There are hundreds of restaurants all over Manila catering to all palates and budgets. You should never have a problem getting your favourite food in Manila.
Dusit Thani Restaurant
We decided to try Dusit Thani Restaurant because when we passed by on a Saturday afternoon, it was packed. We thought that the food must be good. Apart from that, Dusit Thani Restaurant provides its catering services to numerous embassies, banks and international corporations in Manila.
Unfortunately we were not thrilled about the quality of their food.
We ordered prawns in chilli sauce and fresh pineapple juice. The juice was made of a non-ripe pineapple with significant amount of added sugar. Prawns with chilli were skilfully prepared, the sauce was tasty and just hot enough, but the prawns themselves were not very fresh. And if the prawns are not fresh, even the most skilled cook can't make them taste good.
We would visit Dusit Thani Restaurant again, be we would stay away from seafood. Dusit Thani Restaurant is at a convenient location in Glorietta III shopping mall. If you become hungry while browsing the shops and do not want to eat in McDonald's, Burger King or similar American establishments, do pop in to Dusit Thani Restaurant and at least check their menu. Do not expect to get heavenly food, but it is still way better than American fast-food.
Location: Level 2, Glorietta III, Ayala Center, Makati City.
Flavours of China Restaurant
Flavours of China is located next to Tempura Japanese Grill. Professional service, similar etiquette and similar (albeit Chinese) interior make us wonder if Flavours of Chine is under the same management as Tempura Japanese Grill next door.
The prices at Flavours of China Restaurant are reasonable. We tried fried lemon chicken, rice and bottomless iced lemon tea. The chicken quality was good, the lemon sauce tasty albeit a tad too strong. We suspect it was prepared with lemon juice concentrate rather than real lemon juice. Nevertheless, we left the restaurant full and fully rehydrated, thanks to the bottomless tea.
Location: 1 Juno Street, corner Makati Avenue, Makati City.
Tempura Japanese Grill
Tempura Japanese Grill is conveniently located at Makati Avenue near many Makati hotels. The restaurant has a nice, minimalist Japanese decor. Its interior feels modern and calming at the same time. You can watch life at Makati Avenue rolling by through the restaurant's glass front wall.
We tried thin pork slices with chilli and tofu in soya sauce, served on rice. The dish was very tasty. Quite spicy, we have to admit, but the tofu brought the spiciness down so the dish could be enjoyed even by those who can't take too hot food. The food portion was large.
We ordered green tea ice-cream for dessert. The ice-cream had mild, almost unrecognisable green tea taste, thus it is very appropriate for those who have never tried such an 'exotic' ice-cream flavour before.
Location: 1 Juno Street, corner Makati Avenue, Makati City.