I USED to think there were no good restaurants in San Juan, Metro Manila. That all there was to this city were the franchised restaurants in Greenhills. Wrong.
There’s an inner street that has wonderful food finds for the food lover. Alex III conspicuously stands at the corner of Abad Santos and Wilson but the better treasures lie deeper into the avenue.
The first quaint find is Little Store on the Hill, which I presume every foodie knows about. It is literally a little store, reminiscent of old mini mart grocery stores but with the addition of a twelve- or so seater of a karinderya inside. You order cafeteria style. What is endearing about this place is that it is so Chinese-Filipino, mixing favorite canned fruits like lychee with Filipino candies like Chocnut, and offering black chicken soup with balut. (unhatched fertilized duck egg)
The black chicken soup with balut, as I just discovered, is amazing. First of all, I have never had balut in soup before. Balut with salt, yes; balut foie gras in frou frou restaurants, yes. But balut in a soup? Never. It was an interesting turn because the balut flavors were not as strong as if you just peeled the shell. Still, it was not the soup that enhanced the balut but the balut that enhanced the soup, as it should. Secondly, there is something about black chicken that gives an edge to chicken stock. From first sip, you will notice the difference. This is no ordinary broth.
The lumpia (spring roll) at Little Store on the Hill is also worth going to the hills for. It is presented in one generous serving. The difference between this and other lumpias that I have tried is that the filling is chopped so finely that it is almost grainy. The benefit of this style is that all the flavors of the filling are really melded together and because the ingredients are finely chopped, they add texture to what would otherwise be an ordinary lumpia.
Further down the hill is Ristra, a Mexican “fast food that offers slow food” which I had written about a few issues back. If you want some fajita that you don’t mind going to your hita (thigh), this is where you want to say “Ole.” Across is BarBQ which Mayor JV Ejercito testifies has very good (what else?) barbecue.
Right beside BarBQ is House of Lasagna, owned by a passionate chef named Erick Congmon. Erick offers a mean lasagna that is packed with beef (you may also opt to order a chicken lasagna). Its flavors are so strong that the fancy iced tea on the drink menu complements it well. Upon striking a conversation with regulars who happened to be in the restaurant as my friend and I dined, I learned that Erick’s family owns the well-loved Sunburst restaurant in Cebu City, which is why he also offers, alongside the lasagna, a Southern Fried Chicken that he’s very proud of, a recipe that he inherited from his grandfather who learned to cook fried chicken from Kentucky Fried in the US. I honestly found the chicken to be on the salty side but I will admit that I was taken in by the crispiness of its skin. House of Lasagna also offers cakes. The blueberry cheesecake is on the rubbery side but the sans rival with cashew nuts is an ideal dessert that hits just the right level of sweetness.
Down the curb is a newly opened Mann Hann, whose exteriors are very modern (and white) and whose interiors are very spacious (think of a very high ceiling). On every visit that I paid to Mann Hann (I totaled three before writing this), the place was full, testimony to the formula of reasonably good food at reasonably good prices. The menu is not exceptional, offering your usual beef with broccolli and yang chow fried rice. But it has its strengths. The Chinese beef tenderloin is so tender that it could easily be mistaken for pork. The Fookien fried rice is loaded with toppings that it could be a meal on its own. If you do decide to visit, do try to make sure that you still fit between the columns leading to the exit after your meal.
My favorite stop on Abad Santos, however, is still a pizza place. Right across Mann Hann is Sandy’s Pizza. Word has it that Sandy is the sister of Gabby Concepcion. I think she’s gorgeous. But any man who has tasted Sandy’s Pizza will fall in love with her not just for her beauty or personality but for the pizza. It’s that good. Their best-seller is the white cheese. But I especially love her experimental pizzas. Other experimental pizzas (like a bagnet pizza I tried a month ago) appear like they are trying too hard. But this girl knows her pizza. Take the Indian Chicken Curry pizza. You get a hint of curry and a hint of chicken while you are able to appreciate the pizza as a whole. Or the Filipino flavors. The tocino pizza is able to cunningly highlight the sweetness of the cured pork, while the saltiness of the tuyo (dried fish) is evident in the Garlic Tuyo in Olive Oil pizza. All flavors are present without them bastardizing the essence of our favorite junk food.
So the next time you want to go on a food trip, think Abad Santos in San Juan. The hills are alive! •
Little Store on the Hill. 2 J. Abad Santos Street, Little Baguio, San Juan. Tel. 721-9174 or 721-2359.
Ristras. J. Abad Santos cor. Lopez Jaena St., San Juan.
House of Lasagna. J. Abad Santos cor. V. Cruz St., Little Baguio, San Juan. Tel. 994-7284; 0917-9716149; 0927-2621653.
Mann Hann. 233 J. Abad Santos St., Little Baguio, San Juan. Tel. 726-3706; 725-8515.
Sandy’s Pizza. (Across Mann Hann). J. Abad Santos St., Little Baguio, San Juan Tel. 721-8329; 721-8334.
All cash basis only (as of the moment; a lot are new restaurants). On average, around P300 per head. All wheelchair- accessible.
1 comment:
Awesome post, Margaux! Can't wait to try them!!
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