'Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho' lists Philippines' must-try carinderias

The corner carinderia is every bit a part of the Pinoy eating habit. This is where we go for cheap Pinoy food that tastes like mom’s home cooking.  Over the years carinderias have evolved, and today many even serve international cuisine at local prices. A recent episode of “Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho” featured some of the country’s best and most well-loved carinderias: Jek’s Ku-bo at Ulo-ulo Maginhawa Street, Quezon City Jek’s Ku-bo and Ulo-ulo is a new hole-in-the-wall restaurant that’s making waves in the already popular Maginhawa St. food district. At Jek’s, people line up for their specialties- Bulalo (P135) and Ulo-ulo in Sinigang sa Miso (P120)! So many people line up here during lunch that the owners have to place tables and chairs even in the restaurant’s garage just to accommodate everyone. Every night, 40 to 50 kilos of beef are delivered to Jek’s and mixed with hot broth, corn, cabbage, and Baguio beans into sumptuous bulalo. Another 40 pieces of imported pink salmon is made into ulo-ulo swimming in flavorful sinigang soup. Jek’s also serves Pinoy comfort foods like salpicao, adobo flakes, daing, and longganisa, all very popular among the students who flock Maginhawa. Prices start at P70. JOED’s Lutong Hapon Camputhaw, Cebu Carinderias today don’t serve only Filipino food. In Brgy. Camputhaw in Cebu, Cebuanos don’t have to go to Japan to get a taste of authentic Japanese food. They only have to go to JOED’s Lutong Hapon, a Japanese carinderia owned by a Filipino chef who formerly worked in Japan. JOED’s Lutong Hapon serves a wide range of authentic Japanese dishes like Japanese sushi, California maki, tempura and katsudon. But the true stars of the menu are Sukiyaki Hot Pot and Beef Gyudon.  The Sukiyaki Hot Pot is a perfect mix of meat, shitake mushrooms, tofu, seaweed noodles and Japanese rice topped with syrup, soy sauce and JOED’s special seasoning. Their other bestseller, the beef gyudon, is beef mixed and flavored with soy sauce, Japanese rice wine, butter, ginger onions plus JOED’s special seasoning. The best part? Customers can get a taste of authentic Japanese food for an affordable price! Prices start at just P45. Highblood Station Mabolo, Cebu True to its name, Highblood Station serves the greasiest but most affordable dishes in Mabolo, Cebu. And the food is so sinfully delicious that even if this small carinderia has no signboard, it can still draw a crowd. Some of their greasiest recipes include bopis, kaldereta, binagoongan and dinuguan. Their bestseller is the ginabot, commonly known as chicharong bulaklak or deep fried pig innards. Highblood station opened as a simple eatery in 1997 offering only dinuguan, lugaw, and kaldereta. Today, it is a busy spot in Mabolo that serves delicious and affordable Pinoy food to locals, tourists and foodies into the wee hours of the morning. Prices start at P30. --Angel Bombarda, PF/GMA News