The best things we tasted in April 2024

Fire-Grilled Amadai at Kasa Palma

Balai Palma of Chef Aaron Isip has relaunched and transferred to a much bigger place, now called Kasa Palma. Just a few meters away from the old location, it is now offering two dining experiences with totally different concepts -- a full course tasting menu in the main dining room, and an a la carte offering with only 8 seats at the chef’s counter. I recently tried the Grilled Amadai in Shishito-Bell Pepper Sauce with Grilled Shishito from the a la carte menu and was blown away! Also called sweet sea bream, this is a light delicate fish complemented with Chef Aaron’s herby peppery green sauce that has a tinge of sweetness. Order this with the lemongrass rice! The a la carte concept promises to offer the island cuisine of different countries with the use of firewood. The menu is far from expensive too. Small plates are as low as P300, and prices of the big plates start at P980. -- JC Cailles Lo

Chef Aaron Isip just relocated his restaurant operations literally down the street to a bigger location that is now called Kasa Palma. At Kasa, you can still go for the tasting menus Balai was known for or opt for his new “a la carte” menu. An early must-try is his big plate Grilled Amadai in Shishito-Bell Pepper Sauce with Grilled Shishito. Topped with perfectly fried fish scales that adds just the right amount of crunch plus a hint of saltiness that makes the dish extra tasty. -- Cyrene de la Rosa

Chinese High Tea at Yu Lei in Okada Manila

Chinese restaurant Yu Lei in Okada Manila is part of the property’s premium dining concept. I was today years old when I found out that this was the same restaurant in Hong Kong that earned a Michelin star for four years before it closed down. When Okada relaunched it in Manila, they even brought the original head chef Mikiya Imagawa. A must-try in this restaurant is its Chinese High Tea offering and majority of the dishes were savory items. Perfect for a non-dessert person like me! You will have 2- or 3-tier stand options, predominantly filled dim sum, and a lot of small plates on the side like appetizers, soup, rice rolls and fried rice. -- JC Cailles Lo

Arroz Meloso De Pato Y Setas at Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez

Chef Chele Gonzalez is everywhere! There’s a brand-new restaurant at the roof deck of Westin Manila called Cantabria. This is actually a place where the chef grew up, located on Spain’s North Coast and considered an autonomous community. The Manila dining scene has been rapidly maturing and this is an example of that. We no longer have generic Spanish restaurant launches and more regional concepts are being introduced. Everyone should order the Arroz Meloso De Pato Y Setas, a creamy velvety rice dish that is full of umami, topped with perfectly pink duck slices, fresh mushrooms, and roasted apple aioli. One of the best tasting plates of carbs I’ve tried in recent times. -- JC Cailles Lo

Kare-Kare at George and Onnie's

After lamenting that it is becoming more difficult to find good kare-kare in a restaurant, I finally found a new bet for best Kare-kare in town at George and Onnie’s (formerly Little Flour Cafe). Their take features all the good stuff like extremely tender tendon, tripe and beef rib fingers drowned in a killer sauce made from roasted peanut paste, annatto with gata and bagoong in the sauce. The chefs will argue that you no longer need to add more shrimp paste but, don’t worry as an order still comes with it. So, you can further season it to your liking. Best eaten with lots of hot rice. -- Cyrene de la Rosa

Croissants at L’Atelier du Grain

I was finally able to visit Baguio again after the pandemic and checked out  the relatively new French bakery L’Atelier du Grain by Chef Didier Derouet located off the Military Cut-off Road at the same building that houses another new must-visit restaurant in Baguio —The Gallery by Witchcraft. A bakery that you must visit if you like croissants. Their plain croissants is one of the best I’ve tried in the country if not the best. Closest contender would be the croissants of the now-closed Tymad Bistro in Cebu. So, I wasn’t surprised to also find the best almond croissants there. P.S. Yes, the croissants here are better than Rebel’s. -- Cyrene de la Rosa

Braised Pork & Preserved Vegetable Claypot Rice at Kao Kee

Asian paella! That's what I thought when I scraped off the soccarat-like crispy burnt rice at the bottom. The char siu on top is just melt-in-your-mouth tender with that sweet braising liquid seeping into the rice below. Add some more of the special sauce to up the umami in the dish. Priced at P438. -- Jeeves de Veyra

Batwan Ice Cream at Cafe Belmont in Belmont Hotel Manila

Belmont Hotel executive chef Andrew Ko churns batwan, a Visayan souring agent commonly used in savory soups and sauces, into ice cream. Think calamansi, but fruitier and less acidic. This really highlighted the Lokalpedia and Belmont Hotel's objective of focusing on not-so-well-known ingredients, as well as finding new applications for them. -- Jeeves de Veyra

Lingua Franca 2021 Estate Chardonnay

Looking for a new Chardonnay to try? Check-out this fresh, and lively yet elegant Lingua Franca 2021 Estate Chardonnay (Eola-Amity Hills) that was rated a 94 by Wine Enthusiast that’s exhibiting Burgundian precision — that wines from  Master Sommelier Larry Stone’s Lingua Franca are known for.  Perfect with dimsum and the extra sunny weather Manila is experiencing now. Exclusively available locally at Premium Wine Exchange at Chino Roces Ext., Makati. -- Cyrene de la Rosa

Cold Brew Sago't Gulaman at Caravan Black

Caravan Black fuses two favorites into a drink that's just perfect for a scorching hot day. This drink is brewed from scratch as the café makes its sago, coffee jelly, arnibal and 24-hour cold brew. When assembled, this is best over ice. It is a sweet drink, but mixed in with that unmistakable hit of caffeine. Priced at P170 for medium and P185 for large. -- Jeeves de Veyra

Alabang Pina Colada at Nonie's Alabang

This concoction of boozy pineapple juice, coconut milk, housemade sweetener topped with a torched cinnamon pineapple slice brings a bit of Nonie's home in the sun-kissed beach paradise of Boracay to Alabang. They don't put rum in this. Instead, they use sake to give this a softer and more pleasant buzz that it made me have one (or was it two, or three) more. Priced at P400. -- Jeeves de Veyra