This is a new series that will focus on my favorite dishes in a certain city or country that I visited.
The Philippines was an exciting destination for me partially because I was unfamiliar with much of their cuisine. I was looking forward to being able to discover some new dishes. Philippine food, I learned, has a lot of influence from other cuisines, especially from the Spanish who ruled the country for several hundred years. Being a chain of islands it was not a surprise to find a lot of seafood on menus, and Filipinos love them some pork.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have as much time to chow down as I would’ve liked. Toward the end of my stay I got a wicked stomach virus during which even the mention of the word ‘food’ had me gagging. Despite that I was able to find some delicious treats during my two weeks in Puerto Princesa, El Nido, and Manila.
1. Sinigang
Sinigang is a Filippino soup that is most well known for its sour tamarind flavor. This was a new dish for me and I was instantly hooked. Filled with bits of pork (a fish variety is also popular), eggplant, okra, tomatoes, garlic, onion, and other delicious vegetables the soup’s distinctive flavor was powerful, yet smooth. I had this in Puerto Princesa, but it’s popular and can be found on pretty much any menu in the Philippines.
2. Sweet and sour lapu-lapu (grouper)
I had a lot of really great, fresh seafood in the Philippines and this lapu-lapu, the Filippino grouper, in Puerto Princesa stood out. At the restaurant you can pick out the seafood you want and choose how it is cooked. We got this lapu-lapu deep fried and smothered with a thick sweet and sour sauce. Not the healthiest choice, but a delicious one nonetheless.
3. Pizza at Altrove
This isn’t Filippino food, but it was so good that it deserves a mention here. Located on the main street in El Nido, the pizza here was some of the best I’ve had outside of Italy. Seriously. The southern Italian style pies are cooked in a brick oven and have the perfect cheese to sauce ratio and a selection of delicious toppings. We tried the margherita and Mediterranean and both were superb. The prices here are a little steep for the Philippines but worth every peso.
4. Garlic and butter prawns
Almost every afternoon that we were in Puerto Princesa Tara and I saw a family walk up and down the main street with a bucket of fresh prawns. They stopped at each restaurant selling their fresh catch. Obviously, this meant I needed to indulge often and indulge I did. The best rendition by far was in Puerto Princesa smothered in garlic and butter.
5. Lechon
Lechon is the national dish of the Philippines, present at every large celebration in the country. A holdover from Spanish colonial times, lechon is a suckling pig roasted over a spit. Also known as, pure ecstasy in food form. Unfortunately, by the time we got a chance to try it I was already feeling a bit sick and we had to resort to eating lechon at the Mall of Asia food court in Manila. It was delicious (how could a plate of sucking pig not be?) but it wasn’t the crispy skin deliciousness I’d been waiting for.
What looks the best to you? What is your favorite Filippino food?
Wow for some reason I thought it’d be all noodles and so on from the Philippines, but actually it looks really diverse and interesting, got me hungry anyways!
It is quite diverse and a lot different from other Southeast Asian countries due to the Spanish influence. I was surprised as well!
Nope, it’s not all noodles in the Philippines. =) We actually have a very diverse cuisine, but one thing that you can expect to be present in every meal is rice. For a Filipino, a meal is not a meal unless there’s rice. Some people even have rice with pasta and yes, McDonald’s in the Philippines serve rice as well. =)
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I ate rice at McDonalds once in the Philippines
And yes, rice is present at every meal throughout Asia, I think.
Thanks! Heading to the Philippines this week. Will look out for these.
You’re welcome. Enjoy! There’s a lot of great food down there!
Sinigang is one of my favorite Filipino food
You need to go back and try the rest like Adobo, Bulalo etc. 
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I tried adobo and it was delicious! I’m a little embarrassed that I forgot to put it on this list…but I do need to go back and eat more. I’m sad I didn’t get to try balut!
I wonder if I’d ever be able to try anything in the Philippines as a vegetarian. I’m sure there’re options somewhere.
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I actually think the Philippines would probably be the most difficult country to eat vegetarian in Southeast Asia. But I’m sure you could do it if you put your mind to it!