I can't believe that I will be doing a back-to-back post on panciterias. But this time it was not planned at all. A happy chance it is. Me and a friend (inside a jeepney) were about to go somewhere for lunch when we saw this quaint panciteria along Pedro Gil street in the heart of Paco, Manila (near the Paco Catholic School and Paco Market). We hurriedly asked manong driver to hand us back our fare for we've only been inside the jeepney for 20 seconds when we saw the panciteria.
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| old school |
A few hops after and then we reached the Lennie Santiago Panciteria or simply Lennie's Panciteria. It felt like we were transported in a 70's diner. Everything felt the real thing - well except for the flooring which seemed to be not the original one. It was noontime and no one was inside except for us. We were hungry, happy and excited.
Lennie's panciteria have pancits of all sorts and some cooked food on their counter. We wanted to have their bestseller pancit so an old lady came to us and suggested for us to have Miki Bihon Guisado. And so we did!
I, being so impatient, was led by my feet into the panciteria's kitchen. I asked some staff there if I could take some snapshots of them prepping and cooking and they gladly allowed me. So there I was, looking at how our pancit was being made. Felt like home.
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| Good for 1 to 2 persons |
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| tss... hot! (not him but it...) |
And then our Miki Bihon (70 pesos) and Lechon Kawali (45 pesos) were served. The Miki Bihon was so great that from the first bite up to the last strand we were raving over it. There's this oriental distinct taste to it that you would normally get in some Asian restaurants. I could've finished the whole thing if it weren't meant for sharing. The lechon kawali was forgettable. It's not that crunchy enough for it to qualify to be a happy lechon kawali.
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| happy miki bihon |
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| forgettable lechon kawali |
I was so tempted to order another pancit dish but then lotsa people came in and the whole place became packed with hungry souls. I also planned to chat with the old lady who suggested the pancit we just had (which looked like the owner) but it seemed like she was gone for her afternoon's siesta.
Funny how we ended up into this quaint and unpretentious happy pancit place when we could've been into one of our comfort zones - fast food. Accidental discovery. Spontaneity. It sure pays.
Lennie Santiago Panciteria
Pedro Gil, Paco, Manila
Cool! Happy miki bihon, hahaha
ReplyDeletethe one that makes you happy from the first bite arlet :)
DeleteHey! I want to go there. Reminded of this Rosie's Diner we used to go to in Mabini minus the aircon.Its not food but the feel of the place. Saka circa 90s pa yun during college days pa. Thanks for sharing, will definitely visit Lennie's. Btw, you should have also taken the picture of the "chef." Very interesting. Hahaha... :)
ReplyDeleteyes alfred, sometimes it's not the food itself but the experience you had. bonus na lang yung chef. hihi
DeleteYan ang tipo kong pancit, yung sobrang fried (not sunog) yung taba ng pork. haist, ginugutom na naman ako sa post mo Carla. Winner talaga ang mga ganitong kainan.
ReplyDeletehaha. madali lang tumbukin yang panciteria na yan. ang sarap lang makahanap ng happy food place! :)
DeleteMiki for Mica! :D Hay, nakakagutom. It reminds me of one of my favorite pansitan in Pangasinan pati yung ambiance :D
ReplyDeletemiki for mica oh yeah! ramdam ko foodtrip una mong gagawin pagbalik dito. hehe
DeleteGusto ko tlga ng gnyng pansit!!! It reminds me ung luto ng mama ko
ReplyDeleteparang lahat ata gusto ng pansit ng nanay nila.. hehe
Deletecraving for pancit canton tuloy!!!
ReplyDeletemadali lang niyan irish. andami diyan sa marikina ah... :)
Deletehaha. nagugulat nga rin ako sa posts ko manong eh!
ReplyDeleteMay Contact number po ba sila? / nag dedeliver? Kailangan ko na po siya bukas.. :(
ReplyDeleteMadali lang po ba hnapin? hindi ako familiar sa paco eh :(
Place is named at my mom. Sad na wala nag mana cooking skills of my grandfather.
ReplyDeleteOh wow! So you're the daughter of Lennie? Is it still open? :)
DeleteJust saw this blog post today, March 18, 2022. Sadly, the place is already closed and the space is already occupied by Red Ribbon. As someone who was born and raised in the area, I'm really saddened by closing of the shop. Hoping for a new 'Panciteria' to open around the vicinity.
ReplyDeleteAwww. Sad to hear that. I really love hidden gems and we didn't have the chance to go back to this panciteria. Sayang :(
DeleteI miss this place and my grandfather, when I was still a student my grandfather cooks food for me and I was treated as customer. I just have to order what ever I want in the menu. I just order different food every day from chichsron bulaklak to bijon tostado to chicken sandwich.
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents were the one established the panciteria named from my mother. I was always inside the kitchen and watched my grandfather roses the big wok5o cooked fresh food ordered from customers. Sadly no one got his skills and have to closed.
Awww. Sad to hear about that. At least we all have good memories about the panciteria. We just loved how it looked during that time amidst the modern structures around it. Too bad we didn't get to meet you guys.
Delete