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(Originally posted on June 10, 2016, “Iconic Pink’s Hot Dogs from Hollywood opens in Manila: A look at the food” by Vernice L. Tantuco on Rappler, https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/best-eats/136031-pinks-hot-dogs-manila-branch-opening)

MANILA, Philippines – For the first time since they opened in 1939, Pink’s Hot Dogs has opened its first branch outside the US, right here in Manila.

The branch, at Shangri-la The Fort, Bonifacio Global City, is a sit-down restaurant, but its interiors were made to look like a food stall, inspired by the first Pink’s that opened in Hollywood decades ago.

Customers can choose to sit at the picnic tables or head straight to the counter to get their hotdogs, fries, or burgers to go.

Originally, Pink’s was a hot dog stall opened up by Paul and Betty Pink.

Today, Pink’s Hot Dogs is managed by Paul and Betty’s family, Richard, Gloria, and Beverly Pink, and has many branches across America. It’s also frequented by famous celebrities – Kim Kardashian and Betty White have been spotted at Pink’s, it’s reportedly Brad Pitt’s favorite, and Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore at a Pink’s.

According to Walter Manzke, co-owner of LA’s Republique and Manila’s Wildflour and Farmacy, the Pinks approached him and asked about bringing Pink’s to the Philippines.

“It all started with a simple conversation, we met, started talking, and they told me they’ve always wanted to open in Asia and tried several times and it didn’t work out. And because of my connections here with [Wildflour co-owner Ana de Ocampo] – my sister-in-law – and Wildflour, we decided to go for it and bring it here,” he recounted to Rappler on June 10 before the restaurant opened.

We visited Pink’s Hot Dogs’ Manila branch on their opening day, Friday, June 10, and tried some of the hot dogs on their menu.

Pink’s is known for their signature chili cheese dog – The Hollywood Legend (P280)– topped with their famous chili, cheddar cheese, and chopped onions.

Underneath the East LA Street Dog’s (P280) mound of toppings – ketchup, mustard, mayo, grilled onions and peppers, and pico de gallo (tomato, onions, and fresh serranos) – is a hot dog wrapped in bacon.

Try the Buffalo Wing dog (P280) for something a little different – this one is topped with spicy wing sauce, crispy chicken skin, blue cheese, carrots, and celery.

For something with a kick, the Don’t Mess with Texas (P280) comes with pickled jalapeños, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, and coleslaw.

All of Pink’s Manila’s hot dogs come in buns baked in Wildflour. On the side, Pink’s offers home made fries (P130) and onion rings (P160) to go with their burgers and hot dogs.

Pink’s Manila also has an ice cream truck inside, offering some of Farmacy’s ice cream (P150 single scoop, P190 double scoop, P230 triple scoop).

(Originally posted on December 21, 2014, “Wildflour’s Farmacy Introduces Soda Fountain Concept to Metro Manila” by Gela Velasco and Pam Santos in Pepper.PH, www.pepper.ph/new-food-now-the-farmacy)

Not everyone’s childhood memories involve drinking from soda fountains or sharing milkshakes with friends like Archie’s gang, but fizzy soft drinks and American-style banana splits do hold a familiar taste and sense of nostalgia to some. Whenever we think of a 50’s diner, we remember red vinyl seating, cheap neon lights and most of all, tall clear flutes holding thick milkshakes or a bubbly concoction topped with ice cream. Thankfully the guys behind Wildflour have opened The Farmacy Ice Cream and Soda Fountain, which not only serves an array of traditional ice cream flavors but also those classic milkshake and soda favorites.

Enter the Farmacy’s narrow space and you’re instantly welcomed by the smell of fresh, homemade ingredients. Behind the bar is a medicine cabinet with a build that harks back to the days when sodas and ice creams were served in pharmacies during the Prohibition Era. “Soda fountains originated from pharmacies,” Allen Buhay elaborates. “It was part of the whole prohibition era, when alcohol would be hidden in the ice cream.” Although The Farmacy makes no promises about their ice cream or soda healing any ailments, the various comforting ice cream flavors, classic sundae combinations, and other sweet treats are sure to leave you feeling fuzzy inside. Their traditional ice cream flavors include chocolate, hazelnut, strawberry, pineapple, melon, blueberry, black sesame, and butter pecan, among others. They also have a quirky selection of flavors such as Moonshine, Lemon Curd with Blueberry Topping, and Gianduja.

“If you notice, our ice creams don’t offer any fancy or weird mixes,” owner Ana de Ocampo tells me. “When you taste it, you know exactly what it is. Everything we use here is from fresh fruit. We try to go away from the processed stuff,” Ana continues. The ice creams are not only healthier than the usual fare in supermarkets and fast food chains, but also made fresh daily. Ice cream batches are made daily in the store. We don’t have a commissary; it’s all done here.” Ana assures us.

Berry Float (PHP 255)

Take a spoonful of their Banana Split and your palate will be spoiled by the balanced sweetness of the strawberry and vanilla ice cream. The whipped cream isn’t too thick and adds a light texture to the scoops of ice cream underneath. If you want to indulge in chocolate, we suggest finishing off the Rocky Road Sundae. The Farmacy elevates a well-known combination by mixing chocolate ice cream with roasted almond, homemade marshmallows and shards of dark chocolate. The marshmallow wasn’t too sticky or thin and melted instantly in our mouths. The roasted almonds reminded us of almond roca, but served with the warmth of an in-house made treat.

Sundae

The ice cream’s balanced sweetness comes from using the fruit’s sugar. “Most of the sweetness is from the fruit,” Ana explains. “We try to stay as natural as possible. We don’t use (anything) artificial.” The same care and quality is assured in the rest of their offerings: “We don’t scrimp on ingredients. You’re served good chocolates. The hazelnut and pistachio provide the best taste for those ingredients.” Despite the concept being American in origin and in nature, other ice cream flavors are made from locally available fruits such as pineapple, guava, and watermelon. “These are flavors you don’t normally have in other places,” Ana says. Parents may find a sweet and effective way to introduce more fruit to their children’s diets.

Even their sodas are homemade and promise the full on taste of each fruit. You can drink up the fruity sweetness of melon, pineapple, vanilla, calamansi and even guava. The ice cream floats, such as the Very Berry Float (PHP 255) assaults your palate with the soda’s light spritz and the ice cream’s fruity goodness. One sip of the Very Berry Float immediately tickles your tongue with the blueberry soda, while treating you to the thickness of the strawberry ice cream. Other float options include classics like the Vanilla Coke Float and the Rootbeer Float. Customers are also free to mix and match their favorite ice creams and sodas according to their preferences.

The Farmacy isn’t just a place for families and friends to gather come brunch time. Late into the night and early into morning, you can sober up to an ice cream sandwich or have a little more alcohol with any of their Farmacy After Dark drinks, which include a Rum and Coke Float and Guiness and Vanilla Ice Cream. If ice creams are too sweet for your liking, dates are free to chill out a little over a cup of coffee or a thick, warm cup of Matcha Green Tea.

Whether you’re partying into the wee hours of the morning, craving for some old fashioned sundae, or feel like taking out the family on a Sunday, the Farmacy is sure to serve a treat. We can’t promise a longer life after you’re tempted to indulge in every ice cream, but you’ll have certainly lived fully after each try.