To make sure your Valentine’s weekend is a safe, sweet and enjoyable one, Rockwell has come up with some restaurant recommendations, whether you’re spending the day with your significant other, a group of friends or the whole family.

Dine, love, drink at ELCCELEBRATE the first Valentine’s Day of the new decade at Eugenio Lopez Center (ELC) in Antipolo!

Food court dining used to mean grabbing greasy grub from fast food chains. These days, food halls are all the rage in the culinary world with creative, often high-end concepts from celebrity chefs or innovative newcomers.

Prompted by the metro’s burgeoning food hall culture, “Esquire Philippines” recently published an official power ranking of the best food halls in Manila and put The Grid Food Market on the top of the list.

“What The Grid manages to do that other food halls don’t is effortlessly combining the efficiency of a food court with consistent quality and service in a cool modern setting,” reads the piece.

As if being named the best food hall in Manila isn’t enough, The Grid is giving us more reasons to keep coming back.

Those reasons come in the form of new stalls, including space for authentic Thai street food by a chef that runs a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bangkok, among others. Plus, more seats to fit more hungry folks. Here’s a quick look at The Grid’s latest additions.

Samyan

Samyan

Bangkok-based chef Thitid “Ton” Tassanakajohn is bringing his love for Samyan Market street food to Manila by way of Stall 16 at The Grid. Aside from his first food hall concept in the Philippines, chef Ton runs Michelin-starred restaurant Le Du and Michelin Bib Gourmand award-winner Baan. He’s also a judge on “Top Chef Thailand.”

Cuba Libre

Cuba Libre

Stall 9 serves Cuban mains, sides and rice that you can mix and match to your heart’s content. Or you can pick one of the rice plates when you’re too hungry to build your own plate.

Pigeon Hole

Pigeon Hole

At Stall 11, you’ll find a newcomer that serves hearty Chinese rice bowls, Hong Kong-style fried chicken, and— staying true to its name—fried pigeon. Chicken and pigeons are handpicked daily to ensure quality. That also means servings are limited. Try them out the first chance you get!

Your Local

Your Local

After a successful pop-up run at The Grid last August, the Legaspi Village favorite has found a permanent home in Stall 14. Here you’ll find modern Asian dishes inspired by the owners’ travels around the region.

Granivore

Granivore

The year 2020 may be off to a rough start, but if there’s one good thing the new decade brings, it’s that more restaurants have us excited over healthy food. Stall 17 is one of the restaurants that has us hyped. Have your pick from colorful smoothie bowls, build-your-own bowls or ask about their best-sellers.

The Grid is located at R2 Level, Power Plant Mall. (Story/Photos by: (Jannine Sy)

Let’s talk about a manoA mano is the newest classic Italian restaurant in Power Plant Mall. It’s Amado Fores’ first foray into the family business, so to speak, of setting up Italian restaurants that change Metro Manila’s dining landscape.