Showing posts with label Philippines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philippines. Show all posts

September 16, 2026

Lunch at Din Tai Fung Alabang: Xiaolongbao and More

Now that I’ve finally shared our first Din Tai Fung experience in Taipei, it’s time to share our recent lunch at Din Tai Fung Alabang Town Center.

I knew that Din Tai Fung had several branches in the Philippines, but I had no idea that they already had a branch here in the South. I only found out when I stumbled upon the FEATR YouTube video featuring “The World’s Most Famous Dumplings” with Erwan Heussaff.

That's when I searched for their branches and found out they opened their Alabang Town Center branch on October 15, 2024. Matagal na rin pala! It just so happened that we don’t usually go to Alabang Town Center. I can’t even remember our last visit there, so I was really surprised to see Din Tai Fung. California Pizza Kitchen pa kasi yun during my last visit!


Anyway, if you’ve been reading my blog, you probably know that we usually eat at Ippon Yari after grocery shopping. But this time, since I was craving xiaolongbao, I told my husband na sa Din Tai Fung naman kami.

I also wanted to try some of their other dishes since our last Din Tai Fung experience in Taipei was more focused on dumplings.

Ordering at Din Tai Fung

Upon arrival, the staff asked, “First time niyo po dito?” We said yes. She then asked if we had already tried Din Tai Fung at another branch, and we said yes. She ushered us to our table and gave us the order form.

Since it was my first time ordering from their menu, it took me a while to browse through the pages and decide what to get. In the end, I ordered:

10 pcs. Xiaolongbao — PHP 385
Pork Chop Fried Rice — PHP 395
Sweet and Sour Pork — PHP 335
3 pcs. Chocolate Lava Xiaolongbao — PHP 185

My husband has also tried Din Tai Fung branches in Singapore and the Philippines, so I let him order for himself. He added:

Salted Fish Rice — PHP 255
Golden Prawn Cake — PHP 285 + Service Charge

By the way, one thing I noticed when we sat down was the glasses of water already on the table. I got confused at first and thought, bakit may tubig na dito? May uminom na ba? 

I then checked the other tables and noticed that the empty tables also already had glasses of water. I’m not particularly fond of this setup because I don’t know how long the glasses of water have been sitting on the table.


In Taipei, they serve complimentary hot tea, while here in the Philippines, they provide complimentary service water instead.

Our Food

Our first order arrived after around 10 minutes.

And finally, the xiaolongbao! Namiss ko talaga yung xiaolongbao ng Taipei. Feeling ko nga kaya kong ubusin agad yung 10 pieces. Hehehe!


But of course, I need space for my rice meal. After trying the other dishes, I realized that the food was good, but they weren’t dishes that I would specifically go out of my way to have again, especially since this branch is quite far from us. 





But if we’re talking about xiaolongbao, that’s a different story. I would definitely come back for their xiaolongbao because I really like it. Both the regular Pork Xiaolongbao and the Chocolate Lava Xiaolongbao were enjoyable.



So far, our experience with the service was also good. The staff was attentive, and our orders arrived pretty quickly.

Final Thoughts

Overall, our Din Tai Fung Alabang experience was good, especially because I finally got to satisfy my xiaolongbao craving without having to fly back to Taipei.


For me, the xiaolongbao remains the highlight of the meal, particularly the pork and chocolate lava versions. And now that I know there’s a Din Tai Fung branch in Alabang, at least I have another option whenever that xiaolongbao craving hits.
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September 03, 2026

A Birthday Buffet at Brasserie on 3 Conrad Manila

A month before my birthday, I was already searching for restaurants where we could celebrate. I made a list of restaurants I wanted to try, but we eventually chose Brasserie on 3 at Conrad Manila because, among my choices, ito lang yung may promo at that time.

 
Brasserie on 3 was on my list last year, but they required a minimum number of diners, so we couldn't try it. This year, they no longer required a minimum number of people, although the discount was no longer 50%. They were offering 30% off their lunch and dinner buffet instead.
 
My husband tried calling to make a reservation, but no one was answering, so he filled out the reservation form on their website instead. We didn't receive a confirmation, though, so he eventually messaged them on Facebook to verify our reservation.
 
Brasserie on 3 Buffet Rates
 
Here are the regular buffet rates at the time of our visit:

· Lunch, Monday to Saturday: PHP 3,200
· Lunch, Sunday: PHP 3,400
· Dinner, Monday to Sunday: PHP 3,600

30% Off Rates

With the 30% discount, the rates were:

· Lunch, Monday to Saturday: PHP 2,240
· Lunch, Sunday: PHP 2,380
· Dinner, Monday to Sunday: PHP 2,520

Our Birthday Lunch at Brasserie on 3
 
Fast forward to my birthday celebration, I was a little bit excited because it had been a long time since my last buffet experience, sa Disney Adventure Cruise pa!

It was also our first time visiting Conrad Manila. Since we live outside Metro Manila, we decided to leave early. Surprisingly, there was no traffic, so we arrived about 45 minutes before the restaurant opened.

 
Buffet lunch is from 12:00 PM to 2:30 PM. Before 12:00 PM, they had already started welcoming guests, although the buffet spread was still closed. 



While waiting, I explored the buffet area and, honestly, I was a little surprised because I was expecting more. Since the regular rate is already PHP 3,000+, I was expecting a bigger selection with more food stations. So, at first glance, I felt a little underwhelmed.

Buffet Food Selection
 
One thing I immediately noticed was that there was no tempura station and no lechon. Of course, I understand that every buffet restaurant has its own selection and specialties, but these are two dishes that I always look forward to whenever I eat at a buffet. So I was a little disappointed not to see them.






Thankfully, they had steak, which I really enjoyed. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo. Waah!
 
They also had a seafood station. However, the grilled seafood was served at room temperature. It actually reminded me of the seafood setup at The Pantry at Dusit Thani. My husband enjoyed the seafood station, but personally, I prefer buffet restaurants where you can have your seafood cooked according to your preference, like at The Café, Cucina, Seasonal Tastes, and Marriott Café.



I simply prefer my food served warm, especially grilled seafood.
 
There was also a Teppanyaki station, although the choices were quite limited. I ordered the beef teppanyaki, but when it arrived, mas marami pa yung vegetables kaysa beef. Hehehe!


What I Enjoyed Most
 
Among all the food I tried, the steak and the dessert station were my favorites. I enjoyed all the desserts I tried, and they also had halo-halo, which was a nice addition.





So while I found the overall food selection a little underwhelming for the price, I was happy that I found dishes that I genuinely enjoyed.
 
The Restaurant Ambiance
 
It was a weekend, but the restaurant wasn't crowded during our visit. Because of this, the dining area felt spacious and maaliwalas.
 
I actually enjoyed that part of the experience. It didn't feel chaotic or overly busy, which made our birthday lunch more relaxing.
 
Birthday Celebration
 
At around 1:13 PM, one of the staff informed my husband that the singers would be coming to our table soon.

Since we had already finished most of our meal, we decided to have the complimentary tea and coffee while waiting.
 
After about 25 minutes of waiting, I told my husband that I didn't want to wait for the birthday song anymore. I was already ready to ask for the bill because I didn't want to spend more of my birthday just waiting.
 
Good thing the staff gave me my complimentary birthday cake, so at least may picture ako with the cake. Hehehe! We decided to take the cake home.

 
But here's the funny part: just as we were about to leave our table, the singers finally came to our side of the restaurant!
 
It was already 1:50 PM, which means we had waited approximately 37 minutes since the staff told us at 1:13 PM that the singers were coming.
 
By then, we were already getting ready to leave, so unfortunately, I wasn't able to enjoy the birthday song at our table. 
 
My Thoughts on the Birthday Song
 
I actually think the birthday singing could be organized differently.

I understand that it is nice to have a personalized birthday song for every celebrant, but because the singers go from table to table and some guests also request additional songs, it can take quite a while.
 
Personally, I think it would be more efficient if they did the birthday song per group or per section, and then served the complimentary cakes at the same time.
 
This is something I experienced at The Café, where the birthday song is done per group. For me, that system feels more organized and avoids having guests wait too long.
 
Final Thoughts
 
Anyway, it was my birthday celebration, so ayaw ko rin magpakastress.
 
Despite the things that I felt could have been better, I still enjoyed our lunch. I was happy that I got to celebrate my birthday at a new restaurant with my family. 
 
Still, I'm glad we finally got to try Brasserie on 3 after having it on my list for quite some time. 
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August 18, 2026

Day 1: Flying from Manila to Singapore + An Unexpected Sentosa Upgrade

Time flies! I can’t believe it’s been almost a decade since our last family trip to Singapore. My husband frequently visits Singapore for work, but for my son and me, it had been nearly ten years since our last visit. So, I was really excited to have the chance to revisit the country as a family.

Exactly a year ago, I started planning this trip. After eight months of waiting, the day finally came; it was time to explore Singapore for nine days!

From Manila to Singapore

We had an afternoon flight, so we left home after breakfast and headed to the airport. We parked our car at Park N Fly, paid the travel tax, checked in, and exchanged some Singapore Dollars and Indonesian Rupiah.


While waiting for our flight, we stayed at the Marhaba Lounge. This was also our first time flying with Singapore Airlines, and thankfully, our flight was right on schedule.


We arrived at Changi Airport earlier than expected. After collecting our luggage, we decided to take a taxi to our hotel. We had three pieces of luggage, and since it was already rush hour, taking a taxi was the most convenient option for us. Taxi fare from Changi Airport: SGD 40.84



An Unexpected Upgrade to Sentosa

Our original plan was to stay at Robertson Quay Hotel. I booked three nights in total, but for our first night, something unexpected happened.


The hotel staff offered us a promo: instead of staying at Robertson Quay Hotel for our first night, we could stay at their four-star resort in Sentosa, Siloso Beach Resort.


Of course, we said YES! The only downside? I had to give up my planned food trip to Lau Pa Sat that evening. 

Since we would be returning to Robertson Quay Hotel after our Batam, Indonesia trip, we left our two pieces of luggage there and brought only what we needed for 2 nights.

We then took a Grab from Robertson Quay Hotel to Siloso Beach Resort. Grab fare from Robertson Quay Hotel to Siloso Beach Resort: SGD 24.58

Our First Night at Siloso Beach Resort

Check-in was smooth. I simply showed the paper provided by Robertson Quay Hotel, and we were given our room keys.


After all the traveling and transfers, we were already tired. But since we were already in Sentosa, we decided to step outside and check out Siloso Beach. And the best part? The beach was literally just in front of the resort!


My husband suggested that we walk around a little farther since there were more restaurants in Sentosa. But I was too lazy, and honestly, I wasn’t really in the mood to eat anymore. So, we decided to just have dinner at the resort.

We ordered only two dishes because I wasn’t very hungry. I told them I would just take a few bites from their food. 

We ordered:
· Fish and Chips – SGD 19.90
· Grilled Chicken Chop – SGD 19.90
· Plus service charge and GST



The food was just okay. Nothing particularly memorable, but it was convenient since we were already tired from the journey.

Watching the Wings of Time Fireworks

After dinner, we went up to the rooftop to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Wings of Time Fireworks Symphony at 7:40 PM.

We could see (a little) and hear some of the fireworks from the resort, which was nice. However, if you really want to enjoy the full show, you’ll need to purchase tickets and watch it from the designated viewing area.


After that, we headed back to our room to freshen up and prepare for the next part of our trip, Batam, Indonesia!

Filipino passport holders can visit Indonesia visa-free for short stays, but we still needed to complete the required Indonesia Arrival Card and the visa-related form before our trip. So, we spent some time filling out the forms and making sure everything was ready for our Batam trip the next day.


It had been a long day, from leaving Manila, flying to Singapore, traveling to Sentosa, and unexpectedly getting upgraded to a resort. We were tired, but excited for what was coming next. And just like that, Day 1 of our Singapore adventure came to an end.
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