A Filipino Food Crawl in Makati City with FoodieMommaPH
Photo by FoodieMommaPH
Khee shooting at our first stop
Khee is a Filipino food content creator and she started vlogging in 2018. She once was based in Vietnam and Singapore, and has featured the culinary landscape of each country. But she’s now back in the Philippines, showcasing the amazing cuisine the country has to offer. She is also a loving wife and the caring FoodieMomma to two adorable daughters, Kayla and Gabby.
In this article, I will feature the spots that we visited during our food crawl. And throughout the article, there’ll be Q&As so you’ll get to know more about the FoodieMomma.
Stop #1: Chie Chie’s Tuguegarao Pancit Batil Patung
We’re supposed to begin our crawl at Aling Sosing’s Carinderia, a legendary eatery in Makati. However, we were too early and arrived when the staff were just starting to cook food. So we went to Chie Chie’s Pancit Batil Patung, which is a few blocks away.
Behind the Scenes at Chie Chie’s Pancit Batil Patung
Originating from Tuguegarao City in Cagayan, a province in North Luzon, Pancit Batil Patung (or Patong) is a pancit (stir-fried noodles) with a ton of toppings (“patung”) and served with an egg drop soup on the side (“batil”, which literally means “to whisk”). These toppings include ground beef, pig liver, and Lechon Karahay (deep-fried pork belly), among many others. Chie Chie’s, whose owners are from Cagayan, serves an incredible version!
Chie Chie’s Pancit Batil Patung (Lodi: PHP165)
As I’ve said in one of the videos, Chie Chie’s Pancit Batil Patung is a world of flavors and textures. You get a crunch from the Lechon and the Chicharong Bulaklak (deep-fried pig mesentery), sweetness from the Chinese chorizo, earthiness from the liver, creaminess from the fried egg, crispness from the veggies, and softness from the noodles. This is easily one of my favorite kinds of pancit!
Address: Dian St., Palanan, Makati City, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, 8AM-7PM | Contact No.: 0991-7040481 | Facebook
Zoy: What inspired you to be a food vlogger?
Khee: Growing up, whenever I turned on the TV, I would always find myself watching local food shows like Pop Talk and Biyahe Ni Drew, and International cooking shows like Nigella Kitchen, Brunch at Bobby's, etc. They’re all related to travel for food or cooking. It just excites me and makes me want to go to different places to try out the diverse foods from around the world.
And when Mark Wiens started making YouTube videos with his family, I got inspired to start my own. That is why my husband gifted me with a vlogging camera on our wedding day. And I filmed my first few vlogs during our 2017 honeymoon in Bali and Singapore because I had zero experience in handling a camera and editing videos. It was a very long process for me and I kind of stopped when I got pregnant. And five months after giving birth, I finally decided to pursue it and FoodieMommaPH was born on July 24, 2018.
Stop #2: Aling Sosing’s Carinderia
For our next stop, we returned to Aling Sosing’s. We tried their Beef Caldereta (a kind of stew), Ginataang Hipon (shrimp in coconut cream), Inihaw na Tilapia (grilled Tilapia), Sinaing na Tulingan (braised fish), and their bestselling Inihaw na Liempo (grilled pork belly). Everything is delicious!
Sosing’s Carinderia
Our Feast at Aling Sosing’s Carinderia!
Stay tuned on Thursday for my review of Aling Sosing’s!
Address: Dian St., Palanan, Makati City, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, 9AM-4PM | Contact No.: 0916-3042663 | Facebook
Zoy: What’s on your foodie bucket list?
Khee: Wow! I haven't written any bucket list for myself so thanks for this! I guess here's my Top 5:
Simple homecooked food by someone from a different culture
Street Food in Asia
Omakase in Japan
Street Food in Mexico/Latin America
Wine & Cheese Feast in Europe
Zoy: What exciting plans can we expect from the FoodieMomma both in the near and long-term future?
Khee: I have a lot more interesting food contents in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore. Stay tuned!
For the future, we're still praying about it. But if God allows us to be based in the US or Australia or wherever, then my filming plans will most likely be focused there.
Stop #3: Pat-Pat’s Kansi
Kansi (also spelled as Cansi), as I love to describe, is like the baby of Bulalo (bone-in beef shank soup) and Sinigang (sour soup commonly due to sampalok or tamarind). It’s an Ilonggo/Negrense beef soup dish soured by batwan, a fruit native to Southeast Asia, instead of sampalok. Pat-Pat’s Kansi makes my favorite version of it.
Pat-Pat’s Kansi Makati Branch
Pat-Pat’s, which is originally from Iloilo City, is my favorite Kansi place because their broth has fruity notes for me. They have two varieties of the dish: Bulalo (bone marrow) and Laman (meat). While the former has creamy, rich marrow, I still prefer the latter because it has more tender meat, as its name suggests.
Kansi Laman
Either way, you’re in for a treat!
Address: 8809 Sampaloc St., San Antonio, Makati City, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, 10AM-10PM | Contact No.: 8890-6179 | Facebook
Zoy: I’ve seen you shoot for a vlog and take care of your daughters at the same time. Being the FoodieMomma, how do you balance vlogging and parenting?
Khee: It's absolutely hard to film with kids, especially with Kayla who's very "makulit" and Gabby whom I need to nurse every 2-3 hours. I'm just thankful that Kayla has the natural ability to make the vlog more entertaining. She's better than me, actually. And I'm also grateful for my family who takes care of them while I'm filming.
And I think it's a great way to expose them to different foods, cultures, and people other than just going to a restaurant or cafe while watching on iPad. So whenever people don't see Kayla on cam, she's normally hanging out with all the staff working in each food establishment we visit.
Stop #4: Carlo’s Bacolod Chicken House Express
For our last stop, we went to Carlo’s Bacolod Chicken House Express (C.H.E.). I haven’t tried this spot prior to our food crawl. But when Sarsa’s JP Anglo vlogged about it and claimed that it reminds him of his hometown, I knew I have to bring the FoodieMomma here.
Carlo’s Bacolod Chicken House Express
C.H.E. specializes in Chicken Inasal, the Bacolod-style grilled chicken that has gained popularity across the nation. We love their food!
The Inasal Items at Carlo’s Bacolod Chicken House Express
Stay tuned on Saturday for my review of Carlo’s Bacolod Chicken House Express!
Address: 114 K Savana Market, Metropolitan Ave. cor. Chino Roces Ave., Makati City, Philippines | Operating Hours: Daily, 10AM-10PM | Contact No.: 8897-8432 | Facebook
Zoy: What can you advise aspiring food content creators?
Khee: As much as possible, try to support local Filipino food not just in Manila, and not just for trending content purposes. Let your passion take you to different regions of the Philippines, and discover the diversity of food, flavors, ingredients, language, people and culture. And you will understand more why "it's more fun in the Philippines".