What are the Best Places to Eat in Metro Manila?

What are the Best Places to Eat in Metro Manila? What are these restaurants or food joints famous for?

Over the years, Manila and its neighboring cities grew and developed to be the country’s premier gastronomic capital. Hundreds of new restaurants, bars, and food joints sprouted, each offering a fascinating menu selection and a cozy ambience.

People who have been away from the Philippines for a long time, like our modern-day heroes (OFW), balikbayans, and even tourists, will be surprised on how Manila’s food scene has evolved. I, for one, was amazed too see the swift transformation after being away for only a few years.

How to Butcher a Chicken

Have you ever tried to butcher a whole dressed chicken? I remember the first time to butcher a whole chicken; it was confusing. Back then, I didn’t know where to start and I have no idea as to how many parts should I divide it into. I spent more than 30 minutes to complete the [...]

Tahô

Tahô is a Philippine street food sold by peddlers known as “magtataho”. It is a soft gelatin-like snack made from processed soybeans topped with caramel and tapioca pearls (locally called sago). The soft gelatin-like texture is achieved by undergoing a series of steps. Soybeans are soaked in water overnight then finely grinded and boiled. While boiling, extracts from the soy beans mixes with water forming soy milk. The remaining solid particles are placed in a cloth then squeezed tightly until all the soy milks are fully extracted. Coagulating agents such as gelatin or magnesium chloride are then added to thicken the texture. The caramel syrup is made by caramelizing brown sugar and mixing it with water.

Custard Cake

Custard Cake resembles a chiffon cake with a topping of sweetened milk and egg mixture known as custard. At first glance, this could be mistaken as a giant Leche Flan because the topping resembles one. Guess what? The topping of this cake is definitely Leche flan and the only distinction is the soft cake below.

In the Philippines, this is usually available by the slice in local bakeries (or panaderya). I remember always getting this along with egg pie. I find this dessert very tasty and sweet so pairing this up with kapeng barako (brewed coffee) to balance the sweetness is not a bad idea.

Do you also want the recipe for egg pie? Just let me know.

Try this Custard Cake recipe.

Fried Bangus

Before anything else, let me first acquaint you with a section of this blog called “What’s cookin?” This section (or category) is intended to showcase simple yet delicious food that we usually prepare on ordinary or busy days.

Unlike the recipe section, this does not show details on how certain foods are prepared. The ones featured here are done using basic cooking procedures that almost everyone is familiar with. In addition, this section is also intended to promote our appreciation on simple everyday meals that most of us had while growing-up (or still having until now) and remind everyone that some good food does not need to be costly and complicated.

I was craving for pritong bangus (milkfish) since last week: it is not until today that I was able to visit the local Pinoy store to get a pack of bangus marinated in vinegar and crushed garlic. I even saw some salted eggs and was able to grab a dozen.

Ginisang Ampalaya

Ginisang Ampalaya is transalated as Sautéed Bitter Melon. This Filipino vegetable recipe is one of the healthiest recipe around.

Bitter melon is best known for antidiabetic effects. It contains a chemical known as insulin-like peptide that is similar in shape and function to animal-produced insulin. Other chemicals, including vicine, in bitter melon may also have blood-sugar lowering effects.

Try this healthy vegetable dish: Ginisang Ampalaya.

Arroz Caldo

Arroz Caldo (literally translated as warm rice) is a type of congee (or lugaw) that closely resembles the risotto. Though this dish is of Chinese origin, the (new) name was actually given by the Spaniards because of pronounciation issues.

The use of chicken (cut into individual servings) makes Arroz Caldo different from other congees. Safflower (wild saffron), toasted garlic, and scallions are added to enhance the flavor, color, and aroma of the dish.

This lugaw is usually served during breakfast. I remember seeing several well-lit carts complete with chairs and tables along Edsa (a major road in Manila) serving this congee with Goto and lugaw. Several tapsilogan and karinderya also carry this in their daily menu. Arroz Caldo is also one of the favorite food of those who want to sober-up.

Braised Vegetables

Braised Vegetables or wet-roasted vegetables is a vegan (vegetarian) dish composed basically of mushrooms, bamboo shoots,young corn, snow peas, and carrots. This is a perfect dish for health conscious individuals and people who are on a diet. A very low fat and low calorie recipe, having these types of dish regularly could help you stay healthy and lose weight fast if combined with enough excercise.

Try this delicious vegan recipe: Braised Vegetables.

Macaroni Salad

Macaroni Salad or Chicken Macaroni Salad is a simple salad made from macaroni (usually elbow macaroni). This salad is prepared with a generous amount of mayonnaise and boiled chicken meat (sometimes ham is used). A regular side dish during picnics and family outings, macaroni salad is best if combined with grilled foods and barbeque.

Try this Macaroni Salad recipe.

Pork Afritada

Pork Afritada is simply “Stewed pork in tomato sauce”. This dish is similar to Menudo and Kaldereta (or Caldereta) and is usually cooked with wedges of carrots and potatoes. Bay leaves are also added for extra flavor and aroma.

Because of the similarity of Afritada to other tomato based dishes, identifying this dish is quite confusing to some. I was asked by some people (who are still puzzled on this topic) to differentiate one from the other. I felt like standing in their shoes for a while. After some time pondering, I figured out that the visual difference can obviously be seen on the cut of the meat and the additional ingredients used. As for the taste, each dish is unique even if the base ingredients are similar. I guess changing the cut of the meat and adding a few more ingredients to it gives me the right to call it “Pork Vanjito” (just kidding).

Some Pinoy Foods might look the same but inside them lays a truly unique taste capable of spelling their own name.

Tell me what you think.

Try this appetizing Filipino Pork Recipe: Pork Afritada.

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