Hole in the Wall: Master Hopia

Hopia of all kinds

When it comes to old-school treats, nothing beats hopia as a quick yet filling snack.

Known as tau sar piah (bean pastry) in Singapore and Malaysia, and bakpia in Indonesia, these are small pastry discs traditionally filled with sweetened mung bean paste (an in Japanese, tausa or tau sar in several Chinese dialects) which give them their name. However, since the mid-20th century, bakers have offered them in a broad range of fillings, including fruit jam, ube paste, sweetened coconut, and custard.

While there are many Oriental bakeries specialising in hospital, a number of which are now disappointingly commercialised, it is worth trekking over to Manila's busy Quiapo district to check out Master Hopia.

Classic flavours are joined by more contemporary tastes in the display

In business since 1969, Master Hopia is home to a wide variety of oriental pastries and both sweet and savoury snacks.

Its primary stock in trade, of course, is hopia. Here, a deliciously flaky pastry that shatters as you take a bite envelops one's choice of filling. Monggo - red or white bean paste - remains the shop's bestseller, followed closely by savoury baboy (pork fat and wintermelon) and macapuno (special sweetened coconut.)

On a recent visit, I found that Master Hopia now offers tsoknut hopia which is stuffed with a mildly sweet cocoa and peanut filling reminiscent of Choc-Nut, a taste of practically every Filipino's childhood. Variants filled with candied wintermelon are also available, as are cakes filled with rich and eggy custard.

Prices per piece are very reasonable: classics for PHP 14 apiece, while special flavours range between Php 15 and 16 each. You can also get my personal favourite, lotus paste-filled domes of salted egg hopia for PHP 28 per pastry.

I'm here for the lohwa...the kind with peanuts, please

Oh, and aside from hopia, the store also sells lohwa, a sweet puffed snack rolled in puffed rice, crushed peanuts, or sesame seeds.

The shop itself may be old and rather rundown; its location not for the trend-crazed. But if you're looking for classic treats that take you back to a more relaxed time, it is worth trekking down to Quiapo for a box or two of your favourites from Master Hopia.

That's my mum on the left, my brother in the middle, and we all love this shop.

📌: Master Hopia - 206 Villalobos St, Quiapo, Manila