The search for the best hopia

The search for the best hopia

By Kamesh

My friends know that I've this obsession with hopia. I've been trying out different types - usually whatever is available in C-mart at the ground floor of our office building. A few weeks ago, I bought mongo hopia from them but I didn't pay attention to the brand (the idea of having a blog hasn't been hatched yet). The crust was flaky and the filling was light with just the right amount of sweetness. The next day, I wanted to eat it again but couldn't find it in C-mart's shelves anymore. :( 

And that's when this quest began. The first hopia brand that comes to mind is Eng Bee Tin. Growing up roaming the streets of Binondo with mom, I remember the little shop well. So for about two weeks, this has been my new obsession. One day my officemate bought me some Mr. Pullman hopia. It was awful (sorry, it was!). The crust reminded me of eating empanada - only not fried. Eating the filling brought one word into mind - extenders. I could only eat one and gave up the rest to my other officemates. 

Mr. Pullman

Taste ★ ☆ ☆ ☆☆

On Chinese New Year's eve, my husband had enough of my whining and brought me to the store in E. Rodriguez, in front of St. Luke's. And there it was, my Superbrand Hopia Mongo. It's not actually an Eng Bee Tin store, but a Mr. Ube restaurant. At the entrance of the restaurant, they sold Eng Been Tin products. They don't have the full range of products, mostly just the different flavors of hopia and some tikoy. 

Costs less than P50 for a pack of four.

Re-united at last, I bite into my EBT hopia. And to my GREATEST disappointment, it wasn't as I remembered it to be. The crust was thick and chewy, like hopia de japon. The yellow mongo filling was better than Mr. Pullman's, but it wasn't as delicious as I remembered. Looks like my officemates will be having another serving of hopias.

Eng Bee Tin
Taste ★★☆ ☆☆

Mom-in-law to the rescue. She bought me sa Polland hopia in Landmark. A stall is located right at the entrance of the grocery at the basement floor. Still heart-broken about EBT, I didn't have high hopes for Polland. Over at Twitter, @168mighty tells me it's the best. The packaging suggests I toast it for 5 minutes but I go ahead and chomp down. The crust is not flaky, it's crunchy like a thin English biscuit. There's a generous amount of sesame seeds giving it a nice aftertaste. The red mongo is perfectly sweet. The hopia is not heavy on the tummy, because the filling is fluffy - not a solid mass like EBT's or Mr. Pullman's.

Polland
Taste ★★★★☆

So far, Polland is the best I've tried. If you have suggestions on what other brands I should try, message me!