Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Go West: A Food Tour of Malabon's General Luna Street

East Capitol Drive in Kapitolyo, Maginhawa Street in Quezon City, and Aguirre Street in BF Homes, Paranaque, all known culinary hubs with some of the best restaurants in the metro. Now, you can add one more destination to your list...


Head west of the metro and discover local, homegrown flavors along Malabon's General Luna Street, and experience the blossoming food scene concentrated along the strip. General Luna Street is just one of the many culinary destinations featured in Best of the West, highlighting some of the metro's secret and unexpected food finds, shopping bargains, cool hang-outs and more (for more on Best of the West, check out their FB Page here at https://www.facebook.com/BestoftheWestPH/). Read on for a taste of the metro's western side...


The metro's West Zone is composed of 17 cities and municipalities within the Greater Manila Area, which includes Caloocan, Las Pinas, Malabon, Manila, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Paranaque, Valenzuela, Quezon City's Projects 7 & 8, parts of Makati, the cities of Imus, Bacoor, and Cavite, and the municipalities of Kawit, Noveleta, and Rosario in the province of Cavite. The sheer size of Metro Manila's West Zone offers limitless possibilities and new dining experiences. My Best of the West Food Tour began at one of the oldest family-run establishments in Malabon, Jamicos Restaurant, Home of Judy Ann Crispy Pata along General Luna Street.

One of Malabon's best known culinary institutions built around their famous Crispy Pata, Jamicos Restaurant has been serving comforting Filipino cuisine since 1972. Proudly homegrown, Jamicos Restaurant serves signature dishes based on family recipes adding a homestyle vibe.


Simple and uncomplicated dishes that's big on flavor remain at the very core of Jamicos Restaurant's family-oriented culinary philosophy, each prepared with the best local ingredients and served at affordable prices. And it's been a winning formula, a recipe for success, since 1972. At Jamicos Restaurant, one feels like dining in your favorite aunt's home, with its cozy and homey feel, and comforting, homestyle dishes. Old school still rules, and it's alive and well, at Jamicos Restaurant. Start with Jamicos Restaurant's Shrimp Embutido (P 125), with a savory filling of seasoned ground pork and shrimp, battered and deep-fried to golden brown and crispy perfection. The delicate notes of the embutido are kicked up a notch with the sweet and sour dipping sauce.


Continue your feast with Jamicos Restaurant's Torta Alimasag (P 125), their take on the classic crab egg foo yong, with crab meat and vegetables in a fluffy egg omelet laid on a sweet and savory sauce. The rich blend of flavors combine in a seamless blend, capped by the sweet sauce. You'll want some extra rice with this...


Pair your dish with Jamicos Fried Rice (P 125), mixed with pork, shrimps, and vegetables to complete your feast.


No visit to Jamicos Restaurant is complete without the signature Judy Ann Crispy Pata (P 500/P 550), deep-fried pork knuckles with tender and juicy pork layered with crisp crackling. This is the dish that made Jamicos Restaurant a local favorite all these years. It took years to develop this proprietary crispy pata recipe, with the right balance of crispness, tender and juicy pork, and rich flavors. After perfecting the recipe, the restaurant then opened in 1972, remaining one of the popular local favorites in Malabon to this day.


The combination of tender and juicy pork with crisp crackling makes this one a winner, with its contrasting textures releasing vibrant flavors with every bite. Topped with homemade pickles to temper the richness, a soy-vinegar dip with chili completes the flavors. Extra rice? Absolutely.

After a sumptuous feast at Jamicos Restaurant, it was time to head down General Luna Street for some refreshing milk tea at Tea-Pop Tea & More. A favorite hang-out among locals, Tea-Pop Tea & More offers a wide selection of beverages, rice meals, sandwiches, all-day breakfast, dimsum, snacks and internet access too. 


Watermelon Jasmine, Winter Mocha, Choco Almond, Oolong Wintermelon, Tiramisu, Honey, Butterscotch, Honey Lemon, Honeydew, Choco Oats, Nutella and Hazelnut are just some of the many refreshing options at Tea-Pop Tea & More. Choose your flavor and simply relax at the comfortable lounge areas by the window.


But if you're looking for something with a kick, Tea-Pop Tea & More also offers milk teas blended with a touch of alcohol. Have your milk tea buzz with the Shembot (P 75 Regular/P 85 Large), a vodka-based milk tea; Baileys (P 110 Regular/P 120 Large), and Choco Rose (P 110 Regular/P 120 Large), a soothing chocolate and tequila blend. I've never had milk tea with alcohol before, and I never thought I'd find it here in Malabon. Malabon does have a lot of surprises...


Pair your beverage with Tea Pop Tea & More's Lasagna (P 90), the house special, with layers of lasagna and classic meat sauce topped with a creamy cheese sauce...


...or the popular Nachos (P 90), crisp tortilla chips topped with seasoned meat, sliced onions, tomatoes, fresh lettuce and cheese, served with a cheese dip.


With over a hundred variants of milk tea, yogurt tea, coffee, milk shakes, frappe, and hot choco drinks, Tea-Pop Tea & More is the perfect place to chill and hang-out along General Luna Street in Malabon. And it's just the place for a refreshing Baileys Milk Tea...


You can also go for Tea-Pop Tea & More's selection of premium coffee, like the Cappuccino (P 60) and Grande Intenso (P 80) before heading to your next stop for an early dinner...

Modern, contemporary and hip, Cocina Luna is one of the newest homegrown establishments along General Luna Street, offering its own unique and inventive take on local dishes. All-day breakfast with some cocktails? No problem. Just head on over to Cocina Luna for a late afternoon meal and a few drinks.


Cocina Luna spins its own creative take on comfort food, adding a modern twist to local favorites. Fresh, innovative and modern, Cocina Luna offers familiar and comforting flavors with a new and exciting touch. Inside, the quirky interiors immediately tell you this is a pretty cool place to simply hang-out and enjoy a satisfying meal. Chill with Cocina Luna's refreshing Special Blended Iced Tea (P 69)...


...or the Milo Dinosaur (P 89), with each sip taking you back to simpler times from countless summers...


...or the Coconut Lemonade (P 89), a sweet and tart blend with coconut cream, just what you need to beat the summer heat.


Start with Cocina Luna's Pulled Pork Sliders (P 159), tender and juicy pulled pork draped in Cocina Luna's barbecue sauce and topped with bacon, cheese, and crunchy onion rings on soft dinner roll buns, served with a bucket of crisp fries. The savory and smoky pulled pork blend well with the smoky bacon and creamy cheese, with the crunch of the onion ring adding that finishing touch. The contrasting textures and flavors come together with each bite, and with three dinner roll buns and fries, it's a filling meal in itself.


The locals swear by Cocina Luna's "breakfast all-day" dishes, and there's nothing quite like breakfast food in the afternoon. The signature Tapa (P 129), with tender beef tapa, garlic rice, sunny side-up and homemade vinegar, is the perfect dish to start or end the day. The fork-tender beef, with its mildly sweet notes, is balanced by the tart and sharp notes of the homemade vinegar.


The local tuyo is given a flavorful upgrade by Cocina Luna with its Honey-Glazed Dried Fish (P 139), with boneless and skinless tuyo on garlic rice with egg strips. The sharp and salty notes of the dried fish are perfectly tempered by the sweet honey glaze and the vinegar dip, and the egg strips on rice complete the dish.


Jamicos Restaurant, Tea-Pop Tea & More, and Cocina Luna are just some of the exciting food finds along Malabon's General Luna Street, and definitely one of the Best of the West. Traditional and comforting, fresh and inventive, it's all here at General Luna Street. Head west of the metro, and discover the exciting and new local, homegrown flavors of Malabon's General Luna Street.

For more information on Best of the West and tips on local travel and dining, updates on events and other activities, visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/BestoftheWestPH/ and their Instagram Feed at https://www.instagram.com/bestofthewestph/.

Jamicos Restaurant, Home of Judy Ann's Crispy Pata, is located at 201 General Luna Street, Malabon City or call 281-4193 for inquiries.

Tea-Pop Tea & More is located at General Luna Street, Concepcion, Malabon, Metro Manila or visit their FB Page at https://www.facebook.com/TeaPop/

Cocina Luna is located at 144 General Luna Street, San Agustin, Malabon, Metro Manila or call 373-1420 for inquiries.

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