Manila - what we did and how we did it

You might remember Will & Christine from my previous life in Canberra.  There are lots of posts about their wonderful and generous entertaining skills because they have an incredible love of food, booze and fun. By a happy coincidence, they have now moved down the road from me to Manila. Well sort of down the road, in a catch an international flight kind of way....but geographically they are now my closest peeps outside of GZ. So the brief for my weekend in Manila? Lots of good food, no dumplings, some blue sky, good coffee, cocktails and general hang time.  This is what we did:

Have brunch at Wild Flour: Fantastic pastries. I can not begin to describe these pastries   They have ALL THE PASTRIES...and a great brunch menu. Good coffee too.

Hang out for a while at Salcedo Saturday Markets. This is a lovely little market full of fresh produce and boutique providores. 

After shooting a few rounds in your local malls shooting range, head out to Little Tokyo for lunch. Fresh fish flown in from Tokyo. I'm not kidding.

Too hot to stay outside? Hit Century City Mall to get your nails done and grab some gelato from the roof top food hall. Not really a food hall, but more like a bunch of interesting food trucks set inside little shops inside air-conditioned comfort.

Then home for a sneaky cocktail, some french champagne and a dazzling view of Manila city.  Then off to dinner at the modern Filipino restaurant the Rural Kitchen of Liliw Laguna.

Round off the day with another sneaky cocktail at the Curator. Sneaky because you have to walk to the back of a wine bar and into a semi secret door to get there. I had and Ode to Pamela - Gin, Lime, Tonic, Sugar, Watermelon Ice. Pamela and I were good friends. 

Want to do fun stuff on your Sunday. Head back to the Curator for great coffee (yep by day a cafe) and then a stroll to Legazpi markets for all your lunch time food needs. Every type of food your heart desires.  Great homemade products to buy too - think beautiful hand made soaps and wooden things.

Then after an afternoon checking out antique and record stores go to the red light district and pull up a table at El Chumpaca. Order tacos and a Bloody Mary.  You will not regret this.