Amidst the hustle and bustle of the busy streets of Recto is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant named Ambos Mundos. If you're unfamiliar with it, Ambos Mundos is a food place located at Florentino Torres Street in Manila that serves Spanish and Filipino delicacies worthy to feed your hungry appetite. It's quite difficult to find, and honestly, it took us a while before we found the place. Despite the location, Ambos Mundos offers delicious dishes that would make you fall in love with Spanish-Filipino food. In fact, the delicious food is not the only thing Ambos Mundos can boast about. This food place has actually served hungry Filipino tummies since 1888! Now that's a feat to beat! Ambos Mundos is a Spanish term that translates to "Both Worlds" in English. According to our research, it was named as such because the owners wanted to show the fusion of Filipino and Spanish culture through the dishes they offered. This is apparent, as the place was established during the Spanish occupation. From then until now, Ambos Mundos continues to affirm in this standard in every dish they serve to their customers.
The place is actually old-looking. This is understandable, it being there for more than a century. Most of the furniture are antique and old. It really gives that historical feel to the place. You could still see some Spanish accents around the place. There are also some Chinese designs, probably inspired by nearby Binondo. The place is not air-conditioned, but we think they have an air-conditioned second floor. There's a "baboy ramo" or a "wild pig" tied near the entrance, so don't get scared because it doesn't bite (it was sleeping during our visit hahahaha). Hopefully this doesn't deter you from trying out Ambos Mundos. Service is a bit lax, so just be patient. When we were there, the waiter was confused because he wasn't familiar with what we were ordering (wtf, right? hahaha) and he was really having a hard time taking our orders. The dishes here are good for 2 (according to them), but it really looked like it was good for 3, or even more. So, it would give you the realization that the price is okay.
Here's what we tried at Ambos Mundos:
(By the way, I had Coke priced at 27 php. No reason to say what I think about this, right? - Glutton Girl)
Lemon Iced Tea, 32 php
Glutton Guy: Nothing special about this drink. Normal iced tea. Well, aside from the fact that you're drinking it at a food place that's been there since 1888, there's nothing else to be ecstatic about. It was just plain old simple iced tea. : )
Paella Ambos, 599 (small); 818 php (medium)
Glutton Guy: This, according to the waiter, is Ambos Mundos' best-seller. I can see why. It was beautifully presented, with the crab on top and the other seafood on the side. More than the presentation was the taste. It was super delicious. I've never tasted paella that good. It's actually a tad pricey, but the food you'll get is absolutely worth it. I only had a hard time eating the crab because it was still whole, but the other ingredients were cooked perfectly. The shrimp, the clams, the mussels...everything was really good. I'm a seafood lover so it's no surprise that I really liked this dish. : )
Glutton Girl: I loved the paella of Ambos Mundos! Among all the seafood, I really loved the shrimps. They weren't rubbery and were very flavorful. The clams and the crab were also good. I actually had a hard time eating the seafood because I had to remove them from their shells. Flavor-wise, however, the dish really hit the spot. It was very flavorful and presented perfectly. Believe me, you're visit here won't be complete without trying their one of their paellas.
Torta Alimango, 249 php
Glutton Guy: What I really liked about this dish was that they used real crab meat, not the artificial one. You could tell because there's still some crab shell inside with the crab meat. It was really good with the vegetables. This dish would actually serve around 3 to 4 persons, so the price ain't that bad. I would actually recommend this one when you try Ambos Mundos. : )
Glutton Girl: I actually persuaded Glutton Guy to try this one. I love crabs so I wanted a lot of crab dishes. This dish for me was good. I just didn't like it when I took a bite of it and I would feel crab shells in my mouth. It felt as though I ate the crab without removing the shells. But, it had a delicious flavor. It tasted a lot like the torta at home. If there's something to say about this dish - it's crabs, crabs, and more crabs.
Chicken in Coconut Milk, 195 php
Glutton Guy: This tasted a lot like chicken curry. The scent was intense and the flavor was very good. The chicken was cooked well. The sauce was really good. It was a bit spicy, but I actually wouldn't mind if it was spicier than that. I could really taste the coconut milk in the dish. Overall, I'd say it was a good dish. : )
Glutton Girl: It was an okay dish for me. The coconut milk made the dish a bit creamy, which I liked very much. The chicken was also good. It was soft and easy to eat. But, it wasn't really engulfed in the sauce so the chicken alone wasn't really that flavorful. I liked the mixture of flavors in the dish, though. I also liked the spiciness the bits of pepper gave to the dish.
Leche Flan, 45 php
Glutton Guy: Not the best leche flan I have tasted so far. It lacked a bit of sweetness. It was a bit bitter because of the syrup, and that was a bit off for me because I'm not a fan of bitter food. Also, for 45 pesos, it didn't seem to be really worth it because it was just a small serving of leche flan. I would actually order another dessert, if you ask me. : )
Glutton Girl: It was kind of bitter for me. Well, probably that was how leche flan tasted like during the Spanish era. But, I wanted more sweetness in that dessert. It also wasn't creamy for me. Probably needed a bit more eggs and milk. It was like a petite leche flan when it was served. It also needed a bit more syrup, and SWEET syrup at that. Well, it's not that bad. You could give it a try if you want to. But like Glutton Guy, I would choose a different dessert for my sweet tooth.
Ambos Mundos does not only mix Spanish and Filipino cuisine in their dishes, it also adds history and culture in it. Prices here are not very affordable, but it's an experience you have to try, especially in a busy place such as Recto. It's not everyday that you eat dishes like these, more so in a place like Ambos Mundos. Whether you're a Spanish cuisine enthusiast, a history admirer, or just a curious passer-by, we definitely guarantee that you would get satisfaction in this food place. At Ambos Mundos, you can truly get the best of 'Both Worlds'.
Here's how we rated Ambos Mundos:
Food:
Price:
Place:
Service:
(Ambos Mundos is located at 750 Florentino Torres Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila. From the Recto LRT station, just go straight going to Divisoria. Florentino Torres Street is to your left. You can't miss it once you see the street.)
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