The Hopia Challenge (Updated)
I am a hopia monster. I love hopia. Hopia and Coke, hopia and coffee, I’m happy. Put a hopia under 20 mattresses and I’ll know it’s there.
Starting today we shall attempt to answer one of the burning questions of the age: Which hopia is the best? Is it Ho-Land or Polland? Eng Bee Tin? My friend who grew up in Ongpin swears by Salazar. Or is it some other brilliant brand of this mung bean pastry?
There’s only one way to resolve this issue: Try them all!
Today’s contenders:
Ho-Land and Polland. As the spelling indicates, they have nothing to do with Amsterdam and Warsaw. Ho-Land Hopia & Bakery is on Yuchengco Street in Binondo while Polland is on Mayon Street in QC. Hey, near my old school.
As you can see from the photo, Ho-Land (L) has a thicker, flakier crust. Apart from being larger Polland (R) has a thin crust and its filling is more dense. Both are delicious, but Polland has a more intense mongo-ey taste.
The winner of this round: Polland Hopia. On Saturday my friends and I are going to Binondo for more taste tests. The things we do for science.
* * * * *
P.S. I usually wolf the entire pack of hopia so I don’t have to worry about storage. But this time I had a box of Polland left so I put it in the fridge last Sunday. Today I reheated two hopia in the oven toaster for 3 minutes. It tastes even better reheated!
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
July 19th, 2011 at 15:58
I’ve never tried these two, it’s always been Eng Bee Tin for me. But hmm, it’s easier to go to Mayon…
July 19th, 2011 at 16:37
I swear complete allegiance to Eng Bee Tin’s hopia ube.
July 19th, 2011 at 17:59
Is it true that the owners of Holland hopia and Pollan hopia are actually siblings who fought of the business until one of them have to branch out?
There’s another hopia brand that I love, but the name escapes me at the moment. The store is along A. Bonifacio Avenue in QC and we bring a box every time we visit my late grandma in Pampanga.
Eng Bee Tin is delish!
July 19th, 2011 at 18:26
I stumbled upon an unexpected taste discovery a few months ago– Ho-Land’s ube hopia is actually tastier and finer in texture than its mongo version. I don’t ordinarily like ube, but this was a revelation.
Yes, Polland’s mongo version has a more dense and compact filling, but it lacks the flaky crust that crumbles upon contact with one’s mouth, which, to me, is integral to hopia essence.
July 19th, 2011 at 18:26
*Polland
*fought over the business
July 19th, 2011 at 18:56
I prefer Ho-land’s flakier crust to Polland’s denser filling. The crust gives Hopia half its identity, distinguishing it more clearly from “Hopia Dice” than merely by shape.
Also, if Eng Bee Tin still rules.
July 19th, 2011 at 19:14
please try my #1 favorite,
Master Hopia in (dibidi-free) Quiapo;
it’s near the Church; map and address here:
http://spankyenriquez.blogspot.com/2010/10/krispy-kreme-of-hopia.html
July 19th, 2011 at 20:14
Eng Bee Tin is my bet. I love the original/plain hopia, but eng bee tin also has these… er, hybrids, like hopia with mochi, which my dad and brother love.
I also prefer my hopia with a slightly thicker/flakier crust, para hindi nakakaumay. I love hopia! :D
July 19th, 2011 at 21:18
For me, it’s a toss-up between Eng Bee Tin and Polland (they also have a branch in Escolta).
Pero minsan, trip ko rin ang Tipas Hopia. LOL.
July 19th, 2011 at 21:44
Eng Bee Tin has this seasonal product that’s a cross between a tikoy and hopia. Instead of the flaky crust the mongo filling is covered by a thin, lightly-sweetened layer of glutinous rice. It’s a must-try! :)
According to my dad, when the head chef / baker of Polland passed away a couple of years (or decades?) back, the quality of Polland hopia deteriorated significantly :/
July 19th, 2011 at 21:55
i love eng bee tin so much when i lived in singapore, i would ask any friend visiting home to buy me a dozen bags.
to my relief, when i moved to montreal, i discovered it’s sold here.
July 19th, 2011 at 23:13
Poli — Ayun Tipas hopia nga yung dinadala namin sa Lola ko dati hehehe :D
July 20th, 2011 at 00:00
Mas gusto ko rin ang hopia na may flaky crust, hirap lang kainin sa sasakyan kasi makalat. Salazar hopiang Monggo ang pinaka da best!
Hindi masarap hopiang baboy no?
July 20th, 2011 at 00:04
Goldilocks Hopia Mongo is also good!
July 20th, 2011 at 00:51
Master Hopia sa Quiapo ang pinakamasarap para sa akin.
July 20th, 2011 at 05:08
Wow, ganun kadami? Naglaway naman ako bigla sa post na to! Kaytagal kong naglaway sa isang post ha! Kailangan ma-experience ko tong Ho-Land, Polland, at Eng Bee Tin, bago sa pandinig ko eh. Seryoso!
July 20th, 2011 at 06:44
You chose Mongo over Pork! Great, now I’d find out where I could buy the best Mongo hopias (I HATE pork hopia) :D
I once bought a mongo hopia somewhere in divisoria that had a bigger diameter than the normal hopia and were thinner, almost like a Piaya, and they tasted great. I forgot where I bought them from though..
July 20th, 2011 at 07:35
agree 100% with those who like the flaky crust and the lighter taste and feel of Holland, which means I can eat several in one seating! Polland is too sweet, too dense/heavy.
July 20th, 2011 at 08:34
Tipas Hopia for me.
July 20th, 2011 at 09:25
gracianess: Oh yes, thank you for reminding me about Eng Bee Tin’s delicious hopia mutants. I especially love the mochipia, the mochi/hopia combination.
July 20th, 2011 at 10:27
i find eng bee tin too sweet.
July 20th, 2011 at 12:37
Most comments here talk about Eng Bee Tin. I guess the next match should be Eng Bee Tin vs Polland. My mom is also a hopia addict but despite the number and variety of hopias that she buys, none of them really stood out for me. But she is a Polland hopia regular.
July 20th, 2011 at 20:47
Waaaiiiit… Eng Bee Tin has MOCHI HOPIA????? And to think I just drove a friend nuts describing their pandan tikoy! (I think Eng Bee is probably the only “branded” hopia that we get here. Most bakeries here make the flaky-but-cheap hopia baboy made with lard.)
My brother, who lives in California, is obsessed with the hopia from La Fortuna*, which originally comes from Cebu. He loves their hopia mongo and tries to buy it whenever he can from their California store.
Then we went to Cebu, and he found out that the original La Fortuna store was right outside the gates of the Sto. Nino Church, facing the Cross of Magellan. So of course he had to go… and this was *after* the Christmas mass, kung kailan pa maraming tao doon! There was no way we could stand between him and all that fresh-baked hopia! Needless to say, their hopia was excellent.
*Not sure if we should put La Fortuna in this round of Hopia Wars, but I do think that they make excellent Hopia Hapon. NOM.
July 21st, 2011 at 00:52
Yeah! Hopia Wars!
Eng Bee Tin fan here. Love the Ube-Langka hopia.
Will there be a Tikoy Challenge too? I’d still vote for Eng Bee Tin.
Ay! Time for another trip to Binondo. Itinerary: Masuki, Eng Bee Tin, Dong Bei Dumplings, and then New Po-Heng Lumpia House! Nyarap! P:
July 21st, 2011 at 16:21
Hopia (meaning “good biscuit”) is somehow not called that way in Chinese countries – they’re often called a straightforward ‘mongo biscuit’ or literally ‘green bean biscuit’
Yes, I heard about that ‘disgruntled sibling’ story but I have yet to ask my good mother about that.
I personally prefer Holand, when you get it hot from the over in the store, the flaky crust complements the almost creamy warm mongo inside. Just perfect with a can of chilled Coke Zero.
Ube & pandan are Chang-ni Come Lately flavors. After a while, we all go back to plain old mongo.
July 21st, 2011 at 16:56
For the benefit of your loyal readers, I checked with my good mother and elderly cousin (who works in Binondo as VP of something).
My mom says Holand is the true hopia (green bean biscuit) and those Eng Bee Tin concoctions are just for the gustatory pleasures made for the ‘brown locals’ who don’t know better ;-) Ube, cassava, mocha, baboy, kamote? Hao khe pha! (aka Que Horror!)
As to that sibling story, reports of a family feud and that diamond encrusted jade opium pipe are greatly exaggerated.
July 21st, 2011 at 16:57
Eng Bee Tin, winner! The best hopia ever!
July 21st, 2011 at 17:03
Yes La Fortuna’s hopia taste good but my fave is the diced hopia.
July 21st, 2011 at 17:41
The only Hopia brand I can remember from the Philippines is Tipa’s from Tipa’s bakery — the one you’d see in almost every sari-sari store in the country.
July 21st, 2011 at 21:47
Poland Pork Hopia is the bestestestest.
July 22nd, 2011 at 15:55
While I enjoy those two once in a while, my hopia of choice is Ribbonettes aka Tipas Hopia. An entire pack you say? I can go through a box (20 pieces) in one sitting. he he he… glad to know one of my favorite writers is a hopia lover too. :-)
July 22nd, 2011 at 21:00
How can I forget Tipas hopia? There was a time when Tipas hopia was my daily breakfast, ka-partner ng kape. My mom would buy in bulk, both the monggo and ube varieties, and try as may I could not stop myself from going back to the kitchen and emptying out the box/es piece by piece.
Hopia Baboy is a little weird for me. Has anyone tried pineapple hopia? I loved it as a kid, but I can’t seem to find any now.