The food is Spanish, or more accurately, Filipino-Spanish, not quite as good as restaurants in Spain but good enough for here in Asia. You can sit at the cozy, old bar and ask Domeng the bartender for a nice tall cuba libre while waiting for your food. One dish that is not quite spanish but is often ordered at Armas is the roast crab. You might want to try that.

Casa Armas is friendly, non-trendy, ‘old’ kind of place where the staff are also old and know you by name. I much prefer it for a pleasantly quiet rum&coke night rather than, say, the very modern Greenbelt area in Makati, where your hosts will probably take you.

One quick suggestion would be for you to go to the seafood market in Baclaran (the instituto cervantes people will know where), buy some seafood you like at the wet market there and have it cooked on the spot at any of a number of eateries at the back of the market. they will charge you a minimal cooking fee. just ask them for suggestions on methods of preparation for whatever you buy. you’ll get a true philippine eating experience there i think.

Thank you for the email and for being such frequent visitors to the site. There are so many things you can do in Manila but with just a single day it is difficult to narrow it down. But if you are here on the 29th, a Saturday, and you have transportation such as a hotel car at your disposal, I suggest the following…

1. At about 8am go to the Salcedo Market in Makati…this is an upscale small but nice market that is pedestrian and tourist friendly. Here you will see many cooked filipino foods and some produce and herb vendors. Look for Joey the vegetable guy, Gil Carandang, etc. All of these folks I have featured in my blog before, check the archives.

2. Depending on how long you stay at the Salcedo market, you may then want to swing by a store on Pasay Road Makati called Balikbayan Handicrafts for a bit of touristy handicraft shopping. It has a wide selection, reasonable prices and nice staff. They normally give local residents 20% off so try and pass yourselves off as residents if you are buying a lot. You will find fantastic mother of pearl plates here, wood products, placemats, pearls, etc.

3. From Balikbayan handicrafts you can go to “Milky Way Cafe” on Pasay Road and the corner of Paseo de Roxas, just minutes from the handicraft store. The name of the cafe sounds strange, but oddly, it has very good filipino food. And since prices are reasonable, you can try several dishes. I also have an entry on this restaurant I think.

4. If you are still game for more, head to the Market!Market Mall in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig which is about 10 minutes from Milky Way if the car driver is good. Here you will find an outdoor market with fruits and vegetables and a flower section. There are also lots of carts filled with regional delicacies and sweets from all around the Philippines. The mall also has a flea market section up on the 2nd to 4th floors for bargains on clothing, etc. (cheap stuff…).

5. From there you could try heading to Chinatown for a food tour if there is one on offer (look up my links for Old Manila Walks) or a walking tour of Intramurous, the walled city (look up my link for Celdran tours).

6. If you want dinner in Malate, try the restaurant “Sala” which is generally very good.

I have to warn you that I have picked some of the more tourist friendly spots as I don’t want you guys to feel disoriented and lost. Just make sure you have a car to take you around. If you really want to hit local markets, you might try Farmer’s market in Cubao (tons of stuff, but a zoo) or the FTI market in Taguig (but hard to find). Also, please visit other Filipino blogs for more suggestions…my links page might help.

I hope this helps and that you have a nice trip to Manila.

Marketman

Thanks MM.

so i live in visual taste of your blog at the moment
and by the way i have been feeding the crew and i have sent them to food heaven show off no?

but I made them promise not to tell my boss about mu cooking