LUYONG RESTAURANT

After a day of sports (well, we were only cheering, I realized) at our local church, we headed to lunch at one of Marikina's established restaurants: LUYONG. :)

Luyong serves Cantonese-style dishes with a Filipino twist. You will surely enjoy their pancit with lechon, lumpiang shanghai, and chopsuey. Over the years Luyong's menu has grown which includes a wide selection of dishes to make your dining experience even more memorable. Their restaurants are spacious where you can hold birthday celebrations or wedding receptions.

Here is what we ordered:

 Hototay Soup

 Beef with Mixed Vegetables

 Fish Fillet Cubes in Sweet and Sour Sauce

 Lechon Kawali

 Lumpiang Shanghai

 Sweet and Sour Pork

Torta 

 Perfect with your meals...7-Up!

 You can find Luyong on Facebook (that's our brother in law over there, haha)

Visit their website for the complete menu, schedule and locations. :)

LUYONG RESTAURANT
39 Gil Fernando Avenue
San Roque, Marikina City
Tel. No: 645-0162
Store Hours
10:30AM – 2:00PM
4:30PM – 10:00PM
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

MANING'S KUTSINTA AND PUTO

Sorry, since I am entitled to my own opinion, I would say that this is the best kutsinta in the Philippines! :)
Kutsinta, or little rice cakes with a gelatinous texture, has been a Filipino favorite for merienda or dessert. They are usually made and served as round cakes, but in Marikina's Maning's kutsinta, they make them in bilaos, or big round rattan trays.

When you step into their store to buy a whole bilao or even one fourth (yes, they retail), you will be greeted by the fragrance of newly-cooked kutsinta: the smell of sugar, langka (jackfruit) and butter saying hello to all frequent customers. You have to try their kutsinta!

And I do step into their store...

...and help out? Hehe!

They also serve very good puto, it's thick unlike your regular puto, and it is topped with cheese and grated salted egg. Another must-try!

 

This is Nanay (take note, she doesn't want to be called "lola"!) who mans the store all day, all week. She has two assistants to attend to all the people buying kutsinta and puto. Better drop by early, because like they say, these sell like hotcakes! :)

MANING'S KUTSINTA AND PUTO
#3 Gen. F. Santos St., Kalumpang, Marikina City
Near San Antonio de Padua Church
Tel. No.: 6460126
Munching Budget per person: starts at 50 PhP


Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

QIZIA CAFE

You wouldn't miss this Italian cafeteria because it is just beside (or behind?) SDS Medical center in Marikina. Complete address is indicated at the end of this post. :)

If you are looking for another quick Italian fix, you can always go to Qizia (read as "keesha") Cafe. Word of advice though, this is definitely NOT the place for authentic Italian food. The cuisine is Italian, the taste is for the Filipino palate. But still, we're talking about value for your money, which Qizia offers its clients. The food tastes good for the price on the bill. :)

That's my bag, hehehe! Don't expect too much on service. Like I mentioned, this is a cafeteria, not a restaurant. When you arrive, you can go straight to the counter and order. You can still ask assistance from the waiters, of course. Glasses of water, baby chairs, paper bags for leftovers, etc.

So what did we order?!

QIZIA SPECIAL PIZZA

We ordered the Qizia Special Pizza. It's much like the Manager's Choice of Shakey's. I love the thin crust of their pizza here. :)

SEAFOOD PIZZA

Why order only one pizza when you can order two, right? I like how the seafood pizza tasted, it's a bit spicy and the flavor of the shrimp stood out.

CHOCOLATE SHAKE

I sip on this from time to time to recover from the spicy and fishy tastes. I loved the froth, hehe!

SPICY SEAFOOD PASTA

The pasta was cooked al dente, which is always what I prefer. The dish has this curry-taste to it, I like it. Quite unique. :)

For all of these, we only paid a little less than 500 pesos. Okay let's round it up to 500, haha! You see?! You can even have your date here. 500 pesos: I was highlighting the value for your money + taste earlier, right? (We weren't able to try their pastries though, and I heard they serve really good coffee!)

QIZIA CAFE
SDS Medical Center Compound, Katipunan Ext. cor Pio del Pilar St. Concepcion II

Marikina City, Metro Manila

(02) 489-0760
Munching Budget per person: starts at 100 PhP

Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni

MACKY'S GOTO

Goto has never been this good.
("Goto" is the Filipino term for rice porridge) - Update: according to a reader, GOTO is actually the term for "twalya" (or tripe, in English). I never knew that! :-D Funny, how lots of goto chains sell goto even without the tripe itself as an ingredient. I guess "goto" has been culturally accepted as a term for rice porridge similar to "lugaw". Well, I GUESS. :-)

Everytime I crave for goto there is only one eatery in my mind: Macky's goto. I think the secret for this family business' success is that they never compromise the ingredients of their goto despite inflation (hehe!). In your 23-peso goto, you will find a rich flavor of rice, beef, and pig's blood. So yummy:

What else can perfectly pair goto but a plate of tokwa't baboy (28 PhP)? This one's a real winner for Macky's: the sauce is different from your regular tokwa't baboy, and the pork meat is deep fried and very crispy. It should be called tokwa't lechon kawali or something:

They also serve palabok (25 PhP). :) The uncomfortably orange color of the sauce might freak you out but oh yeah it tastes so good you'll finish your plate...after having a bowl of goto that is!

I love the interior of Macky's too. Nothing fancy, just a place where one can comfortably eat his goto. :)

It's quite easy to get to Macky's. When you arrive at the Marikina River bridge from the Cubao direction, turn right on JP Rizal (when you see from the bridge 7-11 it means you have to turn right). Go straight and keep your eye to the left and you'll see Macky's. It is just near the church of Our Lady of the Abandoned. In case you miss Macky's and have reached the church, just park there and ask where Macky's is. It's about 20 meters from the church. If you're taking the jeepney, ride the Calumpang route and ask the driver to let you off Macky's.

MACKY'S GOTO
J.P. Rizal St., San Roque, Marikina City
Just a few meters before Our Lady of the Abandoned Church, across BPI Family Savings Bank
(Take the Calumpang Jeepneys)
Munching Budget per person: starts at 20 PhP



Marikina, aking hirang.

Roni