Cartimar: A Pasay Local's Guide to Shopping and Dining

(SPOT.ph) One does not simply walk into Cartimar. For one, you don’t just stumble upon it: this shopping center is tucked just out of sight from Taft Avenue in Pasay. For another: the majority of its stores and stalls close long before the sun even sets. Lastly: if you don’t own a pet or want to buy a bicycle, is there even a reason to go?

Ask any Pasay local nearby (see: the writer of this article, who has lived a five-minute walk away from Cartimar for 20 years), and the answer would be an enthusiastic yes. Many know Cartimar Shopping Center as just a one-stop shop for pets, bicycles, and “Class A” sneakers, but it’s actually a one stop shop for nearly everything—as it was always meant to be.

Cartimar has always been a one-stop shop for everything. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

A brief history of Cartimar

Long before we Filipinos discovered our obsession with air-conditioned malls that have got it all for you, Cartimar was already drawing shoppers. It was opened in the late 1950s by the Oppen family and was managed by Ernesto Oppen, who named it after his parents-in-law Carlos and Timotea Cuyugan as well as his wife Margarita. Soon enough, the hundreds of stores over its 2.5 hectares would create the trendiest shopping mecca not just for fresh produce, but for all things imported: from designer jeans and shoes to perfumes and chocolates.

Then. PHOTO BY Manila Chronicle, Courtesy of Alex Del Rosario Castro

And now. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

This shopping center’s heyday may be long past—but in an age where convenience is king, Cartimar comfortably carries on with nonchalant, business-as-usual defiance. Because it’s more than just pets and bicycles: it’s the go-to spot for Manila’s restaurateurs (there’s plenty of stores for ramen ingredients, for one), and home to a downright bizarre variety of hidden gems that make zero sense next to a wet market, but somehow still thrive. These include a third wave cafe, a very good Hong Kong roast restaurant, and an airsoft gun shop that’s been the go-to for the Batang Quiapo props guys no less.

Where Manila went when looking for something ‘stateside’—from designer jeans to perfumes. PHOTO BY Manila Chronicle, Courtesy of Alex Del Rosario Castro

To those unacquainted with the mysteries of Cartimar Shopping Center, here is a Pasay local’s guide to all its lesser-known spots and activities that you can check out—all in one morning. (Seriously: don’t bother coming past 2:00 p.m.)

Dining and shopping spots to check out at Cartimar:

1. Taste Tionghwa’s famous chilled taho

The viral star of Tionghwa. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

There is chilled taho, and then there is Tionghwa, which has amassed a passionate cult following over the last 20 years. Officially, Tionghwa is a purveyor of soy and Chinese specialty products, but many will know it best for its generous bowls of chilled taho that you can get for as low as P70. Picture this: a heaping bowl of ultra-fresh chilled silken tofu, lightly sweet (and unlimited!) arnibal sauce, with toppings ranging from not-so-average black and white sago to the more exciting mango, ube cubes, barley, and lotus seeds.

Pro tip: if you’re hungry, dine in for more generous servings of that taho (and grab their siopao while you’re at it!).

2. Explore the Japanese and Korean groceries

One of the ramen supply stores in the center. PHOTO BY Jerome Gomez

Rumor has it that all the good Japanese and Korean restaurants in Makati actually do their shopping in Cartimar. No one would be shocked, with the surprising number of Asian groceries all offering sweet deals on authentic products—from miso paste and dashi to ramyeon and homemade kimchi—all in one place. You’ll find many local Japanese and Koreans shopping at the largest of these groceries along Cartimar Avenue. Head to Asuka, New Hatchin, and Darumaya for all your Japanese needs, or to Masan Grocery for all things Korean. (If you can’t wait to eat, Masan actually owns a restaurant in this stretch called Masita with a mean galbijjim and samgyetang.)

Pro tip: For those craving ramen but not the price tag that comes with most bowls, you can also find standalone ramen supply shops like Yasaka and Ramen Pro Shop offering freshly-made noodles, sauces, and broth! Just put them all together when you get home.

3. Spot hard-to-find ingredients at the Wet Market

Quite possibly the most orderly palengke in the city. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

While hitting up a palengke may not be high on everyone’s list of fun activities, Cartimar’s wet market (easily one of the cleanest you’ll find this side of the Metro) is actually a great place to score great deals on ingredients you wouldn’t find at your usual supermarket—even those like green eggplants, fresh bamboo shoots, and snails. Get there before 8:00 a.m., and you’ll be rubbing shoulders with actual restaurant owners in the vibrant hustle.

What veggies look like at the wet market. PHOTO BY Jerome Gomez

Pro tip: Deep into the wet market, you’ll also find a Korean meat shop called Dong Won (sisters with restaurant Dong Won Garden in Jupiter Street, Makati) selling quality cuts of samgyeopsal and woo-samgyeop as well!

4. Cool down at Blue Wonder Coffee

Blue Wonder Coffee is a place for perking up and shopping, too. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

Let’s be real: no one expects to find a Korean third wave coffee shop not even a full minute’s walk away from a palengke—except that’s exactly where you’ll find hidden cafe and coffee roaster Blue Wonder Coffee. Here, you’ll be able to shop from their barrels of single-origin beans and coffee-making equipment, as well as sip on best hits like their Blue Wonder Cream Mocha (P165).

The coffee is strong, and that cream puff? Not bad at all. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

While you’re sipping your drink or trying their homemade pastries, take the time to cool down and admire shelves upon shelves of gear and their complete setup: including a grinder, a roaster, a sleek espresso machine, and what is easily the strongest air-conditioning within a kilometer radius.

Blue Wonder Coffee & Bean Roastery is located at Stall #98-101, 113-115, Cartimar Main Building, Cartimar Ave., Pasay City. Open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.. To learn more, visit Blue Wonder Coffee on Facebook.

5. Check out the airsoft guns at Vincent’s Hobby Shop

Where Tanggol and the gang get their props . PHOTO BY Jason Tan

If you happen to hear gunfire inside Cartimar’s Shopping Center, don’t panic: it’s just Vincent’s Hobby Shop (which you may know from its branches in Makati Cinema Square, Festival Mall, and Farmer’s Plaza Cubao). A treasure trove of airsoft equipment, gun accessories, and tactical gear, this shop definitely sticks out among rows of stores peddling sports shoes and overruns. Step inside and you’ll find a small space completely packed with airsoft guns and rifles of different makes and shapes—and if you’re lucky, you may even catch one of the store staff quality-testing them on a small makeshift target!

Fun fact: According to one of the store assistants, Vincent’s Hobby Shop supplies the airsoft guns used as props for teleserye Batang Quiapo.

Vincent’s Hobby Shop is located at Unit D16-17, Cartimar Administration Building, Cartimar Avenue, Pasay City. Open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

6. Get your green thumb on at the Garden Center

The greenest part of Cartimar. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

Plantitas and plantitos who’d rather not drive to Quezon Memorial Circle or Tagaytay to get their green thumbs on beautiful blooms and potted plants will not leave Cartimar empty-handed. Located behind rows of pet stores, the Garden Center deserves more attention and warrants more than a few snaps for the ‘Gram. It doesn’t stop at your usual snake plants and ferns: there are shops dedicated to growing elegant orchids, knotted and woven lucky bamboo, cacti and succulents of all shapes and sizes, as well as your more practical fruits, vegetables and herbs (as well as all the pots, soil, fertilizer, and tools you’ll need to keep them healthy).

Pro tip: Don’t be afraid to chat up the owners. They’ll be more than happy to tell you everything from how often to water the plants to how much sunlight each should get!

7. Go for a low-budget aquarium experience at the goldfish market

The alley lined with pet fish stores is also a cool place to chill. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

You don’t need money to see beautiful fish up close, just a sharp eye to spot the opening of a small alley right by Cartimar’s Garden Center. Located further away from the main Pet Plaza and its focus on four-legged companions, this space is completely lined with tanks of fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors. That includes bright orange clownfish, huge arowana, delicate angel fish, vibrant parrotfish and koi, and even some rays. Many of the tanks are temperature-controlled—meaning that it’s also not a bad place to cool down from the heat outside!

8. Enjoy authentic Hong Kong roast duck and more at Onn Kee

Pasay has a lot of good Chinese restaurants, so it’s not surprising to find one at the Cartimar Arcade. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

This is the one place in Cartimar that could truly be called a hidden gem, considering that it’s extremely unlikely someone would ever stumble upon it by accident. Enter Cartimar Arcade, look for red lights, and follow them all the way to the end, where you can taste roasted duck, pork belly, and charsiu that puts up an explosive fight against the traditional roasts you’d see in Hong Kong. And it’s no wonder, considering it’s run by two Chinese chefs, and one of them is Wing Ki Choi (formerly behind New World Makati’s Li Li Restaurant).

The rice-topping set. PHOTO BY Jason Tan

Pro tip: Bring cash. Onn Kee doesn’t accept cards—and while it does have GCash, it’s located so deep into the building that you won’t have the cell signal to actually pay.

Onn Kee Roast Duck House is located at Cartimar Commercial Arcade and suites, 1304 Leveriza Street, Pasay. Open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information, visit Onn Kee Roast Duck House’s Facebook.