if you’d hurriedly walk (with poise) to either Bonifacio High Street or Market! Market! The sight of McDonald’s or Krispy Kreme eases your tensed body (and pocket). We, however, didn’t let the foreign-sounding names scare us; instead we braved through the place and looked for the resto-pub we were looking for: Murray & D’vine.

Okay, we have to admit: Serendra is not something new to us. We’ve blogged about Sonja’s uber delicious cupcakes before, and to be honest, it was love at first sight. It felt good to know that we can dine somewhere in Metro Manila without being confined inside a mall. It also helps that there are less stores with the word SALE on it. Money will be spent somewhere else, aka good food.