TRAVELS (and more) WITH CECILIA BRAINARD: Guest Blogger: Celine Conejos Reviews Makati Restaurants

The City of Makati in the Philippines is prosperous and has numerous restaurants. I am delighted to include reviews about some of these Makati restaurants by our Guest Blogger, Celine Conejos.

A Philippine Diplomat's wife, Celine Conejos is a permanent resident of Makati, although she currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland. She reviews hotel, restaurant, and attraction sites in TripAdvisor under the name of Coellum. She says this of herself:

"My father was very fond of traveling. He passed on his wanderlust to me. I enjoy traveling and planning for my trips. People close to me benefit from this. My children have many good memories of happy vacations together. At present, I live in Geneva temporarily. Being in the heart of Europe gives me many opportunities to see new places."

The following reviews first appeared in TripAdvisor and are reprinted with Celine Conejos' permission. I look forward to posting more of her reviews about other places in my blog. Thanks to Celine Conejos for sharing her reviews.

Cerveseria, Greenbelt 3 - 3 Stars
Tapas and Drinks

When my mother and I ate here at lunchtime, there were not too many customers.The decor is a bit odd. There are hanging fixtures covered with melted wax. Books line the walls. I am not sure what kind of style they were trying to achieve. We had some tapas before our main course - croquettes and chorizos. These were alright. My mother and I shared the chicken Iberico for our main course. The food was just ok. I have eaten here with friends, but that was more to have drinks. It is probably better as a drinking spot. Indeed, it is quite popular in the evenings.

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Salcedo Saturday Market, Toirdesillas St., Salcedo Village - 4 Stars

Great Place for Cooked and Fresh Food

This market is something that I miss when I am not home in Manila. We have our favorite vendors for barbecue, grilled fish, Spanish and Chinese food and also for fruits and fresh seafood. My sister in law who visits from the States once a year goes here regularly when she is in town. It is fun looking at the different kinds of food! There are some vendors selling specialty foods, like homemade kakanins and sumacs. Aside from that, there are plants and flowers. Also, a few vendors selling handicrafts. It can be messy finding a parking place. We usually go to a private parking lot in front of the Picasso Hotel. Anyone interested in food should visit this market.

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Makati Shangri-La, Manila, Ayala Avenue corner Makati Avenue - 4 Stars

Good Chinese Food at Sharing Palace

We had beef tenderloin in black pepper sauce, steamed Lapulapu , prawns in orange sauce, fried rice and beancurd with mushrooms. It was a delicious and satisfying meal. We were 5. We finished everything! And we ordered medium size for all the dishes. Will definitely be back. The bill came to about Philippine Peso 5,000, with two senior citizen discounts. Reasonable for the meal that we had.

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Apartment 1B, One Lafayette Square Bldg., Sedeno Street - 4 Stars
Always a Satisfying Meal

My husband and I both like the lamb shank and vonggole pasta. I also like their meatloaf. Among their desserts, the white chocolate toblerone cheesecake is wonderful. The staff are always attentive even if the place is usually full.

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People's Palace, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Centre - 4 Stars
Tasty Thai Food in Convenient Greenbelt

My family eats here regularly. It is a favorite of locals, expats and tourists. Just yesterday my husband and I had Vietnamese Spring Rolls, Penang Beef and Stir Fried Prawns. They were all good, as always. The place was crowded. It is fortunate that I had called up before leaving the house for the restaurant. Otherwise, we would probably have waited longer when we got there. Crystal, the receptionist recognized my name when I called. It is always pleasant when staff make an effort to be friendly. My son and I like having the Sticky Rice with mangoes for dessert. One downside to this place is the noise factor. The acoustics are such that there is nothing to absorb the sounds of the guests talking. My classmates sometimes avoid this restaurant for this reason. If you want to chat with your companions, the noise level here may not be conducive.

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Myron's Restaurant, 1st Lvl Power Plant Mall, Rockwell corner Estrella - 4 Stars

Good Food and Nice View of the Garden

I ate at Myron's in Greenbelt 5. The glass wall allows diners to enjoy the view of the gardens of Greenbelt. This is definitely an attraction just by itself. We had a bottle of their house wine which was good. We ordered 2 starters which turned out to be a lot for 3 women but they were both delicious. I particularly liked the salad with ahi tuna. For my main course, I chose the Lapulapu which was fresh in a tasty sauce with capers. My friends liked their seafood risotto too.unfortunately, we were too full to order dessert. It was a good experience. We will return! And it was reasonably priced too

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