Filipinos have a unique palate. While some foreigners shy away from bold flavors and ingredients, Filipinos gravitate towards them. With a penchant for sweet, salty, and sour flavors, Filipinos have come up with unique combinations that are a mix of the two or three. While regional cooking is even more unique, these beloved pairings take centerstage as universally beloved.

In fact, these combinations are so renowned, that the Philippine Post Office has decided to honor them by creating stamps featuring such iconic duos. In time for Valentine’s Day 2025, the Philippine Post Office released a limited-edition collection of stamps featuring Filipino foods drawn in chibi-style art, performing traditional love customs to their perfect pair. In the stamps, you’ll see a cartoon tuyo (dried fish) serenading champorado (chocolate porridge) with a lovely harana (serenade), and pandesal (bread) proclaiming love for kape (coffee) via a poetry reading.

If these images are making your heart melt – and perhaps causing your mouth to water – then you’re not alone. Satisfy your cravings with these beloved food combos at these restaurants all around Metro Manila.

Kape & Pandesal

Nothing beats the classics. Kape at pandesal – effectively bread and coffee – is a local staple for a reason. It’s affordable, accessible, and easy to eat, even while on the go. Though pandesal finds its origins rooted during the Spanish colonization, it is a quintessential breakfast for many Filipinos, even to this day. Some of the best pandesal recipes are found in local panaderyas (bakeries), little family businesses that can be seen around every street corner.

Of course, if you’re looking to up the ante, then consider a leisurely breakfast at George & Onnie’s. A Wildflour restaurant that specializes in Filipino favorites, George & Onnie’s serves up an adobo pandesal that is both filling and flavorful. Bursting with delicious, flavored meat, the pandesal is soft, fluffy, and fragrant. This pairs well with the restaurant’s coffee menu. A purist might choose to stick to the classic hot brewed coffee, but sweet tooths may want to consider going for the eatery’s peanut butter hot chocolate. Either way, both are best enjoyed together during breakfast time.

Location: George & Onnie’s, G/F, World Plaza 4th Avenue, corner 31st Street, Taguig City 1634 

Puto & Dinuguan

Not everyone will understand the savory complexity of dinuguan. Known as pork blood stew, dinuguan is a hearty indulgence that is made of pork meat and or pork innards simmered in pig’s blood and vinegar. While some may find the recipe grotesque, it is in fact, delicious and demonstrates the resourcefulness of Filipinos. Many historians and chefs believe that the recipe came about due to necessity – those who could not afford choice cuts of meat found a way to cook what might ordinarily be thrown away.

Today, dinuguan is a proud favorite among many, and finds no taboo among locals. Paired with steamed rice cake, or puto, this flavorful combination provides diners with a unique contrast; the sweetness of the puto complements the richness of the dinuguan.

Those who wish to try it out for themselves can do so at Friends & Family, a local restaurant that dedicates itself to Filipino dishes. Located in BGC, Friends & Family imbibes a welcoming atmosphere that is reminiscent of Sunday afternoons spent with loved ones. Try their comforting dinuguan, which is served with two pieces of fluffy puto for a nostalgic throwback that you’re sure to cherish.

Location: Friends & Family, 7th Ave corner 30th Street Bonifacio High Street Central, Taguig City

Champorado & Tuyo

Another example of Filipinos’ love for sweet and salty is the unique combination of champorado and tuyo. Known as chocolate rice porridge, champorado finds its origins in Mexico’s champurrado, which is warm chocolate beverage made with corn flour. Because the country did not have an excess of corn flour, Filipinos substituted it with glutinous rice instead. This birthed champorado as we know it today.

Many diners like to pair champorado with fish, using dilis (anchovy) or tuyo (sundried fish) as a topping. This gives the dish an intriguing sweet-savory-salty combination that seems to tickle the palates of many. If you’re looking to try it yourself, we suggest heading to Flossom Kitchen + Café for a taste of this unique dish.

While many Filipino restaurants serve traditional champorado, Flossom adds a fun twist to the Pinoy classic by creating ube champorado. This flavorful, sweet dish is topped with swirls of yema, macapuno, and salted fish flakes. Each bite is a flavor explosion, with swirls of of sweet, savory, and salty goodness.

Location: Flossom Kitchen + Café, 187 N Averilla, San Juan City, 1500

Sorbetes & Monay

Summers in the Philippines can be brutal. It can get hot, sweaty, and uncomfortable. Everyone’s favorite respite? Ice cream! Specifically, sorbetes, a traditional Filipino ice cream that’s made from tropical fruits such as avocado and mango mixed with either coconut or carabao milk. The flavor of sorbetes is distinctly sweet, different from commercial ice creams in the market. While some people choose to have sorbetes on a wafer or sugar cone, Pinoys know that the best pairing is with bread. Some people like it on pandesal, while others prefer it with monay, a dense, sweet bread that is usually used to sandwich sorbetes.

If you’re looking for this classic combination, there really is no better source than your friendly, neighborhood sorbetero or ice cream man. Of course, we can also suggest you try Kalye Sorbetes, an ice cream shop that serves up delicious flavors in pints and gallons. Some of their top flavors include chocolate “Chocolocan” and corn “Corn-er Katipunan,” both of which are inspired by Manila locales.

Order from Kalye Sorbetes here.

To learn more about stamps from PHLPost, visit their website here.