MANILA -- Check out some of the latest news in the local food scene.
AYALA CENTRIO’S BIG BITE FOOD FESTIVAL RETURNS
Ayala Centrio marks the beginning of summer with the 9th Big Bite Northern Mindanao Food Festival.
Smaller versions of the festival were held in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19 restrictions. But now, the 2023 festival is back to its pre-pandemic scale as it continues its mission of promoting Northern Mindanao food tourism.
This year's festival features more than 70 of the best culinary picks from Centrio tenants, Cagayan de Oro restaurants, and SME food entrepreneurs.
The festival will formally open on March 17 and will run until March 26. Highlights include cooking demos by the Culinary Institute of Cagayan de Oro, TikTok and YouTube sensation Ninon Ry, and actor Richard Gomez on the second weekend.
IMPERIAL AFTERNOON TEA AT THE WRITERS BAR
Handout
Raffles Makati, in cooperation with Ayala Museum, launched its Chinese-themed high tea at The Writers Bar
The Imperial Afternoon Tea is a continuation of the themed afternoon teas offered by the Writers Bar. This particular afternoon tea offering incorporates history, culture and arts with a collection of 13th to 16th century fine ware on loan from the Ayala Museum’s “Loving the Qinghua” exhibit, with select pieces publicly displayed for the first time exclusively at Raffles Makati.
Enjoy sweet and savory canapé creations to perfectly match The Writers Bar’s selection of the finest TWG tea blends. The multi-tiered set for two includes treats such as sweet and sour shredded pork tartelettes, foie gras on brioche with Shaoxing jelly, butterfly pea flower macarons, red bean choux au craquelin, and black sesame pralines to name a few. The experience can also be upgraded to include glasses of signature mocktails, cocktails or Veuve Clicquot Champagne.
Imperial Afternoon Tea is served on a reservations-only basis from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and is priced at P2,800 nett for a set for two with optional upgrades for mocktail, cocktails, and champagne. Click here for more information and reservations.
Guests of the Ayala Museum may enjoy the Imperial Afternoon Tea at 20% discount upon presentation of their booked museum tickets.
GUEVARRA’S CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY
Handout
Guevarra’s celebrates its 10th anniversary by continuing to bring the best dining experience at incredibly affordable prices.
Aside from their mouth-watering spread curated by celebrity chef couple Roland and Jac Laudico, Guevarra’s made a name for being one of the most affordable buffet restaurants in the metro. For only P759 per person, diners can enjoy more than 50 dishes and desserts to their own fill.
Apart from Guevarra's roster of mainstays like Beef Kaldereta, sweet and savory Angus Beef Tapa, classic Kare-Kare, Angus Roast Beef, the best-selling Bellychon, and traditional Palabok, the culinary team also introduces seasonal dishes and new offers to keep things exciting. This also gives the culinary team the opportunity to make use of seasonally affordable ingredients that are usually available at a lower cost.
Aside from the wide array of delicious dishes and the charm of dining at an ancestral home, Guevarra's takes pride in their signature style of service.
“It's the value-for-money buffet plus the friendly and attentive service that will make your dining experience truly unforgettable,” Chef Jac explains.
While Guevarra’s has rooted its purpose in the timelessness of Filipino cuisine and heritage, they also make sure to keep up with the changing times. In 2020, Guevarra’s started offering their signature items for delivery, which also helped the restaurant stay afloat during the lockdown. They even started offering solo meals to cater to those who were living alone at the height of the pandemic.
In 2022, they officially launched their own website (www.guevarras.com) to handle online orders and deliveries. This year, Guevarra’s plans to offer a premium line of take-out products that are not in the buffet menu.
They are also currently developing a retail line featuring house-made products like vinegar, bagoong (shrimp paste), atchara (pickled papaya), and lechon sauce. Diners can also look forward to great deals and promotions to celebrate the restaurant’s 10th anniversary very soon.
Guevarra's is located at 387 P. Guevarra Street corner Argonne Street, San Juan City. The buffet is open from Monday to Sunday.
UNLI-FRIED CHICKEN WEEKENDS AT MIMI & BROS
Handout
Mimi & Bros shares happy fifth anniversary vibes with its unli-fried chicken offer.
For two hours, guest who avail of the promo can enjoy unlimited servings of any of its fried chicken variants: Mimi’s signature Fried Chicken, Truffle Honey Butter, Fiery Fried Chicken, and Cheesy Fried Chicken along with unlimited servings of seasoned rice. A new serving will only be brought out for the customer if the previous one has been finished. No leftovers or takeaways are allowed.
The promo is priced at P550 and will run all weekends of March.
MERRY MOO X HYDROFLASK OAXACA COLLAB
Handout
Merry Moo Ice Cream comes up with a cool way to party and celebrate Hydro Flask’s Oaxaca Collection. The new flavor, Avocado Nibbles, made with fresh sun-ripened avocado with roasted cacao nibs was inspired by the new vibrant colors in this line of flasks and bottles.
Get a free pint of Merry Moo Avocado Nibbles when you buy any item from the Hydro Flask Oaxaca line from March 13-15 and 17-19 at any participating Hydro Flask stores: SM Megamall, SM Aura, SM MOA, and Ayala Greenbelt 5.
Get 10% off on Avocado Nibbles Ice Cream here when you use the code HYDRO on checkout.
BORED AND HUNGRY POP-UP NOW PERMANENT
Handout
After several successful pop-ups last October 2022 and December 2022, Bored and Hungry in collaboration with Hungry Dao and Tasteless Food Group officially turns this pop-up at The Grid Food Market into its first branch in Asia.
If you missed their burgers or just want to get your hands on them again, you will be glad to know that for this permanent branch, Bored and Hungry will be bringing back the Bored OG Burger (P395) and the OG Burger Combo with fries for P595.
Bored and Hungry can be found at Stall 7 The Grid Food Market, R2 Power Plant Mall, Rockwell ,Makati City with a second branch coming soon at Public Eatery, 4/F New Wing, Robinsons Magnolia, Quezon City.
SOBAN K-TOWN TTEOKBOKI
Handout
Soban K-Town Grill has added popular Korean street food tteokbokki to its menu.
Tteokbokki is made from boiled tteok (rice cakes) paired with eomuk (fish cakes). These are available in two variants: Rosé Tteokbokki (pronounced as eow-zay), which is simmered in creamy, sweet and spicy rosé sauce; and Seoul-Style Tteokbokki, which is simmered in gochujang sauce.
These are now available for dine-in and take-out. Soban K-Town Grill can be found at SM City North Edsa, SM Megamall, Robinsons Place Manila, Greenbelt 3, One Bonifacio High Street, and ATC Corporate Center, Alabang.
ST. PATRICK’S DAY WITH JAMESON’S IRISH WHISKEY
Handout
Jameson’s Irish Whiskey celebrates St. Patrick’s Day with a party at the Island, headlined by KZ Tandingan with performances from Ron Poe, Nobita, Leanne and Naara, Sky Dominique, Nameless Kids, and Katsy Lee.
On March 18, Jameson's brings the party to Poblacion with Project: Romeo and Carousel Casualties at The Apartment at Z, DZ SVG at The Green Door, and Eva Smalls and Mark Thompson at Z Hostel Philippines' roof deck.
These are open to the public.