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.

Pattaya By Night

Pattaya used to be a "rest and recreation" town for American military personnel during the Vietnam war. That is why there are still a lot of bars with sexy Thai women at their front doors to entice customers. This town comes alive at night specially at the Walking Street where most of the bars are located.

Nevertheless, the town has transformed itself into a more wholesome and family oriented place but at the same time maintaining its original sleazy establishments which have become tourist attractions by themselves.

The beaches of Pattaya are also beautifully lighted at night and provides for a colorful view during a night stroll along the beach. This town does not seem to sleep becoming some sort of a Las Vegas of Thailand minus the casinos.

Pattaya By Day

I rediscovered Pattaya on a recent trip to Thailand. It is now easy to travel to Pattaya from Bangkok. There are aircon buses at the airport in Bangkok that will bring you direct to Pattaya for only 106 Baht and the trip takes less than 2 hours on a direct expressway route to Pattaya. The trip is sometimes even faster than the travel time to downtown Bangkok hotel from the airport and is even cheaper than the airport shuttle.

Another option is if you are already in Bangkok and not traveling from the airport, is to take the Bell Buses that will pick you from your hotel for the trip to Pattaya. This cost a reasonable 350 Baht which is less the total cost of taking a taxi to the bus station and then the bus to Pattaya.

Anyway, the Bangkok Pattaya bus service from the airport is a pleasant ride on a really good bus with ample leg room and comfortable seats. I enjoyed the ride as much as my stay in Pattaya.

Pattaya now is more progressive but is not crowded with people and does not suffer from the traffic congestion of Bangkok. Choices for shopping and dining can now rival Bangkok. There are a number of big and modern malls, good restaurants, and reasonably priced hotels. And everything is actually cheaper in Pattaya. The place is also by the beach and therefore provides for a more relaxing vacation.

I particularly enjoy the foot massage here which for reasons unknown to me seems to be better than the ones I tried in Bangkok. And again it cost less. Next time I go to Thailand I will be making Pattaya my base instead of Bangkok.

Peacefully Beautiful Bantayan

If you are after a beautiful beach that is peaceful and quiet for a really relaxing vacation, Bantayan Beach in Cebu is the place to go. Its long stretch of powdery white sand beach rivals Boracay. And sea here is calm, more pristine, and cleaner. It does not have the seaweeds that are common in Boracay shores.

The place does not have the variety and number of bars and restaurants that makes Boracay vibrant and alive. Bantayan instead provides a more laid back beach life, down to basics of really have a relaxing and fun time in a truly beautiful beach.

This island paradise is a 3 hour bus ride to the town of Hignaya from Cebu City. From Hignaya you take a 1 hour ferry to the port of Sta Fe in Bantayan.

Sunsets at Boracay

Boracay continues to be the Philippines top beach destination. Deservedly so because of its really fine white sand beach and clean waters (except during the summer season). For people who like the good life, there are plenty of good restaurants and an active night life.

But for me the main attraction is still the beautiful beach and an added bonus to this is the glorious sunset of Boracay. Watching the sunset by the beach is calming. Another way is to take a Paraw ( local sail boats) and watch this early evening event from a boat. The latter has increasingly become popular.