filipino food – Page 18 – Jellybeans in the City

Food nostalgia at Classic Savory, SM East Ortigas

Pinoys have an interesting relationship with food, particularly the tastes they have grown up with. A lot of the appeal of classic Pinoy fare has to do with the memories associated with the flavors you encountered during family gatherings and celebrations: the pancit canton that was your lola’s specialty, the turon that you used to munch on with your cousins for merienda and so on.

Such nostalgia came into play when Hubby and I took a break from shopping and errands, and dined at the Classic Savory branch at SM City East Ortigas.

This food chain started as a panciteria by the Ting brothers in post-war Manila, primarily serving lomi to its mostly Chinese clientele, before it introduced fried chicken to its menu, thereby attracting more Pinoys to its offerings.

That blend of Pinoy and Chinese flavors were present in the combo meal (Php485, good for 2 persons) that we ordered. It consist of a half chicken, pancit canton, fried rice, salt and pepper spare ribs, special turon and iced tea. Given its price and the mix of flavors, I think this is already good value for money.

This Classic Savory branch is located at 2nd Floor, SM City East Ortigas, Ortigas Avenue Extension, Barangay Sta. Lucia, Pasig City.

Festive Feast ala Lucban, Quezon at Buddy’s, Cubao

Lucban, Quezon is famous for the colors of its Pahiyas Festival, the pancit habhab and longganisang Lucban.

All of these are in full force in the Cubao branch of Buddy’s.

Located at the Shopwise Arcade in the Araneta Center, Buddy’s brings the festiveness and Filipino flavors to Cubao shoppers.

When hubby and I found ourselves stuck in the Cubao area, we decided to have lunch here. The place was quite spacious, with seating in two floors. The decor is very cheery, with colorful leaf-shaped kiping all over the place as well as floor-to-ceiling pictures of Lucban scenery and people.

We ordered the following to share:

Apparently, these were too much for just two people and we ended up not finishing our food. We also found the continuous loop of whatever Pinoy novelty song blasting in the background quite bothersome.

This Buddy’s Pancit Lucban branch is located at Shopwise Arcade, Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City.

All-time Pinoy Favorites at Cabalen, Ayala Malls Feliz

What is the appeal of Filipino restaurants? We normally get to taste their offerings via our own lutong-bahay or during fiestas, anyway.

This is a thought I recently pondered as Hubby and I decided to venture out to the newly-finished Ayala Malls Feliz in Marikina for a pre-New Year wandering and we chanced upon a now-open branch of Cabalen. The resto’s regular buffet of classic Filipino dishes is quite a good deal at only Php298 (service charge not included).

Among the flavors we sampled are:

Prichon Wraps. Lechon bits wrapped with carrot, cucumber and green onion strips in tortilla with 3 choices of sauce (hoisin, garlic and lechon sauce).
Crispy Kangkong
Fresh Lumpia (vegetable rolls with a peanut and garlic sauce)
Pancit Puti. White noodles sauteed with meat and veggies and simmered in flavorful chicken stock.
Kare Kare. A stew made of oxtail, beef offal or tripe with a thick sabory peanut sauce.
Bico (sweet rice cake or kakanin with coconut milk) and Ginataang Mais (corn kernels in glutinous rice with coconut milk) for dessert.

We were able to get our fill of these dishes except for the Kare Kare which ran out of meat and was not refilled in time.

Now back to the question on the appeal of eating Filipino dishes when dining out: for me, it brings back childhood memories of what my mom used to make (particularly ginataang mais for merienda in the afternoon) or a way to enjoy childhood favorites without the hassle (the making of some Filipino delicacies are a bit labor-intensive).

Cabalen, in particular, has the added appeal of being a buffet restaurant. If you want to treat your balikbayan relatives to the flavors they have been missing, dining at Cabalen will allow them to load up on great flavors and great family memories.

This Cabalen branch is located at Level 2, Ayala Malls Feliz, Amang Rodriguez cor. J.P. Rizal, Brgy. Dela Paz, Pasig City.

The appeal of Bacolod Chicken Parilla

It is rare for a group of ten coworkers to instantly agree on where to have lunch but mention Bacolod Chicken Parilla and you will find us simultaneously leaving our desks to go to what seems to be our favorite chicken inasal place.

The chicken inasal, a Bacolod specialty dish, is a type of roasted chicken which is marinated in lime juice, pepper, annato (called achuete in the Philippines) and vinegar, grilled over hot coals while being further basted with the marinade. It is often served with garlic fried rice and a dipping sauce called sinamak (which is made of palm vinegar infused with garlic, chili peppers and ginger. The most common serving variations of inasal are the paa (leg and thigh), pecho (breast and wing) and pakpak (three pieces of wings).

My personal preference when it comes to chicken inasal is the paa because, while the pecho is usually meatier, the paa is more flavorful and juicier. I also want lots of chicken oil (usually made from rendered chicken fat infused with garlic and annato seeds) to drizzle over my chicken and garlic rice, making my meal so much more sinful but tastier as well.

The offerings here are also quite affordable, contributing to the almost universal appeal among my officemates. Menu prices for the items we usually order are:

Pecho at Php90
Paa at Php90
Pakpak at Php85
Garlic Rice at Php25

This branch of Bacolod Chicken Parilla is located at the corner of Scout Gandia and Scout Reyes Streets, Bgy. Paligsahan, Quezon City.

A feast among friends at Gerry’s Grill

I usually dine at Gerry’s Grill in Tomas Morato for quick, no-frills lunches with my coworkers but in this branch in SM Marikina, I feasted with new friends. After participating in an outreach activity in a nearby charity institution, hubby and his car-clubmates decided to have lunch at SM Marikina. After a considerable time waiting, a table was found for our large group.

Among the hearty fare we enjoyed were classic Filipino favorites:

When dining in large groups, Gerry’s Grill seems like a great choice as practically everyone would have something to like. We ate family-style which also helps in fostering new friendships.

This branch is located at Ground Floor, SM City Marikina, Calumpang, Marikina City.