Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
a tall glass or bowl - the “special” version usually has
taro ice cream on top. A speciality of Laguna
Province (see p.107),
buko pie
is made by layering
strips of young coconut and cake mix into a crispy
pie crust - the addictive dessert has cult status
in the Philippines and an intense rivalry exists
between many pie-makers. The most popular tradi-
tional Filipino sweet is
polvorón
, a sort of short-
bread made with flour, sugar and milk, and often
sold in flavours such as cashew nut, chocolate and
pinipig
(crispy rice). Sold on every street corner,
turon
is a crispy deep-fried banana in a spring roll
wrapper, while
leche flan
(caramel custard) is a
staple on every restaurant menu. Filipinos also eat
a huge amount of
ice cream
in an unorthodox
range of flavours, including
ube
(purple yam),
jackfruit, corn, avocado and even cheese.
For a snack in a packet, try salted dried fish like
dilis
, which can be bought in supermarkets and
convenience stores.
Dilis
are a little like anchovies
and are eaten whole, sometimes with a vinegar
and garlic dip. They're often served along with
other savouries (under the collective name
pulutan
)
during drinking sessions. Salted dried
pusit
(squid)
is also common.
VEGETARIAN FOOD
Committed
vegetarians and vegans
face a di
cult mission to find suitable
food in the Philippines. It's a poor country
and many Filipinos have grown up on a
diet of what's available locally, usually
chicken and pork. If you ask for a plate of
stir-fried vegetables it might come with
slices of pork in it, or be served in a meat
gravy. Fried rice always contains egg and
meat. Having said that, most Filipinos will
be familiar with the concept of vegetarian
food and will try to accommodate you
where possible.
Chinese and Japanese restaurants offer
the best range of vegetable-based dishes,
though you'll have to emphasize that
you want absolutely no bits of meat
added. In Manila, and to some extent
in other cities, and in Boracay, pizzas are
an option, or you could head to an
upmarket restaurant and ask the chef to
prepare something special. At least
breakfast is straightforward - even in the
most rural resorts, you can ask for toast or
pancakes and, if you're not vegan, an
omelette or scrambled eggs.
Fast food
You'll find McDonald's in almost every big town,
but the Philippines has its own successful
fast-food
chains
fashioned after the US giant, with hundreds
of branches of Jollibee (chicken, burgers and
spaghetti), Chowking (noodle soups, dim sum),
Mang Inasal (barbecue and unlimited rice) and
Max's (fried chicken) throughout the country -
indeed, the corpulent “jolly bee” mascot is more
ubiquitous than Ronald McDonald. Western-style
sandwich bars are starting to appear too.
Most shopping malls also have
food courts
,
indoor marketplaces that bring together dozens of
small stalls serving Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Thai
and Korean food. Here you can get a decent lunch
for under P250 including a soft drink.
In many provincial cities, look out also for
ihaw-ihaw
(grill) restaurants, usually native-style
bamboo structures where meat and fish are cooked
over charcoal and served with hot rice and soup.
can spend P2500 or more for a good three-course
meal for two; in Boracay you could have a similar
meal for half that. However, European cuisine on
the coast tends to be a little less sophisticated,
simply because it's hard to guarantee supplies of
the necessary ingredients.
There are
Chinese
restaurants in every city and
in many provincial towns. Don't expect modish
Oriental cuisine though; most Chinese restaurants
are inexpensive places offering straightforward,
tasty food designed to be ordered in large portions
and shared by a group. A good Chinese meal for
two often costs no more than P500. Another of the
Philippines' favourite cuisines is
Japanese
, ranging
from fast-food noodle parlours to expensive restau-
rants serving sushi and tempura.
Drinks
Bottled
water
is cheap; good local brands such
as Nestlé Pure Life, Viva and Hidden Spring cost
P20-30 in convenience stores. Fizzy soft drinks such
as Coca-Cola and Pepsi are available everywhere.
At resorts and hotels, the “
juice
” which usually
comes with breakfast is - irritatingly in a country
rich in fresh fruit - often made from powder or
International cuisine
There are some excellent French, Spanish and
Italian restaurants in Manila and Cebu City, and
dozens of
European
restaurants in Boracay. Prices
depend on where you are. In areas of Manila, you
