It was a rainy afternoon when I got a craving for “Lumpiang Sariwa” and since I had to print a couple of photos in Hidalgo I took advantage of the opportunity, I grabbed my camera bag and made my way to Quiapo to satisfy my hankering. I didn’t come as a surprised that a hand-full of people were there waiting for their turn to make an order. They ran out of lumpia wrappers and we had to wait for 25 minutes before the line got going again.

Globe’s Lumpiang Sariwa

After 25 minutes of idly waiting, the waiter served my order, two servings of spicy lumpia… Yummy, It was definitely worth the wait. I immediately left the table after gobbling up my meal as a courtesy to the people looking for an empty table.

Definitely better than Goldilocks!

It was a couple of years back when I first learned about this Lumpia house while my uncle shared his version of the glory days of Quiapo back in the 60’s. Globe Lumpia House started with a small kiosk inside the Globe Theater where movie-goers were their primary customers. The restaurant still occupies the same spot at the old Globe Theater entrance even though the theater itself has been long gone. Globe Lumpia House is small and can only accommodate 20 people at a time and the star of the menu is Fresh Lumpia, Empanada, bottled water and soft-drinks.

Have you tried it already?

Lumpia is a local equivalent of the Chinese’s spring rolls but Globe Lumpia serves the fresh and uncooked variety. According to Wikipedia, the Lumpia recipe, both fried and fresh versions, were brought by the Chinese immigrants from the Fujian province of China to Southeast Asia and became popular in the Philippines and in Indonesia.

A typical Pinoy Restaurant!

Back in 1957, when this small Lumpia House opened, a serving of Lumpia would cost you 0.35 centavos but these days it is priced at 16 pesos. A fellow customer raved about how the taste has remained the same despite the time that has gone by, and sadly, that the modern Lumpia contains less chopped / crushed peanuts and fresh lettuce.

Globe Lumpia’s Fresh Ingredients!

What makes this “Lumpiang Sariwa” different?

The ingredients are all fresh and you can even watch them prepare it at the restaurants entrance. Lumpia is served with caramel sauce stuffed with crushed peanuts, ubod (a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees), garlic and fresh lettuce. Unlike the fresh lumpia in Goldilocks, Globe’s lumpia has a spicy garlic taste that blends best with the not so sweet caramel sauce.

Former Cinema’s entrance now a Lumpia Restaurant

How to get there:

Globe Lumpia House
740 G. Puyat Street (formerly Raon)
Telephone: 733-2918

From the corner of Quezon Blvd and G. Puyat (aka Raon) you can find the lumpia house on the left side of the street.

Warning:Just like other Asian Cities like Bangkok and Bombay, Quiapo is a very crowded place, make sure to secure your important things inside your bag. Lastly, take care of your Bag (LOL)