Ortigas: A Quick Food Guide

We first start our breakfast at Bernadas Eatery which is a little shack filled with food vendors. I mean seriously? We are in the Philippines having a hotel breakfast. Nah. So we decided to venture out and found this tiny shack serving up local Filipino food. Heading into the shack, we stood out. Eating here seems like we gained street cred from the locals. Walking into this tiny area, covered with aluminium roofs and wooden pillars, The stall owners are happy and delighted we were willing to try out the food they serve.

These food shacks serve up a variety of Filipino food displayed on the counter. You pick and choose what dishes you want to eat, and they serve it with rice. Even if you choose noodles, they serve rice alongside it. We picked pork steak, a variety of other pork dishes (which I forgot the name of), and some Sinigang. 

Welps, definitely a delightful treat compared to hotel breakfast. The food served from this shack is amazing. We also had food from other stalls like Longanisas (Filipino sausage). Certainly homey and totally comforting. 

Next up, we have Taho. From hot to cold, to opening in morning to night. The Taho store we went to sells siomai as well.

Taho is a sweet tofu dessert (yes tofu). It’s mixed with sago balls and brown sugar syrup. Well, it’s amazing. I fell in love with this underrated Filipino dessert the moment I tried it for the first time. I personally prefer the cold version, but the hot one is amazing as well. When we talk about Filipino desserts, Flan or  Halo-Halo is definitely everyone’s go-to. But personally, as much as I love Halo-Halo, Taho deserves a lot more love than it is given. Especially when talking about popular Filipino food. 

For a Filipino feast, you can head down to Three sisters Barbeque Restaurant.  There, we had our favourite meal throughout our whole trip. When we arrived in the rain, the roof was leaking (part of the experience). Serving up local food, they serve up a variety of grilled meats and stews.

We first have their grilled pork skewers, with rice and rice noodles. Carbs on carbs. I love it. Juicy, smoky and sinful, is the title of my s*x tape. 

Beef Caldereta is what we ordered next. Its like this tomato stewed beef. And WOOHOO food orgasm! Its very comforting, and reinforces how sinful yet delicious Filipino food is. The meat was more tender than my skin after facial spa treatment.

And finally, my most undisputed favourite Filipino dish, sizzling pork sisig. Pork sisig was invented when someone asked, how much pork do I want to use in this dish? And the inventor said yes.  It’s every bit as I imagined how having sisig in the OG land feels like. Porky, flavourful and feeling like I can die peacefully. And the crunch of the pork ears, is the cherry on top. Please visit Three Sisters barbeque, like please. I LOVE IT! You won’t regret this!

Well, we have Tropical hut as well, but that deserves a whole article by itself. If you are going for a quick business trip in the Ortigas area, do not shun away from going to the smaller streets to find your local fare. They have much more to offer than the common fast foods in the area. So, fret not, Ortigas can give you the local experience you need when you are there.