Foodie Adventure: Quik Snack

     Back on the days when I was a little boy, my brother and I went to a restaurant somewhere in Binondo. I remember it was way too early in the morning and I know I was sleepy at that time. I could smell the delicious aroma of sunny-side up, bacon, ham, bread and fresh coffee - the smell of a hearty breakfast. My brother ordered us a breakfast meal and I remember that he ordered bacon, fried rice and a cup of hot chocolate to start my day. It was one of the best memories I had when I was a kid. As a Filipino-Chinese guy, growing up I was really exposed to Chinese food and Chinese Restaurants which I honestly love everything about it. One of the best meals I ever tasted is in

     This restaurant is located along Carvajal Street, Binondo, Manila just a few blocks away from the Filipino-Chinese Friendhip Arch. A little background story: Quik Snack was founded by Ahma Pilar Ferrero as a bakery in Cebu (where she was born - 1909), but the bakery did not turn out well so her son-in-law asked her to start a restaurant business in Manila. As per her daughter-in-law, Ahma Pilar was a great cook that she can do a lot of vegetable dishes that were not common during her time. She learned to cook these vegetarian dishes when she served at Chinese Temples in Cebu and Manila. As per her son, the business was established by the time Ahma Pilar was 60 years old but she was always ready to take challenges.

     The restaurant is very cozy, and what I observed is that it is always full! You can see vacant tables for only about less than 10 minutes, then customers come in again. The lighting and air conditioning is really good that if you happen to shop around Binondo for almost the whole day, it would be a good idea to go to Quik Snack to relax and have a quick snack! Hahahah (I just made a joke!=])

     Another thing that I noticed is that the owner probably likes to draw and paint. I'm not sure if these are his or her works but I find it very nice!

     Upon sitting, a friendly food server approached us and gave us the menu. While deciding which food to order, he served us a glass of water. I was surprised because it is not just ordinary water! It was lemon-flavored and honestly, it is my first time getting served lemon-water in a restaurant. The menu has plenty of dishes, snacks and desserts to choose from. I must admit I was quite confused.

     After a few minutes we decided to try out Kutchay-Ah, Stired fried noodles, fried spring rolls and black jello as our drinks. It didn't longer than 5 minutes when the first one was served to us! They're quite quick when it comes to the serving of the dishes and that is a plus!

Kutchay-Ah

This is one of Quik Snack's specialties. It's like the Spanish Empanadas but there's more to it! The crust is sweet and soft while the stuffing is so tasty! It contains vegetables, meat and sauce, it is like a surprise mini pie :) I really enjoy eating this as an appetizer.

Fried Lumpia

Next one is the Fried Lumpia or the Fried Spring rolls. Among all the variety of spring rolls I tasted so far, this is different. It is so big! no, it is massive! I'm sure it's about as thick as your wrist and the stuffing is full of vegetables and tofu - talking about eating healthy while enjoying every single bite of this delicious meal. Another unique factor is the vinegar served as a dip. Try adding some on every bite will lead you to a different flavor. Everything just becomes sweet and a little bit sour, it really complements the spring roll.

Stir-fried pork noodle with Saté

Now this one is really delicious! Once you order their stir-fried noodles, you get to choose which add-ons you like and these are either: Saté Sauce, Talaba (oyster), Fish, Fish Balls or Renion(kidneys). Since I'm not too fond of seafood (yeah, I know), we chose the Saté Sauce. It is really tasty and the sauce added a spicy kick to it. It is very healthy not to mention it has sliced water spinach.

Black Jello (Gulaman)

For our drinks, we ordered this refreshing Black Jello. Summer is coming in the Philippines and it's a good idea to stay hydrated with cold, refreshing and healthy drinks such as this one. Jello is made from processed seaweeds and it is good for hydrating the skin.

 Halo-Halo

There's always room for dessert! The ever famous Philippine dessert is also served in this Chinese restaurant. It comes with a little pitcher of milk so you can add it later on.

     So if ever you need to have a little snack, drop by at Quik Snack. Everything is very affordable and the serving is good too! You can bring along your friends and family here to relax and eat. The place is easy to find and just outside of this restaurant, there are little stalls of fruits,veggies and seafood! It is like a mini market.