Before one goes to a food crawl, one has to remember one thing— bring your appetite. And that’s exactly what we brought when we went to #ForkSpoonManila’s The Great Eatscape in SM Aura.

It was also our first time to join Alexis Deocaris’s (a.k.a. @ForkSpoonManila) food crawl so we were pretty excited! To those who are not familiar with what happens in a food crawl, it’s quite simple. A small group of food lovers will visit about 4-5 restaurants and/or cafés within an identified area and each food place will serve their bestsellers and/or new items on the menu to give the food crawlers the chance to enjoy their dishes. The owners and/or executive chefs are also present during the visit to welcome the guests as well as participate in introducing the restaurant and the dishes to everyone. Depending on how near the food places are to each other and on the amount of food served, a food crawl takes about a FULL day (yes, pun intended). Now that we got that explained, we think it’s about time we tell you what we stuffed our faces with during The Great Eatscape.

We started the food crawl at 11 o’clock in the morning in Cibo. We have been a fan of Gaita Fores’s Italian restaurant for over a decade now and revisiting it was such a treat! After all the introductions have been made, it was time to enjoy the feast:

1. Crema Di Zucca– summer squash with cream and slab of bacon.
2. Spinaci Zola– spinach with gorgonzola. Spread over crostini. Magic.
3. Salad with Burrata- greens with prosciutto and Cibo’s new item: burrata.
4. Penne Al Telefono with Burrata– made of stewed tomato, mozzarella, white cheese, cream, and basil.
5. Tagaliata Di Manzo with Burrata– beef tenderloin topped with garlic and rosemary.
6. Tiramisu Croccante– beautiful piece of work.

Our top pick among the list— Penne Al Telefono with Burrata.

Grind Bistro was up next! This recently-opened all-American bistro is fast becoming a favorite among the meat lovers. They exclusively use 100% USDA-approved beef and grind their meat in-house (hence, the name Grind Bistro) that enable them to produce different textures which can bring more flavor into the meat. For this stop, we had:

1. Poke Nachos– taro and sweet potato crisps dipped into this combination of ahi, chèvre, fish roe, and Pico de Gallo definitely spelled delicious.
2. Grind Burger– we got served burger sliders but their adult-sized burger with vine ripe tomato, sweet onion, secret sauce, and American cheese was tasty and filling.
3. Veggie Flatbread– we love anything topped with arugula.
4. Ice Cream Sandwiches– a take on a good old “dirty ice cream” on a bun sold on the streets. Even our famous Baby Beanie of awesome Instagrammer @Eatsplorations was happy to see the frozen treats!
5. Vanilla Earthquake– who can say no to a drink with a slice of rainbow cake on top?

Our top pick among the list— Poke Nachos.

Pretty soon, it was time to savor the meaty side of The Burger Joint. Aside from using 100% premium meat with no additives and fillers, their cooking technique is quite unique. Their beef patties are smashed on the grill which create a savory crust that seals in the natural flavors of the meat making it more “beefy”. And we definitely got to enjoy that “beefy” flavor they promised:

1. Tri Cheese Bacon Patty Melt– it’s grilled cheese taken to the next amazing level!
2. Loaded Nachos– we admit, we love nachos and this dish didn’t fail to put a smile on our faces. Oh and instead of using tomatoes on their salsa, they used watermelon.
3. Burgerrito– Burrito with ground beef patty. Yes, please.
4. Juicy Lucy– half pound patty stuffed with cheese with bacon, onions, and The Burger Joint special sauce.
5. Southwest BBQ– 1/4 pound Angus patty topped with all the goodness- bacon, pepper jack cheese, grilled tomato, charred onion, and BBQ sauce.

Our top pick among the list— Southwest BBQ.

The Great Eatscape’s final stop was Yabu. Katsu love all the way with Yabu. Let us count the ways:

1. Korokke Tamago– this crispy golden panko-coated jumbo potato croquette stuffed with soft-boiled egg is one delicious creation.
2. Gyudon– if you like grilled U.S. beef rib cap in honey soy sauce and sautéed onions topped with poached eggs on a bed of Japanese white rice, then this is your dish.
3. Hire + Salmon Katsu Pair– pork and fish: perfect pair, we must say!
4. Hire + Tori Menchi Katsu Pair– becoming a fast favorite for those into chicken and cheese.

Our top pick among the list— Hire + Salmon Katsu Pair.

We weren’t kidding when we told you that we had a FULL day.

Overall, our first ever food crawl hosted by ForkSpoonManila was worth braving the morning rush traffic for. To the people we met during the crawl, you’re all lovely! To Alexis, thanks for inviting us!

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Check out ForkSpoonManila on Instagram to watch out for updates on new food crawls.

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