THE ADVENTURES OF TOYANG & TWEETY: ABE'S FARM / MARCH 26,2011 =)

With our recent road trip to Pampanga leaving us wanting for more, Hubby Sweet decided to use his one weekend off to go back. There were so many other places on the list that we have not yet gone to, but this particular weekend, he decided to reserve for Abe's Farm. Our original roadtrip for two eventually expanded to include Father, Sister Pusjing, Bro-in-Law G-Genius and Patita. Mother was feeling under the weather and decided to stay home in House Better. Bro I-gue and fam had somewhere else to go to. We also invited Panet (Eduardo's Executive Chef ;D), but she sadly had to go to work. Oh, well. Next time.

Abe's Farm is part of the LJC Group of Restaurants, and I suppose, among all the restaurants under its wing (Cafe Havana, Cafe Adriatico, Cafe Remedios, Fely J, Lorenzo's Way, Larry's Bar, etc.), the Farm is the showcase for everything that is important to its founder. First, it is quite a drive from Manila (take the NLEX, exit in Angeles. At the rotonda, choose the node that will take you down Magalang Ave., go straight until you hit Petron, turn left, then turn right on the first block, go straight until you hit an Munisipyo / Agricultural school, then just go down the offroad until you see the sign). It's pretty easy to find (much easier than Everybody's Cafe, haha), but it is far. Have you ever travelled with a kid in tow? Never mind that Patita is actually an adult in the body of a 7-year-old. The entire trip, we had to keep her entertained because as soon as she had time to think, the inevitable comes up: "Are we there yet?", followed by permutations of "How much farther?" and "How much longer?" Hahaha. =) The fact that the trip was worth it, however, can be seen in the way Patita lit up as soon as the farm gates were opened to let us in.

Now, be warned that the food at Abe's Farm is exactly the same as the one they serve in the Serendra outlet and in some of the other LJC restaurants. I put that up front so that you can manage your expectations (and in case you're the type who would go, "I travelled this far for food I can actually order in Manila?!"). That said, LJC food is good in any of its Manila branches, but it is much better enjoyed in the sanctuary that is Abe's Farm. (Same taste, different ambience, haha.) For this trip, we enjoyed the usual suspects, and then some. =)

Chicharon Bulaklak. No trip to any LJC restaurant is complete without it. There was a debate as to whether we should order only one (health advocates) or two (realists, haha). We decided on two, taking into consideration that we had both Hubby Sweet and G-Genius present at the table. Good call! The pic below is only half a serving. It was half-finished by the time I managed to get a pic. Like I said, two servings, good call! Haha. =)

Pako (Fern) Salad. Now the LJC group is not particularly known for this type of salad, but truth be told, I've always been intrigued by it ever since I read an article about how Patis Tesoro's guests would automatically look for it everytime they visited Kusina Salud. I therefore welcomed the opportunity to finally satisfy my curiosity. I figured, net of the dressing, what I really wanted to check out was how a fern would taste like. I tried. OK lang. I did not particularly like it. Haha. It was a bit "slimy" and I generally don't like slimy food (think okra and some types of seaweeds). Thought balloon: hala, curiosity killed the cat. Haha. =D

Kamaru. We rounded up the appetizers with this Pampanga delicacy (which, I think, is not served in any of the Manila restaurants.) Father and Hubby Sweet immediately dug in. G-Genius and Sister Pusjing decided to take a moment to collect their bearings before trying it. Patita was adamant. No. Haha. =D Still, the crickets at Abe's Farm looked less Fear-Factor worthy than those we tried at Everybody's Cafe. They were smaller, less plump and roasted much drier, plus the "adobo seasoning" at Abe's was much stronger compared to EC's sauteed version so the natural woody taste was a bit more masked and subdued.

Binukadkad na Plapla. We moved on to the main course with this. The men raved about the mustasa and balaw-balaw that was served with it, rolling the fermented rice in the mustard leaves and popping them into their mouths in quick succession. Sister Pusjing and I gladly gave up our "share" as we did not see the point in eating (even trying!) fermented rice. =D

Gising-gising. We enjoyed our fried fish instead with this recipe of chopped up Baguio beans (or was it kangkong) with coco cream and--I'm fairly sure--a dash of bagoong and siling haba. I happen to think that gising-gising is eaten best with grilled meat, but we decided to stay away from dishes we can cook at home. Once the mustasa and balaw-balaw were wiped out, the men moved on to help us with this one. =)

Tidtad. The other native Pampanga dish ordered from the menu. It is a drier version of dinuguan. Love. Enough said. =)

Lamb Adobo. Rounding up the main dishes is another LJC specialty which G-Genius insisted on ordering. I do remember devouring Adobong Kambing in Cafe Havana with BFFs Cheffy and Mrs. Smith during The Wander Years, and actually looked forward to giving this dish a go. I loved, but I still think I like the Adobong Kambing version better. (Then again, the darn adobong kambing did not have to compete with other great dishes on the same table, haha.)

We also ordered Bicol Express but were unpleasantly surprised to find out that it was a Vegetarian version. Gulay only. No meat. Ngyar. =S

Cups of coffee and tea, served with shared dessert plates of Buko-Pandan, Sticky Rice with Mangoes and Banana-Ube Halaya Turon capped our lunch off. (Forgot to take pics, sorry. =))Busog to the max, we each wanted to sequester some of the daybeds that were made available for the guests in some of the sections of the house. Patita, unfortunately, beat us to the one nearest our table. Nancy Drew in hand, she seemed content with reading the afternoon away.

The adults decided to walk what felt like a ton of food settling in our stomachs. Roaming around, it no longer surprised me to find Hubby Sweet clowning around with the staff. Seeing them clown around with him made me realize that Abe's Farm is less of a restaurant than it is a house that we have been "allowed" to visit. =)

Beyond the menu, what made the trip worthwhile is the place itself. This was the view of the grounds from the dining area.

After lunch, guests can choose to laze around and read....

Or play pool.......

Or just explore the the grounds.......

...to eventually find your own sweet spot where you can choose to sleep an entire afternoon away. Nurture Spa actually operates within the farm, but we ran out of time. Next time, maybe. =)

My favorite activity in places like these? Walk around and take as much of it in. Oh, and yes. Dream. Dream that somehow, someday, I am going to spend my retirement years in a place just like it. Yey. =D