The Cozy Restaurant Verbena in Tagaytay

For a relaxed, leisurely meal in Tagaytay, there's always Restaurant Verbena at Discovery Country Suites.

Although not quite fine dining, Restaurant Verbena is popular because it has such an inviting atmosphere coupled with good service and reasonably priced food. 

Complimentary Bread

Soft Shell Crab Salad

Shrimp Cakes

Soup of the Day

Lucban Longganisa Risotto

Truffle Risotto with Bacon

Verbena Sampler Plate 

Restaurant Verbena is located at Discovery Country Suites, 300 Calamba Road Tagaytay. For more information, call (046)4134567 or click here.

Classic Italian at La Nuova Pastelleria

San Antonio Plaza in Forbes Park may have undergone a facelift with new dining options, but one restaurant that has stood the test of time is La Nuova Pastelleria. 

Open since 1978, La Nuova Pastelleria has been serving Italian food to its loyal clientele for over 35 years. 

It's a no frills restaurant with limited space and uncomfortable chairs but what makes diners keep coming back is its good food.

Flat Bread with Pate and Tomato 

The liver pate is reason enough for a return visit.

Ravioli Verdi (495php)

House Specialty of stuffed pasta with spinach, ricotta cheese in tomato cream

Profumo Di Tartufo (525php)

Tagliatelle with white truffle cream, porcini mushroom topped with parma ham

Pizza Margherita

Pizza with olive oil, fresh basil, and tomatoes

La Nuova Pastelleria is certainly not the most exciting restaurant out there but for classic Italian food done right, it's the place to be.

La Nuova Pastelleria is located at San Antonio Plaza, McKinley Road., Forbes Park Forbes Park - North, Makati. For more information, call 867-2370.

Lunch Sets at Mangetsu

If you happen to be in Makati at noon, a good place to have lunch is Mangetsu.

Mangetsu started as a hole in the wall restaurant at the Creekside Mall but has moved to a thoughtfully decorated space along Jupiter when it changed management. 

It has an extensive menu with over 200 items to choose from. We didn't have trouble ordering because they also offer lunch specials which were all under 400php. 

Murtle had her go to Japanese dish: 

Gyudon Lunch Set

The beef bowl passed Murtle's standards. Meat was tender and flavorful.

Nina ordered one of Mangetsu's most popular dish:

Chicken Karaage with 3 Kinds of Salt Set

Chicken was bland without the salts. Not my favorite but I loved the kropek.

I was craving for sashimi:

Sashimi Sampler Set

Mangetsu has a Japanese sushi chef and it shows with this beautifully prepared fresh serving of tuna, uni, and salmon. 

Undeniably, Mangetsu has one of the best deals in town for lunch. Food quality is better than most Japanese restaurants and price points are very reasonable. 

Mangetsu is located at 38 Jupiter St. Bel-Air Makati. For more information, call 4783292 or click here.