tuna panga – Jellybeans in the City

We Pinoys have a special relationship with our food.

For many of us, Filipino food is synonymous withe comforting home-cooked meals lovingly prepared by our nanays, or special heritage dishes passed down through generations in our family.

All of these delicious food is always best enjoyed in the company of our kin.

This is why when our tita and pinsan from the States came over, our extended family hosted a dinner for them at Locavore Kitchen & Drinks in Kapitolyo.

The restaurant was established in 2014 by a group of friends who shared a passion for food and sustainability. Since then, it has gained a loyal clientele and eventually expanded its operations to multiple locations.

Its cozy and laid-back vibe also makes it a perfect spot for our family get-together.

Locavore got its name from a restaurant concept that emphasizes the use of locally sourced ingredients in their dishes. This means that the restaurant sources their ingredients from local farmers and producers, reducing the carbon footprint associated with food transportation and supporting the local economy.

Locavore’s menu is inspired by traditional Filipino cuisine but with a modern twist, using locally sourced ingredients, including fresh vegetables, fruits, and meat.

To re-introduce our balikbayan relatives to the tasty possibilities of Filipino food, we ordered our tried-and-tested favorites:

Fried Oyster Sisig (₱450). Aklan oysters fried with chopped white onions and green chilis.

Sugpo con Mayonesa (₱990). Prawns stir-fried with garlic in butter, crabfat amd mayonnaise.

Gising Gising (₱370). Julliened sigarilyas, French beans, garlic, spring onions and shallot confit simmered in coconut milk.

Sizzling Sinigang (₱660). Locavore’s deliciously fresh take on the classic sinigang made with beef short ribs in tamarind gravy with sauteed garlic confit and French beans.

Tuna Panga (₱520). Baked jaw of tuna drizzled with bagging java glaze and served with shredded radish and lime slices.

Sizzling Pandesal Pudding (₱260). Cheese pandesal soaked in custard with salted egg and dulce de leche topped with vanilla ice cream.

With its mouth-watering showcase of the possibilities present in Filipino cuisine, is it any wonder that we chose to Locavore to re-acquaint our balikbayan relatives to Pinoy food and reconnect them to their Pinoy roots?

This Locavore Kitchen & Drinks branch is located at 10 Brixton Street, Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City, open daily from 10am to 9pm. For inquiries and reservations, call +63 917 6842014.

Other branches are located in the following areas:

GF 1880 Eastwood Ave Bldg, Bagumbayan, Quezon City (Tel: +63 917 5120159)
Forbes Town Center, Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig (Tel: +63 917 5742017)
Ground Level, Three Central, Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati (Tel: +63 917 1782018)
Ground Level, S’Maison, Seaside Blvd, Pasay (Tel: +63 917 8472747)
Upper Ground, SM Bacoor, Bgy Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway corner Tirona Highway, Bacoor, Cavite (Tel: +63 917 1472022)

To stay updated on its menu and offers, follow Locavore Kitchen & Drinks on Facebook and Instagram.

Check out my previous post about Locavore:

Classic Filipino dishes with a twist at Locavore, Kapitolyo

Not your ordinary Filipino food at Locavore, BGC

It’s been a year and a half into the global pandemic, and we are just now feeling some loosening of the many restrictions.

With the Metro Manila recently de-escalated to Alert Level 2, kids are now allowed out of doors, emerging from more than a year of being stuck at home.

With Christmas just around the corner, extended families are surely looking forward to the time they can all gather together and catch up.

I know just the perfect venue for such gatherings: Mang Ding’s Pinoy BBQ in Marikina.

Let me tell you why:

1. Going there is like being welcomed into a family home.

Mang Ding’s is located in a quiet neighborhood in Barangay Sto. Nino, Marikina.

Restaurant owner Dindo Cleofas inherited his father’s (the original Mang Ding) love of grilling and wanted a restaurant where he can continue his father’s legacy as well as have a place where he can relax and chill with friends. Together with his wife, Dotie, he converted their home’s garden area into an outdoor dining space where he can serve customers his specialities, hot and fresh from the grill.

The space is shielded from the elements by a roofed pergola and surrounded by lush greenery, most of which were planted and nurtured by their family.

This open-air dining area is well-ventilated, equipped with fans to keep the air circulating and the surrounding plants adding refreshing color and coolness to space.

Walking into Mang Ding’s feels like visiting your favorite tita’s house; it’s a place where you feel right at home.

2. It can serve as your kids’ introduction to Pinoy comfort and street food.

A few months ago, I brought my parents here for dinner and upon seeing and tasting the familiar Filipino comfort food served to us, both my mom and dad waxed nostalgic about the dishes they grew up with. They regaled my daughter with stories about their foodie adventures back in the day.

If your kiddos are the “just fry me a hotdog, Mommy” type, it may be high time to introduce them to the simple yet sublime joys of good, down-home Pinoy cooking. You can be sure that lolos, lolas, titos and titas will waste no time in telling stories about their own experiences with Pinoy comfort food during your family party, and will help instill among the little ones healthy respect and appreciation for our culinary heritage.

You can count on Mang Ding’s to bring to the table an array of MALINIS, MASARAP at MURA dishes such as:

Ensaladang Talong (Php75).

Sizzling Tokwa Special (Php160).

Quarter Leg Chicken BBQ (Php150).

Boneless Chicken BBQ (Php180).

Isaw Manok (Php20).

BBQ Platter (Php575).

Boneless Bangus Overload (Php265).

Pompano (Php380).

Grilled Pusit (Php425).

Tuna Panga (Php485).

And if the children still want the hotdogs, longganisas and fried chicken that they’re familiar with, you can still accommodate their requests here, and even give them a sweet treat for dessert.

Grilled TJ Jumbo Hotdog (Php50).

Grilled Longganisa (Php55).

McJolly Pakpak (Php225 half kilo | Php400 kilo).

Belgian Chocolate (Php150 slice).

Since good food help spark great conversations and great moments, your fam is in for a memorable experience when you hold your get-together at Mang Ding’s.

3. You can enjoy its tasty dishes at home.

The fun doesn’t have to stop after the get-together. You can bring home the yummy Pinoy BBQ at home with you, thanks to this handy box. For just Php599, you get fifteen sticks of Mang Ding’s signature barbecue and isaw served with grilled corn as well as calamansi and siling labuyo for the dipping sauce.

On the other hand, if your family opted for a virtual reunion, you can still partake of the same meal during your Zoom party by sending them Mang Ding’s Ready-to-Grill Pinoy BBQ packs (basting and dipping sauce included) that they can cook at home in a jiffy.

These include, among others:

Liempo (Php360/500g).

Pork BBQ (Php600/20pcs) and Isaw Manok (Php460/20pcs).

Chicharon Bulaklak (Php325/500g).

So whether your clan decides to have a physical get-together or a virtual party over the holiday season and beyond, Mang Ding’s is surely your best bet!

Mang Ding’s Pinoy BBQ is located at Block 3, Lot 13 C Buenviaje Street, Barangay Santo Nino, Marikina City, open for dine-in, pickup and delivery on Mondays to Thursdays from 11am to 9pm and Fridays to Sundays for 11am to 10.30pm.

Reserve the venue now for your clan gathering or book a table for lunch, dinner or drinks by calling +63 916 2853031.

Disclosure: Together with fellow bloggers, I attended a food tasting held at this restaurant. Food items served were not paid for by the attendees.

Tag: tuna panga

Balikbayans’ re-introduction to Pinoy cuisine at Locavore Kitchen & Drinks

3 ways Mang Ding’s Pinoy BBQ in Marikina is perfect for your family holiday gathering

1. Going there is like being welcomed into a family home.

2. It can serve as your kids’ introduction to Pinoy comfort and street food.

3. You can enjoy its tasty dishes at home.