MANILA, Philippines – Think of Malabon City, and Pancit Malabon is probably the first thing that comes to mind (especially if you’re a hungry foodie) – and we don’t blame you! Aside from its rich heritage, Malabon is also known for its distinct culinary identity and many native delicacies.

From the famous Pancit Malabon to various kakanin, palitaw, mamon, broas, and more, Malabon offers a myriad of traditional sweets and treats that you may have been recently hankering for from your Metro Manila home. If driving to Malabon for a food trip isn’t feasible at the moment, don’t worry – you can get samples of the best of Malabon City via Malabon In A Box, a carefully curated sampler box made by Tita Baby Buenaventura, a proud Malabonian.

The box features different popular native dishes made by local Malabon businesses located around the city. Among the star inclusions are Pancit Malabon, the city’s famous contribution of rice noodles in savory orange sauce, topped with crunchy garlic ground pork, crackling, eggs, fresh Baguio pechay, ox tongue, and shrimp, served with calamansi. It’s made by Mama Belen’s Kitchenette, and you can contact Carlo Agustin (0933-472-6884) for separate orders.

You’ll also find the sweet and sugary Mamon Tostado here. These crunchy-buttery biscuits that both kids and adults love are available from Gregorio Bread House. Contact them at 0928-503-4289.

For another sweet option, the must-try Yema Palitaw by Josephine’s Pansit Malabon is chewy, gooey, sweet, and sticky. These bite-sized treats of sticky rice burst with a sweet, yema custard inside, and is good dipped in their mix of grated coconut, sugar, and sesame seeds. You can order at 0922-819-9754.

What’s a Malabon goodie box without an assortment of kakanin? Original Dolors offers sample-sized pieces of their signature best-sellers, like sapin-sapin, kalamay ube, kalamay mais, kalamay kutsinta, kamoteng kahoy, and biko. You can order at 0968-836-5677.

If you want a soft, jumbo, palm-sized puto to tide you over, Hazel’s Special Puto (8-28102298) has got you. Her puto special is made with salted egg and cheese toppings, while her best-selling puto pao has pork asado filling.

The Malabon local delicacy of Valencia Triangulo is a similar take on the turon. The triangle-shaped pastry is stuffed with bananas, langka, and pinipig, and deep-fried until golden-brown and crunchy. It’s from Aling Tessie Valencia Triangulo (0947-134-7558).

The Malabon Box also comes with bottled goodies, like the Atcharang Dampalit, the crunchy-sour Filipino side dish made from pickled sea purslane and other veggies. It’s from Dampalit (0927-818-9346).

A Special Halo-Halo Jar by Ellets Sweet (0923-999-5960) is also there. It is a jar of all the halo-halo toppings you need – just add milk and ice and you’re all set!

For a Malabonian take on the savory Chinese classic, Upeng’s Original Quekiam also offers the famous street food merienda. It’s a mixture of ground pork and shredded turnips, wrapped in a bean curd sheet and best dipped in a sweet-spicy sauce.

Last but not least is Betsy’s Cake Center’s Soft Broas (0915-693-5639) – a soft version of ladyfingers with a cream filling inside.

Tita Baby’s Malabon In A Box can be delivered to Metro Manila customers. Place your orders via SMS at 0927-818-9346. You can also check out Discover Malabon’s Instagram page for more details. – Rappler.com

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