Words by Cathlyn Mae Botor

Photos by Lorraine Giron

If you take a stroll around the metro these days, there are food parks almost everywhere you go. It’s pretty amazing how the food park business became a sudden hit, especially among millennial foodies and enthusiasts. Well, a new one has popped up in the North! Located in the heart of Timog, the 8 Seas Food Adventure definitely serves as a perfect barkada hang-out place!

The 8 Seas Food Adventure, a cruise ship-themed food park, recently sailed and opened its doors for guests last November 2018. As you enter the food park, a mini replica of a cruise ship welcomes you aboard. The area is also decorated with nets and lifebuoys, giving you dinner-by-the-sea vibes. You’ll feel at peace and relaxed with the colorful LED lights hung over the nets. The food park is open to all and caters to all guests including those who are with their friends and family, and even for couples who love to go on food trips. If you choose to hang out with your significant other, you can also spend the evening here while enjoying good food and watching exclusive acoustic live-band performances.

When you look around and navigate the area, you’ll notice that the food park is spacious. There are also seats upstairs to accommodate many groups of people. 8 Seas Food Adventure already anticipates that many will visit them; therefore, they see to it that the dining experience won’t be compromised. After all, convenience comes with great company and good food. The food park owners made sure that the area is accessible and has an open-air dining space where guests can easily hover around and hop from one food stall to another.

And of course, aside from its oceanic feel and ambiance, we found out that their meals are under 400 pesos only! Yes, you read that right! You’ll get to enjoy and taste a variety of their cuisines with your friends and family at affordable prices! We tried four of the food stalls that they have, and we were able to satisfy our gastronomic cravings for Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Filipino dishes!

4. Kocco Tea Kitchen

Before trying out the different cuisines, we started off with the refreshments. Kocco Tea Kitchen, located at 8 Seas first floor, aims to satisfy your thirst and sweet cravings.

 

Kocco Milk tea: Solo (Php 78), 1 Liter (Php 120)

For milk tea lovers, you might want to check out Kocco Tea Kitchen’s Signature Milk Tea. But, if you’re not that fond of milk teas, you can also choose from a wide selection of their refreshing drinks such as Iced Teas, Lemonades, Coffees, and Frappes.

Lemon Frost: Solo (Php 78), 1 Liter (Php 120)

Squeeze in the natural flavors of lemon in one refreshing drink with Kocco’s Lemon Frost! This special lemon drink is made up of lemon and vanilla extract, cream, condensed milk, and sugar syrup.

Mango Lemonade: Solo (Php 78), 1 Liter (Php 130)

If your taste buds are craving for a combination of sweet and citrus tastes, Kocco’s Mango Lemonade is definitely the perfect drink for you! When you take a sip of it, you’ll get to taste a somewhat sour and sweet pulpy blend of mango and lemon.

Strawberry Milkshake (Php 90)

If you’re looking for a colorful and Instagram-worthy milkshake, you can try Kocco’s Strawberry Milkshake! This milkshake is made with strawberry-blended ice topped with whipped cream, strawberry syrup, and cookies and cream ice cream.

3. Chickapig

Want to spice up your favorite fried food/snacks and pulutan? Chickapig is here to serve you crispy and flavorful fried chicken bites and pork dishes. Their signature fried dishes are traditionally cooked by way of dipping their choice-cut meats in a special butter mixture to ensure that the crispiness would last longer.

 

Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings Ala Carte (Php 125)

Chickapig’s Garlic Parmesan is made crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Aside from the cheesy parmesan taste, the authentic garlic adds up to its strong and flavorful aroma.

Karaage w/ Rice (Php 130)

Chickapig’s marinated and coated chicken bits or karaage comes with three of their best-selling flavors such as cheese, sour cream, and smoky barbeque. You can also try their super hot and wasabi flavors.

Crispy Bagnet Ala Carte (Php 175)

Crispy Bagnet Sisig Ala Carte (Php 135)

Chickapig’s Crispy Bagnet is a crispy pork belly Ilocano-inspired dish dipped in their special vinegar sauce. They also came up with their very own version of Crispy Bagnet Sisig with their special Bagnet sauce. The spicy kick of sisig, tenderness of the pork belly, and the crispiness of the pork skin come together to make it a perfect beer match! So the next time you’ll have chill inuman sessions with your barkada, try Chickapig’s Crispy Bagnet Sisig! It will surely make you crave for extra rice!

2. Cucina Di Paulina

For pasta and pizza lovers, you might want to indulge yourself with Cucina Di Paulina’s authentic Italian-Asian inspired pasta and pizza dishes.

 

Truffled Pesto Margherita Pizza: 12″(Php 350), 10″ (Php 285)

Cucina Di Paulina has several truffle pasta and pizza dishes that are found on their menu. We asked them about their best-selling pizza and they proudly served us their signature Truffled Pesto Margherita Pizza. It has pesto as its base sauce topped with mozzarella and tomato sauce together with fresh tomatoes, truffle oil, and parmesan.

Mixed Seafood Scampi (Php 250)

Meanwhile, Cucina Di Paulina’s Mixed Seafood Scampi is probably their most vibrant-looking pasta dish combined with citrus garlic shrimp and dried chilies. This seafood pasta dish is cooked in white wine and olive oil.

1. Samgyeop sa Timog

Meanwhile, our next food stop is dedicated to the K-bbq fanatics out there. Now is the time to include Samgyeop sa Timog on your list of must-tries samgyupsal hubs in Manila! Located at the 2nd floor of 8 Seas Food Adventure, Samgyeop sa Timog came up with a Filipino twist for their very own unlimited samgyupsal for as low as 299 pesos. They have a total of 9 kinds of meat with 3 classifications such as pork (Dae-Pae/Bulgogi)), chicken (Chicken Galbi/Bulgogi), and beef (Beef Samgyeop/Bulgogi). Under each category, they offer pinoy-style pork, chicken, and beef samgyupsal. They offer Pinoy side dishes alongside their Pinoy-style meats, which makes them unique from other samgyupsal restaurants in the metro. Aside from the locally known preserved vegetable atsara, other Filipino side dishes include cucumber soaked in vinegar, caramelized peanuts, vegetable curry, and sweet potato.

 

Samgyeop sa Timog’s unlimited samgyeopsal also comes with a melted cheese dip and a free dessert! Ours was coffee jelly!

Aside from trying out 8 Seas Food Adventure’s mouth-watering cuisines, you can also go upstairs to the third floor of the food park where you can check out their cozy and sea-themed spacious room exclusively available for family and/or barkada events and parties.

8 Seas Food Adventure