FIRST TIME In Philippines šŸ‡µšŸ‡­ Manila was NOT What We Expected… (we were SHOCKED!)

Welcome to Manila, Philippines. We’re superĀ 
excited to be in Manila. This is actuallyĀ Ā  our first time that we’ve ever been to theĀ 
Philippines, and we actually arrived here a couple nights ago. We flew from Bangkok onĀ 
Cebu Pacific to Manila, and we arrived here at 6:00 in the morning. We immediately went to ourĀ 
Airbnb in Mandaluyong that we booked for a month, but unfortunately, there was a little bit of aĀ 
pest problem, so we immediately had to leave andĀ Ā  find a new Airbnb. Luckily, we found another one,Ā 
which I really love, in Makati. We’re staying at a place called Ra House, which is super nice. It’sĀ 
got these two big beds, it’s got a nice big TV, it’s got a little kitchenette, it’s got aĀ 
workspace as well, and a nice little balconyĀ Ā  with a view, so we really like it here. WeĀ 
weren’t expecting to be in Makati at all, so today’s going to be a surprise even to us,Ā 
but we’re really looking forward to exploringĀ Ā  this area and seeing what we can get upĀ 
to. But first, let’s go grab some coffee. One thing we’ve already noticed in the briefĀ 
amount of time we’ve been here in Manila isĀ Ā  that there seem to be coffee shops absolutelyĀ 
everywhere. So I took a quick second to look it up, and it turns out that the Philippines isĀ 
the second biggest consumer of coffee in Asia. I think that it said something like 80% of peopleĀ 
here drink coffee, and on average, two and a half cups per day. So that’s pretty insane, to beĀ 
honest. We came to a place called Commune Bar, Café, and Roastery, of course for some coffee. 
As you can see, I got something very interesting, and this is a pandan coffee. It looksĀ 
absolutely insane. The whole bottom half of the coffee is just this bright lime greenĀ 
pandan color. If you don’t know what pandan is, it’s a very popular flavor in Southeast Asia.Ā 
It kind of tastes like coconut and vanilla,Ā Ā  so I’m very excited to try this. It looksĀ 
very interesting, so let’s mix this up. I think I might even like thisĀ 
coffee. I’m just not a coffee drinker,Ā Ā  but this looks delicious.Ā 
All right, let’s try this. Mmm. Oh, that is so good. It actually is prettyĀ 
coffee-forward, so I’m not sure that you will like this, but I love it. It has like a little hint ofĀ 
that coconut pandan flavor, but what you really taste is that nice strong coffee, and it’s reallyĀ 
creamy as well. This is absolutely delicious. We are in this area that’s called Poblacion, and IĀ 
think especially here I feel like I’ve seen loads of coffee shops on Google Maps, and I think justĀ 
in general this area has a lot of bars and coffee shops, restaurants—I think it’s quite hip, and IĀ 
quite like it. But I don’t really drink coffee, so I got an iced tea. It’s their own recipe, IĀ 
guess, because it’s Commune Iced Tea. Let’s see. Mmm. Ooh, this tastes not very sweet,Ā 
actually. It’s just very lemony, delicious. Kind of tastes like a homemadeĀ 
Lipton iced tea, so it’s quite nice. Yeah, maybe it’s calamansi. Yeah,Ā Ā  I don’t know. I don’t know what thatĀ 
tastes like. I just know it’s good. That is really good. Just like youĀ 
said, not that sweet, a little bit sour,Ā Ā  but definitely refreshing. One thingĀ 
that’s cool about this place is that, as you can see, you can come up to theĀ 
rooftop and get these really cool viewsĀ Ā  of Makati. So I’m glad that we cameĀ 
here. Let me try this pandan coffee. Yeah, it’s not sweet, but it does kind of tasteĀ 
like coconut-y pandan-y. I feel like if I had a little bit more sugar and condensedĀ 
milk or something, this would be good. When we first came into the cityĀ 
the other day from the airport,Ā Ā  I feel like I immediately noticed that theĀ 
city kind of seems almost dystopian to me, like steampunk-y or cyberpunk-y, with lots of metal,Ā 
lots of dark. The jeepneys are all made of metal, and everyone’s squeezed in there. There’s crazyĀ 
traffic, people are driving kind of crazy as well, and yeah, I just felt like I was kindĀ 
of in some dystopian movie or something,Ā Ā  which is pretty cool and quite different fromĀ 
any other Asian city I’ve been to so far. I feel like even just driving throughĀ 
what we’ve seen so far, there’s a prettyĀ Ā  significant juxtaposition between poor and rich.Ā 
There’s some areas that are really built up, really nice, these big high-rises, butĀ 
then of course there’s the poorer sideĀ Ā  of Manila with slums and things like that.Ā 
But one major impression already is that the people here are amazing, and they areĀ 
some of the most friendly that we’veĀ Ā  ever dealt with. So I’m really excitedĀ 
to explore the city a little bit more. But at this moment, we are starving.Ā 
So let’s go grab some breakfast. So we came to Kanto Freestyle,Ā 
which I think is a chain,Ā Ā  and they have all-day breakfast. We orderedĀ 
some traditional things, but we also got this macadamia float — and it’s melting, soĀ 
that’s why I’m going to have this first. It’s going everywhere. Anja is obsessedĀ 
with anything nut-related. So it’s coffee? I’m pretty sure it’s coffee. Great — we justĀ 
had coffee, and I don’t even drink coffee. This tastes nice, but it tastes like a milkyĀ 
kind of coffee, I don’t know, with ice cream. I don’t know if we can take that much caffeine.Ā 
I know — we’re going to have a heart attack. ItĀ Ā  is absolutely roasting out here today, and thisĀ 
thing is melting so quickly. So let’s try this… Oh, it is so sweet.
Not bad sweet?Ā  What do you mean? It’s super sweet.Ā 
It’s got a huge dollop of ice cream on top. It’s got marshmallows. And as you said,Ā Ā  it definitely tastes like an instant kindĀ 
of package of coffee or something like that. I certainly don’t taste macadamia. ButĀ 
I don’t know. It’s very, very sweet. Our food has now arrived, and I’m goingĀ 
to try something called champorado, which is a rice porridge — a chocolate rice porridge.Ā 
Typically, this comes with something called tuyo, which is a dried fish, but they ran out. ThatĀ 
was actually the main reason why I wanted to comeĀ Ā  here, because it seemed a little bit unique andĀ 
a bit strange to me — chocolate and fried fish. But since they don’t have the fish, I’m goingĀ 
to just have to try the porridge on its own. So let’s mix this up.
Oh, look at it. It looks so chocolatey and super sweet. You’ll have to let me know in theĀ 
comments — if you’re Filipino, is this more of a breakfast thing or a dessert? All right, let’s try this… Mmm! Oh, so chocolatey! That is an extremely sweet way to start your day.
I feel like if you ate a whole bowl of this, you would absolutely have a sugar high.
But of course, it’s delicious — superĀ Ā  creamy, milky, and chocolatey.
You don’t even really taste the rice. But this is definitely delicious.
Oh — it’s hot! That is so chocolatey. That is like the mostĀ 
chocolatey chocolate rice pudding I’ve ever had. It’s like a mix of pudding and rice porridge.
It’s really nice. I don’t know how anyone could eat the whole bowl.
And I have no idea how you could put fish on this. I think that would be good — 
it would be a nice contrast.Ā  Yeah, I think it would be a nice contrastĀ 
to it with some saltiness and some texture. Like, I can actually imagine that being good.
Yeah, me too. This is good, but I feel like you haveĀ 
to share it with your whole family. The next dish we have is something savory, andĀ 
this is Vigan longganisa. But it’s actually not vegan — it’s spelled with an ā€œI.ā€
We were a bit confused about that.Ā  The lady here said this is oneĀ 
of the most traditional ones, and I read that this is from Vigan City.Ā  It’s a sausage they make there with garlic fromĀ 
there and some spices. And I think it’s pork. In these little balls.
Smells really good. Basically, when you walk around Manila,Ā 
all you smell is garlic — all the time. It’s so nice. It’s so chunky.
Yeah, it looksĀ Ā  like it’s not ground at all.
No, it’s almost like meat chunks inside of a casing.
It’s really nice though.Ā  It’s not spicy. It’s notĀ 
very snappy on the outside. It’s just kind of like this soft, chunky ball.
But really, really good. Yum! Longganisa sausages are definitely oneĀ 
of the most popular breakfast items.Ā  And as you can see here, it’s servedĀ 
with a side of garlic rice and eggs. So this looks absolutely amazing. As Anja said, the smell of garlic justĀ 
hits you anytime you go to any restaurant. And we are huge garlic fans.
I absolutely love that. All right, I’m going to crack openĀ 
this egg — still a little bit runny. I think I’ve built myself the perfect bite.Ā  I have some sausage, some rice, and egg.
This is probably too much, but oh well. If you are a fan of garlic, you willĀ 
love it here in the Philippines.Ā  Garlic rice. Garlic in theĀ 
sausage. Garlic everywhere. I wouldn’t typically start my day with garlic inĀ Ā  North America — in Canada where I’mĀ 
from — but I absolutely love this. And this sausage is so good. NiceĀ 
and savory, garlicky, delicious.Ā  This rice is so good. It’s so garlicky.
I think garlic just elevates rice so much. I don’t feel like many otherĀ 
countries have garlic rice like this.Ā  And I think they should — because that’s superior. So good. So here in Poblacion, there’s a churchĀ 
called the St. Peter and Paul Parish Church. And we just went inside, and it looks likeĀ 
we’re back in Europe basically when you’reĀ Ā  inside — like, it’s just like a Catholic church.
Apparently, it has over 400 years of history. This definitely looks like a churchĀ 
that you would find in Spain. We actually used to live in Spain,Ā 
so it feels like kind of a throwback. And from what I’ve read online, I think likeĀ 
almost 80% of the Philippines is Catholic, so there are churches all over the place.
You also see religious paraphernalia pretty muchĀ Ā  everywhere — people wearing Jesus shirts, bags.
You even see it on those little jeepneys that drive by.
So people here seem pretty religious overall. So let us know in the comments — are youĀ 
Catholic? Do you go to this church? Let us know. And it’s pretty interesting to see thisĀ 
kind of contrast of Spanish architecture or European architecture, and then you have ManilaĀ 
highrises and other local kinds of buildings. And although I knew obviously that the SpanishĀ 
were here for a long time and there’s a lot of influence, it’s not just the buildingsĀ 
— it’s also, for example, the language.Ā  I noticed they have words like pero and nunca, and just the way it sounds remindsĀ 
me a little bit of Spanish. And then you have foods like tuna empanadas,Ā 
and all these names of dishes and restaurants and cafes — they’re all Spanish.
And I just didn’t… I didn’t expect that. Probably should have expected it,Ā 
but yeah, it’s kind of crazy to see. One thing we’ve noticed in Manila is thatĀ 
there seems to be a lot of weekend markets.Ā  And we actually happen to beĀ 
here on a Sunday filming this, so we’ve decided to head to Legazpi WeekendĀ 
Market and see what that’s all about. This market is crazy!
It’s completely different than I thought it wouldĀ Ā  be because there’s all these international foods —
there’s like okonomiyaki, there were German sausages, Philly cheesesteaks,Ā 
paella from Valencia where we lived… Yeah, it’s crazy.
I thought it was just going to be like a local farmers market withĀ 
some Filipino food, but there’s so much stuff. I know! And it smells absolutely incredible here.
It’s very packed.Ā  I heard that this place is a little bit moreĀ 
bougie than some other places, but don’t you worry — we actually have another video coming up whereĀ 
we visit some local markets for some street food. So make sure that you subscribeĀ 
and stay tuned for that. There are also dogs everywhere!
Everyone seems to be coming here withĀ Ā  their dog on a Sunday to eat some delicious food.
There are dogs everywhere in the Philippines. I feel like compared to someĀ 
other Southeast Asian countries,Ā Ā  they absolutely love dogs here.
So many little dogs. So cute. They even have samples.
ā€œGet one for you too.ā€Ā  ā€œThank you.ā€
Apple pie samples. Try it out. It’s a bunch of big chunks of apple.
Let’s see how I’m going to eat this… Mmm…
They taste like the topping of an apple crumble. Really cinnamony.
That’s delicious. There’s not much pie though.
I got this tiny little cookie sample. Mmm… very crunchy and sweet. But there isn’t just food here — there’s all sorts of other stuff as well.
You can buy fresh vegetables.Ā  I saw places that were selling jewelry,Ā 
cutlery, clothing… pretty much everything. So you don’t have to just come here for the food.Ā  But food’s the best.
Yeah, of course. That’s why we come here. And I got carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. Mmm!
There’s walnuts in there. And I love nuts. They also have halo-halo here, which isĀ 
one of the most famous Filipino desserts.Ā  But we are actually going to tryĀ 
a bunch of different Filipino desserts in a separate video — because we’veĀ 
actually never tried any Filipino desserts.Ā  So we’re going to dedicate a whole video to it. Since it’s so hot, firstĀ 
we decided to get a drink,Ā Ā  and they have some really interestingĀ 
flavors at different stalls here. I keep seeing something like ā€œbukoĀ 
juiceā€ — I don’t know if that’sĀ Ā  coconut. It looks like coconut.
But we got cucumber juice. And it apparently has sugar inĀ 
it — a little bit, only 10%.Ā  Yeah, and it smells like cucumber salad — likeĀ 
the juice that you get with cucumber salad. So I’m interested to try this. That is so weird.
It tastes like mushed-up cucumber.Ā  Not like the salad, because I guess the saladĀ 
has some herbs and stuff and vinegar flavors. This one just literally tastes like aĀ 
really watery cucumber with some sugar. It’s not bad.Ā  It’s quite nice.
It’s refreshing.Ā  It tastes like watermelon juice — butĀ 
instead of watermelon, you have cucumber. As Anja mentioned, they hadĀ 
all sorts of other juices here.Ā  There was one stand that wasĀ 
selling fresh calamansi juice. But I’m a bit worried that theseĀ 
ones are going to be really sugary.Ā  And it is hot today, so I want something that’sĀ 
light and refreshing — not too much sugar. That’s what this is.Ā  Especially because we already had aĀ 
sugar overload with that champorado. So let’s see… Mmm, that’s actually really good.
That’s super refreshing.Ā  It’s a tiny bit sweet, but not really.
It basically just tastes like a bunch of blended-up cucumbers strained into a glass, so youĀ 
have a couple little chunks, but it’s not chunky. This is really nice.
And it’s so cold and refreshing. There were just so many different snacks toĀ 
choose from, it was really hard to decide.Ā  But we decided to try an empanada, becauseĀ 
as we mentioned, we did live in Spain, and now we have to see what aĀ 
Filipino empanada tastes like. So let’s try this.Ā  It seems like it’s baked ratherĀ 
than fried. So let’s see… Mmm, carrots.
It’s quite sweet. This is definitely a lot sweeter thanĀ 
any Spanish empanada I’ve ever had.Ā  It could be because there’sĀ 
so many carrots in there. Yeah, this is pretty good.Ā  But it definitely tastesĀ 
different than a Spanish empanada.Ā  It is stacked though — there’s soĀ 
much in here. Look at all that. Looks like… whoa, I think there’s egg in here too.
So bizarre. Mmm, it smells good though. It’s not sweet.
Obviously it’s sweet.Ā  I mean, I think it’s just the carrot.
It kind of tastes like a meat and carrot stew. It’s not sweet — not like sugary, desserty sweet.
No, you’re crazy.Ā  This is quite nice.
It tastes like your mom made a carrot and meat, potato and egg stewĀ 
— I don’t know — and put it in an empanada. But the bread’s really good.
I think the bread is what…  Oh yeah, you’re right — it’s the bread.
It’s kind of sweet bread filled with carrot stew. Yeah.
I wish it wasn’t as sweet onĀ Ā  the outside, but it’s still pretty nice.
Yeah, the inside is really nice. And I guess in Asia, breadsĀ 
are often sweet, right?Ā  Maybe that’s why. Honestly, I really like this market.
It kind of seems to me like a marketĀ Ā  you would find in Europe or North America.
But I wish there was more Filipino food, to be honest.
Because we usuallyĀ Ā  come to these places in other countries to tryĀ 
the local food, and I feel like there’s just so much international food here that it’s almostĀ 
hard to find little Filipino snacks and stuff. Because it’s all, I don’t know… American,Ā 
Thai food, Mexican — so many tacos and bread. And it’s pretty cool, but I want toĀ 
try some local, weird Filipino things. There will be a lot more of thatĀ 
coming up anyway, so doesn’t matter. I’ve actually made us a reservation forĀ 
a very popular Filipino restaurant chain, but that’s not for a couple hours.Ā  So we’re going to do what the FilipinosĀ 
do — and go to a mall and cool off. It’s pretty crazy because we’re still inĀ 
Makati, and this area looks completelyĀ Ā  different than Poblacion where we’reĀ 
staying and where we were earlier. Here, it’s all these high-risesĀ 
and greenery and modern-ness. Everything looks completely different,Ā 
and it’s only like a five-minute drive.Ā  So it’s crazy how the city changes like that. Yeah.
I have to imagine thatĀ Ā  it’s probably like that all throughout the city.
But of course, we haven’t explored that much yet. But even here, there’s this sign behind usĀ 
at a construction site that says ā€œGreenbelt is changing. Greenbelt is evolving.ā€
And it definitely seems like parts ofĀ Ā  Manila are changing and evolving.
There’s construction everywhere. It’s just really cool, and I cannotĀ 
wait to explore more of the city.Ā  And even just driving through the city — when weĀ 
came in from the airport, and then when we were in Mandaluyong — it’s all completely different.
It’s like different cities. Now, I guess in Manila they’re all calledĀ 
ā€œcities,ā€ yeah, so it’s not surprising. But I guess to us, it’s surprising. We now came to the GreenbeltĀ 
Mall, I think, and it’s so posh.Ā  You walk in and you’re just like, LouisĀ 
Vuitton, all these brands that are not for us. But let’s see.
I think there’s an outdoor area even and stuff. Although we are not really mallĀ 
people — and especially not posh mallĀ Ā  people — I can definitely appreciate this mall.
And I guess I understand why this area is called Greenbelt, because it is so green.
So beautiful.Ā  There are palm trees everywhere,Ā 
and it just looks so posh. Did you imagine the Philippines to be this way?Ā  I feel like when you look upĀ 
videos of Manila on YouTube, there is such a focus on the whole slum aspect.
They even have a name for it — ā€œpoverty porn,ā€ where people just show theĀ 
poorer sides of the city. So I really had no ideaĀ 
what to expect from Manila. But being here in the Greenbelt, seeingĀ 
how luxurious and posh and green it is — I mean, it makes sense why thisĀ 
area is called the Greenbelt. It’s just a side of Manila that IĀ 
didn’t really expect — outside of BGC. So this is absolutely wild. This is by far more posh than anything I’m usedĀ 
to where I’m from in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Yeah, this reminds me of places maybe inĀ 
L.A. or in Australia — super mega posh. Because even where I’m from in Germany,Ā 
we don’t really have poshness like this. I know.
It’s not really our vibe — we’re more of a ā€œeat local streetĀ 
food, go to local food spotsā€ kind of people. But it’s still really interesting toĀ 
see, and obviously, it’s beautiful. One thing that I’ve noticed since we got here is that everyone who’s on a motorbike isĀ 
driving with a helmet that’s full-face. I feel like I’ve never seenĀ 
that before in Southeast Asia. A lot of countries actually have peopleĀ 
driving with no helmets and all that. And here, everyone has a full-face helmet.
So I assume that’s the law here — which is pretty good.
Because we’ve definitelyĀ Ā  seen some bad accidents before whereĀ 
people weren’t wearing the right helmet. So that’s pretty nice to see.
I guess that means that evenĀ Ā  though people are driving likeĀ 
maniacs here… they’re safe maniacs. It is now time for dinner, soĀ 
we came to a place called Manam,Ā Ā  which is for comfort Filipino cuisine.
And I saw that this place was highly recommended online.
On Reddit, many localsĀ Ā  said that they come here for Filipino foodĀ 
because it’s consistent, it’s delicious. So we’re very excited to try someĀ 
Filipino dishes for the first time. To begin our meal, we’ve got ourselvesĀ 
some freshly squeezed juices. And I got a calamansi juice.
And if you don’t know whatĀ Ā  a calamansi is, it’s basically a littleĀ 
citrus fruit that’s very similar to a lime, and they use it everywhereĀ 
here in the Philippines. Let’s try it. Mmm, a little bit sour, a little bit sweet.Ā  This almost tastes more like anĀ 
orange, to be honest, than a lime. But it’s really refreshingĀ 
— especially in this heat. I got a dalandan juice, and apparently dalandansĀ 
are oranges — a specific type of oranges that are very popular in the Philippines.
And they’re very… sour,Ā Ā  right? Is that what I read?
Or bitter? And they’re green. And I already saw this earlier at theĀ 
market, but I didn’t know what it was. Oh yeah — it tastes kind ofĀ 
like a bit like grapefruit.Ā  Oh really?
Yeah, but not as bitter and not as sour. It’s actually quite sweet, but it’s quite nice.
Yeah, really nice. They look almost the same though.
Let’s see if we didn’t switch them. They don’t taste that different, I think.Ā  Wait… you haven’t tried it yet.
They don’t taste that different. Yours is a little bit sweeter, I think.
They’re both nice. Oh no — they definitely taste different.
What are you talking about?Ā  This is definitely way more bitter.
It almost, like you said, tastes a little bit like grapefruit.
This is a lot more sweet and tastes toĀ Ā  me more like an orange.
But both really good. All of our food has now arrived,Ā 
and it looks absolutely delicious. We ordered ourselves four different dishes, as well as two types of rice — 
a normal rice and a garlic rice. The first dish we’re going toĀ 
try is called sizzling sisig, which is probably one of theĀ 
most popular Filipino dishes.Ā  It is made from pork jowel, porkĀ 
belly, pork ear, chicken liver… And then it’s seasoned with onions,Ā 
calamansi, and chili as well. And I know that you’re supposed toĀ 
mix this up as soon as you get it, so let’s not waste time and let’s mix this. Oh, it looks like this one’s also toppedĀ 
with pork floss or something like that. I don’t know what it is, butĀ 
this looks absolutely delicious. I think I’m going to just try it straight upĀ 
for now, and then we’ll get it with some rice. This should have a bunch ofĀ 
different textures, so let’s see. Mmm.
You hear that crunch? Mmm, oh — that is so good, man.
Chase that with a little bit of rice… Even though this is a pig’sĀ 
face, do not let that intimidateĀ Ā  you — because this dish is absolutely amazing.
It is so crunchy, fatty, and it is the perfect accompaniment with this rice.
I love this dish so much. Mmm, smells so good.
Am I going to eat it by itself? Yeah. Mmm — it’s like pork skin. Like crackling. We actually had sisig in Spain before,Ā 
in Madrid, at a Filipino restaurant. I feel like this is way different.
This is way better.Ā  This tastes so good.
Although the other one was delicious too. Yeah — and there’s someĀ 
sourness or something in there.Ā  Yeah, the calamansi.
Mmm, so good. Such a good start. The next dish we’re going to eatĀ 
is called sinigang, and it’s aĀ Ā  soup which is made out of tamarind.
Therefore, I assume it’s quite sour. And it looks like it has pork belly… I don’tĀ 
know… morning glory? Maybe zucchini? Onion? I have no idea. Let’s just try the broth first. Ooh, it’s sour.
Like, it’s really sour — but it’s really nice. Let’s try some meat.
I don’t want to eatĀ Ā  the whole…
Who cares? Mmm, that meat is so nice.
This kind of reminds me of a soup you would get in Austria, like Tafelsptiz orĀ 
something — but super sour, so way better. I really like the sourness. This is reallyĀ 
good, and so not what I would expect fromĀ Ā  Filipino food, to be honest.
This is much different. It’s pretty good.
I’ve heard a lotĀ Ā  about this soup, but I’ve never had it, andĀ 
I’ve always been really curious to try it. I love sour things.
I like tamarind,Ā Ā  so I’m sure I’m going to love this as well. All right, let’s get myself some porkĀ 
belly, some onion, some of this greenery… Ooh — mmm.
I thought thatĀ Ā  making this Austrian tafelspitz comparison wasĀ 
really weird, but I totally get what you mean. It almost tastes like beefĀ 
soup — even though it’s pork.Ā  I know it’s pork, but that’sĀ 
what it reminds me of too. It’s very hearty.
It’s really refreshing.Ā  I love that citrusy tamarind — the sour notes.
This is really, really good. And I’m glad that we have a nice, hearty soup likeĀ Ā  this to accompany all this meatĀ 
we’re going to follow it up with. We are now going to try some adobo, which is,Ā 
I think, the national dish of the Philippines.Ā  It is extremely popular.
I think you can get a bunch of different types — you can get it with seafood, chicken, pork.
And this one is actually mixed — bothĀ Ā  with chicken and pork.
It’s made with vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and it’s marinated for a longĀ 
time so that it just soaks up all that flavor. This looks absolutely incredible.Ā  This also looks like it’s topped with maybeĀ 
pork floss or chicken floss — I don’t know. But this is the perfectĀ 
pairing with some white rice. So let’s get some rice.
Let’s get a piece of this crispy pork belly.
And let’s enjoy. Mmm.
Oh man.Ā  Mmm.
That pork belly is so crispy, so fatty, and so meaty.
But it’s also really tender. I think it said that it wasĀ 
fried first and then stewed. So you can tell it’s very soft but also crunchyĀ 
— it’s just perfect texture in your mouth. And of course, this adobo — the sauceĀ 
is savory, but a little bit sweet too. This is just really nice.
It looks kind of syrupy.Ā  Yeah, it’s thick. It must have some sugarĀ 
in there as well. But it’s delicious. I got myself a piece of porkĀ 
belly and a whole clove of garlic. Add some garlic to that garlic.
Mmm, that is so good. That garlic clove is so creamy.
I don’t know what the sauce tastes like — but yeah, it’s kind of sweet andĀ 
savory, and the pork belly is just divine. Yeah, this is so good.
And again, not really what I think of when I think of Asian food.
I don’t know, it’s so interesting. I feel like Filipino food is quite differentĀ 
than Thai food or Vietnamese food and stuff. I like it. It’s funny because Anja saysĀ 
these aren’t the kind of flavorsĀ Ā  that remind her of Asian food —
but my mom used to cook chicken with garlic and soy sauce like this.
So I guess my mom used to cook FilipinoĀ Ā  food growing up — not quite, but the tasteĀ 
is very similar to what I grew up with. My family would never cook AsianĀ 
food really, so maybe that’s why. Mmm — the chicken is delicious as well.
Super crispy. Really moist.
I just love adobo. Another dish that is really popularĀ 
here, I think, is called kare-kare — I think that’s how you say it.
It’s a peanut-based stew.Ā  It’s this thick peanut pasteĀ 
and it comes with shrimp paste. I don’t know how I’m supposedĀ 
to eat that together. This one is the oxtail version.
So this is going to be a bit difficult to eat, because I want to get a bite of everything.
Pick it up with your hands! Mmm, that meat’s delicious.
So tender.Ā  And the sauce — it’s so peanuty. Like, I already tasted it.
It has chunks of peanuts. Really?
Yeah, it’s so good.Ā  It tastes like chunky, lessĀ 
sweet, dissolved peanut butter. So good.
And the oxtail is delicious. Ooh — and then there’s moreĀ 
meat at the bottom too. So it’s not just this ring. Some of it is intestines and stuff, I think.
Or not intestines — tripe, I think. Oh really?
And what’s this?Ā  I think it’s eggplant.
Oh yeah. Try that. Yeah, this is delicious.
Let me see… should I try this side tripe-y thing? I think it’s just meat.
Oh really?Ā  It’s delicious.
Yeah, it’s really good. I can smell the peanut from here.Ā  That ox tastes really… like ā€œox-y.ā€
A little bit. A little bit ā€œgamey.ā€ I don’t know — this is so good.Ā 
Everything here is just so, so delicious. In Spain, ox and beef tail — orĀ 
bull tail — is very popular as well. They have a dish called raboĀ 
de toro, which is bull’s tail.Ā  That’s what this reminds me of — exceptĀ 
they definitely did not have peanut sauce. I love peanuts.
I cannot wait to try this.Ā  I’m just going to get aĀ 
little bit of the sauce first… Mmm, that is literal heaven. Now I’m going to try this as well.
I’m just going to pick it straight up.Ā  Maybe that’s not the wayĀ 
you’re supposed to do it but… Mmm! So tender. Let’s get some vegetables…
Mmm. Chase it with a little bit of rice… I’m sure I have this all in my beard.
Peanut sauce is going everywhere.Ā  But I love this dish so much.
It’s honestly hard to choose a favorite, because everything that we’ve had here today is amazing.
So good. But this one’s definitely up there. I’m taking a tiny bit of this shrimp paste,Ā 
putting it on my kare-kare… let’s try it. It’s pretty good.
I feel like it justĀ Ā  brings an extra saltiness to it — whichĀ 
I don’t necessarily think that it needs, because it’s delicious on its own.
But still good. Let me try this kare-kareĀ 
with the shrimp paste as well. Brandon said he actually got the aftertasteĀ 
in the end, which was a bit weird. I don’t really taste a difference.
Maybe I didn’t put enough.Ā  No, I put that much too.
You’ll get it in like a minute from now. I wonder if people put it in the bowl — like theĀ 
whole thing — or how you’re supposed to eat it. Are you just supposed to put a little dab on?
Yeah, I don’t know.Ā  I find it a weird combination — peanutĀ 
butter almost with shrimp paste. It’s so random. This food has been absolutely delicious. We were actually debating on whether we should goĀ 
to this place or another restaurant called Mesa. Seems to be a rivalry kind ofĀ 
between these two restaurants.Ā  People love both of them.
So let us know in theĀ Ā  comments — which place do you prefer?
Do you prefer Manam or Mesa? But now we’re going to take a minute, devourĀ 
the rest of this food, and enjoy ourselves. This is the end of our video.
We had an amazing first day here. We love the food, and we’re so full.
And we love the Philippines so far. But obviously, we know thatĀ 
we’ve only scratched the surface. We’ve only seen a tinyĀ 
little bit of Manila so far. But if you’re worried about that — do not worry. Because we have many more videos coming,Ā 
including one where we go to the QuiapoĀ Ā  Street Food Market so we can try aĀ 
bunch of different local street food. We’ve got one trying a bunch ofĀ 
different Filipino fast food chains,Ā  and also one where we try FilipinoĀ 
desserts for the first time. So stay tuned for all of thoseĀ 
— and maybe even some more. But for this video, that is it.
So if you did like it, please give it a like, write us a comment —
and by far the most importantĀ Ā  thing is to hit that subscribe button. But that is it for this one.
See you all in the next one. Bye!

In this week’s video, we visit Manila, Philippines, for the first time! Manila was not what we expected. We were honestly shocked!

As usual, we decide to begin our day with some coffee at one of Manila’s many cafes. We choose a place called Commune Cafe, located in Población.
After fueling ourselves with caffeine, it’s now time to grab some breakfast at Kanto’s Freestyle Breakfast. We ordered ourselves two Filipino breakfasts: champorado (a chocolatey rice porridge) and vigan longanissa with egg and garlic rice.
Just outside of the restaurant, we find Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Church. A beautiful Spanish-style cathedral, with over 400 years of history. From here, we head to Legazpi Sunday Market. We take some time to stroll around, trying various food samples along the way. We also decide to try out a cucumber juice and a Filipino empanada.
To break from the intense Manila heat, we then head to Greenbelt Mall to cool off in the A/C.
We end our day at Manam Comfort Filipino, where we have ourselves an absolute feast of Filipino classics.

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== About Us ==
We’re Brandon and Anja, an international couple (from Canada and Germany) traveling the world together as digital nomads on a budget. We want to explore as many countries as possible and eat all the amazing local foods every place has to offer. We hope our travel vlogs can inspire others to do the same.

Chapters:
00:00 – Intro
00:31 – Apartment Tour
01:07 – Coffee at Commune Cafe in Manila
05:07 – Breakfast at Kanto Freestyle Breakfast In Manila
09:58 – Sts. Peter and Paul Parish Church
11:52 – Legazpi Sunday Market
19:41 – Greenbelt Mall
22:13 – Manam Comfort Filipino food
34:00 – End

49 Comments

  1. We are so excited to be in a country we have never been to! Exploring Manila was an absolute blast and we cannot wait to see even more! And of course, Filipino food is heaven! Let us know in the comments what areas in Manila are the best to visit and what and where should we eat! There will be more videos coming, and we will be trying to many more delicious things, so make sure to subscribe! As always, thanks for watching! – Brandon & Anja 😊

  2. šŸ™„the filipino food is always a bit sweet salty vinegary spicy…so they always pair it with plain or fried garlic or java rice…the champorado used to be the breakfast food for most filipinos paired with the salty dried fish…sometimes it's sticky rice or the regular rice…with hot chocolate or coffee…when cooked without chocolate' just plain like porridge we mix it with sweet potato mix with milk n sugar or just a bit of salt… yeah'…šŸ‘šŸ‘‹šŸŒ“fin

  3. Welcome to the PHILIPPINES enjoy and have fun. ā¤ā¤ā¤

    Sisig is also a drinking food
    You must try bulalo, tinola,lechon, kaldereta, kare-kare, adobo, sinigang.

    Kinds of sinigang:

    Sinigang na hipon
    Sinigang na salmon
    Sinigang na baboy
    Sinigang na bangus

    Kinds of adobo

    Adobong baboy
    Adobong manok
    Adobong kangkong
    Adobong sitaw

    Thank u guys godblessā¤ā¤ā¤

  4. Sisig is also good as Pulutan when you drink beer or any other liquors , you sip beer and chew a bit of sisig thats what we call it Pulutan in local dialect

  5. Usually champorado is eaten during breakfast but sometimes we eat it during afternoon snack (we call "merienda"). Enjoy the Philippines guys! šŸ‘šŸ‘šŸ˜ŠšŸ˜ŠšŸ¤—šŸ¤—

  6. Try Chicken/Pork adobo. This is our most popular Philippines dish in the world. Try these original Filipino dishes guys; Beef Bulalo, Lechon, Crispy Pata, Panga ng Tuna, Bicol Express, Beef Caldereta, Laing, etc. Mesa is also a good restaurant that serves Filipino dishes. I suggest you also try Gerry`s Grill in Jupiter Street Makati. Just near the place you`re staying.

  7. Filipinos eat using a plate just like westerners. We use a spoon and fork, the spoon used as knife and when scooping the food. Fork is used to assist in putting the food in the spoon. 😮Usually the plate will have a portion of all the viands available set in the table. The viand is often mixed with a portion of your rice before putting it in your mouth. Filipino meals usually go with different kinds of sauce or dips to add flavorings – vinegar, soy sauce, fish sauce, ketchup, usually added with hot chilis or calamansi. Noodles stew or "pancit" are usually eaten with calamansi drippings. Filipino desserts are usually with coconut flavors and sticky rice. Welcome and enjoy your meals!

  8. Hi new subc here. Have u tried going to BGC? Feels like you're in New York or any developed countries. It's another level of attraction and scenery.😊

  9. Welcome to the country! If you love nuts, we have a local nut, you can only get here, the Pili Nut. You can find it in the local section/sweets in the supermarkets. Try it in brittle its delicious with a waxy texture.

  10. Welcome to the Philippines Brandon and Anja, expect your channel to have more subscribers, because Filipinos are very friendly. Enjoy your stay ā¤

  11. Western media has always bad rapped the Philippines šŸ‡µšŸ‡­ always showing abject poverty and misery that the place has to offer and advising touriist not to attempt any visit to the country, so that's why so many visitors /tourists are surprised like yourselves to find it is neither. Anyways have a pleasant stay and it is great you chose Makati City because it has everything. Check out " Spirits Library bar" in Poblacion where you're at. Also visit Intramuros ,. The National.Muaeum and Luneta Park in Manila City. Look at tourist bulletins on places to visit or shows to watch at Cultural Center of the Philippines at this time of the year. Enjoy your stay and God bless.

  12. new subscriber here…WELCOME to the Philippines, really have enjoyed watchin' this first vid of yours here & can't wait to see you both In the next one. ENJOY and stay safe always. GODBLESS!šŸ™

  13. Thanks for visiting Philippines and enjoy your stay and ALWAYS keep Safe of course guy's good luck both new subscriber here first watching your vlog FROM HK ā¤

  14. Just a quick recommendation if you really want to try local filipino food go down to the rural areas not to business areas as there are so much variety of filipino foods there and go to some carenderias as what they call to small family restaurants that's where you can really experience our country but just make sure to guard your things everytime when you are in the rural areas, have fun guys and welcome to the Philippines! šŸ„°šŸ’•

  15. Please tell me again how friendly the people are and how the food is amazing and the place is lovely
    šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

  16. š˜æš™–š™”š™–š™£š™™š™–š™£ š™žš™Ø š™„š™žš™”š™žš™„š™žš™£š™¤ š™¤š™§š™–š™£š™œš™š,

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