Category: Lifestyle

We were supposed to eat lunch first before visiting Underground River.  However, we were given a chance to go on the UR tour earlier so we opted to have lunch after.

It was a blessing in disguise as we ended up relaxing a bit in Taraw Vista Lodge and Restaurant.  We were starving when we arrived at Taraw Restaurant.  We couldn’t wait to eat food!

I super love that the lunch buffet was served beside the beach.  Aside from enjoying the food, we can appreciate the beautiful view of the Sabang beach.

The lunch buffet at Taraw Vista Lodge & Restaurant was part of the Underground River tour.  They served about 5-7 different dishes which was more than enough for us hungry tourists.

If you’re visiting Taraw Vista Lodge & Restaurant just for their lunch buffet, it’ll cost you Php 200 per person.  Super cheap right?  Yes, it’s worth it.  The food wasn’t spectacular but it was able to fill my hungry stomach.

• Cucumber Salad

• Buko Soup

• Plain Rice

• Adobong Kangkong

• Grilled Fish

• Chicken Adobo

• Grilled Pork

• Banana

I was certainly satisfied with the food considering the super cheap price. One bottle of soft drink is included in the buffet. I enjoyed the buko soup the most. It was uber tasty!

A local lady was roaming around selling this popular delicacy of Puerto Princesa called Wood worm or Tamilok. I remember our guide in the Iwahig Firefly tour recommending to us.  I still chickened out and didn’t try though.

This small bowl is worth Php 100 and is best eaten with vinegar, calamansi and chili.  According to my travel companions, it tasted just like oysters.  Well, Talimok is really a type of mollusk.  I’ll make sure to have the willpower to try this out the next time I visit Puerto Princesa hehehe 😛

After eating, we went around Sabang Beach.  The place was very nice!  We were warned not to swim in the beach though (because of the huge waves).  I ended up walking around the beautiful beach in the soft sand.

After a short while, I fell asleep.  It was a pretty nice short nap.  Now, I’m more energized and excited for our next activity!

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Taraw Vista Lodge and Restaurant
Hernando Street, Sabang, Palawan, Philippines
(0919) 319-6686

Whenever we have foreigner colleagues visiting us in the Manila office, Abe has always been my recommended place for eating dinner.  I dunno why, I guess it’s the beautiful ambiance of Serendra plus the nice ambiance of the restaurant itself.

Abe means two things.  As what the restaurant stated in the menu, Abe can mean any of the ff.:
– Capampangan word for friend, companion, and getting together
– nickname of a beloved son of Pampanga, Emilio Aguilar Cruz (1915-1991), writer, editor, painter, connoisseur, bon vivant and legendary eater outer

To sum it up, I understood based on my multiple dining experiences with Abe Restaurant, that it serves Kapampangan dishes and the restaurant was put up to pay a tribute to Abe.

The beautiful image at the entrance of Abe Restaurant is an image of Abe, the restaurant owner’s father.  What a way to honor a father.  Abe must be proud considering how successful Abe is.  The place is always jam-packed!

We reserved a few days earlier.  Luckily, we were given a table inside the private room.  We shared the room with another group of diners.  In spite of being in a secluded room, it wasn’t hard calling out the attention of the servers.  Whenever we want to order more food items or want to ask for water, they are always there to serve.  I’m pretty impressed with the service considering how I ranted a before that they could improve on service.  I guess they did!

Another thing that I love to rave about Abe is their food.  I still have fond memories of my trip to Pampanga a few weeks ago.  My key takeaway in my trip there was mainly how delicious kapampangan food is!  Abe is like our Pampanga in Manila.  It gives us a taste of Pampanga in our very own city.

• Bamboo Rice (Php 250)

I heard a loud voice then I saw the server banging the bamboo.  Surprise!  The rice is actually placed inside a bamboo!  There was too much rice but the reason why I love this rice is because it’s very tasty!  There were mushrooms, shrimps and bamboo shoots in the rice.  I can actually eat the bamboo rice even without any other dishes because of its rich taste.

• Lamb Adobo (Php 410)

I’m not used to eating lamb.  If it’s adobo, I always preferred pork.  I was pleasantly surprised that I actually liked this dish.  I especially love that garlic was all over the adobo.  It made the dish looked good.  The after-taste of lamb wasn’t present too and I was wondering how they did it but I’m just thankful!  This dish is best eaten with rice.

• Spicy Sisig Pampanga (Php 195)

the good ol’ Pampanga fave!  Whee!  Eating this dish made me remember my trip to Pampanga a few weeks back.  It had that taste.  Minced pork cheek & chicken livers cooked in garlic, chilies and other spices.  Oh so good!

• Abe’s Morcon (Php 320)

This dish is basically embutido.  Abe’s version was slowly cooked for hours.  Their morcon is meat roll with chorizo, egg and paprika.  Yum!  We usually eat embutido fried and we just dip it in ketchup.  I like Abe’s version as they cooked it together with our favorite sauce.  Super enticing!

• Binukadkad na Pla Pla (Php 395)

I have no idea how this dish was cooked.  The binukadkad na pla pla was just too nice to look at.  Every single time this dish was served, first time diners will always have this ‘wow!’ reaction.  I was already looking forward to that reaction when it was served in our table haha!  The fish was tilapia and it was deep fried to crispiness.  It was too crispy that I think I was able to swallow some small bones.

The pla pla was served with balo balo relish and mustard leaves.  As I recommended my companions, I told them to get some fish, put in the mustard leaves and spread some relish and wrap it around.  I remember that was how Kapampangans eat them.

• Tamarind Shake (Php 105)

I was supposed to order kamias shake but it was out of stock.  I then ordered my 2nd choice which is Abe’s tamarind shake.  I love fruit shakes and I especially love to try out unique kinds of it.  So as unusual as people think of Tamarind shake is, I ordered it.  Yes, it was sour but it was so refreshing!

• Sikreto ni Maria (Php 165)

I’m contemplating if I should share with you what’s in this dish.  Since it was named Sikreto ni Maria, should I respect that and just let you guess what the ingredients in this yummy dessert are?  I’ll share with you what’s obvious.  There’s the carabao milk ice tea.

Order this dish when you go to Abe and discover what the secret is.   You won’t be disappointed 🙂

• Ube Jalea with Macapuno (Php 150)

I’m not sure how to react when I saw this dessert.  It didn’t seem complete.  I felt that I needed to eat this with another dish.  Luckily, we ordered Turon which is perfect with this purple yam and macapuno.

• Turon with Nangka & Ube (Php 80)

A different twist to our favorite pinoy turon.  This time, the main ingredients were jackfruit and ube.  It worked!  I liked it!  I’m not sure though if Php 80 is a good price for 2 pieces of it.

My favorite among the dishes we ate at Abe is the sisig!  I’m sure I’ll be back at Abe.  If I’ll be asked in the future what my recommendation is for our visiting friends, Abe will still be my answer. 😛

The food, the ambiance and the service were good!  Abe definitely serves items closest to what Filipino food is about.  Me and my team enjoyed our dinner.  I wish we can do this more often.

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Abe Restaurant
Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City, Metro Manila, Philippines
(02) 856-0526

The highlight for me was the awesome lunch buffet.  We didn’t even sit at the dining area because we’ve chosen to stay at the buffet room instead where the buffet table is at.  We were anxious to eat and enjoy the food fast and have lots of multiple servings.

I was so excited as it was totally my first time to enjoy purely kapampangan dishes that are very well-loved.

We went back to Museo Ning Angeles as it was there where the food is at.  The luncheon was held at the Culinarium which also has a kitchen exhibit featuring tons of cooking materials.

Me and several media practitioners were graciously waiting for the food.  We were all looking at the menu displayed at each of our tables.

I noticed Kapampangan’s love for food as they put on display the dishes that they are proud of.  Each frame has a picture of the dish, the name and also a description.  I learned a lot about the food as I spent some time reading them while I was waiting.  I felt that every dish was made with love.

I actually found out that Kapampangans usually cook their own food.  Everyone’s a good cook!

There was beautiful entertainment that came with the food.  I super loved the costumes and make-up!  I couldn’t resist as I peeked through their cast room and requested for their picture to be taken.  They warmly agreed.  Kapampangans are so cool!

Pamangan Fiestang Kapampangan showcases the best of the best of Kapampangan cuisine.  As you can see in the list of food enumerated below, on parenthesis is the name of establishment/person/group who prepared the dish.

After our fun tour of Museo Ning Angeles, Pamintuan Mansion and Center for Kapampangan Studies, we were all ready to dive in.  However, we have to wait for almost an hour because our media friends had to take pictures and videos of the food.

Not surprisingly, we finished all the food at the buffet table! Hahahaha!  Even after the event, some of us were even munching on the desserts.  Noone wanted to stop eating!

• Ensaladang Ampalaya (Culinarium)

I know ampalaya is not for everyone as some people don’t like the bitter taste of the vegetable.  I, however, enjoyed this ampalaya salad.  It wasn’t as bitter as I thought and the ampalaya was served fresh, wow!  I never thought ampalaya can be a great salad and I’ll surely keep this in mind.

• Adobung Pugu (Glo-an’s)

We are used to have pork and chicken adobo.  Kapampangans, however, are made of quail.  The same as how we knew adobo, the ingredients were stewed in vinegar, garlic, soy sauce and bay leaves.

• Adobung Camaru (Cely’s Carinderia)

When I saw this dish, I was scared!!!  Imagine seeing tons of insect for you to eat!  Yaiks!  I knew I had to try it since it’s a popular delicacy in Pampanga.  I mean why would I go to a Kapampangan food fiesta if I wouldn’t try out their dishes, exotic or not, right?

The camaru is a mole cricket that actually can be eaten if fried and made into arobu.  Other ingredients include fresh tomatoes, native onions, garlic and pepper.

• Pindang Damulag (Ting’s Canteen)

At first glance, I thought it was tocino but apparently, it wasn’t!

Pindang Damulag is cured carabao meat in thick sugar syrup fermented until it becomes lightly sour.  The preparation definitely wasn’t simple and it was all worth it as it tasted good.  A must-try!

• Betute Tugak (19Coping-copung)

I’ve tried eating frogs before but only its legs.  This time, the one at the Pampanga fiesta looked like live frogs!  Yaiks!!!  I never hesitated to eat frog legs but that time, I was hesitating too much.  I had this slimy frogs image on my mind.

Gladly, I saw my seat mate eating it.  I saw that it was actually stuffed frogs!  I tried it and boy, do I love it!  Sarap (delicious)!!!  The frog was stuffed with ground pork and seasoned with herbs & spices.  It was then deep fried to a crisp.

• Ningnang Tilapia (Culinarium)

A simple grilled tilapia.  I suggest you eat this together with the Buru (fermented rice w/ shrimp)

.  The combination works perfectly!

• Piritong Hito (Culinarium)

There was also the deep-fried catfish if you prefer fish to be fried.  As suggested earlier, this works perfectly with Buru too!

• Buru at Gule (Herminia Pamintuan)

Buru is fermented rice with small shrimps or fish.  It’s a known Kapampangan dish and everyone should try it!  I’m glad I did! 😀

The buru was a great sight to see!  I wanna just scoop and get lots of it to eat.  However, I had to ask fellow blogger Wyatt (who lives in Pampanga) on how to eat it, hahaha!  Apparently, I have to wrap it in mustard leaves (photo below) and put it together with vegetables and fish.

• Kari-kari (Batis Asul Caterers)

Pampanga’s version of Kare Kare doesn’t have too much sauce which i think a lot of people prefer.  I, on the other hand, love the peanut sauce.  However, the bagoong has filled that gap for me.  Bagoong + Kari-kari = Perfect!

• Bringhe (Delyn’s Fastfood)

Pampanga is known for its wonderful cuisine.  Their version of Paella definitely proves that point.  It was oh so yummy!  The secret to its aroma is that the paella was cooked in banana leaves thus it didn’t stick to the pan.

Bringhe (Paella) is flavored rice made of glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, colored and flavored in turmeric and topped with chicken, vegetables, pork and egg.

• Embutido (Howard Dizon Catering Services)

Oh, oh embutido!  My face did definitely light up when I saw the dish.  It’s basically our version of meatloaf.  Ours is made of ground pork, carrots, pickles and onions 🙂  Super delicious!  Perfect with our old-favorite ketchup sauce!

• Lengua with Castanas (Howard Dizon Catering Services)

Who doesn’t love lengua?  Well, I surely do love to eat them!  Pampanga’s version of Lengua has chestnuts in it and it was so good!

• Sisig Pisngi at Balugbug Babi

I learned that Sisig came from Pampanga.  It was known to mean ‘to snack on something sour’ but it was also referred as a method of preparing meat or fish.  The method pertaining to marination with lemon juice and vinegar and seasoned with salt, pepper and other spices.

This particular sisig that we have eaten was made of pisngi (pig’s cheek) and balugbug babi (pig’s ears).  Finally, I was able to eat authentic sisig!  Yay!

• Paksing Litsun (Cabalen Restaurant)

We had Pampanga’s lechon 2-ways.  First one was paksiw style.  It’s basically lechon cooked in lechon sauce.  The items that are included in the lechon sauce usually are liver paste, bread crumbs, garlic, onions, brown sugar and vinegar.  I had a lechon overload but it was worth it! 😀

• Litsun Babi (Apung Bilyung)

It’s Pampanga’s own native lechon.  As expected, the lechon was crispy and tender!  The difference between Litsun Babi and other cities’ lechon is that Pampanga’s lechon is served with a sweet and sour sauce made from mashed pork liver.

• Fresh Fruits

Fruits will never be absent in any kind of food buffets.  I appreciate that both the watermelon and pineapple were sweet!  Coolness!

• Ginataan with Inangit

At first I thought that the picture above were two different desserts, but then they should be eaten together.  I’m just so glad that I started with desserts before eating the main courses, if not, I wouldn’t have any more space for them!

• Leche Flan (Susie’s Cuisine)

• Turon with Dip (Juan Sebastian Catering Services)

What a beautiful presentation!  It didn’t look like a pinoy buffet at all because the way it looked was just too classy.  Aha!  If there’s a contest for desserts, I would suggest that we take this in as our entry!  What a genius and fun way to present our favorite banana lumpia (turon)!

• Mochi (Susie’s Cuisine)

Probably one of the most popular take-home desserts in Pampanga.  Susie’s Cuisine’s mochi is rice cake filled with red beans inside.  It’s very sweet and definitely will satisfy your sweet tooth.  Yum yum!

• Tibuk-tibuk (Susie’s Cuisine)

Tibuk-tibuk is another winner dessert!  Made from carabao’s milk, this recipe was a definite winner in my book.  If you love to eat panna cotta, then this is our pinoy/kapampangan version.  Love our own! 🙂

• Lychee Sherbet (Gill’s Ice Dream)

I super duper over to the max love sherbet.  I always and will forever choose sherbet over any type of ice cream any time!  I wish I could have asked for more but my shyness took over me 😛

• Camuti with Gatas Damulag (Herminia Pamintuan)

A lot of people have left the culinarium but the ones who remained in the place kept eating still.  Guess what?  It’s the Camuti with gatas damulag that people couldn’t resist to!  They were going back and forth just to get their nth (!) serving of the dessert!  I now know that if I have to learn a Kapampangan dessert, it has got to be this one!  Boiled sweet potatoes with Carabao milk.  Excellent creation by Mrs. Pamintuan!  Bravo!

There were several dishes that were made by Herminia Pamintuan.  Do you know that she’s the wife of the mayor?  Dishes featured here in this post like the super winner Camuti with Gatas Damulag and Buru at Gule (which coincidentally were two of my favorite dishes in the buffet) were her creations!

She was so accommodating with all our questions and you can see how passionate she is with kapampangan dishes.  We were lucky to have tasted her work.

Pamangan Fiestang Kapampangan is still ongoing (October 23 and October 30, 2011, 10am to 2pm).  You can experience the same foodie experience too!  Just head on over to Museo Ning Angeles for the sunday lunch buffet.  To reserve, call (045) 887-4703.  It’s definitely super worth it!  All the yummy authentic Kapampangan dishes in one place.  It’s the best of the best and I strongly suggest you don’t miss that chance.  The sunday buffet costs Php800.

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Pamangan Piyestang Kapampangan
Museo Ning Angeles 2/F Sto. Rosario street, Sto. Rosario Historic District, Angeles City, Philippines
(045) 887-4703