Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TRAVEL YOUR TASTE BUDS
The Philippines is a good place for culinary daredevils. Start off with the obvious one:
balút
, or 'eggs with legs' as it's also known. The WOW Philippines tourism website of-
fersthefollowinginstructionsforeating
balút
:'Lightlytaponthewiderendofthisboiled
duck egg and gently peel off some of the shell. Season with a little rock salt and enjoy
sipping out the flavourful soup. Once done, peel off more of the shell to reveal a yolk at
hard-boiled consistency, and a nearly developed duck embryo.'
Once you've crossed
balút
off your list, other exotic foods won't seem quite so exotic.
Aso
or
asusena
(dog meat) is said to be tastier than any other red meat, though we can
only report this based on hearsay. It's immensely popular in the Cordillera Mountains of
North Luzon, as is 'Soup No 5' (bull-ball soup).
In some provinces, people will cook anything under the sun
adobo
-style - rat, cat, bat,
frog, cricket,
bayawak
(monitor lizard) - you name it. To work up the courage to con-
sume any of these, down a few shots of
lambanog
(roughly distilled palm wine). Beetles,
friedorfloatinginsoup,andsteamedtree-antnestsaretwoothergastronomicspecialities
found in the Philippines, though these have become harder to find of late.
In comparison,
sisig
- sizzling grilled bits of pig jowl - seems downright tame. We men-
tion it because it's a favourite Filipino bar snack and really tasty!
Sisig
is the cousin of
bopis
- pig's lungs, chopped and fried.
SEAFOOD MARKET
Eating
A wonderful Manila dining experience, the long ice counter here looks much like the sea-
food tank at a grocery store. Point to your preference, then watch as a team of chefs cooks
your meal in a flaming wok that's clearly visible from the sidewalk outside.
1951
Nightlife
This legendary bar-cum-gallery has reopened in Malate after a failed move to Makati. It's a
magnet for bohemian types and on Fridays and Saturdays squeezes in some of the finest
musical talent in the Philippines. The official name is now 1951 but everybody still calls it
by the previous name, Penguin Cafe.
