Makansutra, Manila Ocean Park

"Makansutra is founded by the affable K.F Seetoh, whose mission is to celebrate the best of Asian Food Culture and Lifestyle. It is a food company that does not sell food but to promote the joy of eating."

Makansutra Asian Food Village is located at the 2nd floor of Manila Ocean Park.
FYI -- There are no entrance fees :)

A huge open kitchen is located at the center of the restaurant:

Aside from the food, they also offer a wide variety of drinks:

We chose to sit on the window aisle to enjoy the view :)
Ivy liked the natural light so she could take more nice shots of Sofia :)

It looks like a self-service restaurant but servers are everywhere to hand out menus so you can order from your table. However, they will try their best to ignore you as much as possible :p
Service was really.. really.. REALLY poor!!! :p


Here comes our food.. Yey!!!

First to arrive --- our drinks:

Michael Jackson (Php 60)

Soya Milk with Black Gulaman

The soya milk was easily diluted with the ice :(

Tehtarik (Php 45)

This milk tea can be served hot or cold.

It was okay :)

It tasted like Lipton Black tea with Creamer

Bandung with ChinChow (Php 90)

Rose Syrup with Milk and Black Gulaman

Sofia LOVED this drink :)

And for the food:

This picture by Ivy Anne Hangsitang-Tan

Pad Thai Noodles (Php 150)
Thai style, stir-fried rice noodles with eggs, bean sprouts, shrimp and tofu, garnished with crushed peanuts, coriander and lime juice, flavoured with palm sugar and tamarind.

WEEELABEET!!!
YUMMY!!!!! as in!!!

Other noodles:
Char Kway Teow (Php 150)
Fried Hokien Prawn Noodle (Php 150)

Singapore Chicken Rice (Php 150)
Fragrant Jasmine rice cooked in chicken stock served with poached chicken, atchara, pickles and chili sauce

This was served with clear soup on the side :)
ANOTHER WINNER! hihihi


Bagoong Fried Rice (Php 150)
Liempo and Asado Rice (Php 140)

LAKSA (Php 160)
Rice noodle dish made with spices like chili, galangal, belachan, dried shrimps, seafood stock and smothered with coconut milk

I have been craving for Laksa ever since I came home from Singapore and this dish brought me back to Sing!!!
I will definitely order this soup again!!!
It was not too spicy and yet it had this kick! :)
I just hope they use authentic rice noodles next time and not spaghetti noodles :p

Other noodle soups:
Wanton Mee (Php 150) - cantonese egg noodle dish with meaty and prawn dumplings, with a soy oyster and sesame oil sauce
Bar Chor Mee (Php 150) - minced pork, sliced mushrooms, fishcake tossed in a chocolate chili paste with a hint of black vinegar

Crab Meat Fried Rice (Small - Php 200; Large - Php 400)
We ordered the small portion, and it's good for 3-4 pax.
They didn't use real crabs but the rice was still very flavorful.

Fish and Chips (Php 175)
Done gold and crispy.
The crumb was very light, unlike the usual fish and chips so you could truly enjoy the juicy fish!!!
It was very very VERY GOOD for a fish and chips :)
Sofia gave the thumbs up sign! :p

Roti Prata (Php 100)
Indian Style pan fried flipped dough, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, served with curry sauce.

The dough was awesome but the curry sauce tasted more like a peanut sauce :)


All in all, this had been a fantastic experience and we would definitely go back!!!
The price was just right and the ambiance was good.
It would be best to go during weekdays to avoid too much crowd going to the Manila Ocean Park :)














Makansutra Asian Food Village
2nd Floor, Manila Ocean Park
Behind the Quirino Grand Stand
Luneta, Manila
Open Daily from 11am - 9pm
Contact Number: 567-7777

Hundred Islands - Alaminos, Pangasinan

Alaminos is about 3-4 hours away from Manila via SCTex.

There are plenty of resorts/hotels in the area but don't expect to find a 5-star hotel :p

You have to rent a boat (to reach the beaches on the islands), which is Php 1500, good for 10-15 pax.

Just make sure that is the capacity of the boat and life vests are readily available for all.

On the way to the hundred islands, you will see fishermen standing in the middle of the sea.. literally!

Because there are shallow parts in the middle of the sea where you can dock if you want :)

First stop: Governor's Island

The locals will charge Php 20 as "entrance fee," but it is used for the maintenance of the island since many tourists arrive there every day.

If you want to go to the top, you will have to pay another Php 150 :p

Another tourist attraction here  is the small cave on the other side of the island :)

Next Island: Children's Island

Too bad I wasn't able to take pictures because we did not get off the boat.

It's called Children's Island because of the shallow water, where most families with kids swim :)

Last stop: Quezon Island

Most tourists bring their lunch here and cook it in the island.

There are plenty of cottages and a grilling station in the area.

It is called Quezon Island because there is a Manuel L. Quezon monument at the top :)

Dining in (Lingayen) Pangasinan is not a problem - restaurants are everywhere (but not on the islands) and cheap too!

short order dishes are about 50 pesos only :)

Aside from the 123 islands, Pangasinan is also famous for their inihaw na Hito (mudfish) and inihaw na Bangus (milkfish). YUMMY!

Pinoys like to eat them without utensils so enjoy! Hehehe

Related Links

Zambales Getaway (Anawangin, Capones, Camara)

North Luzon Road Trip

A Perfect Trip - BORACAY

Island Cove Cavite

Focaccia Italian Restaurant - A Slice of Italy (A.Venue Mall)

I have been wanting to try out C' Italian Dining's Panizza and to my surprise, there's also a similar one here in Manila. Yahoo!!!

I was too excited when i learned that Focaccia is also serving Panizzas!!!
But here, they call it Pazzo Rolls, meaning CRAZY rolls!!!

FREE focaccia breads to fill the stomach while waiting for our orders :)

It's good to dip it with balsamic vinegar mixed with olive oil.

Some prefer to add Parmesan cheese and chili oil or chili flakes :)

We ordered Proschiutto (Php 380; mini - Php 240)

parma ham, artichoke hearts, mushrooms and cheese sauce

Not too much flavor though :)

Arugula leaves and Alfalfa sprouts

These makes rolling pizza crazy!!!

Who would ever go wrong with Quattro Formaggi? (Four Cheese Pizza - Php 360; mini - Php 230)
gorgonzola, feta cheese, parmesan, mozzarella and cheese sauce.

Even my niece loved it!!

We finished the 2 pizzas in a flash so we had to order at least one more hihihi :)

We ordered their bestseller - Slice of Italy (Php 380; mini - Php 250)

caramelized onion, ham, bacon, salami, mushroom, and cheese sauce.
I like this more than the Prosciutto, which was a bit bland for me :)

Okay, so here are some guidelines on how to eat Panizza or Crazy Rolls

First, we stuff the thin-crust pizza with arugula leaves and alfalfa sprouts.

Next, we roll it like crazy and viola!

it's ready to be enjoyed whole or if it's too big, then just bite it in half and munch on it!

yum yum yum!

Again, STUFF, ROLL, and ENJOY!!!

My cousin preferred to get his favorite RIDICULOUS triple decker burger from burger avenue.
Looks yummy! I will try this next time and accept the 5 minute challenge! I hope i get to finish it all up in 5 minutes! :p

Just recently, I heard that Yellow Cab Pizza is also serving panizzas!
They call it Dear Darla Pizza, which is very creative of them :)
They named it after the movie characters from "The Little Rascals."
Darla is Alfalfa's love interest! How cute!

FOCACCIA ITALIAN RESTAURANT
Ground Floor, A. Venue Mall, Antonio Luna St. corner Makati Avenue
Makati City
(02) 729-9403