Manila 2012: Food

I spent the last 2 weeks of March in Manila, Philippines. My entire family traveled there for our first homecoming trip, since it had been 20+ years since we'd been there, and to celebrate my Lala's (grandma) 80th birthday. The last time I was in Manila was when I was 7 years old. I was born and spent the first half of my childhood there. My memories are still fresh and it was so good to be back, spend time with family, meet new family, and see the sites of the past. It was a whirlwind of a trip. Our schedules were packed and the days meshed in with one another. I was so full of thoughts, love, energy, excitement, exhaustion, and food. And it was perfect. Perfect because it was the time, our time, to be back.

Today I begin my recaps, and I wanted to begin with the food. Because we all love food ;)

Filipinos like to eat. And they like to feed you! From the moment we arrived at my Lala's condo to the time we left, we were offered cooked meals, enjoyed fresh seafood, stuffed ourselves with sweets and fresh fruit, and treated to some of the city's popular restaurants. Below are a sampling of the meals we enjoyed.

Our first breakfast consisted of fried fish with a fatty belly, fried rice, salted egg, and sliced tomatoes. My uncle also brought the best chicaron ever, and I had to add a little piece to my breakfast plate.


Our first lunch included my favorite dish, kare kare. It is a peanut stew full of beef, ox tail, tripe, and assorted veggies. I definitely went back for a second plate.


The famous bbq pork and java rice from The Aristocrat. It is open 24.7 and was where my parents went after late nights. The food is still quite delicious.


A plate from the popular fast food joint, Jollibee. This is a chicken joy and my brother substituted spaghetti for rice. He also got cheese fries which were fries coated in cheese seasoning. The flavor was so strong!


When started craving a taste of home/something America, my Tito took us to Yellow Cab for pizza! This sampler had cheese, pepperoni, shrimp, and olives. The thin crust was quite nice and it did taste American :)


Lighter meals were needed and we got sushi a few times.


This maki roll was topped with dilis. The tiny fish are deep fried and entirely edible. They added a nice crunch to the soft roll.


We snacked a lot. Above is my sister with Mr. Bean from Bread Talk. This pastry was filled with red beans and the bread was so light. I really like the face :)


But my favorite option from Bread Talk was the Floss. It was a light and airy loaf topped with shredded pork. The salty sweetness of it was divine.


We did enjoy the fruit, especially the mangosteen!


A few times during the trip my plate looked like this.


And like this!


Once a little pig had to die for our meal. This little lechon was slow roasted and flown in from Cebu for our family's party.


Lots of crabs died too. They were so sweet!!


Then there was the halo-halo! We ate a lot of desserts (pastillias, lengua de gato, cakes, mango tart), but my most favorite was the halo-halo. It is a drink/shake style dessert full of sweet beans, coconuts, various fruit, ube, crispy rice, jelly, shaved ice, and condensed milk. You can actually add whatever you like in it, then mix it all together and eat with a spoon.




You can say that it was definitely a FULLfilling trip ;)

Next up: Old Manila Walks.