Tasty Manila meals for group of 11 please?

[CookieEater]

Hey, planning a trip for our whole family (parents, bros, wives, kids) and looking for updates on solid meal recommendations for the few days we'll be in Manila in January. We're Filipino American (save 1 of the wives) so are already familiar with the cuisine and we're spending several days in the provinces with family, so we will be having several home-cooked meals.

We're staying in Manila in a hotel (sorry don't know what neighborhood yet). We're looking for one really nice dinner place (for a birthday), and several additional reasonable options for lunch and dinner. They need to be able to easily accommodate a group of 11 including children.
The one thing we do prefer is not to eat in hotels. We'll be staying in one so I'm sure we'll have several meals there already. I've been to the Philippines only twice before, and this is the first time I have the opportunity to really explore outside of our relatives' homes and experience the Manila dining scene.
Is it best to stick to Filipino food, or are there great places that serve other types of cuisine such as other Asian, Spanish, Mid-East, Indian, anything?

I have found these ideas on the board, I would greatly appreciate updated opinions on any of them:
La Cocina de Tita Moning: considering this for the birthday dinner
Open air Saturday market in Salcedo Village
Josephine's
Aristocrat BBQ
Shang Palace at the Shangri-la Makati: I live in San Gabriel Valley in California, is the dim sum at Shang Palace better?
El Cirkulo
Abe

Thank you!!!

[CookieEater]

almost forgot! I am also looking for the BEST bakeries, desserts or coffee places for myself. I should mention I don't like macapuno, jackfruit or ube. Some members of my family do, but we'll have plenty of opportunity to eat those things out in Batangas.

[pilinut]

I'm in Manila right now--just got in a couple of days ago, and haven't had a chance to touch base with my regular haunts: Shang Palace, Cirkulo, the Salcedo Market--which takes place tomorrow.

If you'll have been in Batangas for several days, you may want to experience some of the rich variety Manila is (un)known for. (Josephine's and Aristocrat serve food pretty similar to what you'll probably get in Batangas.) Circulo has a strong Spanish influence. Abe is Pampangueno. I haven't been to Tita Moning's, but have heard good things about it. Shang Palace has had excellent dimsum in the past--more refined than anything I've had in the SF Bay Area, and on par with HK's better dimsum places. I have every intention of visiting Shang, and if possible, Abe and Cirkulo, on this trip and will post an update.

So far, I've tried a couple of restaurants off my regular list: Terry's, La Regalade, and Benjarong, Spanish, French, and Thai, respectively. All three were pretty respectable by any standard, though Terry's might be of more interest to someone from California where real Spanish food (as opposed to Mexican- or Latin American- Spanish) is less common. [OOOPs. Have to run. Will continue later.]

[pilinut]

I wasn't very clear in my earlier response, I'm afraid. It's the Salcedo Market which takes place on Saturdays, and only until early afternoon. There is a dining area, but I wouldn't recommend it if you want to keep your party of 11 together. But you alone, or with a couple of friends would enjoy it thoroughly, and it would be a great place to try a lot of sweets and baked goods. Look for the enseimadas made by Mrs. Henares and Mr. Medina. These are among the best in the country. And the butter cake by Vargas. If you've never had these before, they will be a revelation. (A food-obsessed friend who lives part of the year in Manhattan freezes these enseimadas and butter cake to bring with her. And yes, I do, too.)

Before I forget, there's a wonderful coffee shop in Greenbelt 5 in Makati: Restaurante Pia y Damaso, named after characters in Jose Rizal's novel, Noli Me Tangere. They have an excellent Brazo de Mercedes, a meringue and butter curd roll, as well as a delicious hot chocolate made with goat's milk, and several very good and unusual pastries.

For your group of 11, I'd say Shang Palace or Gloriamaris for Chinese food, Shang being the more expensive choice at around $30 and up per person. Circulo is in the same price range as Shang. Abe is okay for groups as well. There's also Hossein's Persian Kebab in Serendra--not cheap, but good ambiance and service. And the Dusit Hotel in Makati has a special Sunday brunch idea: for around $35, you can dine at any or all of it's three restaurants serving Thai, Japanese, and Italian food. Haven't tried it yet, but you may be interested.

Probably my favorite non-Asian restaurant is Sala on Makati Avenue, though it is not the place for small children at dinner. Under the same ownership is a very good Thai place in Greenbelt, People's Palace. Also in Greenbelt, which has 5 buildings, is Patisserie Bizu, which has very good macarons de Paris.

Good luck, and let us know how your trip goes! I'll try to post new if I find any new things, or if I can update my recommendations.

[CookieEater]

Everything sounds so good! I'm realizing I forgot to specify that $30+ per person is our upper limit for anything. With such a large family, we need to target $20 or less per person for most meals. :(
Anyone have a list of $10 places that can fit a big family?

Thanks pilinut for the coffee recs, after a couple days with my parents, my brothers, their wives, the kids. . .I'm gonna need it!!!

[pilinut]

Just got back from lunch at El Cirkulo. They have a private room which can hold 8-16 people. Allow Php1000.00 ($25)pp without drinks, but including tips and tax. If you like Spanish / Filipino-Spanish food, this is a very good choice.

[CookieEater]

I think too rich for our blood for a lunch.

[CookieEater]

Anybody here living in Manila? I need your favorite everyday-places to eat.