Sail on Boracay

It used to be that boats were allowed to "park" anywhere along the shoreline of Boracay. That it got to a point that this beautiful beach became one large parking area for local outrigger and motorized boats posing great risks to safety of Boracay tourists.

Thankfully through the efforts of the local government and the Department of Tourism boats are no longer allowed to go into the main beach of Boracay but have been provided with a jetty specifically for the purpose of embarkation and disembarkation of tourists. This was despite the strong protests of misguided resort owners and tourists. The beach is now earmarked for the use and enjoyment of the growing number of Boracay visitors.

The only boats now allowed to park but only in a specified area of the beach and to sail on the shoreline on late afternoons are the local sail boats called "Paraw". Watching Boracay sunsets therefore has become more enjoyable with Paraws sailing in the horizon as the sun sets in the beautiful Boracay coastline.

Wow Peanuts!

For peanut lovers, a must try is Wow Mani which another outstanding food product from Pampanga. This brand of peanuts lives up to its promise in its label of peanuts so crunchy, garlic so crispy and taste so good ... Guaranteed!

A 400 gram jar cost P130 (US $3.00) at Suzies in Dao, Pampanga. It is also available in Everybody's Cafe ( in Pampanga) and at a halo halo joint at Alfredos Restaurant along Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

Try Wow Mani. Peanuts have not tasted this good!

Discovering Pako Salad

An interesting discovery during a recent trip in Pampanga was the Pako Salad. This salad was highly recommended by one of the food attendants of Cely's Restaurant in Dao at the Nepo Mart. If not for her insistence I would not have tried this dish.

Thanks to her, I discovered the Pako Salad. This is made of fresh wild fern mixed with fresh tomatoes and onions and salted egg. Dressing is a special vinegar concoction which made the salad truly delightful. I also tried the Pako Salad at Everybody's Cafe (along MacArthur Highway in San Fernando with a branch at Nepo Mart, Dao) but I prefer Cely's Pako Salad. It is the vinegar dressing that made the difference.

One serving of the salad cost P70 (US$1.63) at Cely's and P75 (US1.74) at Everybody's Cafe.

Heavenly Tibok-Tibok

Heavenly is this milk pudding which I discovered recently during a trip to Pampanga. The sweet dessert is called Tibok-tibok, which is made from white rice and carabao's milk topped with latik (made from coconut meat). The dessert has the right amount of sweetness and melts in your mouth. It counts as one of my favorite Filipino delicacies.

Tibok-tibok is available at Suzie's Cuisine at Nepo Mart in Dao Pampanga. This is a short one hour drive from Balitawak, Quezon City if you take the North Expressway. It cost P25(US$.58) for a small slice and P100 (US$3.32) for a small box.

Pancit Bihon LIke No Other

For pancit lovers, not to be missed is the pancit bihon (thin white rice noodle dish) at Lam Restaurant at the Pacific Place along Quentin Paredes St. in Binondo, Manila.

This noodle dish has a garlicky taste to it and is made even more flavorful with its mix of pork, squid, fish ball, shrimps, and vegetables. One serving cost P110 (US$2.50) which can be shared if you are ordering other dishes.

Lam Restaurant is owned by the same family that used to run Marquina Restaurant at the back of the what used to be the Head Office of Philippine National Bank in Escolta. The restaurant is also famous for its crab rice and crab dishes. But my favorite is their pancit bihon, which is truly appetizing like no other bihon dish I have tasted before!

Masuki: Original Mami and Siopao Place

Masuki Restaurant in Benavidez St. Binondo is the original place to go for the mami (Chinese noodle soup) and siopao (steamed bun with meat filling) that the Mamonluk chain of restaurant made famous. I am not certain why but the mami and siopao at Masuki taste better than the ones served at Mamonluk.

The original mami with pork is best taken with liberal sprinkling of finely chopped onion leaves and mixed with a brown sauce which has a light sweetness to it. The brown sauce also makes the siopao more tasty. Small serving of this mami cost P100 (US $2.32) and the siopao P50 (US$1.16). The prices are at par with the other noodle restaurants but appear not reasonable if you consider the no frills and non airconditioned premises of the restaurant. Nonetheless the flavorful taste of the mami and siopao makes a trip to Binondo worthwile.

For people who do not want to go all the way to Binondo, Masuki has a branch in Greenhills along Ortigas Avenue.

A Different Take on Maki Noodle Dish

I got curious about the Maki Place in Binondo because it was always a full house during lunch time whenever I passed by this restaurant along Benavidez St. in Manila's Chinatown. True enough, it serves really good maki which is a Chinese noodle dish in sweet and often sticky sauce.

What makes their maki different from the maki of other Chinese restaurants is that the sauce of the maki is lighter in texture and less sweet. They also offer Fish Maki which comes with fish fillet and white sauce instead of usual brownish sauce. Of course they offer the traditional beef and pork maki. The noodle dish goes well with a serving of kiampong, chinese fried rice. Servings come in small and large portions and are reasonably priced from P85 to P100 (US$2) for the former and for the latter P100 - P115 (US $2.44) depending on whether it is fish, pork or beef.