The Malabon Tricycle Tour Is A Cool Way To Explore This Foodie Destination

These days, Malabon is a sleepy town more known for its annual flooding during rainy season. In the old days, it was significantly more, boasting of the oldest Augustinian church in Manila, lovely historic homes, an active and lively bulungan fish-buying system, and delicious food finds that range from the pancit Malabon and sapin-sapin to patis and broas. These forgotten treasures are now accessible thanks to the Malabon Tricycle Tours, a project of the Mayor’s office, where 52 tricycles participate to take guests to sites representing a cross section of the city’s history, culture, arts and the local delicacies.

The tour begins at the San Bartolome de Malabon, a 400-year old church established by the Augustinians in 1614, imposing and regal with its twin bell towers and columned facade. Restoration work was finished last 2014.

The bustling scene at the Concepcion Market is the showcase for many of the best food finds in Malaabon. You’ll immediately notice the okay made with shrimp and bean sprouts in a pumpkin-cornstarch batter and fried to a crisp. And the local quikiam is made with ground park made crunchy with minced jicama and wrapped in a soybean ‘skin’. Flowers and fruits are abundant near the market’s outskirts, including persimmons. Rice cakes abound like sapin-sapin in thick layers of yellow, violet an dwhite. And then there’s kalamay, mais, monggo, kutchinta and bikong pinipig and bikong puti.

The meat section is where it gets realy interesting with long strands of longganisa (each strand measuring one meter long is called ‘bologna’). Bangus, a prized product of Malabon, is deboned onsite by women using special tweezers. Each fish has 215 bones, but they work ‘by feel’. And then there’s tapang kabayo or salted horse meat, a local delicacy that can be tough or gamey unless you know how to cook it.

And finally, for out-of-towners, Besty’s is the place to go for pasalubong. Pronounced ‘Bet-chee’, they are the byword in pastries especially soft, crumbly broad. You can even go there for lunch where home cooked filipino meals can end with dessert of sweetened camote, gabi and saying con hileo on ice.

For more information about the Malabon Tricycle Tours, please call the Malabon Tourism Office (02) 281-4999 local 1003, or text Malabon TODA (0918) 651-7343, (0922) 950-1500, (0922)809-3010