Cartimar Pasay Food Trip | Hidden Coffee Shop, Bulgogi Fried Chicken and More

 

Cartimar is known for being the go-to place for pet needs and getting your latest fix of shoes and fashion. But more importantly, Cartimar is the place you go to if you’re looking for some of those much loved Japanese goods and korean samgyupsal basics. Need to buy bento boxes for cheap? Looking for umeboshi and japanese instant ramen that’s a steal? Need to buy Kikkoman, dashi and wasabi in bulk? Cartimar’s the place to get all that.

But this time I went to Cartimar to sample the good food. There are quite a lot of great food spots to eat around the area, if you know where to look. The giant taho at Tiong Hwa is usually known. But there's a hole-in-the-wall coffeeshop that is begging to be discovered here along with some amazing bulgogi fried chicken and pho in the area. And I'm excited to show you, so let's start this up!

 

Pochon Chicken

 Located in Cartimar Foodcourt

Let's start with one of the better Bulgogi Fried Chicken places that I have seen in Manila. They serve a lot of different Korean dishes but their specialty lies in their fried chicken. I have had these before when a friend sent this yummy Bulgogi flavored fried chicken in my husband's office and they are divine cause the flavor is deep into the meat and bones, not just on the crispy skin.

For my food crawl in libertad though, we ordered their Sweet and Sour fried chicken in half serving for 169 Php. It has 6 big pieces of fried chicken smothered in their sweet, savoury and slightly sour sauce. It was topped with a healthy sprinkle of sesame seeds as always. And yes, it was so divine, better than the other korean fried chicken fast food places that I have been to.

Chansel Pizza, Tapsilogan and Sisig Station

 Located in Cartimar Foodcourt

 

I got an all meat pizza in Chansel, just to relive my days in college. We had the same pizza in Mapua. While I still am in love with their crust, I find that the serving of toppings here in the Cartimar branch is superior. Ang dami ng nilagay nila na toppings, and you can definitely tell it is all meat. That box costs around 250 pesos give or take and that is definitely worth it in my book.

We also had a couple of rice meals, Spamsilog from Tapsilogan for 90 pesos, and they did not skimp on the thicc spam slices. I also had Pork sisg from Sisig Station for 85 pesos, but you would have to add in extra for the egg on top. They usually add mayo to this and has a similar flavor profile to sisig hooray, but with MORE chicharon and more crispier meat.

 

Saigon Vietnamese Noodles

 Located in Cartimar Foodcourt

 

This is a unique one for me, to see pho served in a food court setting. I loved the flavor of the pho as it was clear, not too sweet or not too sour. The pho noodles were amazing at 95 pesos, and they serve it with two squidballs, two wonton dumplings and a big heaping of pork meat and some toge on the side. You control how hot you want it to be too.

Monga Taiwanese Chicken 

Located inside Food Penguin Convenience Store, Cartimar Commercial Arcade and Suite, Leveriza St., Pasay

Over at Cartimar Commercial Arcade and Suite, I found at least 4 places to get some awesome food. First up is Monga, which serves these big slices of chicken breat and wing- bone in. You can get them with fries and it has 4 different flavors. I got Taiker Signature Chicken for 229 Php. It has japanese sauce and nori on top. You can get it in original, hot and Chee-z which has Cheese and tomato sauce. Essentially an extra big Chicken Parm. 

 

They also have other items like normal fried chicken, chicken by the bucket and chicken sandwiches. I'll be trying them out soon when I come back.

Original Bakery and Nine Fresh

Located in Cartimar Commercial Arcade and Suite, Leveriza St. Cartimar Pasay

 

If you're looking for quick deserts or Taiwanese cake then these two stalls are perfect. Original Bakery is a taiwanese shop serving croissants and that much coveted Taiwanese Cake. They smell great and taste great too!

 

Nine Fresh has my current favorite drink- Red Tea with Aloe Vera Pearls and Ai-Yu Jelly. Their main dish is Taiwanese inspired dessert bowls. It has a base of either soy bean curds, grass jelly or my favorite- Ai Yu Jelly made from the seeds of fig fruits that is lightly sweetened with black sugar.

 I can't believe that they have a branch here, so now I can order via foodpanda whenever I get cravings. 

Tiong Hwa Grocery

This is THE PLACE to go if you want to receive a Taho Revelation.  Tiong Hwa itself is really underrated, and you would love to come here for their awesome soy based products like tokwa, soya milk or for your samgyupsal and shabu shabu basics.

They also serve Taho but the base is more fuller and silkier. You can add on different types of toppings from black pearl or sago, to peanuts or red bean and pearl barley. The sauce is lighter and while less sweet than your usual arnibal, it actually complements the dish as it is served in a massive bowl. 

Menu for your best Taho Experience with peanuts, red beans, grass jelly, ube balls, kidney beans or white and brown sago.

You can easily finish the dish in a short amount of time because the sauce helped the the delicate bouncy and yummy flavor of the taho shine through, and the sago added that extra bit of sweetness without being overpowering.

Blue Wonder Coffee

Need your coffee fix? Blue Wonder Coffee will definitely make you wonder how such a quaint coffee shop is inconspicuously located among an optical shop, laundromat, and some japanese grocery shops.  This place has been up and running since 2017. When we went, there was a lot of people waiting in line to get their coffee, so we came back after a couple of hours. 

 

  

Here you will find beans of different kinds from different parts of the world. It is a coffee lover's dream grocery shop for sure.

When you order, you are asked what kind of coffee roast you want to try. We went for medium but you can also go dark. What we ordered was their Cafe Mocha for 155 Php, Iced Blue Wonder Cream Mocha for 165 Php, which is a well-balanced combination of chocolate and espresso. I really loved it but I think I'll go for a darker roast with this one next time.

 

On my next visit I tried out their Ice Blended Java Chip and it really hit the spot for a refreshing and awakening cup of coffee on a humid, rainy day in Libertad.

If you're not into coffee and just looking for a respite from the market area of Cartimar, you can also try out their teas.

Another thing you can find in the café is a mismash of tools for brewing coffee. You have manual grinders alongside automatic machines, gooseneck kettles, manual drippers, tampers, milk frother, percolators, knock boxes, and espresso machines, among many others.   

Blue Wonder Coffee

Stall #98-101/113-115
Cartimar Main Bldg., Cartimar Ave., Pasay City
Monday to Sunday, 8am - 5pm

You can check out my food trip video here:

And there we go. My top places to eat in Cartimar. For now I am so going back again and again for the taho, Pochon Chicken, Monga, Chansel and Pho. And of course that coffee shop in Blue Wonder Coffee. Drop by Cartimar too! Your food trip will definitely be worth it!

Directions to Cartimar

Cartimar is in Pasay, and you can get there by taking LRT to Libertad Station, and riding a jeep going to Buendia/Gil Puyat. You can then ask the jeepney driver to drop you off in Cartimar. If you want to walk, it'll be a 10 minuite trip from Libertad Station to Cartimar. Your sign would be the Mcdo at the southbound part of the road. :D