Sta. Cruzin'

Why I love going to Sta. Cruz in Manila.

Yeah, there is money there. I go to Sta. Cruz every week to collect specimens from my doctor friends. Aside from that, Sta. Cruz is a culinary sanctuary. The streets of Masangkay, Benavides and Doroteo Jose are studded with eateries, canteens and restaurants that serve authentic and delectable Chinese food. Here are some of the food spots that I frequent:

 

Wai Ying Fast Food. My all-time favorite Chinese fast food since medical school. Wai Ying is located in Benavides St., a short five-minute walk from the Metropolitan Medical Center (and a quick 10-minute drive from UST -- perfect for medical students who intend to have a "quickie" lunch). Every item in the menu is a must-try. I always order pata-bihon -- it's mami but bihon is used instead of the usual Hong Kong mami noodles, mixed with two big pieces of patatim. Their mami is best paired with siomai or shrimp chong fan -- chewy shrimps wrapped in ho fan sheets and immersed in asado soy sauce. In the photo: beef-bihon, shrimp chong fan and almond jelly. 

 

Heavenly Grace Vegetarian Restaurant. All flora, no fauna. This is a small restaurant along Masangkay St. right beside the Philippine Academy of Sakya. The food is comparable to the more commercialized vegetarian restaurants in shopping malls, only cheaper and more reasonably priced. One will be surprised to see high school students from nearby schools eat here for lunch -- definitely a good way to incorporate vegetables in the diet of the younger generation. In the photo: budget meal composed of two ulam (sweet-and-sour veggie meat and eggplant guisado) and rice with iced tea, all for Php 65.

 

Ha Yuan Fast Food. I was introduced to the best maki ever created at the age of 8 (circa 1984) when my aunt Flor brought me to Ha Yuan in the food court of SM Cubao (then, "Shoemart"). Maki became part of my culinary vocabulary eversince. Along Masangkay St., a few meters from Claro M. Recto Ave., is this old-fashioned Ha Yuan branch. Maki is actually bite-size pieces of breaded meat in thick, mucoid, soy-based soup and with scallion topping. Simple but totally pleasing to the taste buds. The establishment also serves noodles, rice meals and dimsum.

 

The New President Sharksfin Seafood Restaurant. An accidental discovery when my Mom and I arrived in Avenida and we were looking for some really nice restaurants in the area. "President" is situated in the ground level of the Manila Grand Opera Hotel, a neat 3-star hotel in the corner of Doroteo Jose St. and Rizal Ave., right across the Doroteo Jose LRT station. The restaurant provides a retro ambiance, as the walls are decorated with photos of movie stars and celebrities in the 1950s. Appropriately called, the hotel stands at the site of the historic Manila Grand Opera House. The restaurant serves the best-tasting chicken feet in the Metro.

 

Masuki. A lutong-bahay style Chinese fast food in Benavides St. towards Binondo. There are only three items in the menu -- mami, siopao and siomai -- and those are indeed the very specialties of the house. The mami and siopao taste like they are "traditionally" prepared, in contrast to the "commercial" taste of modern Chinese tea houses. Interestingly, Masuki is operated by the same group that owned the very famous Ma Mon Luk, claimed by my Mom to be the best mami house during her college days (circa 1950). In the photo: asado mami, special asado siopao and pork siomai.

 

Mom and I in one of our Sta. Cruzin' food trips. A hot and delicous serving of asado mami in Masuki.