MANILA -- Check out some of the latest news in the local food scene.

WEEKEND BRUNCH MENU AT YOUR LOCAL

Chef Patrick Go cooks up a brunch menu of Asian fusion specials at Legaspi Village favorite Your Local.

Go said they noticed more people, particularly cyclists, coming to Esteban Street on weekend mornings and this is why they decided to open early and serve a curated selection of brunch entrees.

The core brunch menu features light breakfast entrees like their Brown Butter Kaya Toast, Pancetta Kaya Toast, and Hainanese Chicken Chili Crab Congee, to bowls and dishes for those with heavier appetites such as Your Local’s Hot Stone Nasi Lemak, Croissant with Malaysian Beef Rendang, and their Smoked Salmon Brekkie Bowl with Go hinting of new dishes to be added every so often.

The Your Local brunch menu is available from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. every weekend

SPECIALTY COFFEE AND CROISSANTS

The Coffee Academics To-Go opens its new branch at Robinson’s Magnolia.

Have the Hong Kong coffee shop’s specialty coffee drinks like the Agave and Manuka Latte with The Coffee Academics To-Go’s very own Myles Hontiveros’ signature Classic Croissants, Pain De Chocolat, and Activated Charcoal Coconut Croissants beside their growing menu of lunch specials.

The Coffee Academics To-Go standalone branches can be found at High Street South Corporate Lobby and at ground floor of Robinson’s Magnolia.

SOLAIRE'S MID-AUTUMN MOONCAKES

Solaire Resort and Casino celebrates this year’s Festival of the Moon with special mooncake sets ranging from traditional baked varieties, sweet snow skin kinds, and the Teochew pair.

Available in 11 different flavors and five kinds, each set comes in stylish and unique packaging – a vivid red box with images that narrate the much-celebrated folklore, or a sleek reusable white mini-chiller.

For the Traditional Baked Mooncakes, choose from a velvety red bean paste with pistachio nuts, silken white lotus paste with almonds, a choice of double egg yolks enveloped in red bean paste with pumpkin seeds or double egg yolks with white lotus paste and sunflower seeds.

The Snow Skin Mooncakes are made into lollies for a more playful twist. The five artistically concocted flavors are a colorful collection in a white mini-fridge that includes mango paste and mango chocolate snow, lotus raisin paste with blueberry chocolate, strawberry snow skin mooncake with lotus paste and rum hazelnut chocolate, the papaya snow skin mooncake with custard paste and Palette Noir chocolate, or the dragon fruit snow skin mooncake with lotus paste and whisky chocolate.

Teochew-style mooncakes are soft and flaky compared to the usual mooncake which can be savored with egg yolks wrapped in soft taro paste or fragrant ube paste.

Also available are limited release sets in collaboration with luxe whisky brand Dalmore. Only 80 sets of the Solaire x Dalmore King Alexander III will be available which includes a bottle of whisky plus two special Dalmore Mooncakes, while there are only eight sets of the Solaire x Dalmore 25 Years available which also includes a bottle of this rare whisky and two special Dalmore Mooncakes.

Solaire’s irresistible homemade mooncakes are now be available for purchase until September 10 at Red Lantern, House of Zhou, Fresh, The Patisserie, and Food Court. Traditional baked mooncakes come in boxes of 2, 4, and 8, Teochew-style mooncakes come in boxes of 2, 6, and 8.

For orders and more information, visit here.

ITALIANNI’S NEW BRANCH AT THE SHOPS AT AYALA TRIANGLE

The Bistro Group’s family Italian-American restaurant Italianni’s opens its 22nd branch at the prestigious Shops at Ayala Triangle.

New on the menu are Chicken Picatta, and Fried Eggplant and Grilled Pepper Fish alongside classic favorites such as their pastas and pizzas. The new 120-seater branch has the restaurant’s endearing old-world charm and a contemporary vibe.

The new Italianni’s branch can be found at the lower ground floor of the Shops at Ayala Triangle. Check out their socials at @itallianisph for their complete menu and special offers.

HEINEKEN LAUNCHES SMOOTH AND EASY BEER

Dutch beer brand Heineken recently launched Heineken Silver, a smooth and easy-to-drink accessible tasting beer brewed with natural ingredients, including Heineken’s famous A-yeast, quality pure malt, and sustainably sourced barley that supports Heineken’s wider commitments to Brew a Better World.

“At Heineken, we are always looking to bring products to the market that match the needs of our consumers. With the changing drinking culture within the Philippines, we are seeing drinkers wanting a beer that matches the smooth and easy to drink moments, that allow them to enjoy and celebrate time with friends and family. Heineken Silver has been perfectly designed for these moments, delivering a smooth and easy to drink beer that can be enjoyed in a variety of different settings, where people come together to celebrate real and fun connections together.,” said Heineken Philippines country manager Michael Vainio

Heineken Silver is available for in 330ml/500ml cans and 330ml bottles.

ONEZO TAPIOCA COFFEE SERIES

Onezo Tapioca adds coffee to its drinks menu with its new coffee series.

Basic drinks are the Iced Caffe Latte and Coffee Milk Tea. Onezo has also added coffee to its Cheesecake drinks with the Biscoffee Cheesecake and the Coffee Oreo Cheesecake.

The milk tea concept, popular for their flavored pearls freshly made in-store, also opened their 11th branch at the second level of Glorietta 2 early this month.