The connection between culture and food has long been established. In fact, talking about a country's culture without mentioning the food is impossible. Food has helped shaped many cultural identities around the world.

It is inevitable to conclude then that in the efforts of preserving culture, we will find ourselves preserving traditional food as well. I found this out for myself during a very simple interaction I had with my young daughter. It was just supposed to be a simple demonstration of how to cook champorado but it turned out to be a travel through time to my childhood memories.

The stories on how the simple champorado evoked memories that remain in my heart flowed effortlessly. It helped that my daughter was asking questions like who cooked the champorado when I was young, did my parents prepare it the same way I was presenting it to her, was the same ingredients used, and so on. I distinctly remember the smell of cooking cocoa tablea, the manner of announcement that the champorado was ready, and how my siblings and I would rush to the table and had our fill of it. It was almost like a ritual made more special if my grandmother was in the mood for telling stories.

Ways of Preserving Traditional Food

To make the analogy simpler, I will attempt to answer this in the context of a very simple traditional Filipino food - the champorado.

Make it relatable to the younger generation

Champorado traces its history in Philippine cuisine during the country's Spanish colonization. The cocoa tablea may be alien to many young people but they can certainly relate to chocolate. While champorado is traditionally enjoyed warm with dried fish, it can be served chilled with choco shavings and choco bits.

Provide variations of the original

Surreal...that was how it felt when I received a call from my lawyer that the registration of the trade name Ambos Mundos Restaurant is finally back under my name. The many years of disappointments left me unprepared to hear news favorable to my cause. More than twenty-two years after I filed a case to get back what has been wrongfully denied us, which is the very use of a trade/business name established and built by my family, it is back. The worse may be over but the real work of rebuilding is just beginning. 

The food business landscape is way different now from what it was twenty-two years ago. The Covid-19 pandemic has been brutal specifically to restaurants. With the steep decline in the number of dining customers, restaurants had to reinvent themselves to keep going. Take-out did not exactly fill the gap forced wide open by the behavioral shift of customers.

Food Delivery as a Way for Restaurants to Adapt 

With majority of the customers now choosing to stay or work at home, restaurants had to find a way to bring the food to them. Food Delivery is now a major factor in the restaurant survival equation. All too suddenly it seems, the question is no longer how cozy the ambiance or how popular the name is. From the unlimited food choices offered online, the customer's main question is "Do you deliver?"

Ambos Mundos Restaurant PH for Ambos Mundos Restaurant Food Delivery

As Ambos Mundos Restaurant rebuilds itself in the midst of the pandemic, a physical store may have to wait a little longer. Food Delivery via Ambos Mundos PH is here from now up to that time when the physical doors of the restaurant again open to welcome customers. For all we know, food delivery will remain necessary even after the pandemic.

My Say

We invite everyone to call us at 09683034729 for your orders. You can also order online via Ambos Mundos Restaurant PH. Rest assured that we are working hard to complete our menu list as soon as possible. This goes as well in our efforts to widen the scope of areas where we can deliver. We hope to serve you soon.

Of all personal battles we may find ourselves facing, a feud with a family member usually cuts the deepest. There are fights we can easily get over with or disregard. Such is not the case when we are fighting with family.

Image Credit

It is never easy to take on a fight, most especially if it is with a family member. That is why sorting out any difference before it becomes a full-blown feud is the most recommended path to take. It is not something you can start and then expect to be fixed whenever it is convenient. In the process of feuding, so many complications can make reconciliation almost impossible.

Feuding Between Family Members Cuts the Deepest

There are a number of reasons why feuding between family members hurt the most:

It is very personal

Fighting between family members is often very personal because each one knows the strengths and weaknesses of the other. Each will have private information on each other no other enemy can use. Sometimes, it doesn't even matter if it is only partly true when the main goal is to destroy the credibility of the other.

Every attack ricochets

Even among the bitterest enemies between family members, very few can claim not feeling the slightest remorse or pain when an attack causes actual pain in whatever form to the other. Being a member of one family means that there were roots of love planted somewhere that are not easily buried even with strong or even violent disagreements. Thus. every hurt inflicted tends to come back to the "inflicter".

There will always be collateral damage

A fight between family members may result to pain to people who are not directly related to the disagreement but are directly related to the "warring" parties. Children of fighting siblings may at the very least grow up not getting to know each other or carry on the fight to their generation to the next, at the very worst. These are unwilling victims who may have been swayed by the influence of their parents. 

My Say

It is sad to admit that I continue to be one of the parties to such kind of feud in my own family in the matter of fighting for my family's legal right to the trade name AMBOS MUNDOS RESTAURANT. It is a feud that was worsened by the misplaced interest of third parties with the end goal of robbing us of our rights. This is why there is no turning back for me even if it hurts, quite deeply in fact.

That said, I am all out for putting an end to all of this but not without justice being served. Not everybody will understand. Suffice it to say that if there was any way to settle this without putting my family on the losing end forever, I would have readily grabbed it, but alas there is no such thing in sight. 

No, this wasn't planned at all, spending Palm Sunday morning in the busy and crowded Quiapo Church that is. I easily get nauseous in crowded places and I would happily settle having my palm blessed in a church where there are less people. Actually, I have been doing exactly that for so many years now until I found myself in Quiapo last Palm Sunday. So I did the unthinkable (for me) and dove straight into the sea of palms held by sweaty hands like mine, enduring the heat inside the church to perform one of the Lenten traditions that I have known all my life.




No Stranger to Quiapo

If you are one of my regular readers, you would know I am no stranger to Quiapo. In fact, I spent a lot of time here because of our family restaurant Ambos Mundos Restaurant. But back then, I had my mother to assist me when I felt faint due to the heat and the crowd. Part of my prayer that Palm Sunday morning was for me to survive the one hour mass without making a spectacle of myself by fainting and it was granted.

The Feeling of Oneness

It might be my sentimental side running on full gear again because I felt that unmistakable feeling of oneness with the faithful who were hearing the mass that morning. These are people I do not know and would probably never know. I felt everyone's need to unburden their troubles just like me and saw it on their faces with eyes closed shut, intent on prayer.




Expression of Gratitude

"Ay salamat, salamat" (thank you, thank you)...these are the exact words uttered by an elderly woman beside me after being showered by holy water while the palms were being blessed. It is as if what we just went through freed her from her earthly anxieties and troubles. Her face showed her genuine happiness and I wondered just how good it must feel to be that way.

My Say

It is without fail that the Quiapo Church will always beckon to me to come in, regardless of the purpose I may have for coming to the place. Maybe because my family has hurdled a lot of troubles through prayers uttered inside this church...maybe because God knows one of the heaviest burdens I carry is associated with this place...or maybe because I simply need to rest my tired mind and exhausted body.

That said, I know God knows.

Stories of Christmas Past may bring joy or melancholy. Sometimes for me, I feel both at the same time, not really quite sure if I'd feel this way or that. But always never being able to totally avoid sentimental moments especially when I think of Ambos Mundos Restaurant and Christmas in the same breathe.

My parents at the height of Ambos Mundos Restaurant's popularity

Ghost of Christmas Past

Much like the character "Ghost of Christmas Past" from the popular novel "A Christmas Carol", my own Christmas Past stories will always come to haunt and taunt me at this time of the year, not because it was bad but precisely because it was so good that my heart would literally ache with the memories that now seem so far away. Life was a lot easier and simpler then. We had a family and we had Ambos Mundos safe in our family.

What Do You Eat for Noche Buena?

This is a question my friends would often ask me, wondering what else we would bother preparing with the assortment of food we can have daily in the restaurant. For our family, the Noche Buena fare would usually consist of rellenong bangus, chicken galantina, morcon, and pancit molo prepared with extra special ingredients by the Ambos Mundos Restaurant cook. My mother never failed to make her favorite laing which I remembered was so filled with shrimps that we would jokingly call it "shrimps with laing" instead of the other way around.

Since half of our life then was spent in Quiapo because of the location of our restaurant, we have been accustomed to buying and having the famous Excelente Ham as part of our Noche Buena.  Castanas or roasted chestnuts are a must have. From the time I was able to help around the house, it became my duty to make the Buko Salad. Mind you, my arms would literally ache with the effort as I had to fill a container so big similar to a witch's cauldron, but I never felt happier in my life. Why this big? Because we expect many guests during Christmas Day itself.

Where Do You Buy What You Wear?

This is another common question posed to me by my friends. Believe it or not, I was actually a fashionista during my younger days (LOL). My secret sources of fashion treasure then was the unknown ShoeMart located in front of Ambos Mundos Restaurant in Estero Cegado and The Good Earth Emporium in Avenida. Syvel's in Escolta was my ultimate favorite shoe store. ShoeMart is now more known of course as SM or the SM Malls while Good Earth and Syvel's faded from the scene in time.

The boys in our family preferred going to Cartimar and Zurbaran for their Christmas shopping. Before ShoeMart came to be, my mother and I would go to Divisoria to buy textile and have our Christmas dresses made by the neighborhood dressmaker or modista. Textile was actually a common gift given and received during those times and I still remember the smell of textile to this day as I waited for my mother to finish her shopping for several hours to give to relatives and customers. No complaints from me though as long as I get my favorite palabok and halo-halo after.

Christmas at Ambos Mundos Restaurant

Christmas Day is business as usual for Ambos Mundos Restaurant. Our family would hear mass either at Quiapo Church or Sta. Cruz Church which were both of walking distance from the restaurant. My father would take a quick look over the restaurant and then we're home bound to be ready for visiting relatives and friends. Sometimes, it wouldn't be as quick as we children hoped for as Christmas well-wishers to my father never seem to stop coming.

Christmas Day is one of the few days that my father would willingly leave Ambos Mundos Restaurant to be with us at home the rest of the day. Most of the time, he will just take a quick rest at home and it would be back to work for him. My father never failed to remind us that we have so much to be thankful for to Ambos Mundos. It took me some time to fully understand that. More than the material things my parents were able to provide through hard work and the food that was always there for the taking, there was the legacy of a family business name that made its mark on its own.

My Say

Thank you Ambos Mundos for being part of many of my past Christmases. Though I cannot help but feel sad at times because of the present situation, it can never be enough to erase the good memories as you took care of our family. You were actually part of the family.

That said, till we see each other again on some Christmas Day in the future...

How to destroy a good name like Ambos Mundos Restaurant...

I feel sick just writing about it but I would feel sicker if I don't. Reading the bad reviews about the restaurant in Sta. Cruz, Manila who dares call itself Ambos Mundos Restaurant makes me want to shout to the high heavens and ask why such travesty continues to go on and on. I am reminded by the popular biblical story about King Solomon and the two women claiming the same child as their own.

Two women came to King Solomon and stood before him. 

One woman (#1) said: "My Lord, this woman and I dwell in the same house, and I gave birth to a child while with her in the house. On the third day after I gave birth, she also gave birth. We live together; there is no outsider with us in the house; only the two of us were there. The son of this woman died during the night because she lay upon him. She arose during the night and took my son from my side while I was asleep, and lay him in her bosom, and her dead son she laid in my bosom. when I got up in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead! But when I observed him (later on) in the morning, I realized that he was not my son to whom I had given birth!"

The other woman (#2) replied: "It is not so! My son is the live one and your son is the dead one!" 

The first woman (#1) responded: "It is not so! Your son is the dead one and my son is the living one!" 

They argued before King Solomon.
King Solomon said: "this woman (#2) claims 'My son is the live one and your son is the dead one, 'and this woman (#1) claims 'Your son is the dead one and my son is the living one!"' 

King Solomon said, "Bring me a sword!" So they brought a sword before the King. The King said, "Cut the living child in two, and give half to one and half to the other" 

The woman (#2) turned to the King, because her compassion was aroused for her son, and said: "Please my Lord, give her the living child and do not kill it!" 

But the other woman (#1) said: "Neither mine nor yours shall he be. Cut!" 

The King spoke up and said: "Give her (#2) the living child, and do not kill it, for she is his mother!" All of Israel heard the judgment that the King had judged. They had great awe for the King, for they saw that the wisdom of God was within him to do justice. [I Melachim 3:16 - 27]. The woman was rightfully awarded custody of her son.
From Jewish Law Commentary

The wisdom of King Solomon was said to be acknowledged from the time of this account. He found his answer in the willingness of the false mother to have the baby cut in half, something which no real mother can allow to happen. In my version, the two contending mothers are represented by myself and the false claimant/s while the baby being fought over here is the AMBOS MUNDOS RESTAURANT name.

As the official registrant of the AMBOS MUNDOS RESTAURANT trademark which has long been attached to the Gaudinez Family, the responsibility of fighting for it falls squarely on my shoulders. Even then, I have always tried my best to keep the "fight" above board, based on facts, and within the parameters of law. I have always been careful to do this because it is very clear to me that the AMBOS MUNDOS RESTAURANT name is always at stake.

If I were to believe now the bad reviews that I had the recent misfortune to read, I cannot help ask myself why someone or an entity would stubbornly hold on to the name of AMBOS MUNDOS RESTAURANT and then allow it to be lambasted in public purportedly for falling way below the expected standards of paying customers. In direct analogy to King Solomon's story, I can't help but see the similarity between the false mother and the false claimant/s in my story. These false claimants refuse to give up their claim which has repeatedly been rebuked by legal institutions but appear to be willing to watch the AMBOS MUNDOS RESTAURANT name go down the drain.

I honestly do not know how this legal battle will end. I have been waiting for so long I sometimes wonder what would be needed to make that happen. Never the less, I am hoping that even if the false claimants succeed in reducing our family's beloved business name into tatters, we will be able to rise up and make it whole again.

How does one destroy a good name like AMBOS MUNDOS RESTAURANT? ...by lies, selfishness, and purposeful negligence. 

How does one rebuild a good name like AMBOS MUNDOS RESTAURANT? ...by truth, justice, and love.

My Say

It is my fervent hope that Ambos Mundos Restaurant customers will know the difference and will be able to differentiate and separate the real from the false.

That said, I will continue to do whatever is humanly possible to defend the Ambos Mundos Restaurant legacy, the rest I leave to God.

I got to thinking about the role that Ambos Mundos Restaurant played in Philippine culinary history when someone from a foundation related to a known restaurant emailed me as to the possibility of obtaining photographs of Ambos Mundos . They intended to use such photographs as part of an audio-visual presentation related to tracing the history of the Philippine culinary industry. This made me realize even more that Ambos Mundos Restaurant has indeed managed to carve its space in Philippine culinary history.

The Beginnings

The idea of putting up a restaurant that serves Filipino and Spanish dishes came from the mind of an unexpected source. A petite, unmarried lady from Bulacan by the name of Felisa de Leon thought that there was potential in serving dishes commonly enjoyed by the Filipino masses in a quick way. During that time, the term "fast-food" and the "tapsilog" variants probably haven't been coined yet but Ambos Mundos Restaurant was already at it. Of course, fast-food in our context means to be able to serve freshly-cooked food in minutes.

The Heydays

The atmosphere in the main restaurant in Estero Cegado and the other branch in Quiapo was quite relaxed and informal. The Ermita branch had a more "elite" feel. No matter, these three Ambos Mundos Restaurant establishments attracted and served popular movie stars as well as more private individuals and families. This was during the time of Jose "Nene" Gaudinez Jr. and his siblings, Luis and Carlos. It looked like it will go on and on.

The Forced Slumber

By some unexpected twists and maneuverings, the real Ambos Mundos Restaurant was pushed into a forced slumber while a pretender tries to capitalize on its name. People however do not easily forget the genuine taste and continue to look for it. It would seem that a popular business name under the hands of people with no real history in it is nothing. As the legitimate trademark holder up to this time, I, Maria Teresa Gaudinez fight on.

My Say

I am often tempted to give up the fight for Ambos Mundos Restaurant but I wonder why every time I grow weak in spirit, something will come up to remind me about my responsibility and so I fight on. I write articles like this just to serve as a constant reminder to the public not be misled. I do not gripe, I just lay down the facts as they are.

That said, today April 20 is the death anniversary of my father. This is the time when I get reminded the most why I should not give up. This day makes me remember more than ever that no one has the right to take away my family's right to the name AMBOS MUNDOS RESTAURANT.

I was set out to write my Valentine's Day post this morning and was trying to find some inspiration scrolling down my Facebook wall when my attention was caught by something.  It was a picture of a black boar tied in front of an establishment with a question pertaining to the oldest restaurant in the Philippines.  Without even looking at the title found on the accompanying link, I knew this has something to do with Ambos Mundos Restaurant.

The feeling came automatically.  It was a dull ache that came from the depths of my heart brought about by the years of denied justice and of seeing antagonists enjoying the upper hand for so many years now.  The issue of Ambos Mundos Restaurant remains a persisting heartache to me.

Not many people can understand how a business name can have such an effect on me.  I will not even try to make everybody understand because that is simply impossible.  A person needs to be "in" the situation or at least have experienced a similar situation in life to truly understand.

The article I saw contained the usual misinformation that many food bloggers have written about before most probably because of the information fed to them by the false claimants.  It was evident however that the writer was not in the know of the truth since it tried to give an objective review of her experience with the restaurant calling itself "Ambos Mundos".  I decided to set the record straight by leaving my comment on the article including the name of this blog so she can refer to my articles.

It was very good thing that the writer readily provided an addendum to her article to correct the wrong information contained in it.  It is a tribute to her credibility as a writer to present the other side of the story.  Her quick action calmed me knowing that there are people who are willing to air the "other truth".

My Say

Although it is not in my place to demand that food bloggers do not feature that restaurant representing itself as "Ambos Mundos", I would like to make an appeal for the exercise of prudent judgment in promoting an establishment that willfully encroaches on the rights of others. With minimal online research, writers are bound to come across my blog when searching for Ambos Mundos Restaurant.  

I do not expect everyone to know the true story but it will be here for anyone who wishes to understand. The articles featured in this blog about Ambos Mundos Restaurant contain verifiable links to government agencies that have handled our case and they are open to scrutiny by interested parties.  They are public documents uploaded online by said agencies.

That said, I know there is only one cure for this kind of persisting heartache and that is immediate justice.

Image: lifebridgeblog

The Replicas used in processions

Inside Quiapo Church

Outside Quiapo Church

Scene from the movie "Ratatouille"

Eating comfort food can bring us to scenes like the one depicted above where a very harsh food critic suddenly turns mushy and warm after eating a dish which reminded him of his mother's home--cooked ratatouille.  The first bite transported him to his childhood and brought comfort to his otherwise cold existence.  I have my own comfort food which is a dish I will always associate with our restaurant - Ambos Mundos Restaurant and a happy and secure childhood.

Comfort Food

Many people define comfort food as food that is easy to eat or rich in calories which in effect gives physical "comfort" to the body.  It is also defined as food often traditionally prepared which carries nostalgic or sentimental appeal to a person. The latter meaning refers to the psychological effects of food which is used either to increase positive feelings or relieve negative ones.


The willful consumption of comfort food is usually related to emotional stress.  A person undergoing extraordinary pressures may seek comfort in familiarity .  Seeking people for comfort such as siblings and parents may not always be possible because of distance or death but there will always be a way to find one's preferred comfort food.  Eating comfort food is also done during happy times as a way of connecting the past to present successes.

My Comfort Food

Growing up with my family operating Ambos Mundos Restaurant, I was fortunate to have access to most of the more popular Filipino and Spanish dishes at any time I wanted.  Among the many available dishes, I have set my heart and taste buds to one particular dish.  This is the Tortang Alimasag.


Torta in Spanish has different culinary meanings.  In Tagalog-speaking regions however, torta refers to a kind of omelette typically made of eggs, the chosen main ingredient such as ground meat, and minced onions as well as potatoes.  It would be easy to surmise therefore that my Tortang Alimasag makes use of crab meat as the main ingredient since alimasag refers to a sea crab.

The Memories Involved

During my childhood days, I would often watch the kitchen helpers and the waiters pick meat from freshly-cooked crabs to be used for the Tortang Alimasag.  It was usually done after the lunch time rush hour since these crabs will be set out in a row on tables.  This was probably the most relaxed time of the day in the restaurant since everybody were practically resting as they went about this task of picking crab meat.

Those who were doing the task will settle around the tables and proceed with their storytelling and bantering somewhat akin to a family sharing jokes with each other.  Sometimes I understood their stories, sometimes I didn't but this has not prevented me from sitting with them and joining the fray.  Looking back, these adults' tolerance of my childish presence was as much fun as waiting for the first batch of crab meat that will be used for my Tortang Alimasag.

My Say

With my father and most of the previous employees of Ambos Mundos Restaurant long gone, I still find myself looking back at those times when everything was a lot simpler than now.  There were no complicated conflicts and machination of personal interests.  It was living day in and day out, happy and contented after a day of honest work in spite of the occasional drama that life brings.    

Today, I cook my own Tortang Alimasag in the way I best remembered it during the Ambos Mundos days.  If someone were to ask me how, I probably wouldn't be able to describe it in words but my hands will know the way and my tongue will confirm it.  Every bite brings me back to a time when I felt so secure that absolutely no one and nothing can hurt me.

That said,   comfort food is not necessarily a form of escape but a way of remembering good times in the face of bad times or happy times.

Registrant: Maria Teresa S. Gaudinez Date of Registration: October 24, 2005 Date Filed: May 29,1997 Certificate of  Registration: 4-1997-121056 Trademark: Ambos Mundos Restaurant