A day tour around Malabon
I love Malabon City. I didn’t even know a lot about this city until I discovered so much of their food and culture from a Malabon Food and Culture Tour. It was made more memorable with the group I took this with—foodies and chefs.
We all met up in the beautiful San Bartolome Church, where our tour guide Egay Ramos of Malabon’s City Tourism and Cultural Affairs Office told us the history of the church built in 1622. We then proceeded to the Malabon Heritage Library Museum to admire art by Malabonians and learn about some artifacts found in the city. (Trivia: artists Ronald Ventura, Angel Cacnio, and National Artist Benedicto Cabrera are from Malabon!)
With our morning coffee, we tasted three famous delicacies from Malabon. The triangulo by Tessie Valencia is a triangular-shaped turon fried and coated in brown sugar that contains langka (jackfruit) and saba (a hybrid plantain) just like turon plus young pinipig (immature grains of glutinous rice pounded before being toasted). The broas (lady finger) in Malabon is soft, unlike the crisp ones I am used to having. Hazel’s special puto (steamed rice cake) has two popular variants: the puto pao with pork asado inside and puto topped with salted egg.
There are many more churches in Malabon but the Church of Sto. Rosario built by Augustinian friars in 1860 was the second church we visited. It was small but beautiful. I would like to visit Immaculate Concepcion Church next time for the canonically crowned image of the Virgin Mary.
These Malabon tours are great fun because we rode tricycles really made for this tour. We also visited some fishponds that the city is known for. Some took a boat ride and some ate the delicious food of Mommy Dolor’s Kitchen: Rellenong Alimasag (stuffed crab shells) and their special bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) with green mangoes.
Lunch was a highlight since we ate at Aling Mely’s, where owner Mely Tuason herself ate with us. This turo-turo (translated to “point-point” since you point at what you want to order) is known for their Beef Mechado, a dish I am not particularly fond of, but this was one I really enjoyed! We also had Aling Mely’s delicious Rellenong Pusit (pork stuffed squid), that heavenly Sinampalukang Manok (chicken with sampaloc leaves), and a true Malabon classic: Tochong Bangus (Chinese-style cooked milkfish). I enjoyed everything in her carinderia (roadside food stall), even her Tortang Alamang (fried baby shrimp with egg) and Lechon Kawali (fried pork belly). The chefs we were with had a great time here and Aling Mely even graciously shared her cooking tips and some recipes with our group.
Next stop was Mama Belen’s Kitchenette, where Carlo Agustin demonstrated how they make his grandmother’s heavenly Pancit Malabon, undoubtedly the most popular dish in the city! Carlo expertly prepared our afternoon snack and he even added oysters (this can be requested) to our already delicious Pancit Malabon! We also tried two other must-haves in the city: Tessie’s quekiam and Judy Ann’s crispy pata from Jamico’s Restaurant. The quekiam was unique with shrimp, pork and vegetables ground almost to paste and stuffed in bean curd wrapper before frying. I have always tasted these chopped or minced, never grounded to paste. The uniquely flavorful crispy pata I’m guessing was brined in pickles and served with pickles, giving it a distinct and satisfying flavor.
These super-interesting Malabon Tours can be custom-made to your liking and they can arrange to bring you to all the spots you want. Plan an itinerary and get a quotation for your Malabon tricycle tour (or you can opt to bring your own transportation) now!
In case you can’t wait to try any of these delicious dishes, you may order most of these by messaging Mommy Dolor’s Kitchen on Facebook page or on Instagram.
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Book your tours through Discover Malabon on their Facebook page or contact them at landline (02) 86677910 or (02) 82814999 (local 1003) or mobile numbers (0933)3194522 or (0998)9654761 from Monday to Saturday at 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. only or e-mail them at [email protected].
Xavier Art Fest 2022
The Xavier Art Fest (XAF) is happening tomorrow! I love art and this is happening in my alma mater. Every year, galleries and featured artists come together to the Xavier School campus to give art lovers a chance to appreciate and celebrate Filipino talent. The XAF has over 40 galleries and 15 featured artists this year.
Xavier Alumni Batch ’96 is the host of this year’s Art Fest, which is a culmination of a year-long calendar of events that focused on the theme “Mind, Body and Heart.”
Primarily focusing on initiatives to help the community cope with the pandemic, Batch ‘96 has put together learning events for the Xavier community and various fundraisers to help the medical front-liners of Philippine General Hospital (PGH). XAF will enable Batch ‘96 to continue doing that with beneficiaries that include Operation Odette, Para kay ’Cher Foundation (’Cher is slang for “teacher” in Xavier School), a PGH initiative, and the Fr. Zuloaga Scholarship Fund.
The XAF this year makes art accessible to everyone. An actual art fest will happen for three days followed by an online market for six days; the event will also include an auction.
The Xavier Art Fest will be held from March 18-20 at the Xavier School Fr. Cortina Sports Complex and online from March 23-29 (www.xavierartfest.com) with official event sponsor Boysen Paints. Follow them on Instagram @xsartfest and on Facebook at XavierArtFest.