Subseastu's emigration story part 2 zzzzzzzzz

We where there about 4 months ago and really enjoyed it. Best fillet steak outside of the hotels we've had. Great cocktails and a reasonable crowd , some with great dancing. Yes there are a few girls of the night there but if you look they seem to all over that area of the mall in that outside area. If you ignore them then it shouldn't impact on your time. We will certainly be going back, best area of Manila in our mind

By way of contrast ....



That house, in Binicutan (Subic BFPZ), was available for rent at Php 30,000 fully-furnished ...

Yes, I meant Cafe Havana. A lot of foreigners are still attracted to the place because it is good. Just shame on how the girls have "polluted" the once wholesome area. You would even see them hanging around at Starbucks and Cafe Breton. The posh crowd has already moved to Greenbelt 5 or the Fort area.

You area look ok and peaceful, very different from central Manila where we have a place. Rent is cheap especially in the province.

Yes precisely. Manila would be the most expensive and different districts would be more expensive than the rest. Think Makati, Fort, Alabang, Greenhills, New Manila, etc.

Re Cafe Havana, yes they really wont be bothering you but you can't also control the crowd who hangs out there. They might hit on your make friends or boyfriends. Or a lady can be hit on by a guy thinking she is one as well. Lots of there better places Steak wise, I can make fabulous recommendations!

Haven't been to Cafe Havana for a couple of years. Nice enough and, for Kay and I, "people watching" is all part of the fun, especially if you are making bets with each other on whether the lady at the next table but one is a working girl or a bakla! Kay is very slender and she does get hit on by baklas, depending depending on what she is wearing, but she finds it fun!

House rentals are just plain weird, to me. Kay used to rent a nice three bedroom house in a Cammela Homes development in Bulacan - this one, in fact:

http://www.camellahomes.net/communities/bulacan/tierra-del-sueno.php

for P8K a month; the owners were OFWs. She now rents a two bedroom apartment in La Mesa, QC for P6K a month - both quiet and nice on tidy streets with good neighbours.

Working on my own in Manila, years ago, I rented a studio flat in a high rise in Makati for P20K a month; it was excellent and the ONLY place where I never had any security worries at all.

Please make some recommendations for eating out, especailly places that can actually bring course of food out in the right order or indeed wait until you've finshed your starter before appearing with the main course and dessert!!

Alright, that's pretty good then for you. Usually it is a lot quieter inside subdivisions and gated communities. But then it will be a totally different situation once you leave the main gate!

Our new place and my parent's place is usually pretty peaceful. Where I used to live (with my parents), we still have big balete trees lining the streets and it was like a forest when the storms would hit the city

Have you tried the restaurants with tasting courses? They are paced well and they will wait for you until you finish. The Goose Station is a good option, it is a small restaurant in a not so busy building in the Fort area. Also good is Magosasaburo, a new Japanese restaurant also on the Fort Strip area. It has very good wagyu steaks.

Steak wise, you can also try Elbert's Steak Room, House of Wagyu, The Fireplace, Mamou, Chef Jessie at the Rockwell Club, Aubergine and Antonio's at Tagaytay.

Thanks. It is peaceful. River behind, nearest house L or R is 1/2 Km and 150 Mt in front is the School & Chapel on the BRGY, (Pop <250 resident voters), road. It works for us.
The car 2nd. hand market with a Kuya "Arthur Daly" would be a minefield of problems and possible later expensive unguarranteed repairs I thought so I bought new.
The cost for us, living 20 kliks from the supermarket and city, was the hire of a SUZUKI multiCab + driver @ £12 a day and 4 or 5 times a week made the cost of buying new less daunting. Commuting cost P100 a day each and my old bones don't like it. Trike, Jeepney & trike's in the city + the shopping. No ta.!
City living wins as a car then is not a necessity.
But City living would drive me even more Loco.

There's a thought !! Cities - easy to live in.?

For me : Singapore


Tom

Some good resturants recommendations. I also liked the french style resturant in the Hyatt in Emerta when we used to stay there. Excellant food, the chinese resturant in the hotel was also very good though expensive.

I must admit i've been turning into a bit of a foodie these last years. Mainly due to wages increases I've been able to take the wife out to better places. I recently made friends with a chef / owner back in our town in the Uk who actually had Michelin in as hewas trying for a star. Very nearly got it on his first go as well. Just had to sort a few things out but unfortunatly some baliffs turned up one morning and turfed him out as the landlord was apparently £85000 behind on mortgage payments!!

Oh yes a bit more on subject but the wife has declared this morning that on saturday she will be going christmas tree shopping!!! I did ask if this was purely down to the fact we are in the philippines and not the uk? She answered yes. So thats going to be over 2 months of xmas decorations up in the house!! Gald I'm at work for most of it!!!

The Golden Sala, I have never heard of it though Malate was never my scene. Is it a different name now that it moved to Greenbelt?

Korean Food - my family and I love Ye Dang which is in Ortigas, near Metrowalk.

Chinese - Gloria Maris, Century Seafood Restaurant, Choi Garden are my top picks. For a bit more modern Chinese food, our favorite is IMC Kavino at Jupiter Street, Makati.

Lili at the Hyatt is good, we dine there during special occasions and with the quality of food, the price is fair for a hotel. Xi Tian Di at Crowne Plaza is a cheaper Chinese restaurant in a hotel option. A bit more expensive option but is superb is at Tin Hau in Mandarin Oriental (they catered our wedding last year) and Summer Palace in EDSA Shangri-la.

There is a French restaurant near Makati and South Super Highway, it is tucked in a quiet street but I forgot the name.

Subseastu, what restaurant do you and the wife want to try? I turned my husband into a foodie and we're always on the hunt for good restaurants in Manila. Shame we don't have any Michelin starred chefs or restaurants here.

To be honest we're not big fans of chinese food apart from some of the soups and crispy duck pancakes. We like Indian, Thai, european, japanesse mainly. Sukura in Olongapo is a v good japanesse resturant, though tends to fill with very noisy eating koreans!!

You may want to try -

Chelsea, Serendra
Cafe Ysabel, Greenhills
Ramen places like Ikkoryu Fukuoka, Kichitora of Tokyo, Mitsuyado Sei-Men etc. Butao Ramen in HK is a favorite of foodies from Manila is opening a branch in SM MOA.
Akira, Shanri-la Mall
Woo Galbi, Shangri-la Mall
Green Pastures, Shangri-la Mall
Chef Jessie, Rockwell Club
Aubergine, BGC
Seryna, Makati
East Cafe, Rustans Makati
Va Bene Pasta Deli, Makati
Pasteleria La Nuova, Makati
Lemuria, Quezon City
Buon Giorno, Ortigas
Le Bistro d'Agathe, Makati

Thanks for the tips Blue acid