Mushy, barely candy buns contrasting with an umami-filled meat filling—be it saucy pork asado or juicy bola-bola, siopao is among the Philippines’ most pleasant consolation meals. It was launched by Chinese language immigrants throughout the Spanish interval and it has since develop into a staple, not solely in Binondo—Manila’s Chinatown—however in each Chinese language eating places within the nation as effectively.
However have you ever tasted the perfect siopao in Metro Manila? Right here’s a listing of the perfect and distinctive ones I’ve really tried. I’m positive that there’s extra on the market, so drop a remark you probably have a siopao suggestion. I’ll replace this finest siopao record every now and then.
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LE CHING TEA HOUSE
PRICE: ₱199.00 • BRANCHES: GREENHILLS 11AM – 8PM / BANAWE 10AM – 8:45PM / SCOUT TOBIAS 10AM – 9PM
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| LE CHING TEA HOUSE’S TAI PAO |
One of many OG eating places in Greenhills’ Shoppesville Purchasing Middle, Le Ching Tea Home stands proud with their huge bola-bola siopao. Their tai po is so huge—about six to seven inches in diameter—that I used to be unable to complete it. It’s undoubtedly ok for 2 individuals, particularly you probably have mami on the perimeters.
Their bread is smooth, although a bit dry and crumbly. The bola-bola filling was additionally ginormous, I can see bits of carrots, chorizo, salted egg, and small shrimps. They’ve probably the greatest bun to filling ratio at round 20 to 80.
It’s curious to notice that Le Ching Tea Home doesn’t serve their tai po siopao with the same old siopao sauce, slightly with scorching sauce and chili garlic. To be honest, it does work, however I believe it could fare higher with a standard one.
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MASUKI
PRICE: ₱95.00 • BRANCHES & OPENING HOURS: MEGAMALL 9AM – 8PM / GREENHILLS 9AM – 8PM / LUCKY CHINATOWN MALL 10AM – 9PM / BINONDO 7AM – 10PM
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| MASUKI’S SPECIAL SIOPAO |
Masuki has probably the greatest asado siopaos that you’d ever style in your life. Their particular siopao measures at round 5 to 6 inches in diameter, it’s enormous. Its bread is smooth and scrumptious, however its chunky filling is much more flavorful. Stuffed with hefty quantity of darkish brown shredded pork asado flakes, what appears to be cubed pork asado, and salted egg, it goes very well with Masuki’s siopao sauce—which has a really star anise taste to it. Their bun to filling ratio is at round 30 to 70.
It’s mentioned that Masuki can be owned by the identical clan that operates Ma Mon Luk. No marvel they share the identical siopao goodness—although, Masuki has a stronger taste than these at Ma Mon Luk.
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LING NAM
PRICE: ₱149.00 • BRANCHES & OPENING HOURS: STA CRUZ 6AM – 11PM / BANAWE 24 HOURS / SAN JUAN 7AM – 11PM
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| LING NAM’S TAI PAO |
The unique Ling Nam has been serving Chinese language meals since 1950. It originated in Binondo and has since put up branches in Banawe, Sta. Cruz, and different elements of the metro. They serve 5 sorts of siopao—asado, bola-bola, lotus pao, mongo pao, and tai pao. The biggest of those, and I suppose their particular, is their tai pao.
At 5.5 inches, it’s enormous. It has a light-weight and really smooth bola-bola filling with a novel meatbally ulam style. Combined inside it are unsalted duck egg, chorizo, and what appears to be bits of hen. Its bun is smooth and pillowy, with a impartial style. Ling Nam’s sauce can be fairly completely different from the same old siopao sauce, with a transparent, gentle, candy taste that just about tastes like the road meals manong sauce. Its bun to filling is at about 50/50.
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THE ORIGINAL SHANGHAI FRIED SIOPAO
PRICE: ₱35.00 • ADDRESS: ONGPIN ST., BINONDO, MANILA • OPENING HOURS: 7AM – 6PM • CONTACT NO: (02) 8734-0886
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| THE ORIGINAL SHANGHAI FRIED SIOPAO IN BINONDO |
Ongpin’s famed Shanghai fried siopao isn’t well-known for nothing. It’s actually good.
The Authentic Shanghai Fried Siopao’s providing is snack-sized, about 4 inches in diameter, with a bun to filling ratio of about 30 to 70. The crisply fried backside and smooth higher bun is its promoting level, however actually, its filling is its successful level. The flavorful and juicy pork asado filling is blended with a beneficiant dose of chives making for a very refreshing siopao taste.
KOWLOON HOUSE
PRICE: ₱65.00 • BRANCHES: EVERYWHERE IN METRO MANILA • OPENING HOURS: VARIES, SOME ARE 24 HOURS
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| KOWLOON HOUSE’S SIOPAO ASADO AND BOLA-BOLA SIOPAO |
Apart from the siopaos obtainable in fast-food joints, Kowloon Home in all probability has probably the most variety of siopao outlets throughout Metro Manila.
They serve asado and bola-bola variants in small and enormous sizes—which is excellent for one particular person. Their siopao asado, which has reddish filling, is simply so-so for me, however their massive bola-bola siopao is the star of their recreation. Granted, their bun is admittedly not on my favourite record—it’s stuffy and crumbly. Though their patrons would possibly really like this as it’s, because it has all the time been this fashion since time immemorial—and so they’re nonetheless right here. However the bola-bola filling greater than makes up for the bun—it’s moist, tender, and very scrumptious.
Kowloon Home serves their siopaos with conventional siopao sauce and their signature purple scorching sauce.
MA CHICKEN MAMI HOUSE
PRICE: ₱98.00 • BRANCH & OPENING HOURS: TRINOMA, QC 9AM – 10PM / STA LUCIA MALL, MARIKINA 10AM – 6PM • CONTACT NO.: (02) 8994-6142
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| MA CHICKEN MAMI HOUSE;S ASADO SIOPAO |
Situated on an nearly hidden nook of Trinoma, Ma Hen Mami Home serves Binondo meals in a mall setting. Their asado siopao is on the small facet, about 4 inches in diameter, and likewise has an average-sized filling—having about 40 to 60 bun to filling ratio.
Their bun is smooth and scrumptious, whereas their filling can be good—juicy and saucy asado parts blended with a little bit of fats. It definitely received’t win any awards, nevertheless it’s a kind of good siopao fixes for individuals yearning for Binondo meals with out traversing the visitors all the best way to Manila.
The label on the paper underside of their siopao signifies it got here from North Park, which seems to be their sister firm. They, nonetheless, clarified that North Park doesn’t promote their siopao, as it might probably solely be purchased at Ma Hen Mami Home.
CASA DAZA
PRICE: ₱68.00 • ADDRESS: AROUND METRO MANILA • OPENING HOURS: VARIES, TAKE OUT ONLY
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| CASA DAZA’S PORK ASADO SIOPAO AND BOLA-BOLA SIOPAO |
I used to be curious how Chef Sandy Daza does his siopao, and it seems—fairly good. He sells three varieties—pork asado, hen asado, and bola bola.
Casa Daza’s pork asado siopao has a really high quality flaky texture sans any seen fats. It’s, nonetheless, too high quality for my style, because it someway loses the chunkiness I’m in search of with my siopao. Nonetheless, it’s scrumptious, in a restrained and refined Ma Mon Luk kinda method. Their bola-bola siopao was additionally good—a balanced taste of chunky meat with salted egg. Their hen siopao, nonetheless, isn’t for me. I discovered it to be a tad too dry, although it’s a very good possibility for individuals who need their siopao however doesn’t eat pork.
Unusually, their sauce doesn’t style like your normal siopao sauce—it’s salty with out even a touch of sweetness. It really goes effectively with their bola-bola, nevertheless it doesn’t appear to enhance their asado siopaos—which, for my part, can be even higher with a daily siopao sauce.
Casa Daza’s siopaos are at about 5 inches in diameter with a bun to filling ratio of about 50/50. With a really inexpensive worth level, it makes for probably the greatest worth for cash siopaos in Metro Manila.
WAN KEE BAKERY
PRICE: ₱215.00 • ADDRESS: BENAVIDEZ ST., BINONDO, MANILA • OPENING HOURS: 6AM -6PM • CONTACT NO.: (02) 8244-8338
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| WAN KEE BAKERY’S BOLA-BOLA GIANT SIOPAO |
Have you ever seen a siopao that’s greater than your face? Wan Kee Bakery has two of such, an asado and bola-bola big siopao. Situated in Binondo, this bakeshop sells frozen siopaos together with different pastries. They don’t have able to eat ones, you’d should convey it residence and steam it your self.
Upon suggestion, we solely tried their bola-bola big siopao. It measures a whopping seven inches in diameter and could be very heavy. It’s bun to filling ratio at about 65 to 35, which is kind of good contemplating how enormous the siopao is.
Their bun is surprisingly not candy and even has hints of saltiness. Which, I suppose, is why their siopao sauce is solely candy and has no umami and salty taste. Its bola-bola is hefty and has that juicy meatbally ulam style just like Ling Nam’s. I can see bits of carrots, chives, fats bits, chorizo slices, and unsalted duck egg.
It’s undoubtedly not the perfect bola-bola siopao I’ve tasted, however it’s a good siopao with a come-on of being the biggest one you’ll in all probability ever get to strive. We really tried including a little bit of kecap manis on their siopao sauce to offer it a bit extra umami and saltiness, and it certainly enhance Wan Kee Bakery’s jumbo siopao’s style.
WAI YING
PRICE: ₱110.00 • BRANCHES: BINONDO 7AM – 10PM / 168 MALL DIVISORIA 10AM – 6PM / DIVISORIA MALL 10AM – 6PM / LUCKY CHINATOWN MALL 10AM – 8PM • CONTACT NO.: +63 (917) 188-1658
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| WAI YING’S TAI PAO BOLA-BOLA |
Wai Ying made its identify on the Binondo meals scene with their dumplings. Their siopao isn’t actually that well-known however their particular tai pao bola-bola packs a punch. Measuring at 5 to 6 inches in diameter, its bun is smooth and scrumptious, coating a juicy pork filling blended with shrimp, chorizo bits, unsalted duck egg, and mushrooms—exuding a smoky aroma and taste.
It has a bun to filling ratio of about 50/50, with the filling erratically positioned. Wai Ying’s siopao sauce is among the finest I’ve tasted, though some discover it a bit too salty.
MA MON LUK
PRICE: ₱110.00 • ADDRESS: BANAWE, QUEZON AVE • OPENING HOURS: 9AM – 9PM • CONTACT NO: (02) 8712-3560
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| MA MON LUK’S SPECIAL SIOPAO ASADO |
Among the finest siopaos in Metro Manila is Ma Mon Luk’s particular siopao asado. At round 4.5 to five inches in diameter, it’s large and could be shared, however I’m undoubtedly not sharing mine.
Its bun is smooth however nonetheless has some mass, making it chewy. However, actually, its filling is the place it shines. Their siopao is crammed with strandy and tender pork asado with slices of purple salted egg. It’s so simple as that however its style—candy, salty, stuffed with taste, however with a subtlety that makes it actually, actually good. Their siopao sauce is kind of atypical, nevertheless it enhances Ma Mon Luk’s siopao fairly effectively. Their bun to filling ratio is at about 50 to 50.
As of this writing their Quezon Avenue department in Quezon Metropolis is the lone department that’s open. The unique Ma Mon Luk Quiapo is below renovation and has an indication that claims it can reopen on 2022. Sadly, it’s nonetheless closed as much as this date.
CHOWKING
PRICE: ₱53.00 • ADDRESS: ANYWHERE IN THE PHILIPPINES • OPENING HOURS: VARIES
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| CHOWKING CHUNKY ASADO SIOPAO |
While you say Chinese language meals, most individuals instantly consider Chowking. It’s, certainly, probably the most well-known Chinese language fast-food joint within the Philippines. Be that as it could, most would argue that its flavors go away one a bit wanting—effectively, it’s fast-food. I lately tried their siopaos throughout a bus stop-over and was pleasantly shocked at how good their Chowking Chunky Asado Siopao is.
It has a really smooth and most bun with solely a touch of sweetness. The filling could be very saucy—not too candy with a savory flavor–with cubed tender asado meat blended with a little bit of fats. It’s so saucy, its oozes out of the bun when bitten. I do, nonetheless, discover it to be tiny wee bit costly for its 3 to three.5 inches measurement with a 60 to 40 bun-to-filling ratio. Nonetheless, it’s highest quality—in addition to its glorious taste—is it’s available everywhere in the Philippines.
I additionally tried Chowking’s Bola-Bola Siopao Supreme which I assumed can be higher since it’s their premium siopao, however was unhappy with its taste. Their Chunky Asado simply trumps it.
EMERALD RESTAURANT
PRICE: ₱140.00 • ADDRESS: ERMITA, MANILA • OPENING HOURS: 7AM – 9PM • CONTACT NO: (02) 7091-8137
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| EMERALD’S JUMBO SIOPAO |
On the subject of siopao in Manila, Emerald Restaurant in Malate is famous. It’s situated close to Binondo, however not close to sufficient to be accessible to Binondo meals trippers—the rationale that it’s solely now that I used to be in a position to embody it on this finest siopao record.
Their declare to siopao fame is their Emerald Jumbo Siopao. It has a diameter of about 4.5 to five inches and is about 3 inches excessive with a bun to filling ratio of 30 to 70. Its bun is smooth, although a bit dry. Inside, it’s a heady mixture of huge meatball with salted duck egg, chorizo slices, fats, chives, and shredded hen meat. They serve it with a standard siopao sauce which has a refined taste, which I suppose, works since a siopao chunk already looks like a fiesta within the mouth with a powerful chives taste.
Not a couple of individuals declare this as the perfect siopao in Manila, nonetheless, there are some who discover it to be an excessive amount of—with its taste being in every single place. I’m someplace within the center.