My Favourite Meal in Manila

I have been craving for it since end of June, and was searching for it in Mandaue, Cebu and Manila. Every time I found it, I was either travelling on a bus or a taxi and could not stop.

However, this time round, I made a special point to go to this famous and highly recommended little restaurant to have my craving satisfied.

This is Lydia's Lechon, a small non-airconditioned restaurant located near the Baclaran Church. It was quite crowded and we were lucky to find a table for ourselves. The decoration was simple, with lots of photographs of pigs hanging on the walls. But what captured my total attention was the window at the shop front.

This is lechon baboy, what I have been searching for. I finally come face to face with it. A whole roasted pig. Huge. Golden brown and looks so crispy and delicious.

And I was not disappointed. The skin was crispy and thin and not greasy. The meat was succulent, tender with little or not fat at all. And the gravy that came with the dish was just right to bring out the sweetness of the meat. Unlike the small suckling pigs we get back home, the lechon had lots of meat. It was not dry and tough. Simply heavenly as it melts in the mouth.

 

 We also ordered a variety of other dishes from the counter. We had the BBQ Whole Squid, which came with a delicious say sauce dip. The squid was not too dry and tough and had the spongy, chewy texture that I like.

My friend ordered the Kare Kare, which was a dish of stewed innards including cow stomach, pork knuckles and vegetables. I found it too gooey and abit bland.

We also ordered the stuffed crab shell. There was alot of crab meat stuffed into the shell and it was baked till golden brown. However, I found the meat abit dry and fortunately the dish came with a slightly spicy sauce. It was also abit too salty for my liking, but good value for money.

I could not resist ordering the Lumpia, which is actually like a Chinese spring roll filled with radish, carrot and turnip strips. It came with a spcied vinegar dip and chilli sauce. One of my favourite snacks.

All in all, this was my favourite meal in Manila. I will definitely go back there again the next time I am in Manila. I cannot forget the thrill of tasting the lechon. Finally my craving was somewhat satisfied, although not sufficiently. I want more!