Food

#LoveLocal: 10 Filipino Drip Coffee Brands to Level up your Morning Brew

Anne B Lifestyle, Business, Food, Trending
Filipino drip coffee

Demand for Filipino drip coffee is on the rise because they are perfect for those who want their coffee strong, simple, and local. These little bags of joy are conveniently designed to give you freshly brewed coffee without the need for a coffee machine or elaborate equipment. Using the pour over coffee technique, brewing is as simple as tearing the sachet, pouring hot water, and letting the coffee drip.

Local drip coffee bags come in different variants from the staple Kapeng Barako to flavored blends such as caramel, hazelnut, butterscotch, and many more. The local coffee market is thriving and a number of shops have added drip coffee bags – or single serve pour over coffee, on their product offerings.

Social media and e-commerce have made it accessible to purchase and support local coffee producers. Here’s a list of where to can get good quality local drip coffee bags.

Read more

50 Most Popular Social Media Influencers in 2020 in the Philippines

Jane Adamson Lifestyle, Fashion & Beauty, Food, Travel, Trending
50 Most Popular Social Media Influencers in 2020 in the Philippines

Social media has become an almost inescapable part of our daily lives. Ever since the emergence of social media platforms in the late 90s, modern society has learned to connect and communicate in ways that would have almost seemed impossible decades before. Social media influences the way we speak, the music we listen to, where we travel, what we eat, and what we wear— and at the forefront of that are the influencers.

In 2018, the Association of National Advertisers found that 75% of national advertisers in the US use influencer marketing, and 43% were planning to increase their spending on it in the next year. Influencers awe, inform, and yes, entertain, and social media would certainly be a different place without them. If you’re looking to spice up your Instagram feed, then here’s a list of the fifty top social media influencers in the Philippines.

Read more

Entertainment City: City of Dreams Manila

James Gonzales Food, Lifestyle, Travel
Entertainment City: City of Dreams Manila
Image from World Casinos Directory.

The second casino and resort to rise in the Entertainment City complex, City of Dreams saw its doors open with a soft opening on December 14, 2014, and a grand opening on February 2, 2015. It celebrated its inauguration with a bang through the Concert of Dreams, which featured local talents like Gary Valenciano and Zsa Zsa Padilla, as well as international stars like Ne-Yo and Kelly Rowland.

City of Dreams is a sister resort to City of Dreams in Macau, but it has its own unique Manila flair that makes it stand out. The resort has six hotel towers with 938 rooms, including Nobu Hotel, Nuwa (formerly known as Crown Towers), and a Hyatt Regency Hotel.

In addition to this, City of Dreams is also a gamer’s haven, with 289 gaming tables, 1,620 slot machines, and 176 electronic table games. For shopaholics, it’s also home to The Shops at the Boulevard, an almost 80,000 square meter shopping mall housing the best local and international brands around. Families will also enjoy DreamPlay, a theme park located in the complex that was developed in partnership with DreamWorks Animation, as well as The Garage, a VR play and dining experience that’ll knock your socks off.

One of the most awe-inspiring sites in the City of Dreams complex includes the Fortune Egg, a dome-like building that houses two of the best international nightclubs in Manila. Visitors can choose between Chaos or Pangaea, both of which were developed by the group of “International King of Clubs” Michael Van Cleef Ault.

Read more

Entertainment City: Solaire Resort and Casino

James Gonzales Food, Lifestyle, Travel
Entertainment City: Solaire Resort and Casino
Image from Frontera.net

When it comes to glitz and glamor in the Philippines, Solaire Resort and Casino has quickly climbed to the top of the list after its opening in 2013. The first of four resorts to operate in Manila’s Entertainment City, Solaire first opened its doors on March 16, 2013, with 800 guest rooms, suites, and villas.

It currently holds the distinction of being the tallest hotel in the Manila Bay area, and features a column-free grand ballroom that can accommodate 1,300 guests, 8 function rooms and 2 boardrooms with audiovisual equipment, leisure, live entertainment, dining, and retail hubs, and the Theatre at Solaire, which houses 1,740 seats and a retail space of 60,000 square meters. Last but definitely not the least, Solaire also boasts an 18,500 square meter gaming area with 1,620 slot machines and 360 gaming tables.

Read more

Bright Lights and Big Games: A Primer on Manila’s Entertainment City

James Gonzales Food, Lifestyle, Travel
Bright Lights and Big Games: A Primer on Manila’s Entertainment City
Image taken from Entertainment City Manila’s homepage.

Bright lights, gaming and leisure, and balmy, tropical weather— these words don’t just describe entertainment tourism stalwarts like Las Vegas and Macau. When it comes to leisure, there’s a new kid on the proverbial block, and it looks like it’s aiming to be a powerhouse. The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR)’s Entertainment City has been in operation for several years, and is well on its way to transforming the face of Philippine tourism.

With integrated resorts and casinos, as well as dozens of high-end shopping and dining prospects, Entertainment City showcases the best of Philippine entertainment tourism. Here’s a primer on what you can expect from the glitz and glamor of this expanding gaming and entertainment complex.

Read more

The Most Popular Traditional Filipino Drinks

Jonah De Jesus Food, History
The Most Popular Traditional Filipino Drinks

Every culture has its own history of brewing and distilling liquor and spirits from local ingredients. When Ferdinand Magellan and the rest of the Spanish conquistadors first arrived in the Philippine islands, natives offered them local goods like fish, figs, and coconuts. They also gave them a jar of local alcohol, which historians claim was either arack, which is wine made from palm, or tuba, wine made from fermented coconut nectar.

The culture of drinking in the Philippines has continued into the present, with different bars, pubs, speakeasies, restaurants, and the like serving a wide variety of liquor and alcoholic concoctions. If you’re looking to explore locally-made spirits and wines made from native ingredients and rooted in cultural history and tradition, here’s a list of common Filipino drinks worth trying out.

Read more

10 Local Foods to Try When Visiting the Philippines

Jonah De Jesus Food
10 Local Foods to Try When Visiting the Philippines

Filipino food can be considered an underdog when it comes to internationally-acclaimed cuisines, but according to an article by Vice, it’s been slowly gaining traction and charming palates from around the world.

The slow rise of the global popularity of Filipino cuisine might be due to its complexity, with its various elements and the wide variety of culinary traditions in the archipelago alone. Food website Pepper.ph says that the food traditions of the more than 80 ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines can be hard to capture. Add the fact that most ingredients that are staples in Filipino cuisine can be hard to come by internationally, which makes authentic Filipino cuisine difficult to achieve in other countries.

This only proves the fact that the only place to enjoy the best Filipino food is in the Philippines itself. Here’s a list of local food dishes you definitely have to try.

Read more

Wineries and Wine Culture in the Philippines

Jonah De Jesus Food
Wineries and Wine Culture in the Philippines

Although the Philippines might not be well-known as a wine region, Filipinos don’t fall behind when it comes to enjoying a good glass of red or white. With quite a number of wine bars carrying only the best European wines, you don’t have to be afraid of missing out on your wine of choice. The Philippines is also home to varieties of wine cultivated from locally-grown crops and fruit, with flavor profiles distinct to each region. Whether you call yourself a true connoisseur, or if you simply enjoy having a glass after a long day, here are different ways to enjoy your favorite nightcap.

Read more