Local Expert
Knox Balbastro
Having grown up outside the Philippines, Knox was raised on a diet of Macaulay Culkin movies, Barbie dreams, and the sounds of MTV. When she returned to the Philippines during her teens, she began to…
Having grown up outside the Philippines, Knox was raised on a diet of Macaulay Culkin movies, Barbie dreams, and the sounds of MTV. When she returned to the Philippines during her teens, she began to seek out a distinctly Pinoy culture. So far, she loves what she’s seeing. Manila for her is a fertile ground for art, music, fashion, and fun. Living in a little known, third world country definitely has its perks. Adventures are affordable and discovery doesn’t come in the usual package.
Her best advice for travellers new to the Philippines is to go out on the streets where faces, traffic, and landscape can create a collage of experiences that’s gritty and real.
Knox is a 24 year-old dreamer who also happens to be an advertising copywriter. She loves to travel and dreams of bag packing throughout the entire Philippine Archipelago. She hopes that through this blog, people from all over the world will find a reason to drop by.
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Fastfood Philippines: Chowking
The Olympics has started and the eyes of the world are all on China. To mark the occasion, I’ve decided to post about Chowking, the Philippine’s 2nd most popular fastfood joint, and one that serves bastardized Chinese food.
Bastardized is a strong word. Let’s just say that the cuisine is infused with Filipino taste preferences. Doesn’t that make you even slightly curious? Dishes that you cannot miss out on include the King’s congee which is a rice porridge with salted eggs, century egges, and your choice of meat of chicken. Then, there are the noodle-based dishes like Lomi soup and Pancit Canton. There’s also kangkong with bagoong, leafy greens that you dip in salted shrimp paste. Personally, when I need a quick fix I always get their Siomai. The best way to describe it would be like a squishy pork meatball with a soft shell of wanton. Dip in toyamansi sauce with a pinch of chili and you’re all set. For those who have great big appetites, they have Lauriat meals. These are big plates that combine meat, pasta or rice, Chinese dumplings, and a hefty serving of Chicharap.
Saving the best for last, Chowking also serves a wicked halo-halo. Halo-halo, literally translated means mix mix, and essentially that’s what it is: a mesmerizing jumble of colors and flavors served in a tall clear glass. It’s shaved ice with a mixture of sweet preserved beans (red beans, chick peas), coconut meat (macapuno), jackfruit (langka), pounded dried rice (pinipig), sweet yam (ube), cream flan (leche flan), shreds of sweetened plantain (saba), topped with milk and sometimes sweetened with ice cream. I cannot stress just how this filling dessert provides a cure-all for those hot summer days.
If you do decide to try to venture into Chowking, be prepared to be overwhelmed by the menu. The immense food choices, the enticing price, and the intense use of MSG will assure that every trip to Chowking will end in an enjoyable but thankfully temporary food paralysis.
(Fastfood Philippines is a continuous series of posts about fast food places that are unique to the country. Watch out as I feature more of them soon!)