I worked for three years in a big, international company with headquarters in Manila. Then I was sent overseas for two years. Whenever any of my colleagues have to fly to the Manila office for a meeting or conference, I was often approached for suggestions on anything exciting to do in the city.
I start with a list of unusual food and dining places. Most travelers on tight schedules, like my colleagues who only have three or four days to spend, have only lunch or dinner to savor what Manila has to offer.
- At the Rizal Park is a coffee shop that is staffed entirely by deaf and dumb food servers. Despite the food server's disabilities, customers have no difficulty at all communicating with them. The menu is simple-light snacks, sandwiches, hot and cold drinks -for tourists out for some refreshment after a stroll through the park. The coffee shop is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays through Sundays.
Rizal Park, Coffee Shop
Roxas Boulevard, Manila - How about crickets for dinner? The idea may be less than appetizing but camaru, or ricefield cricket is something of a culinary adventure and a delicacy in the province of Pampanga. Camaru can either be fried to a crisp or cooked adobo style (stewed in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, peppercorn and other spices). Patio Mequeni, a restaurant specializing in regional cuisine from Pampanga and Bistro Remedios, a Filipino restaurant at the Remedios Circle offer camaru.
Patio Mequeni
536 Remedios St., Ermita, Manila
Tel. 521-5389Bistro Remedios
1903 M. Adriatico cor. Remedios Sts.
Malate, Manila
Tel. 521-8097 - The Filipinos favorite dessert during hot weather is halo-halo.Roughly translated, it means, "mix-mix," a colorful melange of diced tropical fruit preserves served in a tall glass or huge bowl with shaved ice, milk and sugar and a generous scoop of ice cream. Most hotel coffee shops, Filipino restaurants and fast-food outlets offer this cooling, if calorific treat.
- Eating with the hands is common in Asian cultures. The Philippines included. In fact, some Filipino dishes are enjoyed more heartily by eating this way. One can experience this at Kamayan restaurant, which literally means "eating with bare hands". Hand imprints of celebrities who have dined at the place adorn the restaurant's ceiling. Food servers are dressed in native costume to complement the Filipino décor, and the menu items are strictly Filipino, of course.
Kamayan
523 Padre Faura St., Ermita
Tel. 521-9490
Or Pasay Road cor. Pasong Tamo St., Makati
Tel. 815-1463 - The foreign visitor with an adventurous palate does not leave the Philippines without tasting the balut. Definitely not for the faint-hearted, the balut is a boiled, 18-day-old duck's egg (with the chick inside) eaten piping hot (the chick too!) with a sprinkling of salt. Balut vendors, cloth-covered baskets slung on their arms, ply Manila's sidestreets at night, their cries, of "Ba-luuut!" inviting everyone to partake of the uniquely Filipino delicacy.
Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Manila for the Time-pressed Traveler -- Part I in Travel for Young People is owned by . Permission to republish Manila for the Time-pressed Traveler -- Part I in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
