By Aleli V. Dorado-Suguitan
Touted as the “Shoe Capital of the Philippines”, Marikina City takes pride in its high quality footwear and leather goods. This up and coming gastronomy hub, located at the eastern part of Metro Manila, is also home to some of the delectable side of the street and hole in the wall food places.
Join Eat’s Fun’s resident ‘eatventurer’ Leslie Ordinario as she walks the streets of Marikina in her quest to unearth the hidden gems in this side of the metro.
Lola Helen’s Panciteria
Ask someone from Marikina who ‘Lola Helen’ is and they will probably point you to this quaint panciteria. Their signature dish, Pancit con Lechon, is loaded with your staple pancit veggies and meaty goodness from the lechon kawali. This flavorful pancit is cooked just right, not too dry nor soggy, with flavors even further amplified with a squeeze of calamansi.
Contrary to the ‘gising-gising’ most Pinoys know — a dish of either winged or string beans in spicy coconut milk that will surely wake up your senses with its spice — Lola Helen’s version of this dish is a stark contrast to the beloved Pinoy dish both in color and flavor. Gising-gising ala Lola Helen resembles afritada, using all the pancit vegetable staples such as carrots, cabbage, sayote, with shredded chicken and cooked in banana ketchup with a hint of spice.
Another must-try from this panciteria is their miki soup, a noodle dish with clear chicken broth and chewy noodles to warm your tummy.
Pares House Marikina
Nestled at the heart of Marikina is a 24/7 ‘paresan’ that is sure to satisfy your cravings at an affordable price. This beef brisket dish in sweet savory sauce is stewed until fork tender. And as the name suggests, it is best paired with garlic rice and a side of chili calamansi dipping sauce.
Aside from its crowd favorite pares, the Pares House also offers short orders such as pancit, sizzling sisig, and silog meals at budget friendly prices.
Aton’s Kanto-Style Fried Chicken
Vats of rapidly boiling oil sizzle with the sound of chicken that is expertly fried, this side of the street fried chicken stall sells up to 200 pieces of whole chicken daily. R. Aton’s has already mastered the art of frying chicken to perfection: moist, juicy, and perfectly marinated interior with brown and crispy skin. While this delectable fare can stand on its own, its side of gravy amps up the ante of flavor of this humble dish.
Putong Pulo
No Marikina food trip is complete without bringing home a pack of Putong Pulo. Usually comes in variety packs, putong pulo comes in either original puto, white puto, ube cheese puto, and kutsinta. The bite size rice cake is soft and sweet, which will surely satisfy your sweet craving or bring a smile to those who will receive it as pasalubong.
Marikina truly lives up to its mantra of “discipline, good taste, and excellence” as shown in its clean streets, disciplined citizens, and of course good food that has already made a mark in the Philippine food scene.
Want to know more about Leslie’s foodventures? Watch Eat’s Fun every Sunday, 10 a.m. only here at your Pambansang TV and livestreamed via PTV’s official Facebook and YouTube channel @PTVph.