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.###

Speechless

I am wont to obsess about all sorts of things. Last week, I felt that I have to have this perfume that reminds me of an old friend, then I went to Gateway and bought a bottle. Then I went home, and read the review in my book "Perfumes". The author said that the perfume smells like a faded memory. How apt!

I borrowed E's Lady Gaga album, and I went gaga over this song. I'm playing it over and over and over now.

I can’t believe what you said to me
Last night when we were alone
You threw your hands up
Baby you gave up, you gave up

I can’t believe how you looked at me
With your James Dean glossy eyes
In your tight jeans with your long hair
And your cigarette stained lies

Could we fix you if you broke?
And is your punch line just a joke?

I’ll never talk again
Oh boy you’ve left me speechless
You’ve left me speechless, so speechless
I’ll never love again,
Oh friend you’ve left me speechless
You’ve left me speechless, so speechless

I can’t believe how you slurred at me
With your half wired broken jaw
You popped my heart seams
On my bubble dreams, bubble dreams

I can’t believe how you looked at me
With your Johnnie Walker eyes
He’s gonna get you and after he’s through
There’s gonna be no love left to rye

And I know that it’s complicated
But I’m a loser in love
So baby raise a glass to mend
All the broken hearts
Of all my wrecked up friends

And after all the drinks and bars that we’ve been to
Would you give it all up?
Could I give it all up for you?

And after all the boys and the girls that we’ve been through
Would you give it all up?
Could you give it all up?

If I promise to you boy
That I’ll never talk again
And I’ll never love again
I’ll never write a song
Won’t even sing along

I’ll never love again
So speechless
You left me speechless, so speechless
Why you so speechless, so speechless?

Will you ever talk again?
Oh boy, why you so speechless?
You’ve left me speechless

Some men may follow me
But you choose “death and company”
Why you so speechless? Oh oh oh###