ECQ Favorite: Lydia's Lechon

Two months passed since the start of Manila's lockdown. But I don't miss dining out at all as most of my favorites are just a call or a few clicks away. One thing I didn't expect to munch on during ECQ is the roast pig from the Pinoy favorite, Lydia's Lechon.

Hello, Lydia's Lechon.

Lydia's Lechon launched Lechon in a Box a few months ago which was an instant hit. And to make things more interesting (and yummier), Lydia's came up with something to delight us during the ECQ-- Family Boxes. 

A Festive Meal at Shangri-La at the Fort's High Street Cafe

Shangri-La at the Fort is one of my favorite places in BGC. I'd often stay at its lounge cafe to have some work done while sipping my favorite tea. The hotel's other restaurants--Samba, Raging Bull and Canton Road--all serve excellent food as well! And a couple of months back, I was invited to try High Street Cafe.

Hello, High Street Cafe.

High Street Cafe is Shangri-La at the Fort's buffet restaurant and it has been known for its fresh seafood spread! If you're lucky, you might be able to see a huge whole tuna on display.

Holiday Hacks: Empacho's Party Trays

You know you're in the Philippines when the holiday season lasts for several weeks or at least until all the leftover and lechon are out of the fridge. And for those who still have potluck parties to attend to, there's this gem in Tomas Morato worth checking out.

Hello, Empacho.

Empacho has been a favorite of mine ever since I had a bite of its kare-kareng bagnet. A mouthful of the crispy pork with thick peanut sauce would bring you to heaven. But Empacho has much more in store for us. Party trays!

Christmas Hacks: Mr. Cochinillo

With Christmas just around the corner, most of us are starting to get busy working on having a stress-free holiday. But with traffic becoming impossible as early as now, we have to plan smarter. And with holiday equating to endless feasts, one of the daunting tasks we have to face is to prepare food which means constant trips to the supermarket. Thankfully, there are a lot of places to get scrumptious ready to eat dishes and one of my top picks this year is Mr. Cochinillo. 

Hello, Mr. Cochinillo. 

Cochinillo is known as a popular delicacy in Spain with its tradition of slow-roasting the suckling pig over wood fire in brick ovens. The result is crisp, succulent and juicy pork that would make any gathering or festivity memorable.

It's Back: Mesa Rockwell is Now Open

Complex flavors and different influences make Filipino cuisine very interesting. There are several restaurants that offer great Filipino dishes and one of the best ones in town for me is Mesa Filipino Moderne.

Hello, Mesa Filipino Moderne.

The well-loved Filipino restaurant, Mesa, is back in Power Plant Mall!

First Bite: Charlie's Pritchon

One of the things I love about the Philippines is the long celebration of Christmas. As our Facebook and Instagram pages become filled with Jose Mari Chan's face and recycled memes, I only think of one thing... lechon. Though lechon is a staple in all kinds of celebration, it is more associated with the festive Christmas where the crispy roasted pig is shared by the whole family (and more). And Christmas sure came in early when I was invited to sample Charlie's Pritchon. 

Hello, Charlie's Pritchon. 

First Bite: Empacho

Filipino cuisine will always be love. Its rich flavors and textures never fail to charm me. And when I was invited to indulge in a Filipino spread, I simply could not say no.

Hello, Empacho.

When in Pampanga: Bale Dutung

As much as I love to eat out, I also enjoy staying at home and experimenting in the kitchen. Lately, I find attending events a bit too much especially when all my loose clothes are starting to be fit. But an invite to Bale Dutung is too good to resist. And before my brain cells could even process the pros and cons of attending, I already click the send button with yes as my reply.

Filipino Classic: Lydia's Lechon

Lechon has always been one of the highlights of any festive celebration. We’ve seen it in big events such as fiestas, Christmas gatherings and well… Cebu. I must admit, I already had my fair share of crispy suckling pig but it’s just so hard to resist it when it’s right in front of you begging to be loved or indulged. Screw cholesterol! Let’s YOLO. Okay, using that term might have just revealed that I’m no longer young. Lame lines aside, The Foodie Station tickled my tastebuds once again by inviting me to its foodie eat up at one of Manila’s classics… Lydia’s Lechon. 

Hello, Lydia’s Lechon!

A well-known brand that has been around for over 51 years, Lydia’s Lechon continues to make gatherings, big or small, extra special with its famous roasted pig. But unknown to many, Lydia’s offer more than just lechon. In fact, it serves other dishes that you wouldn’t associate with lechon. 

First Bite: Mr. Graham's Sandwich Shop

After several Monopoly Deal Millionaires’ Edition games with 4:0 in favor of moi and digesting the macarons, cookie shot and milkshake we ordered from Mrs. Graham’s, R and I move to Mr. Graham’s Sandwich Shop. With several foodies raving about this shop, we just have to know why. 

Hello, Mr. Graham’s Sandwich Shop!

The place is small… very small. I didn’t get to check the second floor but the first floor could accommodate a maximum of four guests. The place was also (literally) hot. I’m not sure if the store’s air-conditioning was busted when we visited but I noticed that there was a stand fan trying its best to work its magic to keep the place cool.  

I decided to go with the shop’s bestseller The Cebuano (PHP210, small | PHP380, medium) and had it to go as the place really wasn’t that pleasant and inviting for us to stay. (And R wanted to head back so that we could work out and swim.) 

While waiting, I noticed that some customers just order sandwiches to go as well. Perhaps that’s the market of this shop. This explains why the place isn’t that comfortable. I have to admit though, the wall decals are adorable.

I asked the server to plate the sandwich first so that I could take photos of it. He gladly obliged and served The Cebuano on a wooden plate. I took some shots and had it wrapped.

When in Cebu: Rico’s Lechon

Cebu is known for its lechon and a trip to the land of La Marea is not complete without a trip to a restaurant that specializes in lechon. This time around, we visited Rico’s Lechon.

Hello, Rico’s Lechon!

The place was packed when we arrived. We had to wait for about 20 minutes before getting a table. And this was on a Monday with the restaurant not even being near offices. It must be really popular like CnT, I thought.

We were famished when we sat down so we immediately ordered Baked Scallops (PHP180) and half kilo lechon (PHP310). R also got Watermelon Shake (PHP70) while I tried the Halo-Halo shake (PHP110).

First served was the baked scallops and I must say, it was a generous serving of scallops! If I order it here in Manila, I would only get around 7-8 scallops.

Love at First Bite: Locavore

I seriously love my area. Crowd favorites such as Silantro, Poco Deli, Rub Ribs, Calderon and Mad Marks can all be found in Kapitolyo. My new favorites Avi, Haru, Open Kitchen, Gostoso, and Tomahawk are all in the area too. And last Friday, I discovered a new favorite, Locavore.

I've heard of Locavore from my friend F who randomly messaged me if I have tried eating there. Curious, I made my research and upon seeing the photo of the Sizzling Sinigang, I was convinced that I have to dine there soon.

However, I failed on my first try. Locavore was packed and waiting time could be half an hour to over an hour. My mom and sister were already hungry then so we went to Pearl Drive instead for some chi-mek (chicken and beer).

I was informed that the best way to secure seats is to make a reservation. It’s not really my habit to do so unless I feel that the place is awesome and always packed. I could still count how frequent I made reservations. I recall I did with Your Local, Haru, Bistecca, House of Wagyu, and Nav.

When we arrived, the place was still spacious with only a few tables occupied. However, we did notice that almost all tables were tagged “reserved”.

Since I already have a copy of the menu, I already “planned” on what to order. I got Sizzling Sinigang (PHP530), Lechon and Oyster Sisig (PHP400), Crispy Tilapia (PHP280), Mac’s Boneless Fried Chicken (PHP240) and Calamanjito (PHP280 for two glasses during Happy Hour).

Grandma Approved: Mangan Restaurant

Filipino cuisine will forever have a special place in my heart. I am not being biased or what but there’s really something so comforting with eating Filipino food. Could it be the umami?

One Saturday, I had a girls’ lunch out with my mom and grandmother at Robinsons Galleria. Since my grandmother isn’t that adventurous with food, we decided to head to Mangan, a Filipino restaurant.

There wasn’t much people eating and it was lunch time when we arrived. I guess those new restaurants at BGC and Shangri-La’s east wing are eating other malls’ share of hungry tummies.

It didn’t took us long to decide what to order. We ordered my grandma’s favorite Sinigang sa Bayabas Bangus (milkfish) Belly (PHP280) and Gatang Sigarillas (PHP120). After some thought, I also ordered Lechong Babi (PHP240) as it goes well with the veggies I ordered.

While waiting and munching on the complimentary crispy shoestring sweet potatoes (where some were oddly wet), one of the servers approached us. He shared that they are selling PHP300 gift certificates and if we buy now, we get free puto bumbong. (It made me wonder if he saw my excitement when I saw that they sell puto bumbong.) I then asked if the GCs have an expiry date and true enough the GCs are valid until November this year. I told him that this is against DTI rules as gift certificates should be treated like cash as it was bought with cash, at full amount. The server just… smiled then asked if I still want to avail of it. Uhm…

Weekend (Endless) Eating: Eastwood Cafe's Weekend Family Buffet

Stay-cation is becoming a trend nowadays. With the intense heat, hardly anyone has the energy to roam around under the scorching heat. Things to do with the family have been limited to the comforts of the home but let’s give mom a break and head to Eastwood Richmonde Hotel for a family buffet. 

 

Eastwood Café of Eastwood Richmonde Hotel started to offer Weekend Family Buffet for a friendly price of PHP880 for adults, PHP440 for children age 6 to 12 years old, and FREE for kids 5 years old and below. With that price alone, it’s already pretty tempting but here’s a nice touch to it, they have a special nook for kids to play after eating. 

There’s also a very charming sweets station that is very eye catching. 

I started my buffet adventure with the salad station. They had a good mix of Filipino-style salads and the usual lettuce, carrot, tomato over Thousand Island dressing salad. 

 

Cebu Files: Zubuchon

Feed me lechon and I’m all yours. Well, at least till the next 48 hours or so. 

 

Right after my month long trip, I found myself all buckled up again to be Cebu-bound for three days. Oh hello, land of lechon (roasted pork)!

 

As soon as we landed, we drove to Zubuchon, a pretty popular place known for its lechon being raved by acclaimed food critic Anthony Bourdain as the “world’s best whole roasted pig”. Such comment will surely intrigue foodies and encourage them to visit the restaurant. And we were among those foodies.

 

Hey ho, Zubuchon! Whazzzzaaap? (Okay, that was a bit too much.)

The place was partially full when we arrived but we were lucky to be able to find a table that could accommodate our huge party of 10. We quickly roamed around the area, checked out the knick knacks on display and settled down soon after to order. 

Pinoy Food Master: Pepita’s Kitchen

I’ve been saying this for quite a lot already but I want to say it again. I love my job! I get to try new food, meet interesting people, and try more new food because of my work. I love love love it! 

Last Thursday, some of my officemates and I went to the lovely home of Dedet de la Fuente and tried her Pepita’s Kitchen Lechon Degustation. We arrived at around 7PM hungry and desiring lechon like never before. 

I heard that they have really good lechon as these were stuffed (yes, stuffed!). I never thought of having stuffed lechon as it alone was enough to get me stuffed.

We waited for a few more people from press and we started off with Pinoy Patè and Pinoy Caviar. It looked pretty ordinary but the taste of these two were just so addicting!

The Pinoy Patè was made of bihon. Who knew that bihon can be transformed into pate, and a good one at that? It had this grainy texture that went well with the crackers. It was not salty at all and was quite light. Quite a delightful appetizer.

 The Pinoy Caviar on the other hand was made of balut. It seemed to be a bit oilier and it tricked some to think that it was fish or liver.