Viajeng Cusinang Matua - A Capampangan Food Trip Pt 2

This is the second part of my account of our Viajeng Cusinang Matua tour which brought us to the old kitchens of Pampanga.  You may read the first part here.

From Mexico, we went to Arayat for mid morning merienda.  We went to an eatery called Kabigting's which is known for its version of everybody's favorite summer snack - the halohalo.

The place was rather small and could fit about three to four tables.  The owner was there and told us that we should have gone to their branch in a mall in another city.  But of course Tracey, our guide wanted to show us where the business started.

What made their halohalo different were its ingredients.  The usual halohalo has a lot of contents like sweetened bananas, camote, beans, etc.  Their version has only three ingredients: pastillas made from carabao milk, the halayang white beans and sweet corn.  These were then combined with the usual ice and fresh milk.

Once you have mixed the concoction, the entire thing thickens, thanks to the pastillas.  The result was a really thick, sweet cold treat perfect for the heat that morning.  I just wish the staff were a lot friendlier because everyone seemed to be unhappy while we were there.  They just passed us by with out even a glance.  Finally a male staff member offered us drinking water to wash down the stuff we've just consumed.

From here, we did some pasalubong shopping.  I now think that it was placed on our schedule to give our tummies a break before we set out for our lunch.  The halohalo was quite heavy thanks to the pastillas and beans.

Lunch was at Everybody's Cafe in San Fernando City.  The restaurant was built in the 1950s and the structure sure looked like a 1950s building.  It was called Everybody's Cafe because at the time, just about anybody would go there to eat, including the American servicemen who were stationed at the Clark Air Base.  The cafe has turned into a landmark and a place to get authentic Capampangan cuisine.

They're well known for their stuffed betute or frogs.  Unfortunately, it is off season for frogs when we went there so we didn't get to taste the frogs.  Too bad because I was so looking forward to trying this exotic dish,  I've tried deep fried frog legs before though.

Their other specialty is the camaro salad.  It's main ingredient is cricket but unlike in other eateries, the legs and wings of the insects were removed by the staff during their free time.  What's left were the soft parts of the torso which was dried to crunchiness  I didn't get to take a picture of the dish because it was gone in an instant.  I have to admit that it was quite tasty and refreshing.  Unfortunately, the cricket population in the province has been dwindling due to the industrial development there.  

We also ordered their other specialty, the morcon baked with chorizos and quezo de bola.  It's so creamy with the melt in your mouth feel.  It should be eaten with it's own drippings which you have to mix with your rice.  But it looks like an embutido, though.

So what is a meal of Capampangan cuisine without the all-time favorite dish? Yup, I am referring to sisig!  We were told however that Everybody's  Cafe serves pork sisig the native way or not the sizzling sisig we all know.  It turns out that sisig is a method of cooking, not the name of the dish much like nilaga or paksiw.  So you have a sisig chicken, fish, etc.  The sizzling sisig is an innovation and it was a big hit, especially for beer drinkers.  The sisig we had looked like and tasted like another favorite, the tokwa't baboy but this one does not have the tokwa/tofu.

After having lunch, we were met by the owner of the business.  Actually Poch Jarolan is already the third generation owner and he showed us a mural inside the conference room.  The painting depicts major events in the history of the Philippines.  According to Poch, it was his father who commissioned a local painter to do the job in 1967.  It was repainted in 1979.  

The original painter happened to be someone who also make billboards for movies before there was the technology to print them.  So many of the historical figures in the mural bore resemblance to movie stars in the period.  We had fun identifying who looked like whom.  Try it for yourself from the pictures below.

We bid Everybody's Cafe goodbye and proceeded to our next stop in Lubao, which was some 45 minutes away.  We took the travel time to relax and snooze.

Viajeng Cusinang Matua - A Capampangan Food Trip Pt. 1

My officemates and I recently took the Viajeng Cusinang Matua tour, a day trip to the old kitchens of Pampanga. Our guide, Tracey Santiago, who also operates the tour told us that we will be served traditional Capampangan food whose recipes were handed down from generation to generation.

Our first stop was at the Kusina ni Atching Lilian Borromeo in Mexico, Pampanga where we had our breakfast.   Atching Lilian (atching is a local honorific word for an older sister) is a food historian who has her own cook show on cable TV in Central Luzon.

She explained to us that Capampangan homes usually have a big kitchen because they love the cook.  She then told us what we were having for breakfast that morning.  Although some of the food looked familiar, Atching Lilian explained what gave these dishes the Capampangan treatment.

For example, the tidtad which is actually dinuguan. Their version was not as thick as what I am used with and the pig's blood was more solid.

My favorite in the lot is the kilayin.  It tasted like lechon paksiw but more sour and less sweet taste.

There's also the pisto, which Atching Lilian explained other families usually prepare using left over meat.  Her family's recipe uses fresh meat and also they added carrots and tomatoes.

There were also the chicken embutido.  We also tried the tocino and longganiza made of carabao beef that's why they were called tocino and longganiza damulag. Carabaos are called damulag in Pampanga.

For dessert, we were given the tejadang camatis or candied tomatoes.  They're sweet and the texture of the tomatoes was a little gummy.  Atching Lilian explained that they used three varieties of tomatoes for this: the red, green and purple.  She also gave us her secret how to keep the natural color of the tomatoes even when cooked: copper pans.  In fact she showed us a copper pan that she got from her grandmother and estimated to be more than a hundred years old.  It was also quite heavy.  But since such pans are rare now, she said that we could just put a copper coin in while cooking and the effect would still be the same.

After the main course, we had some tsokolate baterol and tamales.

After having our meal, Atching Lilian demonstrated to us how they make the San Nicolas cookies.  She said that the recipe calls for 6 egg yolks, some flour and water.  The resulting dough is then pressed in a mold similar to what Atching Lilian is holding in the picture.  The mold is almost like a family crest since each family uses its own design for their cookies.

And here's another interesting trivia Atching Lilian told us.  She explained that these special cookies were brought here by the Spaniards in the 1600s.  During that time churches were built in Pampanga using limestone combined with egg whites.  The yolk was thrown away and given the number of eggs used, they soon had a problem with the unpleasant odor brought about by the rotting material.  What the convent nuns did was  they taught their young convent girls how to make San Nicolas cookies.   The Capampangan modified the recipe to suit their taste and over the years, every family has its own version of the cookie.

The cookie is very much like the uraro.  But the locals believe that if blessed, the cookies have miraculous powers to bring a bountiful harvest, protect one from sickness, and other things.

We had to move on to our next stop though so we left Mexico for Arayat for our mid morning snacks.

Birthday Celebration at Vikings Buffet

This year, I celebrated my birthday at the Vikings Buffet The Block SM North EDSA.  Its food spread is quite extensive and includes Asian and Continental cuisine.  If you choose to, you can even ask their cook to make something special for you.  Drinks are also unlimited, but wines and liquor are not.

I went for the roast leg of lamb first.  I love lamb, and theirs passed my taste. Tasty and juicy, the meat was soft and tender.  I missed the distinct lamb taste though my brother said it was still there.  I also tried the Angus beef, and it's also tender even when I had it prepared medium-rare.

The Japanese selection was also extensive and well prepared.  However, to my utter shock, they put on display the remains of a giant tuna with all its flesh removed, and only the head, spine, and tail remained intact.  I pity the poor fish.

And the choices for dessert are quite extensive too.

By the way, if you're celebrating your birthday, the restaurant has an ongoing promotion where you get a 100% discount as long as you eat there with a group.  Just make sure that it is your actual birthday, and you show them a government-issued ID (driver's license, BIR, GSIS/SSS, or TIN ID) that indicates your birth date.  As an added treat for my birthday, I was given this special chocolate cake.  Little did I know that this cake also serves as a marker.

You see, they have a surprise for birthday celebrants where some of the staff sing to you a special "Happy Birthday" complete with guitar and some shouting.  They would even shout out your name before they start singing.

At first, I wanted to join in the fun, but then I saw that one of the staff was dancing, or should I say, gyrating in front of the other celebrants. I was turned off and decided to let them pass.  I also think that this merrymaking is quite rambunctious and somehow disturbs other patrons who want to eat in peace.

Overall I enjoyed the experience.  We went there on a weeknight, so the buffet was priced at PhP888.  You'd think that's quite pricey, but I tell you, there's so much to eat there.  Compared to other buffets I've tried, the food in Vikings is also delicious.  If there's a senior citizen in your group, he's also entitled to a 50% discount off the regular price.   You must also reserve a table two weeks in advance to have seats and need not fall in line to get a number.

Vikings is located on the 4th floor of The Block SM North EDSA.

Infographic: What Will It Take to Achieve Learning For All?

Hi everyone. I came across this very informative infographic from the World Bank and I want to share it with you.  One of the powerful tools to combat poverty is to educate the people.  Education equips poor people with the necessary skills they need to participate in economic activity.

This infographic shows what has been achieved so far with regards to providing education and learning to everyone.  

Lunch at Krazy Garlik in Resorts World Manila

We recently had lunch at Krazy Garlik at Resorts World Manila. We actually wanted to try something new and ended up going inside this restaurant. The first thing I noticed was the decoration and the theme of the restaurant.  The walls were painted with scenes from  the Mad Hatter tea party in "Alice in Wonderland" except that there was an abundance of garlic.

I half expected that the store will have that distinct garlicky smell but there was none. I like the smell of garlic as long as it is not being cooked or sautéed. The place was small but nice and cozy.

For starter we ordered the Amazing Krazy Garlik Salad.  It's made with the usual salad mix of cucumber, bell pepper, onions with some chicken and shrimped.  To give it its uniquely Asian taste, it was tossed in sesame oil.  It was then topped with fried wanton and peanut oil.  I find it refreshing and cool.

One of us ordered the seafood pasta and was gracious enough to let us try it. It's a bit salty for my taste though. 

The Angus beef sirloin steak was my father's choice.  I wasn't able to try this but my father said that it tastes good and the beef was tender.

I ordered the Tofu and Baby Eggplant.  The tofu and eggplant were braised in light soy sauce and then topped with ground chicken.  It reminded me of a Thai dish.

Although it is not something that I would go crazy for, eating at Krazy Garlik was still a different experience and I somewhat enjoyed it.  You may want to visit it the next time you go to Resorts World Manila at the 2nd floor of the Newport Mall.