Continuing our great southeast Asian pork tour (previous stops have included Kuala Lumpur, northern Thailand, and northern Sumatra) here on EatingAsia, we touch down in Manila. As a reader commented on our last post, pork is king in the Philippines - perhaps even more so, I would add, than in northern Thailand. Not much strolling is done on the streets of the Philippine capital, but if one were to hoof it around Manila one could count on at least one whole roast pig sighting a day.
Lydia is legend in Baclaran, a Manila neighborhood fronting the Bay that's home to Seaside, a small but fantastic seafood market, and a Redemptorist church that sees heightened activity on Wednesdays, when devotees of Our Lady of Perpetual Help crowd into the church for mass and leave offerings at and worship at the saint's statue outside.
Lydia is Baclaran's lechon (roasted pork) queen. Born and raised in the neighborhood, she opened a lechon stand when she was fifteen years old (she's now 60). Word of her delicious lechon spread well beyond Baclaran, sales grew year-by-year, and about two decades ago she opened a lechon restaurant a stone's throw from seaside. She now owns a hog (and fighting cock) farm in Batangas and supplies lechon to most of Manila's five-star hotels.
We caught up with globetrotting Lydia at the restaurant. She'd just returned from a sojourn in LA. Business is good, very good. Lydia spoke with enthusiasm of the shopping on Rodeo Drive.
Lydia's is a simple, open-air affair with walls painted in sunshine yellow, colorful formica-top tables and, a bit bizarrely, many photos of cute little piggies.
It's a fine place for a brunch of juicy, tender, porcine-ful pork with a crispy, laquered skin and just the right amount of fat. Alongside, a plate of steamed rice and an intriguing pork broth soured up with tamarind - light and bright and a good complement to the pork.
Pig is, obviously, the focus here, but the display at the back groaning with other dishes deserves a once-over. On our way in we passed a couple splitting a bountiful golden-riced paella studded with shellfish and chicken. Not wanting to detract from the lechon we stuck with simpler dishes: a grilled squid stuffed with tomato, onion, and ginger (skillfully cooked, almost fork tender - excepting the crunchy, crackly tentacles - and very smoky), served with a soy and vinegar-based sawsawan (dipping sauce),
and laing, a Bicolano dish of taro leaves simmered in coconut milk. Lydia's version included pumpkin or winter squash. A bit rich, perhaps, to accompany a plate of pig and fat, but tasty nonetheless.
We know that Filipinos, a people as opinionated about food as Malaysians are, will chime right in and tell us if we did not dine on Manila's best lechon at Lydia's. But we walked out of the place pretty happy.
Lydia's Lechon, Roxas Boulevard (just a few minutes' walk from Baclaran Church), Baclaran, Manila. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. From 135 pesos for 1/4 kilo of lechon to 5,400 pesos for 10 kilos.
WOW! This looks so good!
Thanks for your blog and these wonderful pictures - you're both teaching me so much about food in Asia!
Posted by: CW | 2007.03.14 at 20:29
makes me want to come home just to get a taste of lechon and laing again.
great post.
Posted by: BatJay, Ang Dating Hippopotamus | 2007.03.14 at 23:19
I've not had lechon before but it looks like Chinese-style roast pork to me. What are the differences in flavor or preparation?
That grilled stuffed squid looks and sounds awesome!
Posted by: Nate | 2007.03.15 at 00:02
Nate, the roast pork we've had here in Malaysia has had a sort of thicker skin, a bit more crackling. The skin on this lechon was very thin, crispy and shard-like .... sort of like a Chinese style whole roast suckling pig. Yet lechon is made with mature pigs (there's one behind Lydia).
I also forgot to mention that Philippine pork rind (chicharron) is really out of this world!
Bat Jay, thanks, that means a lot coming from a Filipino!
CW - you're welcome.
Posted by: Robyn | 2007.03.15 at 09:09
Continuing to hugely enjoy the way you write and describe food. And thank you for the mouth watering photos too!
Posted by: Lisa | 2007.03.15 at 21:23
I enjoy reading your food adventures. Salamat for sharing. The pictures are awesome.
Posted by: jo | 2007.03.16 at 16:11
hope you try ilonggo food here in the islands of Negros & Panay in your next visit.
Posted by: julsitos | 2007.03.16 at 21:39
What a wonderful blog you write (and photograph)! From one chowhound to another: it makes me hunger to follow in your footsteps, not just through the cities and villages of other countries, but even to re-visit corners of my native Philippines that I had taken for granted.
And yes, while I do think that Lydia's Lechon is not bad, I much prefer Lechon Family's Cebuano style for a big pig, i.e., 12kg and up. Unfortunately, you'll have to order it a day in advance and have it delivered to you, which may be a bit tricky if you're staying at a hotel. But, if you have an opportunity, do give it a try. My recommendation comes from years of trial and error--and having food-obsessed friends and family in the Philippines. The phone numbers of Lechon Family are 63-2-7249353 & 7259342. If you want to check out more pork, Casa Armas does a very good Fil-Hispanic suckling pig in a restaurant setting, tel. 63-2-5235763.
Before your next trip to Manila, check out my post on the Chowhound board, below, or e-mail me if you have any questions or would like a few suggestions.
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/346585?query=manila
Posted by: Pilinut | 2007.03.18 at 16:41
You cannot even begin to imagine the hunger you provoke... or maybe you can :).
Delicious as always!
Posted by: mike elliott | 2007.03.25 at 16:15
Also try cavite's CnT Lechon. The best part about it is the skin. Best Lechon I've tried so far, and I am not that big on the stuff Ü
Posted by: annenime | 2007.09.09 at 16:58