Let's eat, Pampanga!

By three in the afternoon, we were all tired and sleepy. But we still have three stops to find, and the best one - recommended by bloggers and restarateurs - is yet to come.

Our next stop is iconic and popular Razon's famous for their halo-halo. No surprise there, because we already know how their halo-halo tastes like. In the interest of pagtitipid and over-all kabusugan, the four of us shared one serving of halo-halo. Yes, only one. One by one, we trooped to the restaurant, lugging our heavy equipment behind us, and then called to the waitress,

"Ate, isa ngang halo-halo."

And then she waited. And she waited some more. Then finally she asked, scanning our faces.

"Isa lang po?" Hahahaha.





Now, for some pasalubong shopping at Pampanga's best. I got curious about their turones de casuy because Jeremy was excited about it. He said it really tasted good. I am a fan of turones but I have yet to find one more delicious than at Eurobake's. So I tried their version. I wasn't sure if you can eat the white wide wrapper that comes with the turones, but Jeremy said it can be eaten, and that it tastes like ostia. The wrapper hides the candied cashew nuts inside. I think I still like Eurobake's more traditional version better.



And now for the star of this food trip -- Everybody's Cafe.

Before embarking on this food trip, I read a review of this restaurant in Flavors magazine, and again on one or two blogs, when I searched in Google. And when the attendant in Susie's Cuisine heard that we are on a food trip, she suggested that we try Everybody's Cafe which serves exotic Pampanga cuisine. Jeremy was actually willing to try their crickets.

It was getting dark and some of cannot wait for the food trip to be over. But on we searched for the mythical Everybody's Cafe. And then we got there. And it all went downhill from there.

The interior looked clean, but it has that distinct hospital smell, which would have been forgiveable if you were in fact, in a hospital. Their exotic crickets come at a hefty price, P200 for a small plate of crickets, which do not look delectable at all. So we settled for their batute, fried frogs with fillings in their stomach.



I've eaten frog a lot of times - fried, tinola, sinampampalukan - but for the uninitiated, frog simply tastes a lot like chicken. I like it specially when it is crunchy. At home, we get these frogs for free, but here in Everybody's Cafe, they come at P80 per serving. We were expecting at least three frogs per serving, but no! Only one pregnant frog arrived. Kung di lang talagang sineseryoso namin tong food trip na to, gusto na namin sabihin, are you effin' kidding me?

Good thing we still have one more stop before we call it a night. Nathaniel's. Yey!







Whew!!! Til next time!

Pampanga: A Taste Of the World (2 of 3)

From unpretentious, in-your-face sisig care of Aling Lucing's, we proceed to have lunch and coffee in cozy C. On a similar food trip to Pampanga, I remember a friend saying that before Yellow Cab's Dear Darla Pizza, there was C's panizza. We got a plate of Stefano Panizza, for a hefty P555.00, but I tell you, it is worth it. First they served bread (which was on the house), which you have to dip in olive oil with basil leaves chopped into tiny, tiny, tiny pieces.







(Ronna and Anie, here goes!)
Then came the Stefano Panizza, with plain cheese, parmesan, garlic and fresh rosemary which you stuff with green things that look a lot like pechay and togue hahaha (they're arugula and alfalfa sprouts). Initially, we didn't know what the greens are for, but of course, Jeremy Bourdain knew how to eat the Panizza properly (:p). It was amazing that Chef Chris Locher who owns the place was there to greet all of the guests.





We also had fun reading the messages written on plates by famous guests, and we were wondering why we did not get one. (Sikat ka, teh? I particularly liked this one, by Ryan Cayabyab.



Then on to Mexico! Kidding!

It would have been nice if our next stop, Zapata's, which boasts of Mexican food was actually in Mexico, Pampanga, but it is not. And we had a bit of a difficulty finding the place. We made a turn somewhere and thought that Zapata's was the place were many parked vehicles were, but it turned out to be just a vulcanizing shop. Kaya naman pala,Zapata's transferred to another location farther away from C.



Their doors seemed to come straight from a cowboy movie. The place was cute and Anie immediately found these cute costumes which we all wore.



We ordered nachos and virgin margarita and daiquiri, if only to keep the waitresses from throwing us out, after our photoshoot with their costumes on.



Virgin Daiquiri.

By now, we were so full we can't bear to think about food anymore, but to keep our integrity intact, we have to go on.

On the the next stop, Razons'.###

Next Stop: Pampanga (1st of 3)

Google "Pampanga" and "food" and you'll surely have more hits than when you google "Bulacan" and "food." If only for this reason, we thought our food trip in Pampanga would be more exciting, the food choices more diverse, the cuisine more dynamic.

So one sleepy Saturday, Jeremy, Anie, and I met up for another food trip, this time, in neighboring Pampanga. We fetched Ronna from Guiguinto and by 10:30, we were still on the road looking for our first stop, Susie's Cuisine. It was a bit difficult to find. I was so hungry that I kidded, "eh kung mag-drive thru na lang kaya tayo?" After a few wrong turns, we finally found it. Susie's!

We were the only patrons. Susie's Cuisine is famous for their Tibok-Tibok, a native delicacy with a consistency resembling that of maja blanca, and made with carabao's milk and topped with latik, but because we were so hungry, we had to order something more filling. Jeremy, Anie and I tried their palabok while Ronna got puto and dinuguan.






The palabok definitely looks tempting. It is actually delicious, except for the not-so-crunchy chicharon toppings, but their Tibok-Tibok (P20 per slice) is heavenly, and if only for that, we forgave them for everything else.



Pasalubong

Wow Kasuy

Next stop, the Sisig Queen, Aling Lucing's! It was unfortunate that the sisig queen, Lucia Cunanan, died in 2008, we would have wanted to interview her. I am sure Anthony Bourdain would have wanted to see her, too. Bourdain sampled Pampanga's most famous food, sisig, when he was in the Philippines early this year.

Cute signage

Jeremy Bourdain meets Anthony Bourdain meets Aling Lucing

Foodies cum photographers Jeremy and Anie

I heart Sisig
I liked their sisig, the meat is soft and juicy, not crunchy, as other adaptations tend to be. It was presented simply, no embellishments like eggs or mayonnaise that alter the taste of sisig. I wonder what Anthony Bourdain had to say about this dish.###

Coming up: A Taste of The World: Italy and Mexico in Pampanga

Excessorize

My 2010 is marked by over self-indulgence.

In the beginning of the year, I was so sick that I used up almost all my leave credits. I was absent from work for months at a time.

On days that I was strong enough to go out of the house, I would indluge in expensive lunches and dinners, thinking that the more I spend on food, the better I would feel.

And then there was my obsession over thrifting. I would scour the ukay shops in the vicinity of Cubao, Kamuning, Anonas for everything from cute skirts to jackets to trench coats, to boyfriend blazers, to dresses which are not exactly wearable, then I would have these stuff altered just so they would fit me.

And then the magazines. I bought all the current issues of Preview, then the back issues. Then I bought all the back issues of Yummy available in Filbar.

Then there was the issue of groceries. There came I point when I was at the grocery shop every day for, like, a month. Then I would cook elaborate dinners like spaghetti or Pad Thai noodles for my housemates.

And then there was the shoes. Oh, yes, I bought shoes that I would wear once, decide that I hate them and then give them away.

In short, I wasted a LOT of money this year.

And so, dear friends, if you are reading this, I want you to know that for Christmas, I would be giving away stuff I already have on hand right now. Don't worry, the stuff I'll be giving away are nice, and clean. I obsessively clean them, especially the stuff I bought from ukay.

Yun lang. Hehe. ###

Stagnant

I've stagnated. I've stopped studying, and I think I've stopped learning. I don't write as much as I want to, and as well as I used to.

And I have been shooting for a few years now but still haven't graduated from taking photos of flowers.







Kinda reminds me of a quote forwarded by a friend.

1. If you do not go after what you want, you will never have it;
2. If you don't ask, the answer will always be no;
3. If you do not step forward, you'll always be in the same place.

I heart Bulacan: Bulacan Food Trip (Last of Two Parts)

I really had a hard time writing this entry mainly because I get hungry each time I look at pictures of food.

1. Rosalie’s Suman with Pinipig and Buko, in Marilao, Bulacan. Now this is the reason I suggested the food trip to Jeremy in the first place. Rosalie's in Marilao is a bit out of the way, unless you have a car and/or you are going to the Divine Mercy Shrine in Marilao. I have tried their ube macapuno and espasol and they were delicious but their bestseller is their suman with pinipig and buko. Their suman is not that soft, it is actually a bit makunat. It is neither too sweet nor too bland, as other varieties of suman tend to be.

Rosalie's Specialty



Suman Yakap

Then there are their other products. Rosalie's is actually a bit of a wonderland of sweets. I would have loved to buy a bit of everything - pichi-pichi in all its glorious variations, rice cakes, bottled macapuno, ube, puto, kutsinta, sapin-sapin, bibingka, biko. They even have lengua de gato, jams, and chicharon. Choosing Rosalie's as our first destination definitely put us in a good eating mood.







2. Bulalo Republic’s (wait for it, wait for it) Bulalo, in Pulilan, Bulacan. Bulalo Republic was formerly known as (scans through notes) Bahay-Bahayan, Kainan Sa Ilalim ng Manggahan. Good thing, owner Bobet Caraballos thought of renaming the place Bulalo Republic which has better recall. It seems that the owner is not the only one with good marketing sense. Even our server Malou Vizconde, who was wearing a nurse's uniform, fed us with much-needed information about the place.

"Well, hello, sebo!"

Soy sauce, calamansi and chili - perfect condiment for bulalo

Their servers are garbed in uniforms from different professions.Makes the dining experience a lot of fun!

3. Francia’s Puto Saluysoy, in Meycauayan, Bulacan. Ok sana dito sa Francia's, when we arrived, we saw rows of colorful boxes and puto fresh from the oven packed into the colorful boxes, but the lady tending the store was a bit unaccommodating, a bit dismissive, that we were discouraged from asking too many questions. We just bought a box of puto and left. Now the puto itself is another story. It is soft to the bite, made interesting by the bit of itlog na pula on top. We did not get to sample their puto pao, which looked delicious too.

Puto Saluysoy

Barquillos

Hello legs!

Beautiful couple, Anie and Jeremy

4. Aling Susan's Isaw Manok. Anie and Jeremy wanted badly to drop by Paborito, a restaurant that also sells gizzards and innards, but it was still closed when we passed by the place on our way to San Miguel. On our way back, it was raining so hard that we had to settle for this isaw place Anie recommended. Anie swore that she had been eating here since her high school days. Secret na lang kung kelan nagstart magtinda si Aling Susan. Hehe:))

This isaw is chunkier than most, it looks clean, and tastes clean.


5. Citang's, Lugaw, Tokwa't, Baboy, in Malolos, Bulacan. I can feel the couple's excitement about Citang's on our way to this eatery. Citang's has been around since 1970, and it stands beside the Sta. Isabel Church in Malolos. I also felt the couple's disappointment as we devoured our orders. The LTB they remember and loved has crunchy tofu and richer, more flavorful porridge. But the pansit palabok looks tempting and they also sell native delicacies.

Lugaw

Tokwa't Baboy

Whew! Solved!

Thanks Jeremy and Anie! More food trips to plan. Woohoo!!!

Pampanga...###

I heart Bulacan: Bulacan Road Trip (First of Two Parts)

People were asking why we did it, and I say, why not? We’ve tried food-tripping in other places, why not do it in our own beloved province – Bulacan?

I initially just wanted to go back to Rosalie’s in Marilao because I loved their ube macapuno and I wanted to try their other delicacies, and maybe have bulalo for lunch at Consoling’s in Bocaue, and then drop by Eurobake in Guiguinto to buy inipit as pasalubong, but Jeremy Bourdain had another idea. If we are to go food tripping in Bulacan, we have to take it seriously, because our integrity is at stake.

We tried to cover as many towns as possible but due to time constraints, the traffic and the weather, we managed to try the specialty in only 12 towns, namely, Marilao, Meycauayan, Guiguinto, Malolos City, Paombong, Hagonoy, Pulilan, Baliuag, San Miguel, San Ildefonso, Plaridel, and Sta. Maria. Not bad for a 12-hour food slash road trip. Note that for this particular trip, we limited ourselves to tasting one product per town.

So here is a list of some of the finest food to try when in Bulacan (in no particular order).

1. Sevilla’s Pastillas de Leche in San Miguel, Bulacan. Who knew sugar and carabao's milk can taste so heavenly? These goodies literally melt in your mouth and make the trip to faraway San Miguel worth it. They also have macapuno mix packed in microwavables so one can enjoy a spoonful of pastillas anytime. They also have pastillas yema, pastillas de langka and pastillas de queso. A pack of 24 pastillas costs Php50.

Pastillas de Leche

Their other products look delectable too.
Macapuno Balls

Espasol

2. Eurobake’s Inipit, in Guiguinto, Bulacan. I've written about Eurobake's specialty for a feature-writing class in college. This pastry with custard in the middle has become a bit pricey, but a trip to Bulacan would not be complete without tasting this fare. The inipit bunso pack costs Php126. My favorite product from this store, though, is their turones de mani.

Inipit

Eurobake's products

3. Minia’s Seafood Special, in Hagonoy, Bulacan. We came to eat seafood in Hagonoy and we had low expectations when we saw the dishes in Minia's. No seafood in sight. But a fellow photographer confirmed that they do serve seafood in Minia's and so we ordered their Seafood Special (Php240 per order). We didn't know what to expect, and our hopes were kinda low as we waited for the food.

Imagine our surprise when we tasted our dish. Ours was an assortment of seafood - mussels, prawns, bits of crab cooked in coconut milk and served on a hot plate. The seafood tasted fresh and the coconut milk tasted just right, its richness was tempered by the taste of celery.

The dish does not only taste great, it looks perfect, too!





4. Sukang Sasa in Paombong, Bulacan. We planned to buy suka first, then chicharon in Sta Maria later. We were already in Paombong and we were asking, "where's the vinegar?" and we passed by stall after stall of vinegar stored in recycled softdrink bottles - not exactly what we had in mind. Then we saw Aling Florentina Clemente's row of earthen jars in front of her house. Jackpot! Also, she readily answered our questions and gamely posed for the cameras.

Sukang Paombong is thicker than the usual commercial vinegar, its flavor more intense.







5. Dolores’s Chicharon, Sta. Maria, Bulacan. Now we cheated on this part of the trip. Because Dolores's was just after Bocaue Exit and the traffic was horrendous, we were forced to take the Marilao Exit (I would have loved a second go at Rosalie's!) and we ended up in the town proper of Sta. Maria. We looked for chicharon, any chicharon, and we found some beside the church. Not the best chicharon in town, but still delicious. I think chicharon is a lot like love, it makes your heart skip a beat - literally.





Coming up: I heart Bulacan: Part Two.###