CnC Living Travel Log: Manila Styles, part 3 of 3 - food and a road trip to Baguio

Finally onto the food - one of my tops reasons for traveling.  Filipino cuisine is somewhat of a mixture between Chinese and Spanish foods so you can get a nice mix of tastes that incorporate everything from soy sauce to adobo (or actually vinegar).  There is also great seafood cooked in a variety of ways as well (grilled, marinated in vinegar, fried.).

Snacking is also popular, in fact so popular that Merienda, or a late afternoon snack, is an expected part of the day and a great time to meet up with friends or family.  So we had a lot of opportunities to eat our way through Manila. A. LOT.

Hmm, wonder where my holiday weight gain came from...

First up, my favorite snack - halo halo.  Shaved ice, jackfruit, cereal, random colored jelly, ice cream, sometimes flan or corn.  It's crazy, colorful deliciousness, especially at Iceberg restaurant.

Chicharron (fried pork rinds eaten by dipping in vinegar) is a popular snack. Tasty but I couldn't bring any back because we're trying to eat more healthily and fried pork fat doesn't rate too highly on the food pyramid.

I took a few pictures of some recommended restaurants:
O'sonho is a Portugese restaurant in the Eastwood Mall complex.  They had excellent food incorporating the peri peri pepper.  Million dollar peri peri chicken dreams for under $5 (or whatever other food "dreams" they served). 

At TriNoma, we had some fantastic dessert at Five Cows.  They have savory snacks and lots of dessert options that combined pastries with ice cream like our apple crumble for less than $3.  Yum!

I would also recommend "Little Tokyo".  It was a hidden treasure near Green Belt mall.  It is an open area of a mix of Japanese restaurants that allow you to seamlessly order sushi from 1 restaurant and wagyu beef from another.  It was pricier at $20-$30 but authentic and delicious.

We also went on a road trip to Baguio which is a historic city North of Manila.  It is known for its mild climate and is the "Summer capital of the Philippines"

There were lovely mountain views and the corresponding cool weather (ahh so necessary after experiencing the 80+ degree weather in Manila). 

  

It is a long drive up the mountain but vendors sell grilled coconut wrapped in banana leaves on the roads.  Mmmm, eating a few of these was definitely a good way to pass the time.

 

It's a lovely city.  There are however touches of commercialism though that contrast with the serene mountains. E.g. the country's most famous fried chicken chain, Jollibee, proudly displays its sign as you wind your way up the mountains. 

But of course there was also the familiar nods to religion.  The simple and beautiful Pink Sister Convent is also nearby and the country's current president is said to visit when she is in the area (the presidential summer mansion is there and they were holding a cabinet meeting when we visited!)

After a few days in Baguio, we were back to Manila.  I loved going up North and experiencing the weather and sites from a different region.  The Philippines has such diversity and I hope to see more of it next time.

Until then, I'll have to plug in my USB tranquility fountain, relax, and dream of my next vacation.