The flavors of Quiapo: A foodie adventure

If you love adventures and eating is your hobby, you will want to get your fill in Quiapo - that district in the city of Manila where you can find a hodgepodge of everything and anything from food to clothing to eyeglasses, electronic equipment, religious statues, and a lot more other knickknacks. Adventure it is, indeed, when you travail the paths of Quiapo as you will have to  do away with your fancy get-up and car (parking and driving around will be a problem) and will wisely put away your pricey gadgets before you navigate through its streets that are wild, wild, wild! Hahaha! I'm exaggerating, of course, but there's a wee bit of truth in it, as those streets are usually hot and crowded, muddy when it rains, and notoriously dangerous because of the nasty presence of snatchers and pickpockets. This is why when you're going to Quiapo, I'm advising you to dress simply and be street-smart. By being street-smart, I mean avoiding putting out your cellphone to text and being very careful with your bag. It will likewise be wise not to bring a lot of cash, you wouldn't need that anyway except if you're planning to buy a lot of things. If you're mulling embarking on a foodie adventure, you might not even need P500 even if you're in a group of three! Well, I'm speaking from experience. 
Last weekend, I, together with my daughter and her beau, went to Quiapo, ate at 3 different places, and only spent less than P400! Hard to believe? Let me tell the story in detail. First, we went to the balut stall in the Muslim area. For those who do not know what a balut is, it's a fertilized duck embryo boiled and eaten with some salt or vinegar. Going to the balut stall in the Quiapo Muslim area is a little adventure in itself and you probably know why (someday, I'd muster all my courage, visit the mosque there and eat 'halal' food). Our group ate 5 baluts and washed them down with two bottles of Mountain Dew (we've had Coke at home so my daughter and I just shared a bottle of softdrinks in Quiapo), for all of which I paid P98. Next, we went to Globe Lumpia House and ordered three pieces of fresh lumpia and 2 bottles of Sarsi and there I paid P68. We then transferred to Ma Mon Luk, where we ordered a Special Mami for P115 (good for sharing), Siopao, P45 (regular) and Siomai, P45. Total? P205. So, in all three eateries, I spent a grand total of P371. Cool, isn't it? 

Balut is P14 apiece in Quiapo.

Balut in vinegar dipping.

But while we were low on expenses, it was not so on flavors. What we ate in those three places were delicioso! Well, a balut is a balut wherever you eat it but it's the sour-spicy vinegar where you dip it that's perfect in Quiapo. As for Globe Lumpia House and Ma Mon Luk, the fact that they've been in existence for several decades now is proof enough that they serve good food. Globe was opened in 1956, built around its sole product - lumpiang sariwa. There are days when they sell empanada too but on most days it's only the lumpia that you can order here. Interestingly, they also sell just one kind of soda - Sarsi. Aside from the fact that Globe has stood its ground for 56 years, another proof that lumpia here is good is the long queue that will greet you on most times.

Globe Lumpia House on Raon St.

You usually have to line up before you can finally eat lumpia at Globe Lumpia House.

Lumpiang sariwa done the messy way here. Hehe. You should see how fastly and expertly done each lumpia is!

Lumpiang sariwa.

Even older, however, is Ma Mon Luk, which, in fact,  is one of the 10 oldest restaurants in the country, opened decades earlier than Globe Lumpia House. According to Wikipedia, the owner, Ma Mon Luk (1896-1961) himself, went to the Philippines from China in 1918 and sold noodles on the streets of Manila. Soon, he established the first Ma Mon Luk eatery in Binondo, followed by other branches including the one in Quiapo. By the 1950s, the restaurant was already very popular and was considered an "iconic Chinese restaurant" in the Philippines. These days, however, only the Quiapo and Quezon Ave. branches have remained. The one we visited in Quiapo has, I presumed, retained its original interiors, judging from how old the entire store looked. Entering it, I had high expectations, especially when I saw written on the wall that it was Ma Mon Luk that "invented the mami". On first taste, however, I was not sold. I surmised something had gone wrong in the way our order was cooked and hoped it would be better next time. Also, we ordered siomai and we were surprised that we served another bowl of soup. This is not the siomai that I like. I like my siomai served dry on a saucer, with chili sauce. Apparently, siomai at Ma Mon Luk is a soup dish. It was the siopao that saved the day for my group at Ma Mon Luk. It was meaty, rightly spiced and with delicious sauce to boot. This got me sold.

Special Beef Mami

Siomai soup.

Asado Siopao

Interiors of Ma Mon Luk in Quiapo

But balut, lumpia and mami and siopao are not all there is to send you to gastronomic heaven in Quiapo. If you're craving for something else, say pancit, there's another place I can recommend. This is Amis, located on Carriedo St., the busiest road on this side of Manila, where you'd better be at your most vigilant self when it comes to guarding your bag. The street is only for pedestrians and closed to vehicles, with its entire length full of vendors on both sides and at the center. This is where one can buy all sorts of clothing including school uniforms, casual wear and even underwear. If you're going to Sta. Cruz coming from Quiapo Church, Amis is at the left side of Carriedo. Do not blink as you might miss it. Teehee. I don't know when this restaurant opened but it could have been in existence since the '70s. It was in the '80s when my older sister started bringing home pancit canton from Amis as pasalubong from work at ADB (which used to have its Philippine headquarters at the present DFA office on Roxas Blvd.), . It was and still is - pancit canton - that's so good in Amis. It's not quite any other offered elsewhere. The noodles that they use is different from what we usually eat - it's whitish and they make it saucy, with lots of meat and veggies. I definitely urge you to eat at Amis, not just for their pancit canton. They also have siopao which is unique in appearance (it has a leaf-like pattern), sandwiches, rice meal and fruit shakes, all at affordable prices. The exact price of each fare I can't remember very clearly but I think pancit canton was P110, good for sharing, while a rice combo meal was around P110 at the minimum depending on what you want included in your plate. Fruit shakes cost some P45 and sandwiches around the same amount. I ate here two times last May with my balikbayan sister, who really loved the pancit canton.

Amis on Carriedo St.

Asado Siopao

  

Pancit Canton

Chicken Sandwich

 

Fried chicken and lumpiang shanghai combo meal.

Guyabano Shake

Mango Shake

        Meanwhile, last month of August, my other daughter and I ate at a relatively new restaurant in Quiapo - the Hongkong Noodles and Dimsum House on Quezon Boulevard, which opened just last year (if my memory serves me right. I asked it from the server). It has a branch in another side of Quiapo, on Carlos Palanca St., near the SM Department Store, and another one in Cubao. I was taken by their Pancit Miki Bihon! Everything about it was right - the texture, the taste, the color, even the price. Haha! My daughter had a chicken rice meal and it was good, too. I think it was yang chow fried rice that came with the fried chicken. I also had siopao here but I can't remember its taste as I write this piece. However, I don't remember having any adverse feeling towards this siopao so it must be good, too. Haha! The little problem is I can't remember the prices here too but I assure you they won't hurt your pocket.

Inside Hongkong Noodles and Dimsum House on Quezon Blvd. near Quiapo Church

Bola-Bola Siopao

Fried Chicken meal.

Pancit Miki Bihon

My plate.

  Now it's time for you to go on your own foodie adventure in Quiapo. Good luck and happy eating!