A few weeks of reunions, errands, and (of course) really good food around Metro Manila — here’s where I ate and what I thought of it.

June 16 · Panco Café, Legazpi Village, Makati

8:00 AM breakfast

I drove into Manila around the same time as my brother, so I tagged along with him to save on travel time — having a car on hand made getting around so much more convenient.

That morning I met one of my besties for breakfast at the Legazpi Village branch of Panco Café (they have a few branches around the city), a cozy Melbourne-meets-Manila brunch spot nestled along Don Carlos Palanca Street. It’s known for putting a Filipino spin on Australian café culture. I ordered the tiramisu latte (₱210) and the breakfast brisket (₱480), and the brisket was tender and savory, exactly the kind of hearty start I needed. We caught up over the meal — my US and Canada trip, his love life, work, and his side business.

Good thing he managed to make it, since it was such an early call time and I honestly thought he’d bail! Afterward, I swung by his bazaar booth near the mall to check out his products and ended up buying sunblock from his— he really is a natural at sales, haha.
From there, I headed to the dentist to get my braces adjusted, then went home to spend time with my dogs and my brother.

June 25 · Jang Geum Kitchen, MET Live, Pasay City

I visited Jang Geum Kitchen, a 24-hour Korean restaurant right beside the clinic where I did my pre-employment medical exam — I’m finally getting back to work after a year off, and it feels great to be starting again.

I’d been craving kimchi jjigae for a while. Cooking it myself takes a long ingredient list and prep time, so when I realized this restaurant was just across the street from Medicard, I practically ran over. I ordered the pork kimchi jjigae (₱450) — spicy, deeply savory, and exactly the comfort food I’d been missing — plus a dalgona latte (₱180) from their in-house café. It was such a satisfying meal, and I can’t wait to go back.

After lunch, I sorted out my payroll bank account in McKinley, then stopped at Starbucks to charge my phone and used the restroom (my stomach was acting up). I tried their frozen mango passion fruit matcha (₱205) mostly out of curiosity, but honestly, it tasted grassy and flat — I don’t get the hype at all. I headed home via DLTB in Pasay, where I queued for 30 minutes. The commute here is such a hassle, but that’s just part of the routine.

July 5 · Yūgen Japanese Restaurant, Ortigas Center, Pasig

With my first day of work the next day, I decided to stay at a condo near the office since I’ll be commuting in twice a week. Honestly, I’m looking forward to it — being back around people, and eating good food again.

Before dinner, I stopped by Megamall to get my eyebrows threaded at Brow Lounge and picked up new contact lenses. Then it was time for Japanese food.

Yūgen is tucked behind The Crescent Condominium, and it took us a minute to find — we actually stumbled onto Odd Café first before realizing Yūgen was just past it. There were no tables free when we arrived, so we started at the counter and moved after about 30 minutes. Small space, but the service was attentive and the atmosphere was intimate without feeling cramped.

The food made the wait completely worth it:
Butadon (₱555) — tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork in a rich, savory glaze
Volcano roll (₱615) — genuinely the best version of this roll I’ve ever had; bold, layered, and unforgettable
Yūgen chirashi special (₱1,550) — fresh, generous, and beautifully put together

This might honestly be the best Japanese restaurant I’ve tried in Manila.

Afterward, we went back to Odd Café to unwind — it turned out to be a surprisingly spacious spot — and I ordered an iced tea to cap off the night. Overall, a productive, food-filled day, and I couldn’t wait to start work the next morning.

That’s it for this round-up — but with work starting and more of the city left to explore, there are plenty more food spots coming soon. Stay tuned!