If you're going to Lipa City or Batangas City, why not go on a food trip adventure to the land of the Ala Eh Batanguenos and sample their famous Batangas lomi, Batangas bulalo and goto batangas. This short post is about Tutubi's recent trip to Batangas City where he passed by Lipa to again eat at the lomihan in Lipa City: LBN Lomi House, just beside Bee Gees Lomi Hauz (past Tia Celeste's Eatery) and across LBN bar and Grill on J.P Laurel Highway in Lipa City serves a bowl of lomi at only PhP45.00 per order.

LBN Lomi serves generous serving of lomi with meatballs, bola-bola, posk slivers and pork liver and comes with a dip of calamansi, soy sauce and chili. The first time Tutubi saw the lomi years ago, he though his small "bodega" can't accommodate the extra heavy lomi meal but he was able to finish it.

LBN Lomi serves lomi that's filling and cheap at phP45.00/serving. best served with a dip of soy sauce, calamansi and chili

Two of Tutubi's close office friends, one from Tanauan and the other from Lobo, cite LBN Lomi Hauz and the other lomihan inside Lipa City public market as favorites. Another recommended lomihan is MGM lomi in front of Days Hotel just near SM City Batangas.

The best lomi in Batangas, according to Chef Gene Gonzales, featured in his Manila Bulletin article has these places, yet to be tried by Tutubi:

"Megalicious - is on the main highway right past SM Hypermart . This nipa hut structure beside Mega subdivision underneath some tall trees has a very provincial feel. A giant bowl of rich flavored lomi thickened by eggs with home-made quekiam, meatballs, pork slivers, and topped with lots of crushed chicharon and hard-boiled egg is served with a side dish of toasted garlic and fresh shallots. A dip of soy sauce, calamansi, and chili complete this 65-peso bowl that is good for two.

Emjaykas - Also located right past SM Hypermart and Eternal Gardens Memorial Park on the main highway, Emjaykas also serves a delicious Batangas-style goto with a variety of offal cuts and a generous sprinkling of fresh sliced scallions. Their lomi has a strong full flavored broth and also quite liberal on the topping with whole chunks of chicharon and eggs. This lomi, I believe, is best eaten with chili, patis, and calamansi which highlights the powerful caldo base for its soup stock.

Jhorjanes - There are two outlets, one at the very end of the Batangas exit of the Star Tollway, and the other in front of the Batangas Sports Complex. The dark shiny lomi has quail eggs and homemade meatballs with slivers of pork and also a generous topping of chicharon. The flavors are balanced and subtle in style rather than their more up front competitors."

In Ibaan, Batangas, there's reportedly a lomihan serving lomi with pigeon meat adding unique twist to lomi caldo (stock)

Tutubi will be back in Batangas for sure and will definitely try to sample these best batangas lomi in the future in addition to the quest for the best batangas goto and best batangas bulalo. :P


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list of recommended lomi house, lomihan and eateries/restaurants (mostly frugal) in Batangas (to be updated when Tutubi finds time to access his GPS where he stored the coordinates)

LBN Lomi House
J.P. Laurel Highway, Lipa City (between Startoll Malvar Exit and Lipa City proper)
Coordinates: 13°58'14"N 121°10'0"E

Labels: Batangas, Batangas Restaurants, Calabarzon, Filipino Food, Food Trip, Frugal Food Find, Southern Tagalog

If you're coming from Quezon province or even Bicol region going to Manila, a popular pasalubong can be El Mare Special Buko Pie or the famous chicken empanada that can be bought at El Mare along Maharlika highway (left side if going to Manila).

Price of PhP135.00 each, El Mare Special Buko pie similarly costs like its counterparts in the famous Buko Pie strip in Los Banos, Laguna

El Mare Buko Pie has tender strips of buko, with thickness of about 1.5 inches, is the best buko pie in this side of Laguna rivaled only by the ubiquitous Collete's Buko Pie which also came from San Pablo City. It has better packaging than the Original Buko Pie of Los Baños, Laguna but personaly, Tutubi still prefers the latter, followed by G&B Buko Pie of Nueva Vizcaya, Letty's Buko Pie and Sheila's Buko Pie both from Los Baños.

El Mare chicken empanada though, at PhP20.00/piece is a winner and perfect pasalubong to friends and family with its slightly crunchy shell and tasty filling. (The problem here's that Tutubi and friends gobbled up the chicken empanada in the car before he can take even sloppy pictures of them like the buko pie.)

El Mare Buko Pie has thicker crust that makes it less attractive to Tutubi

Will post something about the best buko pies in the Philippines one of these days along with GPS coordinates very useful for those with GPS or if you want to know the exact store locations via Wikimapia or Google Earth.

El Mare Special Buko Pie (The People's Choice)
Address: 71 San Rafael, San Pablo City, Laguna
Telephone Number: +63.49.562.9584

Branches:
Checkpoint, Paciano, Calamba, Laguna
Barrio Halang, Calamba, Laguna
Barrio Pansol, Calamba, Laguna (Tel. No.: +63.49.545.0237)

Products: Buko Pie, Tropical Pie, Macapuno Pie, Ube Macapuno Pie, Pineapple Pie, Ube Pie, Buko Bibingka, Ube Bibingka, Macapuno Bibingka, Cassava Cake, Crema de Maiz, Mango Pie, Banana Cake, Chicken Empanada, and other special pasalubong

Opposite El Mare Special Buko Pie is Kusina El Mare Special Bulalo
Contact Number: +63.49.562.4489

Related Posts:

The Original Buko Pie
G&B Buko Pie

Labels: Calabarzon, Food Trip, Laguna, Pasalubong, Southern Tagalog

A new weekend market in town held every Saturday morning at Centris Walk organized by Sidcor, the same minds behind the Lung Center Sunday Market that's been attracting well-heeled shoppers to the Lung Center of the Philippines compound, the Centris Weekend Market is still on infancy stage that when Tutubi checked it out recently, there were only a few food stalls, a native handicraft tents and the usual tiangge you'll find in the metro.

Centris Walk with a little help from Photohop blur tool. That's the problem with point and shoot cameras, you can't set the aperture to add bokeh

On closer scrutiny and interviews by Tutubi with the stall keepers, they're the same stores you'll see at the Lung center the following day and some also have concurrent presence down south in Makati's Salcedo Weekend Market (but not much in Legazpi Sunday market due to it's more upmarket clientele).



What can you find at Centris Weekend Market? Tutubi bought kakanin (puto, sapin-sapin and kutsinta), asked around for some cordillera coffee (sagada, benguet and kalinga) at Republika de Kapay plus some healthy finds at Uncle George's gourmet breads.


price list of cordilerra coffee at Republika de Kapay
Madam Q's Empanada Ti Ilocos with Ilocos delicacies including empanada, bagnet and vigan longganisa

Centris Walk has the potential to develop in time as it has lots of FREE parking slots available (even stall rentals for those with entrepreneurial spirit), something it has to its advantage over the Lung Center Sunday Market and probably the looming Christmas season when Christmas bazaars sprout all over the place.

This weekend market will form part of Tutubi's routine as Tutubi Jr. loves to walk like a drunkard under Centris Walk's giant mushrooms, wander in the playground, ride the train and carousel. The bump cars and laser extreme are not yet operational.

Centris Walk weekend market is open from 6am til 2pm every Saturday. Lots of restaurants are also already open at Centris Walk: Shakeys, Pho Hoa, Tutti Frutti frozen yoghurt, Coffee Bean and tea Leaf, Jack's Loft, Italiannis, Pancake House, Zong, Claw Daddy Crab House and American Grill, Asya, My Thai Kitchen et al to satisfy your food trip curiosity.

How to get to Eton Centris Walk:

Centris Walk is connected to MRT Quezon Avenue station via Centris Station mall. For those commuting, it can be reached from Quiapo via Fairview-bound jeepneys. For Makati, any northbound bus on EDSA can be taken (e.g. Monumento, Novaliches, Malanday except those going to Fairview (they turn right to East Avenue and won't pass by EDSA corner Quezon Avenue).


Other weekend markets in Metro Manila for your food trip in one place urges:

Salcedo Weekend Market, Makati (Saturday)
Legazpi Weekend Market, Makati (Sundays in San Lorenzo Village, visited many times but unposted here)
Lung Center Sunday Market, Quezon Avenue, QC
Banchetto on Emerald Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig City (Friday Night to Saturday morning)
Manila Shopping Guide

Labels: Food Trip, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Quezon City, Shopping

After the some delay in Tarlac due to a direction-challenged colleague, passed by miles and miles of roads dotted with bangus (milkfish) fisheries and where “Guilon Guilon” or harvesting of the world famous Bonuan bangus can be witnessed, Tutubi finally reached his destination for the day in Dagupan City, and checked it at Star Plaza Hotel strategically located on the banks of the river. (This could have been a good nightscape picture but it was raining for two nights)

Twin sharing room at Star Plaza Hotel

As expected when in this city famous for the tastiest variety of bangus (milkfish), the Philippines' national fish, breakfast served offered choices of longganisa (Filipino sausages), tocino (sweet marinated pork) and boneless bangus (in ordinary and spicy). Being not like the usual Filipino averse to hot and spicy food, Tutubi opted for the spicy one that isn't really spicy at all. The bangus is just basted with a mild chili sauce similar to tabasco and preferred to be de-boned due to its being bony.

Bangsilog, a typical Filipino portmanteau breakfast consisting of boneless bangus, sinangag (garlic fried rice) and pritong itlog (fried egg) with tomatoes on the side.

In the evening, the group had dinner at Matutina Restaurant in Bonuan, Dagupan where they feasted on various seafoods e.g. nilasing na hipon ("drunken" shrimp) and calamares (fried squid with batter), in a nice ambiance though quite expensive.



The following was the seminar where Tutubi was the last speaker (a slot he inherited due to resignation of one of his colleagues) and where his colleagues aver there were so many pretty Dagupeñas in attendance. In between breaks and meals, he washed down his thirst with soda, something he normally doesn't do these days.

Hurrying out of the hotel right after the seminar, made a quick pilgrimage to Our Lady of Manaoag in Manaog town before heading to another feast in another famous restaurant in Calasiao town: Dagupeña Restaurant in San Miguel, Calasiao. The restaurant, which was quaint and homey with capiz windows and kawai chairs, started out as an eatery in 1928 owned by Ignacia Bernal.

Interiors of Dagupeña Restaurant(below). Was only able to take pictures of this and not the food, again, due to fear of not being able to eat what's served. Highly recommend this restaurant for a sampling of Pangasinan cuisine aside from not being too pricey.



The menu served for the night included: honey mustard bangus belly (recommended. wish to have their recipe for this one), tarragon honeyed crabs, fried hito (catfish) with buro (fermented fish paste), sinigang sa miso na hipon (prawns in Filipino style broth with miso), rellenong alimasag (stuffed crabs),and the house specialty binagoongang pata (pork knuckles with shrimp paste). Don't also forget to buy and sample Calasiao's famous puto (rice cakes).

With tummies full, the group called it a night to rest while eagerly awaiting the following day's island-hopping adventure in Alaminos.

Continued on Hundred Islands island-hopping post.

Notes:

Star Plaza Hotel A.B. Fernandez Avenue (+63-75-5234888)
Official website here.

Other "where to eat" places: Silverio's, Matutina, Dawel, Alimango

Pasalubong Bonuan Boneless Bangus can be bought at cheaper prices at CBN Bonuan Boneless Bangus km 381 beside Petron gas station along the highway.

Note also one of the best boneless bangus available near Manila is at LZM Restaurant in Silang, Cavite on the old highway near Riviera Golf and Country Club.

How to get to Dagupan, Pangasinan

Commuting to Dagupan is easy. Several buses have terminals of Dagupan Bus, Victory Liner and Five Star. In Dagupan, you can take jeepneys and tricycles around the city.

Other information on Dagupan travel and tourist spots will be appreciated. Tutubi's planning an official return trip there soon.

Labels: Dagupan, Food Trip, Pangasinan Ilocos Region

It's really hot here in the big city when most people head out to the beaches scattered all over this sun-drenched archipelago.

Being stuck here in Manila and looking for a different kind of high, I looked for a branch of Razons at Robinsons Galleria foodcourt that I later found out has a rather long queue (right photo furtively taken with my phone cam)attesting to the popularity of this ice concoction from Guagua, Pampanga. Other branches I know are SM Megamall Foodcourt, SM Mall of Asia (MOA) and the Shell complex on NLEX southbound.

Halo-halo is a concoction of shaved ice, milk, sugar and various other sweet ingredients e.g. beans, purple yam, nata de coco, kaong (sugar palm) et al mixed together and sometimes topped with ice cream. The name itself literally means mix-mix in the vernacular.

For a bit of trivia, halo-halo is not an original Filipino invention but was introduced by the Japanese and also influenced by the Chinese. Many people from the Land of the Rising Sun, settled in Mindanao particularly in Davao that’s why many residents there have Japanese-sounding names. The Japanese were also the ones who built the roads of Baguio particularly Kennon road where many Nihonjin migrant workers died during construction of that torturous road leading to the summer capital.



Razon's version of the Filipino cooler is a simple one with only three main ingredients: macapuno (a sweet variety of coconut), sun-ripened handpicked saba (a certain variety of banana) and topped with syrupy, saccharine leche flan (steamed milk custard with caramel glaze) added together with finely-shaved ice, milk and a dash of dayap (lime) to complete the recipe.
The halo-halo this time is paired with dinuguan (pork blood stew. hey, even the british have black pudding, the germans with their blutwurst and Americans with blood sausage, so Filipinos are not the only ones guilty of breaking the kosher laws), puto (Filipino rice cake) and pancit luglug.



The pancit luglug, a close cousin of the palabok, is a common Pinoy comfort food made from round rice noodles smothered with special sauce, topped with boiled eggs and ground chicharon (an "evil" cholesterol-rich Pinoy food made of deep-fried pork fat that you may opt to avoid for those health-conscious. The Chicharon is what made foreigners think Philippine food is unhealthy, rather generalizing, isn't it?) and sprinkled with calamansi (Philippine lemon) for added zest.

Razon's halo-halo, sinfully sweet and delectably creamy that you can enjoy without having to make a beeline to Pampanga to enjoy, together with dinuguan, puto and pancit luglug make a hearty meal

I always love the halo-halo of my hometown for its creamyness but Razon's halo-halo is a rare gem that makes the more visually-enticing Icebergs and Chowking's versions less gustatory appealing.


Razon's branches:

Robinsons Galleria foodcourt
SM Megamall foodcourt
Trinoma Food Choices
Alabang Town Center Food Court
Jupiter St. Makati
lastly, their original Guagua branch, of course!

wonder how much a razon's franchise is

Labels: Central Luzon, Filipino Cuisine, Food Trip, Pampanga, Pampanga Restaurant