Southern bites

Here's an ultimate food guide from SM Supermalls (Bacoor, Rosario, and Dasmariñas) for those traversing places south of the metro.

Local fusion
At SM Bacoor, the diner Locavore Kitchen x Drinks promotes locally grown, raised, and produced ingredients to support farmers. Craving Filipino comfort food? Locavore has its own take on local favorites like its pritong bangus and pakbet ratatouille.

Also recognizing the Pinoys' fondness for Korean culture, the diner fused a staple Korean side dish with one of Filipinos' favorite stews. Thus, the birth of Kimchi Sinigang.

For drinks, locally brewed beers like Joe's Brew, San Miguel, and Privo Praha are on the menu, as well as a fruit drink with a spicy twist: Bukidnon pineapple and dalandan with siling labuyo.

One-stop Asian buffet
The spread at Tong Yang covers different cuisines like Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. One may opt for a shabu-shabu hotpot and cook on the tabletop grill.

Buffets are no longer new in the country, but this restaurant stands out for its wide selection of fresh vegetables (Chinese cabbage, carrots, sliced taro, spinach, water spinach, and lettuce); mushrooms (button mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, black fungus); meat (sausages, hotdogs, pork belly, chicken, and chicken liver); seafood (clams, oysters, shrimps, squid, salmon belly); dim sum (squid balls, lobster balls, fish balls, taro balls); and noodles.

Feel the Seoul vibe
Aptly situated next to the buffet is the Korean selection. Experience the districts of Itaewon and Myeongdong when dining at Jin Joo Korean Grill.

The restaurant provides fresh seafood, pork, and beef with its best-sellers being Bulgogi Jeongol, Galbi Tang, and Japchae.

Graze on snacks and sweets
Jump to SM Rosario for sweet and delicate drinks and pastries with sisters D'Cream and Clyde's Bread and Pastry.

D'Cream offers a variety of hot or cold drinks like milk tea, frappe, and coffee at pocket-friendly prices from P70 to P120. Best-sellers are the D'Cream Seasalt, Cream Wintermelon Tea, and Golden Sun Milk Tea.

Clyde's Bread and Pastry offers a wide range of savory and sweet bread fillings Filipinos will surely love. Its best-sellers are floss and bread salads that range from P40 to P60 per bun. For cakes, the Blueberry cheesecake is the crowd favorite.

SM Rosario also houses the one and only Nadomi Maki branch in the Philippines. Owned by Kapampangan Nelson Mangalindan, the pop-up store sells Classic California Maki, Sushi, and
Sashimi-Maki because of his love for Japanese food.

The Korean aesthetic
Café Jang Geum is a Korean dessert café that serves authentic Summer and Winter treats, bringing the Philippines a taste of Choson.

It is best known for the original Bungeoppang (fish-shaped pastry) with filling options of red bean, custard, chocolate, and honey butter toast. The Dalgona latte and different Korean smoothies completes the Korean drama vibe.

"This is the only place you can experience the new concept of Korean café and Korean culture," said Daniel Choi, CEO of Jang Geum Kitchen and Café.

Good food and good luck
A crossroad of Filipino and Chinese culture and food, The Great Buddha Café crafts a unique dining experience that emphasizes good luck and good food.

The café specializes in Hong Kong cuisines and dim sums prepared by its Cantonese chef. As each dish is crafted to bring out bursts of flavors to excite the palate, it offers Hong Kong-style crispy noodles, a platter of shrimp fried rice, and, the Gen Z favorite, Xiaolongbao or Chinese steamed bun.

Best taste of Japan
SM Supermalls food crawl wouldn't be complete without the fast-growing Japanese restaurant Botejyu.

It won the hearts of mall goers as it brings the authentic taste of Japan through its ramen, tempura, and takoyaki.

Don't miss Botejyu's okonomiyaki or Japanese pancake, and okosoba, a combination of okonomiyaki and yakisoba.

Pinoy and Western delights
Last stop at SM Dasmarinas is Ate Nene's Shake. It claims to be the number one shake in Dasma, with its best-seller being the White Walnut Cookie with caramel syrup and white walnut cookie crumbs, graham, and tapioca pearls. It matches the home-baked palm-sized chocolate chip and white walnut cookies.

For health-conscious people, The Sandwich Guy uses fresh and healthy ingredients to serve flavorful sandwiches. They also offer pasta, potatoes, and salad.

For an Italian kind of dessert, Caramia is here to serve cakes and gelatos curated for a joyful treat.

Ferrero and Mango Cream Pie gelato are the blockbusters among all the flavors as Filipinos enjoy both fruity and chocolate tastes for a cold pastry.

For a scrumptious plate of steak, Scorched Smokehouse is ready to serve American ribs and USDA beef brisket for a high-end yet affordable price.

The meat is cooked at 190 degrees Celsius for 12 hours to ensure that their beef brisket would bring the best of its textures and flavors.

From the same group that brought Botejyu to the Philippines, Wings@Zone is ready to serve customers 18 chicken wing flavors.

Apart from that, it also serves rice, burgers, shakes making Wings@Zone the newest hangout in town.