The Podium at Ortigas Center is another place to check out: a pricey part-deli restaurant, part-grocery store. The food is a mix of Mediterranean and Asian, with options such as a cold-cut platter and shrimp chilli pasta. Popular for coffee and cakes too. It’s about thirty minutes by cab from Makati. Mario's (tel: 634-3417) is for fine dining, complete with grand piano and elegant chandeliers. Try the oysters Rockefeller with spinach hollandaise sauce and angel hair pasta with black olives. Complement your meal with a choice of wine from the fine cellar. The restaurant is located at St Francis Square in the Ortigas Center. Illustrado (tel: 301-0183), housed in a rebuilt turn-of-the-century house in Intramuros, offers Spanish and traditional Filipino fare. There's an excellent menu coupled with an extensive wine list. Try their paella and “adobong usa” (venison cooked in vinegar and soy sauce). The restaurant features a separate coffee shop with freshly prepared pastries. Barbara's (tel: 527-4090) offers a Spanish-inspired setting. It’s fairly romantic and seafood is the order of the day here. For Spanish, there's Guernica’s (tel: 521-4415), where the menu is strictly traditional. The dishes are heavy on olive oil and garlic and the restaurant's trio of musicians serenade tables. Guernica's is located at Jorge Bocobo Street in Malate.