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The 10 Craziest Food Crazes to Hit Manila

Jenny B. Orillos | Published: Jun 30, 2009 - 8:00am

food_tl_rev

shawarmaSHAWARMA
When? Mid-1980s

How it started: In 1988, GNC Enterprises created the first local shawarma rotisserie for a client at the beginning of the shawarma craze. They were flooded with orders afterwards, as shawarma became the next lechon manok.

At its peak: You couldn't find any street corner or mall without the familiar aroma of meat roasting on a metal contraption, somebody hacking the meat into pieces and someone else piling the veggies on pita bread. With a final squirt of the yogurt sauce, everyone knew you'd given in to the fad: garlic breath.

What's left of the craze: Some food stalls still offer them (like the ancient Harrison Plaza) as well as some LRT, MRT and bus stations. Restaurants or eateries specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine are sure to have them.



Tags: fro-yo   shawarma   cream puff   donut   kettle corn  
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  • Karen Nov 30 2009 @ 02:25am Report Abuse
    Ah, my bad. The peral shakes are at number 10 pala, sorry.
  • Karen Nov 30 2009 @ 02:23am Report Abuse
    But where are the pearl shakes, Sirs??
  • Jayson Quitiquit Oct 25 2009 @ 09:24pm Report Abuse
    I totally agree with this. If you miss the shawarma craze in the 90's, you can reminisce it at my blogsite dedicated to the 90's: http://no-benta.blogspot.com
  • sherei Oct 07 2009 @ 05:01pm Report Abuse
    krispy kreme soon to open : november 2009 eastwood cybermall :)
  • maan Sep 26 2009 @ 06:11am Report Abuse
    what about ZAGU?
  • etxetera Sep 25 2009 @ 01:49pm Report Abuse
    So this are only solely for branded food crazes I guess because if not the 'kanto fried chicken' than sprouted like mushroom for a time should have been included in the list
  • WhenInManila.com Sep 24 2009 @ 11:31am Report Abuse
    WOW! This looks sooooo gooood!!! I should go on a food trip and try all these in one day...
    Then again... might get a sugar overdose if I do... lol
  • Trixxz Sep 16 2009 @ 10:33pm Report Abuse
    @bridget, you just guessed one of our upcoming articles. :) watch out for it!
  • bridget Sep 16 2009 @ 10:25pm Report Abuse
    How about listing the all time favorite comfort foods of our childhood..like chocnut, chippy, tootsie rolls, curly tops etc
  • ck Sep 15 2009 @ 04:22pm Report Abuse
    for me, bubble tea cold drinks are one of the best that i've tried.
  • Baby Girl Aug 15 2009 @ 02:52pm Report Abuse
    You forgot Krispy Kreme! And Cerealicious.
  • u8mypinkcookies Aug 14 2009 @ 04:04pm Report Abuse
    Holy Kettle Corn/ Chef Tony's and BreadTalk are my faves! How can I forget Zagu too.. :D
  • keikay Aug 13 2009 @ 02:17pm Report Abuse
    Ice Monster and Dairy Queen!!! :D
  • tonya Aug 12 2009 @ 03:25pm Report Abuse
    GO NUTS DONUTS is the biggest imitator of the Krispy Kreme varities. Before we only get to taste Krispy Kreme if some friends or relatives arrived from the US. But Go Nuts changed all that. But now only corner booths in MiniStop remains in operation when the real KK opened it stores in PI.
  • rye Aug 12 2009 @ 01:14am Report Abuse
    zagu should be on the list. you can see them everywhere back then!
  • Sid Aug 11 2009 @ 02:41pm Report Abuse
    Hey Wanda,

    What food were you referring to in that ClicktheCity link? I clicked on it and it just redirects me to Spot.ph. I wonder why?
  • lia Aug 07 2009 @ 07:23am Report Abuse
    you forgot the pan de sal craze that started
    around 2002! :)
  • reivax05 Jul 29 2009 @ 04:47pm Report Abuse
    Where's Conti's Mango bravo?? BOO >:P
  • supersonic Jul 24 2009 @ 02:34pm Report Abuse
    this article does not live up too well with it's assigned title. a food craze should be something that hits in a large scale. Though shawarma is probably the only real food craze that's mentioned here, pearl shakes were the predecessors of the bubble tea. Zagu should have been considered a craze. Almost all the other food items have been around for a long time like bread (duh), popcorn (double duh), cream puffs, yogurt and donuts (as a previous comment mentions)! Macarons? Only 3-4 sellers are mentioned during its "peak", does that make it a craze? Cupcakes, donuts, macarons and cream puffs are classic pastries.
  • kitty Jul 16 2009 @ 11:55am Report Abuse
    OH MY BLIZZARD MUD PIE ADDICT....
  • John Jul 11 2009 @ 03:00pm Report Abuse
    How about Krispy Kreme?
    I sooo love Beard Papa (imodium pls) and DQ!
    Some Shawarma stalls nowadays are cheating the quantity of the meat! They dont show you how they put meat. I hate it! be careful.
  • mm Jul 09 2009 @ 07:02pm Report Abuse
    you should've included Zagu in this list!

    Macarons... really???!!
  • Joan Jul 09 2009 @ 03:48am Report Abuse
    heyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    is there a branch here in chicago??????
    I love shawarma and bubbles!!!!!
  • mj Jul 08 2009 @ 12:29am Report Abuse
    scott's burger, the original buy 1 take 1 burger is the best..
  • Anon Jul 03 2009 @ 05:14pm Report Abuse
    manilaunderground is right. (French macarons? Really?)

    And a couple of stores specializing in cream puffs aren't enough to make it a food craze.
  • Wanda Jul 02 2009 @ 11:08am Report Abuse
    I think you forgot this --- http://food.clickthecity.com/b/nT1e8d7




  • Kaye Estoista-Koo Jul 01 2009 @ 03:11pm Report Abuse
    Chocolate Confections, Greenbelt 5!

    One Nono's Chocolate Oblivion coming right up.
  • Soleil Jul 01 2009 @ 11:26am Report Abuse
    I love BTIC! Mint & Chips forever =)
  • msison Jul 01 2009 @ 07:46am Report Abuse
    Hi manilaunderground!

    Check this out--helmet, street hotcakes atbp.:

    http://www.spot.ph/2009/05/19/10-street-foods-to-try-just-bring-the-immodium/
  • manilaunderground Jul 01 2009 @ 05:07am Report Abuse
    the list is high-end in the richest eletista sense of the word - i didnt even know about the macarons and cream puffs "craze" - the masa should definitely be involved for it to be considered as a craze that hit manila in general -

    i remember shawarma and zagu pretty well and those are hardcore hits i have to say -
  • Tin Jul 01 2009 @ 03:49am Report Abuse
    Love Red Mango and Bubble Tea, although they are expensive addictions.
  • condoprovider Jul 01 2009 @ 01:53am Report Abuse
    Wow.. I'm craving for beard papa's cream puff!!yum yum
  • joan Jun 30 2009 @ 07:53pm Report Abuse
    oh I miss sharwarma in Manila
  • marianne Jun 30 2009 @ 06:23pm Report Abuse
    i thought shawarma was the big crazy in 92 or 93. then when it got so common you could get it at the bus stops, lots of people started getting food poisoned.

    the best place for original shawarma is still the original: Shawarma Snack Center in R. Salas, Ermita. They have a stall in Harrison Plaza.
  • nitpicker Jun 30 2009 @ 05:05pm Report Abuse
    @Onynz: Huh?
  • alan Jun 30 2009 @ 04:17pm Report Abuse
    for me shawarma and go nuts!
  • Onynz Jun 30 2009 @ 02:06pm Report Abuse
    I think the only real craze here is the shawarma, second to the lechon manok as stated by Crabbypatty, because I believe that some of the items listed are already being produced and enjoyed here locally by our fellow pinoys even before foreign counterparts have arrived.
  • platinumangel Jun 30 2009 @ 02:02pm Report Abuse
    i mean turn it (DQ ice cream) upside down :)
  • platinumangel Jun 30 2009 @ 02:01pm Report Abuse
    Dairy Queen Ice Cream... Then when they used to turn your Blizzard combo before serving it to you :) How about the Smokey's hotdog? But that was super tagal na ata :)
  • Crabbypatty Jun 30 2009 @ 11:39am Report Abuse
    I wish lechon manok had been included too--it was the original Manila food fad.

    But it's a good list in any case. My favorite? Non-Zagu bubble tea!
  • CJ Jun 30 2009 @ 09:22am Report Abuse
    i love bear papa!
  • jean Jun 30 2009 @ 09:05am Report Abuse
    I super love Holy Kettle Corn! However for desserts, my family digs Ice Bergs, Razon's and Dairy Queen (DQ)
1 to 20 of 42
 
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