5 Most Delicious Foods In Philippines

5 Most Delicious Foods In Philippines

Filipino food may not be as pretty as other cuisines like Japanese or Korean, but what we lack in presentation we more than make up for in flavor. Bottom line, our food is damn tasty.

Adobo

Arguably the most iconic and well-known dish in Filipino cuisine. From the Spanish word adobar meaning “to marinate”, adobo is a popular dish made with chicken or pork marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, black peppercorn, garlic, and bay leaf. Adobo is so popular that many consider it to be the unofficial national dish of the Philippines.

Good restaurants to try adobo in Manila include Cafe Adriatico, Adobo Connection, Gerry’s Grill, and Aristocrat.

Balut

If adobo is the most famous Filipino dish, then balut has got to be the most infamous. A popular street food, balut is a developing duck embryo that’s boiled and eaten in its shell. It’s off-putting even for many Filipinos so I don’t blame you for not wanting to try it.

Pancit Bihon Guisado

Pancit Bihon Guisado is a Filipino-Chinese dish made with sauteed rice noodles, meat, and vegetables. It’s a staple second only to rice. There are several types of pancit, but this is one of the most common and can be found in many Filipino eateries.

Tapsilog

A beloved comfort dish, the way we Filipinos feel about tapsilog can probably be compared to how Malaysians feel about nasi lemak. Personally, it’s a strong contender for my last meal.

Tapsilog is an acronym for tapa (cured beef) + sinangag (garlic fried rice) + itlog. It’s the most popular type of Filipino “silog” breakfast made up of garlic fried rice, egg, and a protein. Other popular “silog” breakfats include longsilog (longganisa – Filipino sausage), tocilog (tocino – pork fatback), and bangsilog (bangus – milkfish), just to name a few.

You can find tapsilog pretty much anywhere that serves breakfast. Restaurants in Manila known for serving good tapsilog include Max’s Restaurant, Rodic’s Diner, Rufo’s Famous Tapa, Sinangag Express, and Tapa King.

Pork Sisig

The most iconic Filipino bar chow dish, sisig is made from chopped pig’s face, ears, and a generous amount of chicken liver. It’s usually seasoned withcalamansi (calamondin) and chili peppers and is served sizzling on a cast iron plate. Originating from the Philippines’ (unofficial) culinary capital of Pampanga, it’s a hugely popular dish ubiquitous at bars and Filipino restaurants throughout the country. Andrew Zimmern once called it “one of his favorite dishes period”.

Restaurants in Manila known for their pork sisig include Trellis, Gerry’s Grill, Congo Grille, Razon’s of Guagua, and Mang Jimmy’s. Trellis was one of the first restaurants to introduce sisig to Manila. For me, it’s still the best.