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Top Filipino Restaurants in London
Note: Here is a another guest post by Clare Carmichael, a food blogger from UK.
London is a great city and there’s so much to do you’re sure to have a whale of a time. The only problem is that the British aren’t exactly known for their cooking skills so if you’re sick of greasy fry-ups and equally-as-greasy fish & chips then why not go to one of the many Filipino restaurants in London and eat a bit closer to home?
Here are a few Filipino restaurants in London:
Lutong Pinoy Filipino Restaurant
– 10 Kenway Rd, South Kensington, SW5 0RR.
With the all-you-can-eat buffet at the Filipino Restaurant costing £8.00 it means you’re able to try as many Filipino delights at once AND not break the bank. Don’t worry if you’ve nothing to chat about over dinner as there’s a TV in the corner showing Filipino game shows! If you still have some room left at the end then it’s recommended that you order the Ginatanng Bilo-Bilo, which is a steaming bowl of sago and yam in coconut milk.
Josephine’s Filipino Restaurant
– 4 Charlotte St., Fitzrovia, W1T 2LP.
Here you can sample your favourite dishes from the Philippines! The restaurant opened in 1996 and has welcomed many celebrities through its doors including celebrity chef, Gino D’Acampo, Ricky Gervais, Ken Livingstone and many others. The most popular dishes at Josephine’s are Adobo, Lechon Kawali and Halo Halo. The restaurant also caters for parties, weddings and corporate events.
Photo Credit: Kake Pugh
Kusinang Munti
– 913 Garratt Lane, Tooting Broadway, SW17 0LT.
This restaurant serves the finest Oriental and Asian cuisines such as Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian and Halal, but specialises in Filipino delicacies as well. A buffet is available or alternatively you can order à la carte specialities such as kare-kare, dinuguan, binagoongang baboy and many more. Kusinang Munti seats up to 55 people and can be booked for parties and special occasions.
Port of Manila
– 129-131 Brackenbury Rd, Hammersmith, W6 0BQ.
Port of Manila has received the prestigious AA Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence so it must be doing something right! Their dishes are made using recipes from all over the Philippines and the staff is known to be extremely friendly and welcoming. The food is also available for takeaway, which is perfect if you don’t want to venture outside, but are in the mood for some lovely Filipino food. This establishment has also been frequented by many V.I.P. guests such as Ambassador Lagdameo, Sarah Geronimo and Sharon Cuneta.
Kika
– 228 St. Paul’s Rd, Islington, N1 2LJ.
This Filipino restaurant also serves organic food so it’s perfect if you’re looking for Filipino grub AND are health-conscious. This establishment is best known for its breakfasts and lunches and there’s also karaoke so why not make a full night out of it? Tasty Filipino food and then a singsong afterwards. Parties of up to 25 people can be catered for and there’s also a back garden where people can sit and watch the world go by.
Photo Credit: Ewan-M
Bintang Restaurant
– 93 Kentish Town Rd, NW1 8NY.
This restaurant, which opened in 1987, specialises in Pan Asian fusion cuisine and serves dishes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, of course! The interior consists of dark wood, bamboo plants and varied artwork. If you don’t like forking out for expensive wines you’ll be pleased to know that this restaurant has a BYOB policy so just head to the nearest shop and choose your own wine. If you want to celebrate there they accommodate parties of more than 15 people.
About the Guest Author
This has been a guest post by Clare Carmichael, a freelance writer for My Passion For Food and the hungryhouse magazine. The UK’s leading food delivery platform featuring restaurants from across the country including Nottingham, Glasgow and Birmingham.
Choi City: A High-Class yet Affordable Chinese Seafood Restaurant for Cebuanos
Cebuanos love Chinese cuisines, the very reason why there are lots of Chinese restaurants that can be found in the city. Unfortunately, though there are many places to go to if you want to eat Chinese foods, there are just a very few that offer authentic Chinese dishes as most of them fall in the fast-food chain category.
My Newly Discovered Chinese Seafood Resto
Classy, warm, festive…these are the first three adjectives that came to mind when I stepped into Choi City, a Chinese seafood restaurant that offers authentic Cantonese cuisine. But, it’s not the ambiance that made a lasting impression on me – it’s the customer service and the VIP treatment, and of course the exquisite dishes that were meticulously prepared and served.
Authentic Cantonese Cuisine
More Photos Here
In Cebu, there are only a very few restaurants that offer authentic Cantonese dishes. Choi City brings the popular Hongkong taste directly to the picky palates of Cebuanos. This is made possible by their four super chefs headed by Executive Chef Siu Bing and three others from famous restaurants in Hongkong and China.
What makes Cantonese stands out from the wide variety of Chinese foods out there? It’s on how this kind of foods are prepared and cooked. Cantonese cuisines are prepared properly using fresh ingredients. They are cooked through boiling, stir frying, steaming, charcoal grilling, and double boiling. Most often, Cantonese foods are cooked meticulously to retain its natural flavors and only a modest amount of seasonings is used to avoid intensifying the flavors of the ingredients.
Roast Layered Pork: My Personal Favorite
Though most of my friends love the Braised Abalone and Lobster, my picky palates and taste buds couldn’t help but fell in love with the Roast Layered Pork among all the dishes that were served on our table. It is roasted into perfection and is unforgettable because its meat is non-greasy yet juicy and tender, and it has a scrumptious crispy skin to die for. I’m not exaggerating, but I can dine there and just eat as many servings of the dish and I won’t even take a second look at other dishes. I’m such a pork lover. (: Check photos of our dinner here.
Choi City Offers Authentic Chinese Dishes at Affordable Prices
At first glance, you would never think that Choi City, despite having an ambiance of a high-class restaurant, is also offering affordable menu for Cebuanos who don’t want to spend too much. Though expensive seafood dishes are available for patrons who are seafood lovers, there are also additional options for those ones with limited budget.
What Other Cebuanos are saying?
Below is a testimonial video documenting what other Cebuanos are saying about Choi City.
Other than that, here are some actual testimonials from food bloggers all over Cebu.
… the Choi City version of the classic Shabu Shabu, infusing it with an exquisite, addictive secret broth that can leave you craving for more. – FoodBites.net
For sure, families and groups of friends could enjoy bonding time over a shabu-shabu buffet. Having a remarkable meal with your family or friends around you is the kind of thing that would help you make a great memory together. – EverythingCebu.com
The place may look like that of a high-end restaurant and so is the food but the price considering everything that I have mentioned, is actually affordable. According to the owners, the Choi City food served anywhere else tastes in the same way as in Cebu’s Choi branch. The management guaranteed that they welcome everyone and they serve everyone in the same way. – CebuMD.com
Visit Choi City at G/F South Arcade, Banilad Town Centre, Banilad Cebu City. They also accept bookings for meetings, conferences, and parties. Call 239-0800 or 239-0999. You can visit their Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/choicityseafood or follow their Twitter account @choi_city.
Oyster Bay, One of Cebu’s Best Seafood Restaurants
If you haven’t been to Bridges Town Square in Mandaue City then it’s now your time to check this urban sub-district that houses one of Cebu’s best seafood restaurants, the Oyster Bay.
The Oyster Bay is conveniently located inside the vicinity of the Bridges Town Square with a landscape that mimics a restaurant by the seaside. It is surrounded by coconut trees, small ponds and tiny seaside-like canals wherein small fishes and sharks are the center of attraction.
The restaurant’s ambiance offers comfort and relaxation especially to people who are working in a fast-paced environment. Most costumers who dine in are group of friends, families, business associates, and busy individuals who wanted to experience the lull of the sea in the city.
Baked Oyster
Oyster Bay’s main attraction of course, is their menu jam-packed with fresh and sumptuous seafood, meat, and poultry dishes. Customers can choose from a variety of appetizers . Their Baked Oyster with cheese and garlic is a bestseller. Their Oyster Bay Adobo and Crispy Dinuguan are bestsellers from their meat and poultry menu. Diwal and Oyster Bay Paella are among the bestsellers from their Seafood Specials menu. Check their comprehensive seafood menu here.
The Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant also offers accommodation for any special occasion, be it for intimate family gatherings; corporate meetings; or banquet for large groups of up to 180 persons. You can choose between dining al fresco in a beach ambiance complete with coconut trees, white sand, and a saltwater lagoon or in the comfort of an air-conditioned room with a view of the lagoon. Their air-conditioned room and function room can accommodate up to 80 persons. They also configure the room to fit smaller groups of 30-50 persons. Source: OysterBay Website
For reservation, please contact 344-7038 or email reservation@oysterbayseafoodrestaurant.com. Visit this link to see more Oyster Bay Seafood Restaurant photos.
Photo Credits: Mark Monta of FaceCebu.Net & Michael Sinjin Pineda of Libotero.Com
Santiago, Cebu’s First South American Resto
Santiago Restaurant of South America is the newest palatable temptation in town and the very first restaurant in the city that offers authentic South American cuisine.
Santiago is the only restaurant in the Philippines that caters South American dishes. The resto bills its menu as “a continent of crossroads cuisines” headlining as it does choice dishes from all the countries of the whole continent of South America, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Uruguay, Paraguay, Venezuela, Bolivia, Suriname and Guyana.
Santiago’s Ceviche de Atun con Gengibre, Soy y Sesame
One of the dishes that appeals to me the most is their Ceviche de Atun con Gengibre, Soy y Sesame (Gingered Tuna). It is an appetizer composed of tuna in ginger, lime and soy topped with sesame seeds and crumbled bacon. I remember the Japanese sashimi while chewing the sweet tuna. It’s distinct subtle taste and its soufflé-like meat when rolled into a light chilli dip is “mashithhaa” (delicious in Korean). Though Gingered Tuna is a sashimi-inspired dish, the ginger-lime-chilli-sesame combo and its preparation process are the factors that keep its South American flare.
The Santiago Restaurant is located at Days Hotel Cebu, Airport Road Matumbo Hills, Lapu-lapu City. For reservation and more details please contact (032) 340-7890 or 341-0476. For more photos of the dishes, kindly check the video above.
Coffee Dream, A Homegrown Cebuano Blend
Coffee Dream – A.S. Fortuna, Mandaue Branch
Coffee Dream, a Cebuano-owned coffee chain, has been serving the Cebuano coffee drinkers for over 15 years now through their 33 branches all over the country. Their very first shop was built in 1996 located at the 4th floor of Ayala Mall (near the Cinemas). In the first half of 2011, they opened 3 new stores to fully serve the coffee-loving Cebuanos and of course, the Filipinos as a whole.
Quiet coffee houses like this, make perfect places to relax and take your laptop where you can play http://www.partycasino.com/ and get on with some work, or meet with friends for a catch up. The Coffee Dream café has a creative menu which offers a variety of hot and cold beverages, from hot creamy lattes to iced coffee milkshakes.
Along with the change of Cebuano’s urban lifestyle brought by the local economic developments, the coffee shop industry has also evolved - adapting the transformation of the customers’ expectations, trends and demands. In lieu with this, Coffee Dream doesn’t only put effort in improving their coffees, its creative team has also successfully pull out a unique brand which makes it stood out from the rest of the competing coffee shops.
100% Cebuano
Coffee Dream makes use of local Cebuano talent in presenting a modern and contemporary approach that the locales can surely relate and connect to. Their shop’s interior design is influenced by the famous international Cebuano furniture designer, Kenneth Cobonpue. The coffee they used are locally produced by rural farmers. Even the paintings on their shop’s walls are done by local painters.
The Coffee Dream Logo
The new logo is a steaming coffee in a cup when viewed from the top. This concept presents a different perspective which reflects how Coffee Dream innovates coffee to keep at par with the foreign brands and other local competitors. At first glance, the logo initially shows a cloud over an oval-shaped figure but if you look at it closely, you would notice that your hot cappuccino has already been served and you just missed the sweet smile of the amicable waiter. Stir it for a while and don’t drink hastily. Your tongue might get burned. (;
Coffee Dream A.S. Fortuna, Mandaue Branch
Cebu Bloggers Society Members Attending the Coffee Dream A.S. Fortuna Bloggers’ Gathering
Coffee Dream has just opened it’s new branch in A.S. Fortuna, Mandaue branch. It is situated at the ground floor of Benedicto’s College. Check the map and location details here.
Frizberry, Cebu’s Yummy Yogurt
Flavored with my favorite strawberry, topped with nutritious Kiwi and Grape fruits and decorated by soft and colorful marshmallows, my personalized Frizberry Yogurt was wholeheartedly welcomed by my meticulous palate. Frizberry, very, very yummy!
Frizberry Yogurt comes in two flavor, the original and the strawberry one. You can also choose from various delightful and colorful toppings that would surely satisfy your glucose cravings.
If you are a yogurt lover like me, you would surely not miss the chance to check this healthy and delectable snacks which is not only an ideal food for health conscious individuals, but also great for the whole family. And, for those people who have no idea yet why yogurt is more preferable than any other snack foods, you better check the following.
10 Reasons Why Yogurt Is A Top Health Food
- Yogurt is easier to digest than milk.
- Yogurt contributes to colon health.
- Yogurt improves the bioavailability of other nutrients.
- Yogurt can boost immunity.
- Yogurt aids healing after intestinal infections.
- Yogurt can decrease yeast infections.
- Yogurt is a rich source of calcium.
- Yogurt is an excellent source of protein.
- Yogurt can lower cholesterol.
- Yogurt is a “grow food”.
Frizberry Yogurt has recently opened their very first branch at 2nd Level, SM City, Cebu. You can drop by at their cute pinky booth after hours of shopping and plunge into a relaxing, guilt-free, and pleasurable yogurt treat.
Photo Credits: Edd Buenaviajie and Wilhelmina Sarawi
Brasco’s Crazy Bliss is Insanely Delectable
Photo by Atty. Ethelbert Ouano
There’s a new pizza house in town and it is located in the newly built lifestyle district in Juan Luna Avenue. Brasco Pizza & Pasta invited CBS to check their newly opened pizza store, housed inside the sophisticated building of The Gallery. Ingrid, the sister of the owner, was the one who personally entertained us.
Brasco Pizza & Pasta is owned by Ingrid’s brother, Brian Espina. Brasco is not actually an Italian word and it actually means Brian’s Aspirations and Company. Brasco doesn’t only offer pizza and pasta, but home-made ice cream and desserts as well.
It’s their Crazy Bliss dessert which has surpassed my expectation. It is a hot brownie topped with home-made vanilla iced cream. The combination of these two luscious palatable mixtures is sweetly unforgettable. La Marea’s version fades in comparison.
Photo by Atty. Ethelbert Ouano
Other than that, we also tried their Brasco (a must try pizza), Meaty Spaghetti with Pepperoni, Pasta with tomatoes and aligue (pasta with tomato sauce and and crab roe), and Four Seasons. (I love their Pasta with tomatoes and aligue.)
Brasco’s thin crust pizza comes in three sizes: Big (10″), Bigger (14″), and Biggest (20″). Each pizza toppings is Brian’s original recipe which he studied and researched for four years. This goes as well to all their home-made desserts in the menu.
At the later part of our pizza trip, Brian came and told us why he ventured to a Pizza business. He said that he’s a pizza lover himself, and it’s his dream to build a pizza house. Since his family is already into the food industry (his parents are the owner of MyJoy formerly known as McJoy), it’s not that difficult for him to start one.
Brasco Pizza and Pasta is located at The Gallery, San Jose dela Montaña/Juan Luna Avenue, Mabolo, Cebu City, in front of San Carlos Seminary and IPI. They accept delivery, and you can contact their store thru these numbers: 5057924 and 5114018.
Orange Brutus Defeated Fat Happy Bee
The mighty Brutus had just defeated the obese happy bee in a 24-hour long battle of wit, intelligence, and humor. The fat happy bee surrendered and bowed never to challenge the aristocratic brute, and swore to stick to his business selling burger patties and sweet spaghetti. LMAO!
Photo by Michael Sinjin Pineda
Cebu’s Orange Brutus, the home of the best sizzling burger steak and fresh fruit shakes, had invited 10 members of Cebu Bloggers Society to join their food tour activity last 19th of September, 2009. This food tour aims to showcase their new budget meal products and their Christmas Papremyo promo.
I’ve been a silent patron of Orange Brutus since 2004. In fact, I was a bit curious why there are more people who prefer Jolibee’s “stale” foods compared to Orange Brutus’ fresh and more affordable menus. My list of favorite meals are their Lumpia Shanghai, Burger Steak, Chicken Brutus, and Brute Burger. But, due to the scarcity of their outlets, especially in the vicinity of my workplace, I can’t visit their store more often. Nevertheless, I still believe that when it comes to food quality and affordability, Orange Brutus has an edge compared to Jolibee. (Jolibee’s massive advertisement campaign did make a big difference.)
Anyways, during our food tour activity, we met Mrs. Nina Kokseng – Misa, BFSI’s Executive Assistant. She’s the one who entertained our questions and inquiries about Orange Brutus as a company. Orange Brutus is a Cebu-based fast food chain restaurant that is managed by the Kokseng family. The business is now in it’s 30 years of existence, and though the fast food market competition became tougher nowadays, Orange Brutus still has a stable influx of customers who are patrons to their salable products. (There are still lots of people who can clearly distinguish quality from popularity.)
The Orange Brutus fast-food chain has a centralized management. This means the absence of franchise owners and the likes. The family who own the business is the one who run all it’s 20 outlets all over Cebu. And, they are the one who manage their more than 200 employees in all their branches. You can check the list of all their store outlets here.
For more information and details about Orange Brutus, you can visit their website.
Balamban Liempo, Cebu’s Tastiest
Balamban Liempo
Bursting with that succulent flavor which distinctively pleases the tongue of every picky meat lover, Balamban Liempo is definitely Cebu’s tastiest liempo. Juicy and flavorful grilled meat seasoned with local herbs and cooked to perfection, Balamban Liempo is definitely a Cebuano dish I can recommend to everyone.
Balamban Liempo Food Corner was established on July 2009 by native Cebuano couple, Jojo and Honey Vergara. Both are from Abucayan, Balamban. For those people who don’t know, Balamban is a farming and fishing municipality in South Cebu known for their ship building industry.
Jojo and Honey were inspired by Balamban’s method of grilling liempo using several local herbs and secret ingredients. They first set up their business at Jojo’s father’s residence in Mabolo, Cebu. Their first customers are the people in their neighborhood who spread the news to the locals about the newest dish in town.
Just recently, they opened their second branch in Salinas Drive, Lahug. For this opening, they invited 12 members of the Cebu Bloggers Society to check their product and make an objective review about it. And, my verdict is…
Well, as what I said in the very first paragraph of this post, Balamban Liempo is definitely very tasty. Well-cooked meat and heavenly crunchy skin dipped in a special local vinegar would make you crave for more. The liempo is very meaty, no extra fatties. If you have tried CnT’s lechon, then the quality of taste is in the same level. The only difference is, you can buy a whole piece of liempo for only Php 160, and that’s already good for 4-5 persons. It’s great for barkada, office, or family dining.
Balamban Liempo Food Corner has also opened their 3rd branch in Hi-way, Mandaue. They aim to open five stores by the end of 2009 and 10 stores by 2010. For orders and inquiries you can contact 09226205921, 09285022605, or 4158592 and look for Mr. Jojo Vergara or Mr. Gaylord Tingzon.
Reference: Balamban Liempo Profile
Photo Credits: Cebu Classifieds (I tried to search for its link, but can’t find it ):), Mark Tan, Prince
