The Manila Hotel’s Lobby Lounge Reopens

As quarantine restrictions have been eased a bit in NCR+, The Manila Hotel is reopening its Lobby Lounge today, May 24, 2021 after the temporary suspension of dining services due to the ECQ.

The reopening of The Lobby Lounge gives valued guests a perfect opportunity to enjoy its perks again: great food, meeting and endless conversation with both friends and business partners, excellent service, and free Wi-Fi internet connection.

More than a typical café set up, the Lobby Lounge is quiet, comfortable, and spacious, which also means that guests are kept at a distance from each other and enjoy a bit of privacy with high-backed seats. Cleaned and sanitized daily, the health and hygiene protocols put in place by The Manila Hotel includes fresh air dampers that circulate fresh outdoor air into the lobby, which is also sanitized by air micro filters.

The Lobby Lounge is also a grand heritage setting for a relaxing afternoon, with its white Doric columns, Philippine mahogany furniture with elegant chandeliers made of brass, crystal, and capiz seashells. More than our stellar interior, it serves Filipino meals like Sinigang na Salmon, KareKare, Crispy Pata, and other local delights. You can also enjoy their lavish “Merienda Especial” or the Filipino Afternoon Tea that includes native delicacies like Bibingka and Puto Bumbong paired with  specialty grade coffee beans, hot chocolate, or tea. 

Or if that is not what you fancy, try the filling Manila Hotel club sandwich or assorted pastries. And escape the punishing weather outside when you relax in the cool interiors and enjoy fruit teas, or our Halo-Halo.

The Manila Hotel’s The Lobby Lounge is known for its exceptional facilities and warm service. It also gives its guests an assurance that “You are safe here” as we strictly adhere to stringent health and safety protocols.

The Lobby Lounge is open for breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks, and dinner from Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm. For more information, please call 85270011.

The Manila Hotel Café Ilang-Ilang offers halal-certified food for Takeout and Delivery

Eid Al-Fitr or the Festival of Breaking the Fast is a celebration by Muslims around the world for the end of the fasting period of Ramadan. It is celebrated through prayers, gifts, and a lavish feast, and this May 12th will be Eid Al-Fitr. While the Philippines is predominantly Catholic, Islam is the second largest religion in the country which means a lot of Filipinos are fond of Halal food. 

Halal Food is prepared following a set of Islamic dietary laws and regulations that determine what is permissible, lawful and clean. Any dish can be halal as long as the meat used is religiously slaughtered and no pork or alcohol in involved in the preparation. 

The Manila Hotel's Cafe Ilang Ilang is one of the establishments that has a Halal kitchen that is certified by the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board. Dedicated to Halal food, most dishes that they served are Indian and Middle Eastern-inspired dishes that is certainly delectable and also pays homage to its traditional roots. 

As Eid Al-Fitr is near, The Manila Hotel's Ramadan Special Halal Home Buffet set comes with Designed for proper breaking of the fast, The Manila Hotel’s Ramadan Specia Halal Home Buffet set comes with dried dates and juice, chickpeas hummus Fatoush mixed salad, roti and naan bread, vegetable biryani, tandoori chicken, lamb rogan josh, vegetable samosa, and baklava. The set is just one of the three choices for the Halal Certified Home Buffet.

“Our Lamb Rogan Josh is a must-try. It’s imported from Australia and it has the spices and sharpness that will surely be enjoyed by everyone. We can also customize the food according to our customer’s request. Say you don’t like chili, we can make it milder. We can tweak a dish to please your palate while still being true to its authentic taste,” says Chef Kiran Singh, the hotel’s Halal trained chef. Celebrate Eid Al Fitr by ordering any of The Manila Hotel’s Halal Home Buffet sets or dishes, available for Takeout and delivery. Visit https://www.manila-hotel.com.ph/takeout/ for the full menu; or call 8527-0011 or 0998-9501912.

Much Love 

xx Alice 

Cheap Finds: Nips Dark Chocolate

 Honestly with everything going on chocolate has been one of my saving grace to keep me sane. And while I was browsing around the candies and chocolate aisle the past weekend I was able to see this nifty item - Nips Dark Chocolate! 

You know me, I love some dark chocolate and I can't pass this up so I grabbed a couple of bags and tried it out. 

For only 12PHP you get about 40 grams of dark chocolate nibbles which are great if you like to nibble while working or when you are binge watching some series. 

The taste wasn't really the kind of dark chocolate that I am used to. It is dark chocolate but its not the very bitter kind that I really like because I like my dark chocolate that way. Maybe because of the hard shell the taste was sort of altered but still its a great alternative to the usual milk chocolate Nips that I get when I do my grocery run. 

I know this might be triggering for some but nowadays chocolate and other snacks are sort of my safety blanket because of everything that is happening. I know I am in a place where I am privilege enough to be able to buy these small bags of chocolate as a means to escape the stress and anxiety I am experiencing. But please take in consideration that these are the only means of outlet I have right now to step out and decompress my situation. The pain of losing a beloved and also the stress of performing well at a task I am not sure I am doing right is not easy to juggle along with other personal things I will not talk about here. So please spare me the judgement for once because I am tired from it. 

So going back, Will I repurchase this? of course! I still loved the taste of this chocolate and I can't deny that the price is what made me jump at it and hoard because I tend to grab one and nibble on it. 

What do you nibble on when binging? Let me know in the comments section. 

Much Love 

xx Alice