The Big Little Store at Gilmore

For last minute chinese take-outs or late afternoon snack, when we're around Gilmore area, my family heads to The Big Little Store at Gilmore, big brother to Little Store on the Hill.

Big Little Store at Gilmore is where I have my "maki" (meat soup thickened with starch) fix.  I eat mine with tons of chopped garlic (I know bad breath...), a big dallop of chili sauce and a splash of black vinegar all of which are right on the table.  The blend of pungent garlic, spicy chili and sour vinegar is like a symphony of flavors on my palate.  The texture of the soup's thick and sticky, better eat it while hot or else it'll turn watery. The meat's so tender, it takes little effort to chew and the chopped scallions lends a certain bite. 

My dad favors their lumpia salad which is lumpia unwrapped (less mess) and my cousin enjoys their beef noodle soup which is clear, light and gingery with thinly sliced beef and egg noodles.  Great with chopped chili sauce

Both The Big Little Store at Gilmore and Little Store on the Hill serves the same menu and attached to the stores are mini-markets for last minute grocery shopping.

The Big Little Store at Gilmore

G/F Gilmore IT Center

Gilmore, New Manila

Little Store on the Hill

along Abad Santos St.

San Juan

Huo Guo Hot Pot

Sunday is family day and most of the time we have dinner together...somewhere. Last Sunday we gathered around a shabu-shabu pot at Choi Garden Restaurant. Also known as chinese fondue, steamboat, sukiyaki or “huo guo” (fire pot), depending on which part of the world you are, it involves cooking raw thinly sliced meat, fresh seafood, cut-up vegetables and choice noodles in boiling soup. Then you dipped the cooked food in your prepared sauce and enjoy.

My dipping sauce concoction includes one beaten raw egg (which according to traditional chinese herbalist lessens the “heat” therefore you won’t get sore throat after eating huo guo), lots of minced garlic, minced shallots, tons of sate paste, a couple of chopped chili and a dollop of chili sauce. I like my sauce hot and spicy.

Inside our shabu-shabu pot were sliced lamb, fresh shrimp, male crab, hand-made fish balls, shrimp balls, stuffed meat balls, fresh meat balls, lobster balls, squid paste, lettuce, polonchay, tanghochay, watercrest, baguio pechay, condol, sweet corn and plain rice, for those who can’t eat without it.

After 2 hours of cooking, bickering and gossiping, the soup stock was rich and flavorful ready for the noodles, but we decided to forgo noodles because we wanted dessert. We had mango pudding topped with fresh milk and a cherry, taho in a bucket good for 4 with mini sago and brown sugar syrup, and Dad had ground almond puree. Everyone had a little of everything and yet we were so full.

We look forward to next Sunday’s food trip and share another wonderful meal together.