MANILA -- Merienda is that glorious time between lunch and dinner -- a respite from work or school, and ultimately, another time to bond with loved ones.

It seems fitting that in Friends and Family, the newest Filipino restaurant of the Raintree group, the merienda is fully celebrated, with a menu that’s filled with beloved childhood favorites, as well as popular snack dishes from around the Philippines.

And as the restaurant’s name implies, dishes are meant to be shared with portions easily enough for two, or a very hungry one.

In creating the merienda menu (as with the rest of the menu), executive chef Kal-el Chan talked about revisiting his childhood memories, as well as his travels around the Philippines, and the urge to present them through the lens of his experience.

“Everyone is going forward, everyone is following that trend. Ako naman, I’m thinking of stepping backward. Stick to the classics, put a little twist, but it’s still Filipino,” said Chan.

So find new favorites, and discover new ways to enjoy your merienda in Friends and Family.

Birthday Spaghetti with Hotdog and Marshmallows is this author’s favorite merienda in the list. It’s pure nostalgia -- Filipino-style spaghetti with a generous portion of hotdogs, that straddles that fine line between sweet and salty, meant to be eaten between bites of a sweetish brioche roll (that comes with most of the merienda options). A younger me would have been in heaven, especially with the extra stick of birthday-style hotdog and marshmallows that came with the plate. Jeeves de Veyra

Merienda can also mean a drink or a dessert. In Friends and Family, they have a long list of coolers with familiar and new flavors. You can’t go wrong with staple flavors like Coconut Mango and Sago’t Gulaman, but it’s worth a gander to taste the Yema Crema (which was like a yema con hielo) and the Fruit Salad (which was like a halo-halo with fruit salad). Jeeves de Veyra

From Chan’s memories of rich and decadent arroz caldo tinged with atsuete from Nueva Ecija, Friends and Family’s Arroz Caldo follows the same vein — a yellow-tinged garlicky porridge with the works! Shredded chicken with ox tripe, homemade garlic fried pork jowl (the baboy in tokwa’t baboy), and a soft and jiggly 6-minute boiled egg, made to be mixed with patis-calamansi and the porridge, it’s a heavy merienda or a light meal for any time of the day. Jeeves de Veyra

Tokwa’t Baboy is the perfect pairing to the Arroz Caldo. Tofu with gelatinous bits of pork with raw onions and chilies, and a sweetish vinegar sauce. Jeeves de Veyra

The winning combination of Dinuguan at Puto was made for merienda. Soft and fluffy puto topped with salted egg with spoonfuls of dark and rich pork blood stew. If you’re squeamish about eating dinuguan outside of your house, you’ll find that Friends and Family’s version will not disappoint. It comes wonderfully balanced – salty and sour, with the barest backnote of spice. Want more heat? Cut open the fried green chili and mix. Jeeves de Veyra

Sautéed garlic and fat with tinapa broth and trimmings are the base of this Pansit Palabok’s rich seafood orange sauce. Friends and Family’s version comes with noodles thinner than the thick noodles of Pansit Malabon, and thicker than the noodles of most Pansit Palabok. It’s generously sauced and topped with fried tofu, crispy petchay, dried squid, scampi, onion, calamari, a 6-minute boiled egg, and fried garlic. Jeeves de Veyra

Lomi Ala Eh has a dark sticky sauce with thick and chewy noodles, with a deluge of decadent toppings like sisig, crispy pork, garlic shanghai pieces, fish tofu, chicharon, and a 6-minute egg—finished with a drizzle of garlic oil. Yummy eh. Jeeves de Veyra

Sweet puto cake with a middle layer of cheese is enveloped with custard sauce. The result is one of the best new Filipino dessert combinations this author has tasted lately. It takes that sweet-salty-combination that Filipinos love and runs with it. Jeeves de Veyra

I first tasted this Ube Champorado in the breakfast buffet of Coast, the Raintree hotel in Boracay. Here in Friends and Family, the violet rice porridge tastes as rich as ever—sweet and starchy with the trademark nuttiness that Ube brings. The addition of danggit gives us that tug-of-war between sweet and salty. Jeeves de Veyra