My many favorites at Tropical Hut Hamburger

What is the oldest hamburger fast food chain in the Philippines? If you're thinking Jollibee, you haven't seen the light. Haha! While Jollibee was born in 1975, Tropical Hut Hamburger came to being more than a decade earlier or in 1962 (according to an article I read in the Internet). The first time I got to eat a Tropical Hut hamburger, it was the '70s and I was an elementary schoolgirl (That was before I first set foot at a Jollibee store). I remember thinking that burger from Tropical Hut was one of best things I'd eaten in my young life. 

Today, over three decades later, I still think Tropical Hut's burger is one of the best tasting hamburgers in the country, especially among those served at popular fast food chains. But it's not just the burger that I love at Tropical Hut: There's their fried chicken and the sandwiches. How I love their clubhouse! The fried chicken has the same texture and crunch as Jollibee's famous Chickenjoy and in my opinion, as delicious, if not more. It was just yesterday that I last ate fried chicken at Tropical Hut and hours afterward, I was still daydreaming about it. Haha! Yum! Meanwhile, I love that they serve good brewed coffee all day-long. 

Another thing I like about this fast food chain is that aside from the Westernized offers, they also have Filipino dishes like dinuguan and bistek tagalog rice meals that one could have for lunch and dinner, and palabok and beef mami for merienda. For dessert, they have halo-halo and mais con hielo, among others Tropical Hut has a wider range of dishes than other fast food chains and that's an advantage for it. The sad thing is that there are now fewer Tropical Hut stores in the metro. How I wish there could me more. The branch I frequent is the one at the Quezon City Memorial Circle.

Double Double Burger, P115.

Clubhouse Sandwich, P90.

Clubhouse sandwich with fries.

Chicken sandwich with fries and drink, P81.

2-pc Fried Chicken with rice, P118.

Brewed Coffee, P30.

Real Leaf iced tea. Add P17 when you order a meal and want your softdrink changed to iced tea. 

I agree with the slogan!

My boy loves Tropical Hut's fried chicken.

Yuletide eats

What added to your waistline during the holidays? With all the Christmas parties and New Year revelry we attended and did, I'm pretty sure everyone was stuffed and gluttonous. My family spent Christmas in our hometown in Quezon so I was fortunate to just lay back and wait for Mom to finish cooking before I get to taste what she prepared. Haha! My mother, who is now 84 years old, makes really mean morcon, I tell you. She does this special beef dish only once a year, served as "queen" of our Media Noche spread, which makes it much anticipated. For this year, however, Mom made morcon in time for Christmas because we wouldn't be welcoming the New Year with them in Quezon but in Manila. As always, it was very delicious, even better that those I've tasted in some restaurants. I have yet to learn making morcon from mother, though, and I hope to do that this year. Anyway, aside from morcon, Mom also fried some chicken marinated in soy sauce and calamansi, while my brother-in-law cooked kare-kare and pancit bijon. My two daughters, on the other hand, prepared carbonara which was perfect! I'm so proud of my kids. Their carbonara was heavenly even though it was their first time preparing this pasta dish! As for me, I did the eating. Haha!  

Mom's mouthwatering morcon.

Fried soy chicken somewhat burned on the surface. Haha! Still good, though.

Delicious kare-kare by bro-in-law.

Mom's yellow rice (rice mixed with corn).

My kids' carbonara. T'was the first time they cooked this but it was perfect!

My bro-in-law makes really mean pancit bijon.

To welcome the New Year back in Manila, I prepared spaghetti and tacos while my daughters made the desserts - refrigerator cake using broas (ladyfinger), and coffee jelly. We had barbecue too but I just bought it from Andok's. I was a little bit sad because I wanted to prepare a special Media Noche spread but failed to do so because I still had to report to work on December 31 and also January 1 and thus had little time to cook. And to top this, my househelp went on vacation to her boyfriend's place in Rizal on December 30th and returned only in the afternoon of January 1. Needless to say, she was of no use at the time I needed her most. Sigh...Oh well, better luck next New Year. Hehe!

My spaghetti.

Pork barbecue from Andok's.

Tacos.

My taco. Notice the large-cut cabbage strips. Hubby cut them. Hehe..

Garlic toast by my eldest daughter.

Refrigerator cake also by my eldest daughter.

My second child's coffee jelly.

For dinner on New Year's Day, my family plus two nephews ate at Mang Inasal. It wasn't a very good idea, though, because at a little past 8 p.m., they had no more soup, no chili (very important to me and my nephew JC) and no more dessert! Aaargh! But since I came from work and we had no more time to go the mall after hearing the 7-8 p.m. mass, we settled for Mang Inasal which is the only restaurant apart from Jollibee that is near our place. Still, it was a happy occasion for the family, especially since my two nephews, the sons of my sister who passed away on this date (January 2) 11 years ago, only get to stay with us for a few days during summer and Christmas.

At Mang Inasal, Pork Sisig.

Chicken Pecho.

Dinuguan at Puto.

Lunch with a bit of nostalgia

If there's one food place that reminds me so much of my happy salad days, it's Pancake House. When I was a blithe, gawky teen, my older sister, who worked at ADB where she was a champion bowler (our living room cabinet was full of her trophies), she would often tag me along to her practice at Ali Mall in Cubao, after which we would eat at Pancake House. My orders on those occasions were predictable - a taco, bacon waffle and a strawberry sundae. Yep, all those fit into my quite small a tummy (I was very thin as a child and teenager).  Haha! When I got older, however, I rarely got to eat at Pancake House. You know how it is when you always have a kid with you when you go out - you only get to eat either at McDonald's or Jollibee because that's what little rascals want. Sure, my six-year-old would sometimes agree to try new restaurants but a long negotiation would have to first test my patience. Thankfully, it was only hubby and me that went out recently and we agreed to have lunch at Pancake House in Trinoma. 
These were what we had:  

Pan Chicken Special Set, P246. (hubby's order)

Roast Beef Special Set, P273. (my order)

Strawberry ice cream, around P60. (I forgot exactly how much) per scoop

Iced tea that came with our set orders

But while I enjoyed my food, hubby didn't. His chicken was undercooked, with blood oozing from within (gross!). He called the attention of a server, who promptly retrieved his plate, and returned it after a few minutes. Now, the two chicken pieces looked smaller from being refried (not changed!) . Adding to the not-so-nice lunch was the warmth of the place. I told the server about it and he said their airconditioning wasn't functioning well. Well, obviously, it wasn't.Still, I haven't changed heart about Pancake House. I love the food there and definitely, I'll be back to have another taste of the tacos and bacon waffle that I once loved.

The chicken that didn't chicken out

I'm always awed by success stories. In the food business, there's a lot of these to hear. But there's a particular story which to me is as lovely as it is interesting - the story of a family cook fondly called "Manang" (an Ilocano term for an older sister), whose fried chicken she once cooked only for the family she served, is now also eaten and enjoyed by thousands of other people in the Philippines. Such is the story behind Manang's Chicken. This fast-growing fast food chain started out joining the weekend food market at Mercato Central in 2010. It proved to be such a hit that the owner decided to open their first restaurant in the Ortigas area. Today, two years later, Manang's Chicken has 10 branches around Metro Manila and more I believe, are about to open. Many foodies have sung the praises of Manang's twice-fried soy garlic chicken that I felt I shouldn't be left behind. 

And so, last week, I tagged along my youngest son to work and come merienda time, we headed to the new Wilcon City Center in Quezon City, where a Manang's Chicken branch had just opened. There, we had:

2 pcs. Chicken Cuts Meal (with drink), P149.

Fried Pancit Meal (with drink), P85.

Chips with Dip, P58.

Velvet Sundae Triple Fudge, P45.

Lemonade and Iced Tea that came with our meals.

The fried chicken was yummy and crispy; there's truth in the reviews that I've read. I have one thing to add, though. The marriage of soy and garlic was favorable but the sweetness, to us, was over-empowering that both my son and I were not able to finish one piece each. There's the sawa factor for us. For a minute there, I even wished I was having  Chickenjoy instead . I guess sweet fried chicken is just not for us.   
As for the Fried Pancit, it was good! Crunchy noodles topped with crisp slices of carrots and cabbage plus black wood ear mushroom (tenga ng daga) and just the right amount of sauce to avoid drowning the pancit. If you want to try this, make sure to eat it immediately because the noodles loose their crispiness if bathed in sauce for a long time. This happened to most of my noodles - they turned limp because it took me so long to eat as I still had to take pictures (the downside of food blogging ).  Fortunately, the strands on top were still crispy and these ones I thoroughly enjoyed. 
Meanwhile, the potato chips were delicious, especially when dipped in the cheese sauce. The slices were not thin (okay, somewhat thick) but were still crunchy. Hmmm..potatoes that are better than french fries, I should say.
However, the best thing came at the end of our meal - the dessert, you may have guessed. The Velvet Sundae Triple Fudge was a pleasant surprise. It's a two-in-one dessert - sundae on top, chocolate cake (or brownie?)  at the bottom. There are chocolate chips on top as well, adding interest and yum factor. My son couldn't agree more. He loved it too! For this dessert and to try other items on their menu, I'm likely going back to Manang's Chicken.  

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!