drinks – Purple Curiosity

Miss Margarita

2 Jonson St, Byron Bay NSW 2481

A popular Mexican restaurant, opened back in 2012 alongside some other lively eateries on the famous Jonson street, Byron Bay. Unfortunately you cannot make a reservation at Miss Margarita, so you either have to come in early or be willing to wait in line.

There are street parking in front of the establishment and in front of the beach, which is only a few minutes walk down. Miss Margs serves popular and fun Mexican dishes, from fajitas, tacos, nachos, burritos and so much more across lunch and dinner. The quality was simple, yet exciting to the palette when we came in during dinner time. There’s so much to choose from and I don’t think you can go wrong with ordering, as the dishes, drinks and atmosphere of the place mixed fabulously. Prices were mid to high end range, which is understandable as the area they are in, is populated with both local and non-locals.

Service was prompt and the waitstaffs were quick on their feet, very friendly too. It does get loud, so talking whilst dinning is a bit of an effort. However, the music establishes the fun atmosphere of Miss Margs. The interior has bits and pieces of Mexican art and colours that brings vibrancy to the restaurant. The layout is quite tight, with the majority of tables set indoors. The wide-open windows however, extends the tight space to make it seem larger than it is. I liked how this was designed, it made the cramp space more breathable and look a bit rustic.

I wouldn’t recommend the place for a quiet, romantic dinner plan. The ambience is casual, hip and would be a great place to dine in before the night starts! Miss Margs has an extensive drinks menu too, from cocktails, margaritas, cold beers and some wines. You’re also so close to the beach, which you can definitely feel the breeze come in, making the dinning experience even more special. Miss Margs is a local favourite and one of the restaurants in the town you cannot skip!

Nikkei

G/F Frabelle Business Center, 111 Rada, Legaspi Village, Makati City, Philippines

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Treated at Nikkei for Valentines Day, and my partner knows how much I enjoy Japanese cuisines. There are 3 other branches in other popular cities and this was our closest. When he mentioned the restaurant was serving a fusion of Japanese and Peruvian cuisines, I was super excited!

Let us first talk about the interior, which was gorgeously simple, with the wood accents covering both the ceiling and furnitures. The restaurant is quite cozy, fitting a small amount of people, which you are sitting very close to other diners. Wait staffs were attentive in refilling glasses, removing empty plates and was easy to get their attention. Food and drinks came out timely, all presented in an appealing way. From the plates, plating and interior, everything was balanced.

I am no Peruvian food expert, but it is evident from the Japanese cuisines, that there are slight twists to each item. Playfully colourful, each dish had its own unique texture, whilst staying consistent to the combined culture-fusion theme. The highlights would have to be the flamed edamame (surprisingly addictive), house-made ice cream scoop, kurobutoa gyoza and the miso soup! My bowl which had the grilled squid was ok, the grilled squid was comforting but unfortunately everything else in the bowl was bland. There’s a good amount in the bowls, so if you plan to eat small plates, skip the bowls. Cocktails were created beautifully, highlights would have to be their yamazaki umeshu and orange prosecco.

Everything was priced mid-range, a great place to explore fusion dishes, catching up with friends, lovers or for business meetings.

Agimat Foraging Bar and Kitchen

5972 Alfonso, cor Fermina, Makati, Metro Manila

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Located in the nightlife but quieter scene of Poblacion, Agimat is a food and drink treasure box you sure don’t want to miss out! You’ll be led upstairs of a rustic Filipino home, and be greeted a staircase lined with red candles. There’s a narrow outdoor area for smokers and beside it, are the toilets. I had initially checked out the place, through their instagram and was surprised with their jungle concept. Located behind the bar, is a gorgeous tree with vines flowing down the trunk and its branches reach, almost crawls under the ceiling. There are low as well as high tables, we unfortunately got the unstable high table, but later moved to a low seating table when it was free.

As you can see by my pictures below, we ordered a lot of food! Agimat’s dishes were quirky, in a sense that they presented Filipino food in oddly-shaped plates and with a modern twist. The ingredients are truly special, using local ingredients and delicacies, such as ant eggs and day old chicken. I am a bit biased, but I love tapas food because you get to try a bit of everything, and Agimat wonderfully delivered. The highlight was the balut, there’s no chick inside, so you get to taste it without freaking out haha. It was creamy and with the right amount of salt.

Agimat’s craft cocktails were interestingly categorised by elements. I’m not sure if all ordered cocktails had performances, but when they did, it was super fun watching the mixologist do their thing whilst a drum was played. They had these cute sun masks on! Loved the vibe. The flavour in these drinks were amazing, I could taste little of the alcohol and more of the other ingredients used. If I had a higher tolerance, I would ordered a bit more, but alas after a few drinks these deadly cocktails got me. These cocktails not only had Tagalog names, but were also entertainingly presented.

I highly recommend pre-booking by calling Agimat, as the place is quite small. I did see some walk-ins and they were seated at the bar. They looked more like they were there to drink. But if you decide to check out the place for dinner, make sure to pre-book. Prices are mid-high, and by the time we left (about 9pm) the place was getting crowded.