Wild Night At Hooters

The night was young, an I am not about to let it slip by without having fun. My goal tonight: to try something absolutely new; my destination: the world famous Hooters Sports Bar & Grill which has just opened last year here in the Philippines.

Hooters Philippines

Hooters originated from America with over 455 branches spanning around the globe. The first Hooters restaurant opened up October 4, 1983 at Clearwater, Florida. It is one of the most successful restaurant chains in the world with it's concept fully intact since it's humble beginnings. The casual bench-theme establishment features "oldies" jukebox music, sports on television, and a menu that includes seafood, sandwiches, salads, and spicy chicken wings. What sets this establishment apart from any other restaurant is it's main attraction called "The Hooter Girls" which is socially accepted as a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, Sports Illustrated model, or a Radio City Rockette. The nearly-world famous Hooters Girls are the cornerstone of their concept- all American (and All-Filipina in our case here in the Philippines) who makes promotional and charitable appearances in their respective communities- not bad if I would say so myself. However, as time went by, several but small detailed changes were made to every Hooters restaurant  in the world.

The Hooters Bar

The Philippine branch, located at the the San Miguel by the Bay area of Mall Of Asia is no different from the rest of the Hooters branch worldwide. When I got to the place, I was cheerfully greeted by friendly and very attractive Hooters Girls wearing the same uniform that was established since it's first branch opened  on 1983- white tank top and orange shorts. Not only were the ladies friendly, but they are also very accommodating. The interior was very western; thus, giving any American expat a very homely feel. A bar was stationed on the left corner of the restaurant with a wide selection of drinks- from colas to wines, vodkas to cocktails; you name it they have it! Several momentos were placed on top of the wine shelves. I found jerseys signed by famous basketball and baseball players, some trophies, and a collectors item Manny Pacquiao boxing glove signed and sealed by Manny himself. 

Chuck Bass With Hooters Girl Layla

The food selection is great. Large appetizing burgers and seafood can be ordered for a cheap price of P500-P800 each. The servings were really big that two people can actually share! Drinks are not that expensive either. Their beers and wines range from P100-P350 depending on the mix or cocktail you ordered.

A personal touch was added to the delight of the customers as every now and then, the Hooters Girls performs a "dance number" either on top of the bar or by the side- ala Coyote Ugly. Since the Hooters girls were very approachable, you can actually have your picture taken with them!

Chuck Bass With Hooters Girl Jham

I chose to have my picture taken by three lovely Hooters Girls- Jhaynie (The bartender), Jham and Layla. The night was a complete success. Great food, great entertainment and I got to meet three lovely ladies in a span of just an hour! Where else can you find this kind of fun?!

Hooters is open from Sundays-Thursdays 11am-12am and Fridays-Saturdays 11am-2am. You can visit them at Building D Units 1-6 San Miguel by the Bay, Mall of Asia, Pasay City.

Chuck Bass With Hooters Girl Jhaynie

Bravo For Brava

Whether you're looking to satisfy a sweet tooth (which is the main reason I go here), enjoy an aperitif before chowing down a sumptuous meal, or having a nightcap with your friends, there's no other place I'd recommend than Brava. Owned and started by restaurateur Abba Napa, Brava is one of the hot spots in this side of the metro. Located in the posh strip of The Fort in Taguig, Brava was initially put up to be a dessert bar and a pre- and post dinner place.

Brava At The Fort

Chocolate Truffles

I've discovered this place with one of my friends when we were at The Fort looking for a nice and relaxing place for a nightcap after some serious partying. Brava boasts a long list of cocktails and wines that you can never find anywhere else. A decadent white chocolate martini with rich dark chocolate coating the sides immediately got my attention. Being a chocolate lover, I would never pass out on this especially partnered with Brava's homemade chocolate truffles.

My friend ordered the fruity white wine sangria with cinnamon infused with vodka which tastes equally as good as my chocolate martini (without the chocolate of course.) Having satisfied by the rich flavors and blends of their cocktails, I couldn't resist tasting another- their famous mojito with an unnatural twist, spliced with ginger.

Choco-chili Martini

Most of the liquors served at Brava have been carefully aged according to one of the baristas I talked to. No wonder their wines tastes so good- and almost perfect. The cocktails have all been infused with different ingredients that help bring out the flavor of each concoction. I actually saw jars of fruits and spices soaked in alcohol in almost every nook and cranny of the bar. There's honeycomb drenched luxuriously in vodka or kaffir lime swimming in gin. I've never seen any of these and it all just completely amazes me!  I recognized some cayenne peppers sprinkled in their own alcohol blend ready to be used for the next choco-chilli martini.

For finger foods, Brava has truffle buttered popcorn and crispy parmegiano chips. There's also spicy polpo (that I just love to try if I haven't eaten a whopping dinner before we went out), baby octopus, and gnocchi spinaci which are basically little balls of flavor drenched in truffle cream. I found out that on certain evenings of the week (thanks to Albert Opeña the bar tender), Brava offers a buffet of all you can eat and drink! Wow- that is just so good. Too bad it's the weekend or I would have tried those as well.

Brava truly has everything for a certified socialista; the big surprise here is that the food and drinks don't cost that much at all as you would expect in classy place like this. Between me and my friend, we only spent 750Php for a delectable late night evening at Brava!