FINE DINING IN MARINDUQUE

This is the last in this particular series. I had wanted to write about the butterfly farms, but for the life of me, I cannot seem to find my pics! Augh. Oh, well. Let that part be your pleasant surprise--if or when you ever find yourself on the island.

On to the main course! =) The more I think about it, the more I realize that Marinduque is not really known for any signature food. Cebu has its lechon, danggit and dried mangoes. Palawan has its cashews. Cagayan de Oro has its pineapples, Iligan peanuts and Monk's Blend coffee (which is grown and roasted in the Benedictine monastery in Malaybalay Bukidnon). The closest thing I ever got to finding a "signature pasalubong" from the island is when I brought home "Arrow Root Cookies" (that's uraro for the uninformed, haha!) that are supposedly Marinduque's specialty. See, I'm ignorant this way. I thought uraro cookies are grown, baked and sold only along the highways of Tagaytay! Hahaha! 'D

Which is not to say looking for a decent place to eat in the island is challenging. It is actually quite easy if you don't expect to find any of the posh restaurants of Manila. Marinduque is about home-cooking. HOME COOKING in big, bold letters. Home-cooking as in the traditional way. =)

I grew up watching Noni (my fave grandmother) cook the day's viands in her outdoor kitchen. She had a gas range, but it was only used to reheat food (I suppose the gas range is the 70's equivalent of the microwave, haha!). For cooking, she must cook in the makeshift kitchen right outside the kitchen door. There, she would lay down dried wood in an improvised kiln, making sure that they are arranged in a way that would allow air to flow through each piece of log. She would then crumple pieces of yesterday's newspaper and light them with a match before throwing them into the kiln. (When I was a kid, I had visions of the Olympic torch being lit everytime Noni did this. Haha! 'D) Once the fire gets going, she then sets this gigantic wok (they call it kawa) on which the day's viands are cooked. Not exactly environment-friendly, but I'm sure no one will dispute that the entire thing makes for a particularly rich and textured set of childhood memories. =)

One of the Hubby's and my favorite things to do on the island (which also says a lot about how laid back it is, haha) is to get in the car and drive around in search of the next best pancit. Hahaha!!! 'D If there's one thing I will suggest you try in Marinduque, it is their pancit. They make the noodles themselves, and I can honestly say that in all the places we have ever been to on the island, the pancit is the ONE thing that has yet to disappoint us. Hahaha! The pancit in Marinduque is quite simple and uncomplicated with very few "additions" (usually just sayote and a few slivers of liver or pork). It's a bit "soupy" which I like because the taste of the sauce seems to further enhance the rich egg taste of the noodles. The best (to-date) is the one in Laylay which we only chanced upon because we happened to stop by a tricycle stop to ask where we can buy pancit, and all the folks pointed to an old house. Here, the pancit is cooked the traditional way. In a kawa set on a pugon. The first time I watched Manong cook our pancit, I felt a tug at my heartstrings. I remembered Noni and realized just how much I miss her. Yes, years later. STILL. =(

Over Christmas, we found out that one of the enterprising neighbors set-up a BBQ stand next to the entrance of our favorite pansitan. Perfect! Haha! We were with Mama E and Mama Yemy then and ended up ordering 6 orders of pancit and I think more than 10 sticks of BBQ plus softdrinks (in 8oz bottles, how quaint, haha!). Total bill: P180.00!!! Now, that's good (no, great!) value for money. Haha! =)

Long before Manila went agog over Pan de Manila and its pugon-baked pan de sals, wood-fired ovens has been the only way bread is baked on the island. I suppose it said a lot when the Hubby was not too impressed with Pan de Manila the first time he tried it. I suppose, he was hoping to taste "a bit of Marinduque bread", but it obviously fell short. Which is why whenever we're in Marinduque, we would inevitably find ourselves in Solomon's Bakery for our fix of Hopiang Gayat, Pinag-ong (because of its turtle shape) and Monay na Matigas. Hahaha!!! Freshly-baked stocks are usually available beginning 4:00 p.m. (I suppose, the entire morning is spent baking pan de sal. =)) When I say freshly-baked, I mean freshly-baked as in warm and cozy with the comforting goodness of wood smoke evident in every bite. Yum! Each pack of 10-12 pieces costs P10.00. Yey! Hahaha! 'D






























Still, there IS one place in Marinduque that is acknowledged as "the restaurant" to go to for special occasions. Barbarossa is owned by a local with a foreigner husband (I'm thinking Austrian, based on the photos on the wall and the interior decoration =)). It serves pasta and pizza (also baked in a wood-fired oven) and is probably the only place on the island where one can get a decent serving of Hungarian Sausages, Kielbasa and Bratwurst. =) I've always heard about the place, but it was only last Christmas that I got to go with the Hubby--with Cousin Dooders and Special Girl MJ in tow. May I say that I was impressed! Everything was good. Real, authentic good! Yum! ^_^ Total bill came out to about P200.00 per person which is not bad when you compare it to Manila prices, but its a tad too pricey for the locals and is usually reserved for special occasions or for entertaining guests. =)






























All told, there IS fine dining in Marinduque. Just not the multi-glassed, multi-utensil, napkin-on-lap, candlelit kind, but it IS the kind that you wouldn't mind going home to over and over again.

Yum! 'D