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

Balboa brings the favorites of Italian cuisine and are well known for their brick oven pizzas, hand made pastas and dry aged steaks that are guaranteed knockouts. It’s perfect for those looking for a nice and quiet place to share a meal with their loved ones. Some best sellers among Balboa’s extensive authentic offerings are Balboa’s Signature Pizza, Prosciutto Arugula Pizza, Truffle Mushroom Linguine, Spinach Tagliatelle Adriatico, U.S Angus Rib-eye and U.S Tenderloin with Foie Gras. These Balboa specialties make for delectable dishes to savor solo or to share with your special someone. Fun fact: All pasta, pizza dough and sauces are made fresh daily.

Borough, named after New York’s 5 boroughs–Manhattan, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island, brings New York’s finest comfort food 24 hours a day, 7 days a wekk. This and sister The Bowery is a concept restaurant by New Yorker Cuit Kaufman. It’s for breakfast lovers, casual lunch meetings, people who work graveyard shifts and/or party goers looking to cure a hangover. It’s not for foodies who are in search of other types of beer matches. We recommend the Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup, Fried Chicken & Waffles and their signature Mom’s Milk and Cookies. Our insidert tip is they have 4 separate menus for each meal of the day including late night–breakfast is from 6:00am to 11:00am, lunch is from 11:00am to 5:00pm, dinner is from 5:00pm to 11:00pm and late night is from 11:00pm to 6:00am.

Executive chef Chiloy Santos drew inspiration from his culinary travels to San Francisco and New Orleans, came back and created Kettle. Kettle offers traditional southern American comfort food like hamburgers, fried chicken and steaks and amped with its own signature sauces and spices. It’s for people who enjoy American style platters. It’s not for solo diners, servings are generous. We recommend the Pork and Potato Strips for starters and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Miso Glazed Salmon for mains. Our insider tip is all Kettle desserts are made by Chef Chiloy’s mom, Vilma Santos (no, not the actress). Try her Instagram-worthy Checkered Cake. P.S. New on the menu: Brisket Sisig Tacos are coming soon.

Yabu is the leader in all things Katsu (meaning cutlet in English). Owner John Concepcion of Uniliver RFM Ice Cream, Inc. brought in Chef Kazuya Takeda from Tokyo to partner with and create this specialized dining experience with him. It’s for people of all ages who like their food deep fried. It’s not for people looking for a wide Japanese menu selection. We recommend the Kurobuta Premium set (‘Kurobuta’is also known as the kobe beef of pork). Our insider tip is fill up their VIP form and get a ‘surprise’ e-mail (a.k.a. free Katsu) on your birthday. If you don’t already know, ‘The Yabu Promise’ is they will serve you within 20 minutes or it’s free. P.S. Catch their limited Katsu burgers in stores now.

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.

Churreria La Lola, from the same owners of Rambla, is a dessert shop featuring a popular Spanish dough pastry, the deep fried churros. They offer classic churros served with their signature Belgian chocolate dip and a variety of xuxos or stuffed churros, as well as sandwiches and horchata, which is a traditional summer Spanish drink. This is their 4th branch. It’s for anyone craving for a filling dessert or a snack. It’s not for people looking for lunch or dinner options. We recommend the Classic Churros with Hot Belgian Chocolate Cup or the Mixed Churros to get 2 flavors in one holder. Our insider tip is the churros are individually big and filling so buy to share.

Ippudo is the first branch of this international group in the Philippines.  A joint venture with the guys at Yabu, it specializes in Hakata-style Tonkotsu (pork-based) ramen produced in their kitchen and tailor-fitted for the Filipino palate. It’s for straight up ramen minus the fancy embellishments of modern cuisine. It’s not for people looking for an extensive Japanese menu. We recommend their Shiromaru Motoji ramen and the pork buns. Our insider tip is that cute “kiddie sets” may be requested for your little ones. P.S. Ippudo Matsuri cards are now available. Customers get free ramen after completing all 5 ramen sidekicks stamps.

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, which is 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.

Maisen, which means ‘go for it’, is one of Japan‘s finest tonkatsu restaurants brought to Manila by Suyen Corporation a.k.a. Bench group. . It offers various tonkatsu sets, including its bestselling Kurobuta Tenderloin Katsu served with their signature sweet and spicy Kurobuta sauce. It’s for people looking for straightforward fine Japanese fried items. It’s not for people who should stay away from hefty meal sets and fried food. We recommend the Kurobuta Tenderloin Katsu set, Katsumabushi set and the pocket sandwiches. Our insider tip is that all the side dishes including the rice, soup, cabbage and fruits are refillable.

Green Pastures, a farm-to-table concept restaurant created by Chef Robby Goco of crowd-favorite Cyma, promises to deliver locally-sourced and produced, and wholly organic dishes. It’s for people who love salads and higher quality produce. It’s not for people who are craving for some good grease. We recommend their salads, homemade cheeses and juice selection. Our insider tip is Chef Robby constantly updates the menu ‘based on what’s in season, what’s new and what’s fresh,’ which is why their menu is stamped with a validity period.

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.