Top 10 Most Loved Restaurants in San Juan & Mandaluyong for December 2015

CoCo Ichibanya Curry House, Japan’s #1 curry house, was brought to Manila by the UCC Group. Guests can customize their plates from the amount of rice, spiciness of the curry, to the toppings and sides. It’s for anyone who loves spicy curry with lots of rice. It’s not for people who should stay away from rice and fried foods. We recommend their Pork Cutlet, Cheese Hamburger and Shrimp Cutlet curries. Our insider tip is to save room for their coffee jelly dessert.

Paper Moon Cafe is a dessert cafe that offers the heavenly mille crepe cakes of Emy Wada, Tokyo’s Grand Dame of Specialty Cakes and founder of Lady M in New York city. The handmade paper-thin 20-layered crepe cakes are available in mini, medium and large sizes. It’s great for post meal desserts or afternoon tea time. It’s not for an all boys drinking affair. We recommend the Mango Mille Crepe. Here’s a fun fact: Paper Moon Cafe is a partnership between Emy and Mille Crepe Cake fan, Vic del Rosario of Viva Entertainment.

Chef Laudico Guevarra’s is a 1920’s heritage house restaurant and events place where guests can enjoy an upscale but affordable Filipino buffet dining, in function rooms or outdoor setting, from Chefs Roland and Jacqueline Laudico. It’s for special business meetings and family celebrations. It’s not a place to treat your friends if you’re on a tight budget. We recommend the angus beef tapa, kare-kare, grilled gindara and cream dory with mango curry sauce. Our insider tip is their clean plate policy charges you P100 for every 100 grams left. P.S. Buffet price is half for kids 4 feet and below.

Casa Verde, one of Cebu’s most popular dining destination, finally arrived in Manila in late 2013. It is a family-style American restaurant serving their signature value-for-money ribs, steaks and desserts. This is its 2nd branch in Manila. It’s for families and barkadas who enjoy fully-plated dishes to share. It’s not for intimate affairs. We recommend Brian’s Ribs, the Mighty Ton and Death by Chocolate. Here’s a fun fact: Most of the signature dishes on the menu are named after some members of the family. They have a spin-off restaurant in Sikatuna Village, QC called The Porch.

Dohtonbori, from Tokyo, is Japan’s #1 okonomiyaki restaurant chain that offers the first cook-your-own okonomiyaki experience in Manila. It has over 300 stores in Japan, with branches in Thailand and Taiwan. This is its first branch in the Philippines. It’s for foodies who enjoy DIY meals. It’s not for people who prefer American-style pancakes. We recommend the Deluxe Okonomiyaki, Four-Cheese and Dohtonbori Pizza, and their premium yakiniku. Our insider tip is Dohtonbori in Japan has released over 200 variants of their famous Japanese pancakes, and the same is to be expected for Manila. P.S. Watch out for its 2nd branch, opening at SM North soon.

Rib City is a fun and interactive restaurant specializing in ribs, but they also offer dishes like pasta, salads, soups and other mains. In line with their restaurant concept, they encourage guests to play and build legos while waiting for orders. This is its 2nd branch in the metro. It’s for barkada night outs or Saturday playdates with the kids. It’s not for people who are looking for a quiet nook. We recommend the Big City with CTY rice or the Twin Tower. Our insider tip is Rib City Maginhawa, the #1 most loved restaurant in all of Metro Manila for November and December, is a Booky Prime partner, book a table through the app and get up to P300 off, when your total bill is at least P1,000.

Ooma is a modern Japanese restaurant by the Moment Group and young acclaimed chef Bruce Ricketts, the same partnership that brought us Mecha Uma. Ooma, a wordplay on Uma meaning ‘good’, promises bold Japanese flavors at affordable prices. It’s for people who are looking for quality sushi at affordable prices. It’s not for people looking for ramen. We recommend the Soft Shell Crab Taco-Maki, Hangar Steak and Uni Udon. Our insider tip is that at Ooma, you get to ‘brush’ (not dip) soy sauce on your sushi. P.S. Servers roam around with buckets giving out unlimited rice.

Chiggy’s Original Barbecue is a local barbecue restaurant best known for its jumbo liempo (grilled pork belly), one of the most timeless and favorite Pinoy dishes of all time. It also serves other popular beer pairings like sisig, inasal and tokwa’t baboy, lechon kawali, and more. It’s for the after work crowd of Mandaluyong looking for delicious and affordable meals and drinks. It’s not for people looking for high end imported beers and spirits. We recommend the jumbo liempo meal. Our insider tip is it’s 24/7.

Tim Ho Wan is Hong Kong’s most celebrated dim sum restaurant, after all it’s the cheapest One Michelin star in the world. It’s for affordable and fast dim sum. It’s not for people who don’t want to queue. Their crowd stealer is the Baked Bun with BBQ Pork. We also recommend their Wasabi Salad Prawn Dumpling and Steamed Spinach Dumpling with Shrimp. Our insider tip is take out orders are now allowed and there is a separate queue. It currently has 4 branches around the metro already.

The Halal Guys is a halal gyro food cart based in New York City, founded in 1990. Their bright red and yellow umbrellas and flags quickly caught the attention of New Yorkers and tourists alike and soon long queues became its norm. It’s for people craving for gyro wraps and platters. It’s not for people who prefer kababs over shredded meat. We recommend the chicken and beef rice platters. Our insider tip is go  wild on the white sauce but easy on the red sauce, they give quite the spicy kick. P.S. Follow their Twitter account @thehalalguysph for line updates. Read our full feature here.