Hungry Critters in Binondo

     Manila is a city where you'll never go hungry. Ever since I studied here I've turned every stone looking for a great place to eat. But there will always be one place where I'll never be ashamed of admitting that it's my guilty pleasure to stroll around with food in my hand - and that is Binondo.

     Binondo is an ancient district just north of the walls of Intramuros, it was founded in 1594, just 30 years after the walled city was founded. It is where the Chinese settled, and so did their legendary cuisine, it was once home to the great Noodles and Siopao of Ma Mon Luk. 

     Today, the Chinese still reside here and with it, the food. I first discovered the wonders of Binondo when I joined the "Binondo Food Wok Tour" where hungry tourists gathered and went chow-hopping. After that, armed with a foodie map, I'd go explore alone, and sometimes with friends.

     This time, I went with 2 of my close friends who had never crossed Jones bridge to taste the wonders of Binondo, so without hesitation, I volunteered as a guide and off we went and crossed the bridge.

Me and my favorite noodle house

     For the benefit of all, I'd like to tell you guys that when you tour with me around Manila, I love sharing historical pieces about the place (I'm a history buff) because I'm so passionate about Old Manila and the rich history it had before the city's decay in the 1970s.

     Because it was traffic in Binondo district, we left the car in Intramuros and walked toward the food haven. I'd occasionally point to directions and buildings, sharing what it was before and when it was built and who were the famous people connected to such places. I don't know if they were interested at what I had to say, but I said it anyway, because baby I was born this way (Thank you Lady Gaga)

Jones Bridge

     Before I forget, I want all of you to know that I don't know the streets in Binondo, I just remember by memory where to turn to get to these places, so if you'll ask me how to get there, might as well just use Waze or Google Maps.

     The first food place I took them to was the "New Po-Heng" where they served vegetable lumpia, I always prefer to it as the appetizer. The place was inside an old condominium building, there's not even a signage to direct you inside. When we got inside, only a few tables were being served and because we came in the afternoon, the food tours had already stopped. And so I got our orders - 2 lumpia both cut in half (because the serving was enormous and I was afraid my guests for the day would have full stomachs)

New Po-Heng's Famed Vegetable Lumpia

     The lumpia consists of greens, carrots, a kind of nori, brown sugar mixed with nuts and of course, a wrapper. But what makes this appetizer a winner is the sauce (which is not in the photo, you have to find out for yourself!) The sticky sauce complements the lumpia and without question, they loved it. Our expense for the 2 lumpia? $2 (Php100) It's so cheap, right? 

     Up next was "Dong-Bei Dumplings" which I think is the most popular dumpling place in Binondo, I've heard many friends eating here and I won't argue with that, it is the best dumpling house in town. And why is that? Because they only sell dumplings! That's why they're so good at it!

Steamed 'Kutchay' Dumplings

     I really wanted them to try the shrimp dumplings but by the time we got to Dong Bei, (Around 5pm) there was really nothing left on the menu but the Kutchay Dumplings. I was quite disappointed that they won't get to taste what I wanted them to have but I guess there's always a next time for that. We opted to get 2 kinds of the Chinese Chives-filled dumplings - Steamed and Fried, and there were 10 pieces of each order.

     It is simply delicious, I have no words for Dong Bei Dumplings, they never fail me. I've brought a lot here and they all loved it. The good thing about Dong Bei is that you can watch them do their dumpling magic, they prepare it right in front of the window of their hole-in-the-wall, 2-storey unit, which the second floor houses the owners of the restaurant. Here's another trivia, the owners are from mainland China and so the recipe of how they prepare the dumplings are of authentic tradition, there's really no need to go to China to taste authentic dumplings! And the cost for the 2 plates of dumplings? $4 (Php 200) and we're almost full!

Trivia: Dani is my first friend in college

     We got a little stuffed in the waist area so we decided to take a rest first and let the critters of our tummies devour our food first before moving to the main event of the food trip.

Just missed the Fried Siopao

     I also wanted them to try the fried siopao, but because it was already nighttime, everything was sold out.

     And for the main event, it was noodles time! I accidentally found this restaurant during my 'research' in the net about Binondo (Whenever I'm bored or I have nothing to do, I usually read about the history of places and in this case, Binondo) and it became my favorite last stop in Manila. This is one of the few places where I can eat alone even if it's crowded, I didn't care, the noodles are divine.

Beef Kan Pan La Mien

     Lan Zhou's Kan Pan La Mien is their best seller and I would even recommend it for a Michelin Star, I swear it is that good! I drive and suffer Manila's traffic for their heavenly noodles. You have a choice of Beef, Chicken, Spareribs, and Seafood for your toppings and each choice comes with a soup. What I love about this place is that they have an open kitchen so you can view how they make their noodles and the serving is already enough for two, but since I want them to have the full "La Mien" experience, we ordered one for each of us. The noodles costs around $4 but it's really a bargain considering the serving, and yes they give free tea.

Death by Binondo

     I asked them how the food trip was and they said it was fantastic. I take pride in recommending food places because, you know, food is the extension of my soul.

     It was actually hard to walk back to Intramuros to get the car because by the time we finished the noodles, we couldn't move. We dragged our feet walking back slowly and stopping after a few hundred meters to say how stuffed we were.

     As you can see in the photo, I died from gluttony. It was a fun afternoon sharing the wonderful district of Binondo to my friends, and I'm looking forward to bring other friends here, even you! Yes, you who is reading this, just hit me up here, post a comment and let's schedule your trip to Binondo. Don't worry, I don't charge a tour fee, it's free, but you have to treat me! (Joke)

     See you guys on the next Bumpy Journey, cheers!

Suqui Cafeteria - Intramuros, Manila

First of all, wow! My last post here in blogspot was August 31, 2011! That's almost 2 months from today, I want  to say sorry to you readers (If there is) for not being able to post new material here. I've been so busy with College and September-October is our "Thesis Season" and now that our Thesis is done I'm here to introduce another food stop I've recently discovered.

It's been in Intramuros for quite a while but it's only now that I was introduced to "SUQUI CAFETERIA", it was just another hungry night in the walled city when my classmates asked me to come with them to eat at SUQUI and first I thought that this was the another normal cafeteria around the area so I didn't expect much especially when they said that the food ranges an average of Php50-100 ($1-2).

So we walked, and walked and walked and finally reached this place and my golly what do you know. It's a Cafeteria with an ambiance of a European pub-Library. Yes it gives you that feeling and that's what I first thought when I entered Suqui.

The very first problem is finding a seat, the cafeteria can only accommodate 30 persons at a time and students around Intramuros flock this place for its beautiful ambiance but cheap and quality food. 

Second is trying to get the waiter's attention when the room is filled up. Suqui only has one waiter and when everyone is hungry, you might wanna take a bite from your "Patience Bar". But after you ordered the food, it usually comes quick, in a about 5-10 minutes, you have your mouth full.

The last problem is choosing what you're going to eat, I swear Suqui has a wide range of food to choose from, American, Mexican, Filipino, Italian and more! And it's affordable!

Probably this is Suqui's most interesting Side Dish I've seen so far, Suqui's Cheese sticks. Take a look at this:

Cheese Sticks that look like Carrots.

It did look like Carrots at first glance but then again my classmate (Who I really Love to call Rose, but she might get mad) told me that the Sticks tastes like ordinary, but to be fair the presentation is good and by the way, the condiment is Mustard. I didn't eat the sticks cause I'm not allowed to and I guess you know why.

I ordered myself a single order of "Paella Rice" - It was PhP50 ($1) but the serving was already for two persons, I'm a Riceavor (A person who eats lots of Rice) but I couldn't finish it without my Co-Riceavors devouring my plate.

A Paella for $1 - Now that's Economy wise.

The Paella didn't really looked like one but it did taste a bit like one, it's not sticky but I find it really really delicious. And beat this, for every rice meal you order, you get that tall glass of Iced Tea for FREE!

My Lovely dinner with friends on a not-so-haggard night at Suqui's Cafeteria

I rate Suqui's Cafeteria as one of the must-tried food stops in Intramuros, but to fully enjoy your Lunch or Dinner here, don't forget to bring friends with you or with someone special! Enjoying a table filled with food and laughter is one of the best things in Life! Cheers!

*Suqui Cafeteria and Diner is located at 633 MAGALLANES ST, INTRAMUROS Manila, Metro Manila.

The SISIG of Intramuros, Manila

Manila, I miss the city during this Christmas vacation so I was bored inside my house. I needed to see the city because I miss the fast Jeepneys, the different and lively sounds of their horns! A kind of symphony no other city can imitate! I live an hour and thirty minutes away from Manila so while I travel, I observe a lot things. I like "People Watching" as to what celebrity Bianca Gonzales would call it, watching other souls without disturbing them.

Last December 28, I found out that a couple of my Advertising major friends (I am a Journalism major) were re-shooting a commercial for their upcoming annual event for Advertising enthusiasts called the "AdSpeak". I contacted them and said that I will go whether they like it or not because I miss Manila and I want to bug their trip. So they had no choice but to accommodate me! The meeting was 1PM and yes I was the first one to arrive at 12:50PM.

Then poof! everyone was there and so they quickly set up and started to shoot the scenes while I go around bug them, piss them off or something to delay things.

Here's the group inside Letran College on a Christmas vacation. So quiet and spooky.

Here's a Talent being video shot by a Nikon D90 DSLR, the first DSLR to have HD video.

They only shot 2 scenes but because of their passion to make the best out of those scenes, the shoot took 2 hours. After that everybody was hungry! Even me! I almost lost my appetite because it was already 3PM! What else was on our mind? To eat the best Sisig the walls of Intramuros has to offer!

Introducing "Alyssa's Sisig" (Clap!Clap!Clap!)

SISIG:
Origin of name: Pampanga
Description from Wikipedia: a Filipino dish made from parts of pig’s head and liver, usually seasoned with kalamansi and chili peppers.


Alyssa's Sizzling Sisig has been a favorite to the residents of Intramuros, college students flock to this small place which can handle up to 30 persons at a time. A lot, let me repeat that, a lot of customers would wait for their turns to eat because they would want to eat the best in town!


I discovered this place back in 2008, I was and still am studying inside the fortified city when a classmate of mine brought us here and said freshmen were talking about this place, so we went there and ate and from that day on; Whew! I listed Alyssa's Sisig as the number one sisig I've tasted.

Here are my friends waiting for our Sisig.

Going back to December 28, 2010 - We were there and luckily! There were a lot of seats to accommodate all 15 hungry students! 13 of which ordered the Sizzling Sisig! It's also advisable to eat here with your friends! Because waiting for your order could bore you, it takes quite a while to prepare the food because they make your Sisig at its best quality.

Sizzling Pork Sisig with Egg

What puts Alyssa's Sisig on top among others is that the meat is crispy, I know the pork is fresh (I have this weird ability to taste and know if a Pork and Chicken meat is too old to be cooked) and affordable. So the next time you get hungry around Intramuros, just ask where the Wallem building is and from there ask where Alyssa's Sisig is located. 


Oh and one more thing, I'll make you a bet, go here when you're really hungry and order this one. I bet you $5 you'll get at least 2 cups of rice and there's still Sisig left on the plate. Cheers!

Italian holy dish for hungry Filipinos - Amici Di Don Bosco

From a small space and humble beginnings inside a canteen to support themselves, an Italian Salesian missionary; Fr. Gianluigi Colombo established in 2001 what would be known as "AMICI DI DON BOSCO" or in english translation "FRIENDS OF DON BOSCO". Amici's first wave of success was their home-made Italian gelato which became popular around town. In 2003, pastas and wood fire oven-cooked pizzas were added to the line-up of their menu. Soon enough it became a popular choice of the general public around the Makati area.

Realizing that "Amici di Don Bosco" was not in its full competitive level, the salesians agreed to sell the franchise to Mr. Danny Moran and Mr. Iboy Pinga. In 2007, the entity was relaunched as simply "Amici".

--------------------------------------------------------

The dancing lights in Ayala

I was in Makati for a Christmas night out, with my family we watched the "Dancing Lights" in a garden in Ayala. After watching lights go on and off they decided to eat dinner there. My brother suggested "Amici" and quickly in my mind popped something and I said to myself "oh, this was the place someone told me about". We went inside and the place was full! We were 7 and a table of 5 was the only one available but that didn't stop us, Dad told us to get a table for 2 so that me and my brother can eat in a separate table.

We found one at last, awkward as it looks like to the other people, a table for two in a Christmas night in Makati. Since my brother ate in the establishment before, I let him decide which to order.

As an appetizer, he ordered Mozarella Fritto. Golden fried sticks served with tangy pomorodo sauce.

Mozarella Fritto

The Fritto was crispy outside and soft inside because of the Mozarella inside it. If you have eaten the "Cheesy Crust" of Pizza Hut, this is comparable to that one except that this one was fully dedicated to be a cheese stick.

Spaghetti ala Carbonara

For my main dish, "Spaghetti ala Carbonara"! It's my favorite pasta, so it has become my tradition that whenever I'm in a restaurant that fronts its pastas in the menu, I order Carbonara. When it arrived, I was like "woah" because the serving was good enough for two. The bread wasn't toasted nicely and the sauce wasn't really tasty so I still rate the best Carbonara to "The Hobbit House" in Boracay. Then again, this is only my perception.

Me with the "Al Quattro Formaggi"

At last! Time for the pizza, to finally seal the deal and for me to find out if the rumors are true. Brother ordered the "Al Quattro Formaggi" which is a mix of 4 kinds of cheese. The first bite I took I said to myself "hmmmm...the rumors are true", Amici pizzas have made their mark on the pizza industry in the country.

Mozarella Frito - P170 ($4)
Spaghetti ala Carbonara - P198 ($4)
Al Quattro Formaggi - P400 ($8)
Bottomless Mug Rootbeer - P80 ($2)
+ 12 VAT(Value Added Tax)

=PHP949.76 ($20)

All in all if I was to rate Amici according to categories:

Ambiance: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Budget Value: 10/10
Food: 8/10

So if you're looking for authentic Italian food that looks fancy but on the budget and would really satisfy your hunger and value the money you spend, go out and eat at "Amici's". Till next time! Now I'll try to finish the pasta we took out because we were so full!

Boracay Part 4: The Real Coffee Experience

8:00AM - The alarm goes off to start the day after an awesome night at the sanded bars of Boracay. Barely having 5 hours of sleep, the first thing I did was going to the bathroom and did my morning glory. Take a shower  and I was so slow as a stalking Chameleon, my eyes were still half closed.

Then I remembered, I remembered something! A sign that made me jump off the Tricycle the other day, I was looking for it for 2 days already since I arrived on the island but I could not find it. It was after the Paraw sailing when I saw the sign, so I followed the directions and I saw a small Kubo Hut with people eating but I wasn't sure if that was it so I didn't go inside.

This was not the sign I saw but this is another one I saw after passing through the Cafe.

I got ready and told my Brother and his girlfriend to come and eat breakfast with me, they said yes and so I waited for them at my room until they came after 20minutes.

We went there and I was excited because I knew that this would be a great experience, I researched in the internet about the popular places to go indulge the monsters in my stomach and REAL COFFEE was always in the "Breakfast" category, everyone kept saying on reviews that it was a perfect place to start the day, that the ingredients are fresh and satisfaction is guaranteed. After reading all the reviews I included the Cafe in my Itinerary and so far, it's the first one in the schedule that I actually went to.

You can see my excitement after seeing the big sign!

9:30AM - We went inside like dumbfounded tourists and I quickly recognized the "organized" kitchen the folks in the internet were talking about, you can actually see what they are doing to make your order a delicious one!

While your sitting down you are being entertained by the cooks until you are drooling

We sat down directly to the center facing the kitchen and looked around, my eyes were rotating 360 degrees without moving my head. For some reason, I've got a smile on my face that I can't remove. I was so happy that I was there where the buzz was going on.

Admiring all the details of the kitchen I noticed that the windows were full of pictures, the early customers from local to tourists and even celebrities such as Anne Curtis and Aga Mulach (Trivia: Real Coffee Cafe was used in the movie "WHEN LOVE BEGINS") and more celebrities were in it. I wanted to post my photo but it was full.

Real Coffee's original "Calamansi Muffin" definitely a must try, and yes I believed in Magic after eating one.

We placed our orders, I had the "American Pancake" and boy it was a meal for an appetite of an American. The Pancake was big and thick! My Brother had "Jack's Omelette with Pesto" which is definitely a must try also. While waiting for our orders to come  we tasted the Calamansi Muffin and oh mama was it really good. We also played with the "quotes" in front of us, there were a lot of funny-but-true quotes right there.

The quotes, I love the "Mama Lee says" series the most

The cook got a little shocked at what we were doing with the cards, we were laughing at one minute and in another minute discussing the quote and then another minute saying the word "True, true!" and "ohhh nice!". I can really be happy even in the shallowest of reasons, I'm an average guy on a budgeted trip and what better way to enjoy Boracay? Enjoy the free things there, the view, the beach, the people, the happenings and by just bumming around can really be relaxing.

The American Pancake with egg and coffee, looks small in the picture but no, it's big as my ass

Waiting for the orders could take a while but it's not a bad thing because you can see the kitchen and see that they are not rushing to cook the food and therefore they are not sacrificing quality for faster service. They have their own pace and I'm good with that because I'd rather wait for the perfect meal than a burned Pancake.

We munched on our orders once it gets in front of us and all they can hear from us this time was "om nom nom nom nom nom nom, gulp gulp gulp!" We were eating like Hamsters. I only ate 3/4 of the Pancake because I was so full, I've never eaten so much pancakes in my life.

As we were in the middle of our "pig-out" session, an American-Italian came in the kitchen and started playing  Italian classic songs and I knew that she was the owner of the place so I asked for her name through the cook and before I could start a conversation with her, she turned to me and said.

"You know what, I shouldn't have dressed in all white today. Look at me it's early in the morning and I've got mud on my pants, it was Dude's fault. That's my Dog, I call him Dude so when I was about to leave he jumped over me and I said "Dude? C'mon" ahhh!"

Her name is Nadine, the owner of Real Coffee Cafe. The store started way back in December 27, 1996. They were one of the first business settlers on the island. We were kinda surprised that she initiated the conversation and that made me happy because she tells things out of the Sun but it's entertaining, she also answered all our questions on how she does things and she's a hands on owner too. When she came in she actually asked one of her employees "What can I do?" and the cook answered "Cut the bread" and she said "oh, OK", that was amazing, mutual respect and I loved Nadine for that.

Here's me and Nadine, owner of the Real Coffee Cafe. I just have to have a photo with her!

After eating we stayed for a while to observe again the kitchen, Nadine and other customers. The place brings a certain atmosphere of being at home because it's not designed to be a restaurant, well it is but the mugs aren't the same designs and it looks like a home kitchen so I got the certain feeling of being at home and the friendliness of the staff and a conversation with Nadine would be the main spectacle while eating there. 

Before we got out of the Cafe I asked for a photo with her, well we all did and I'm sure all the other customers do and it looked like she's mastered the photo op category. She also said that I was cuddly and I felt I was Barney for the moment.

The famous rock in Boracay

After having pictures taken and laughs shared in, we took a stroll to the shorelines and I'm quite frustrated with seeing too much man made trash in it. Bottles, plastic and paper are just not helping and it's the fault of everyone who's in the island, everyone should be responsible by their actions. Development really destroys the beauty of Nature.

All in all, the Real Coffee Cafe experience was the best I've had. It was awesome and delicious, I had a great day because of them and besides the Cafe offers Breakfast meals from 7AM-7PM so no matter how wasted you were last night, you get to eat Breakfast even at night. Rock solid!

Last week's FOODtastic experience!

For the past 8 days, I've done nothing with my life but eat, eat and eat. Not just eat but I try, try, tried other foods than the usual I eat at home. 

I think it's foolish, when you go somewhere like a restaurant and then you ordered hot dogs and eggs? I mean that's processed food you can also buy at the local supermarket and cook it yourself for less than 70% of what you'll pay the restaurant. Why not try hot dogs and eggs like this:

Let me introduce you to the dish that could only be found inside the walls of Intramuros, Manila. Meet the Sizzling friends: Hot dog, meat loaf and egg drowned with gravy, ain't that something? Totally a new experience for the taste buds, and it's not even expensive, that meal only costs 35 pesos, that's like 50 cents in terms of American Dollars. It's a good meal and a money saver. Money well spent in this meal. 

The next one, they call the Seafood Ramen:

This Japanese dish boasts of its natural marine life. The soup gives you the splashes and waves of the roaring sea. Ramen meals are better if they are bought from authentic Japanese restaurant. This one however was just a mere 6/10 for me, the serving is big and it satisfied my hunger but the taste was missing. Too bad this was the first time I tried to eat ramen and it was a failure. I would still consider this Japanese cuisine encounter a FOODtastic experience because of the awesome marinated prawn tempura.

For the young patriotic tongues out there! Yes yes history tells us that the Japanese and American fought in our land during WW2 and they're cuisines should not be part of the Filipino culture, that's what they all say. They overreact, I love my country, no doubt about it, I fought with people dissing my beloved Philippines, but we should also understand that the world's changed, this is the era of peace, the closest to heaven.

MOVING ON! If you want to get a taste of our famous Filipino cuisine but you are on a tight budget, don't worry because Mang Inasal restaurant is here to save our flattening wallets! For just 99 Pesos or 2 Dollars, you get to enjoy the "rice all you can" promo! The style of Mang Inasal is closely patterned with "Tokyo Tokyo" but this time, Filipino foods are served.

PORK BARBECUE FROM MANG INASAL

This is the pork barbecue of Mang Inasal. The place is considered a college student's wallet favorite, they have all the choices of their juicy chicken and pork viands.

BUMPY TRIVIA:

When I learned that I was chosen as a Photo Editor for our school paper, I treated myself and coincidently it was my 1st time to eat there. I had 4 cups of extra rice. Celebration indeed.

JOEL TORRE'S MANUKAN Chicken Meal

There's another restaurant like this offering Pinoy food, one of my favorites is the J.T's Manukan. Not Justin Timberlake but one of the Philippines' best actors of the 80's up to the present, the star of the world famed 1982 film "Oro, Plata, Mata" (Gold, Silver, Death). His restaurant is surprisingly not meant for the Class A citizens, but the theme is a simple open air grill restaurant, meant for the average Filipino citizen to enjoy what he offers. If you're lucky just like me you might even have a chance Joel Torre himself drinking beer or wine with his buddies like he doesn't own the place. JT's really affordable too! one great place for the masses!

Last but not definitely the least of my FOODtastic week experience. This ended my week with a bang! I walked at least a kilometer or 2 just to get here, the first time I was here I was with my professor and several classmates, but earlier I was just with my 2 friends who missed the spicy hot Halal cuisine at Quiapo, Manila. As I said on my previous blog, it was "The Mecca of Halal Food" each time I eat there. I missed the "Chicken Papar" at Mofara's Halal Food haus! I munched out at it again, I guess my brother Muslim diners quicly noticed that I was Catholic because me and my friends were the only ones sweating so hard while eating. The new addition to the Halal experience is the Halal Burger, we went on to find the place where my Professor who is Royal by the way, he gave us directions on where to buy this burger. It was another experience, it looked like the same burger but the taste was different, it had a certain sweetness in it. It was surprising to learn that the ones who were cooking were Christian believers, I was a little dumbfounded at that time, I thought that Halal food business only hire Muslims.

So this week has become a little bit "filled" with chicken, pork and beef and it was kinda awesome that I ate at different places without even noticing it until today. I haven't done food hunting in my life and I must say that it was awesome. By the way, I'm going back to Mofara's Halal Food Haus in the near future! 

                           To finally end this blog here's a picture of your very satisfied blogger. I'll be back! 

Note: Please feel free to comment! say anything at all! :) cheers!

Halal Food and The Philippines' lost industry

Last Friday, September 24 in the year 2010. It was a hectic, fun and disappointing day for me, a lot of good things happened but there were flaws during that day.

It was the final day of the College Intramurals and the cheering competition was underway, The team that I was in, ICOMM or the Institute of COMMunicantion. The team included the Advertising, Broadcasting, Communication Arts and the Journalism programs. I didn't really expected ICOMM to win the cheering competition or even had a place because only a few were cheer leaders and that was not the programs' forte, ICOMM's battlefield were in production, film and script writing and any other stuff tgat but I was dumbfounded when we were named 1st runner up in cheering, that was sweet.

Then after a short celebration, we were scheduled to eat at a Halal Cuisine, what the Muslims eat. We were about to go there when suddenly the rain poured hard and we couldn't go there, but we wouldn't be stopped by rain, it's just water! So when the rain subsided a bit we braved it and went to Quiapo via Jeepney. 

When we got there, people inside got a little surprise, well of course they will be because we were not in the same religion as they are and it's also their territory, so I behaved myself to respect them ( I have a deep respect to other religions, we might be praising other Gods but as long as someone believes in a supreme being, that's all good for me). 

The place was called "Mofara's Halal food haus" it was not a fancy restaurant, it's not air conditioned and it's beside the busy streets of Manila. The felt anxiety and a little fear, not because of people staring at me like I'm a criminal but because the place was new to me and my eyes just go wandering around it.

The 8 of us sat in the Muslim canteen including our Professor who was by the way going to treat us lunch. So I ordered my first meal, "RELLENONG BANGUS" (Stuffed Milkfish if I'm not mistaken) and my Professor said "hey get more, this happens only once" so to my delight I rushed back to the waitress and asked for another viand called the "CHICKEN TAPAR" (Chicken with minced young coconut meat) and the soup called "BALBACUA" which tastes like a spicy curry.

From the first bite I knew that I was going to be in a stomach battle. EVERYTHING WAS SPICY! My stomach hates all spicy foods, it just doesn't get to my system. Not that I don't like the way they cooked it, it's just a little stomach problem of mine.

This is just delicious, forget the presentation, what matters is the taste!

In fact, THE FOOD WAS SO GOOD THAT I ATE MORE AND MORE AND I KEPT COMPLAINING HOW SPICY IT WAS BUT AS MUCH AS I COMPLAINED THE MORE I ATE! I just couldn't stop eating at the moment! It was delicious! I drank lots of cola too! The food wouldn't be a perfect experience if you wouldn't sweat while eating. The place was like mecca of food for me that time.

After the great lunch experience I told my Professor I wanted to go hunt for classic Filipino films around the stalls, yep those pirated DVDs and my professor told me there's this one place where I could find it. So we went there and when I got there, I was again dumbfounded by the wide range of Filipino movie collections all in one stall! A stall dedicated for the classics, that's amazing! So I quickly asked for "Oro Plata Mata" "Ganito kami noon, Paano kayo ngayon?" and Tito Vic and Joey comedy movies. I ended up buying 25 DVDs, it was a haven for the lost Filipino film industry.

It's a bit frustrating when you compare the movies of the 80's and 90's to the 2000's. Back then they made such excellent movies, they did it well and it was worth keeping, but now, movies are produced to only one purpose, money. Yes, today's movies were no match of the movies before, today's movies might have all the technological advantage but they lack substance, heart and passion to do masterpieces. It's very rare to have such good and deep movies today.

After buying DVDs we went back to school to have our afternoon class.

Quiapo has become the classics' refuge

So Halal food? Excellent, definitely recommended. Pirated Filipino Movie DVD stalls? Illegal but awesome, definitely recommended. I know those films were pirated, but there's a good side of it, they kept the movies alive, they preserved it for people like me and the youth and the children of the future, they preserved it for us so that we can remember how The Filipino Film industry used to be the best.