One of the tried-and-tested activities that me and my block mates do when we’re bored (and I would have to say that this happens a lot) is go on a food trip. And our university’s the perfect place for that. With stalls and shops all over the place, it’s the absolute ideal place for bored, wandering and hungry souls like ours. Let me give you a quick rundown on our Univ’s fair share of grub.
1.) Mang Larry’s Isawan. For the unacquainted, isawis barbecued chicken intestines. Well, originally. Lately, pork intestines are being served as well so if you’d like larger intestines to eat, go with isaw baboy. Mang Larry’s also serves other barbecued delicacies so feel free to give them a taste.
2.) The Shopping Center. The Shopping Center is composed of approximately 80% photocopy/computer shops, 15% food shops and 5% miscellaneous shops. If you’re looking for heavy food (‘heavy’ meaning with rice and all that), this is the place you’re looking for. One of the more famous shops here is Rodic’s for their tapsilog (tapa, which is beef, sinangag or fried rice and itlog, your everyday sunny-side up egg). If your leaning are into Japanese or Korean food, then Mashita’s the place for you.
3.) Area II. Now this place is absolute heaven. For those who are on a limited budget but want to eat something nice and grand, this is where you should go. Area II is actually a neighborhood. Originally it only had a few food stalls but seeing that it was quite a lucrative business, various others started popping up. Here’s a quick list of what to find in Area II.
a. Lutong Bahay and Lutong Kapitbahay. They’re basically karinderias. They serve food that you’ll find in a typical Filipino home. Go here if you want a full meal on low budget since this place is really affordable. You can live off with 20 pesos here. Seriously.
b. Authentic Siomai. Our favorite stall ever. Once you have a taste of this, all other siomai stalls will seem inferior. There are plenty of other siomai stalls in the area. Give it a try and you’ll see what I mean.
c. Iskorambol. This small stall serves skrambol. It’s like the Filipino equivalent of snow cone but…well, not really. It’s the closest one I could think of. It’s flavored crushed ice with powdered milk and chocolate syrup. You can add other toppings if you want to. You ought to give this one a try.
d. UniversiTEA. This place, as you may have deduced, serves tea. I have yet to come to this place but I have tasted one of their milk teas and it’s quite tasty, I should say.
There are a gazillion other stalls in Area II so I’ll leave it to you to discover them.
4.) Chocolate Kiss. If you are a member of the bourgeoisie, here’s the place for you. Their specialty’s cake (you must try their Devil’s Food Cake! Absolute heaven! *dies*) but they have pasta, bread and rice meals as well. Make sure your wallet’s all fattened up before entering.
5.) Sarah’s. Located just a bit outside the university premises, Sarah’s is for those seeking some night life or if you want a good chug of beer with your friends. Or by yourself if you’re all heartbroken and all.
That’s about all the places I could give for now. I’ll add a part two if any other place comes to mind. Have a nice gastronomic journey through the University of the Philippines.
excerpts from my so-called life. 