partnered post
I am celebrating almost 6 years of moving to the South. I never thought I’d fall in love with the chill, laid-back, “shorts and birks” lifestyle… so much so that I hardly leave my neck of the woods. This, despite well-meaning people telling me: “You’ll miss the restaurants here.”
While I admit to still finding challenges navigating culinary parts of our “hood” (I cannot for the life of me figure out the BFs and how to get there… but I will), I love discovering new places to eat and drink.
One of these new spots is Fiddle Leaf Restaurant and Bar, located on the 4th floor of Somerset Alabang. Picture this: An unobstructed view of the sunset, chilling by the pool, delicious tapas, the famous Alabang breeze, and refreshing libations.

The best way to enjoy this is through their Unlimited Garden Spritz promo, featuring pintxos and the Chandon Garden Spritz. This delicious cocktail is made from Chandon’s award-winning brut coming from high altitude vineyards in Argentina, blended with their homemade orange-bitter liqueur and sustainably farmed Valencia orange peels. There’s a world of cocktail possibilities for the spritz, such as a winter blend involving a stick of cinnamon and a dried orange slice… but in Alabang (aka the land of 365 summer days), it’s best enjoyed like so:

- Pour Chandon Garden Spritz into a large glass filled with a few ice cubes (3-4, or a little more on a hot day)
- Garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a dried orange slice

While the cocktail could be easily replicated at home, the pintxos – and the rest of the yummy menu items – are totally worth going to the restaurant for. Created by Chef Carlos, his food gives us a taste of his hometown: Extremadura, Spain. Personally, I think it’s a truly delectable touch of home for us “homey” southies.

Special thanks to Kévin Charuel