FOOD TRIP: PAMPANGA, PART 1 / MARCH 4,2011 =)

With "plated food" coming out of the Hubby's ears, his birthday celebration had to be somewhere other than any Metro Manila restaurant. Whereas our past food adventures were about trying the latest Chinese, Vietnamese, Mediterranean, Persian, etc., etc. restaurant in the metro, Hubby Sweet was, this time, craving for something simpler. Something more basic. Something closer to the roots.

Inspiration came in the form of a complimentary copy of Food Magazine that was lying around in House Pioneer. A road trip! A food trip! Yessssssssssss. =D We haven't gone on one in ages (largely due to the vast difference in our scheds), and it seemed like the perfect time to go on. VL's were filed (it was the only way, really, we could sync our schedules these days). With nothing but a magazine on hand, we set off early Friday a.m.

Driving down the NLEX was a breeze (if a bit expensive). We were adamant about getting to Pampanga in time for breakfast, but a series of road signs leading to the Barasoain Church proved intriguing. Hubby Sweet decided it was just right for him to visit a church on his birthday, and he supposed the Barasoain Church would be as good as any other church. To cut a long story short, we got lost. A few stops, a few turns and a few u-turns (on a very wide highway!) later, we found ourselves on a very narrow street (like a barangay road, really) which was supposed to lead us to the historic church.

"Goodness," I thought, "Traffic must have been horrendous here when Erap decided to take his oath as the President of the Republic."

We arrived to find several busloads of high school students on a field trip. I suppose it's par for the course since the church was the site of the Malolos Constitution (that of the first Philippine Republic). As with most teenagers, however, the significance of the church was lost on them, as they seemed keen only on taking group photos beside the massive church doors in "Japan-Japan" poses. Haha.

In any case, the Hubby and I were there for a different matter entirely so we proceeded inside. Having said our prayers, we did proceed to walk around. There is something about old churches and old buildings that fascinate me. It always makes me wonder about how it was to live in a different (albeit, not necessarily better) time. More gentle, I suppose, yes, but also more restricted. I don't think I would have survived.

Before deciding to go, we also took pictures of the structures as pegs for the time when Hubby Sweet finally gets around to restoring the house he grew up in in Marinduque.

Now, if we got lost trying to get to Barasoain, we got even more lost trying to get back to the NLEX! Naku! Apparently, unlike the SLEX were the entry/exit points are matched on opposite sides of the road, that for the north version is slightly more complex. After a few starts and stops for directions (some correct, some not), we finally found ourselves crossing the bridge that would get us back on track. (Apparently, bridges are big as far as landmarks go as all the directions we received on this trip were in permutations of "bago mag-tulay", "pagkatapos ng tulay", "sa ilalim ng tulay", etc., etc. =))

We had earlier decided to eat breakfast in Everybody's Cafe. It was the home of authentic Pampanga cuisine, the article declared, listing two branches: one along McArthur Highway in San Fernando, the other in Nepo Mart in Angeles. I suggested that we go straight to Angeles since all other "stops" seemed to be close to the area, but Hubby was adamant about going for the original place in San Fernando.

Thus, "Along McArthur Highway" was all we had to go with. We both thought that would be simple enough, until we realized we have passed all the buildings and were already traversing on a wide highway with open fields on either side. Hubby Sweet decided to stop at a nearby precinct and asked Mamang Pulis for directions. True enough, we overshot in a major way and they advised us to drive back to town and ask for directions. A few stops and starts and a "wag kayong aakyat ng tulay, sa ilalim kayo dumaan, kanan tapos sa rotonda kaliwa" later, we found ourselves in front of an old house that looked like the 70's version of Boots Anson Roa would choose to live in. (OK, I apparently watched too many Tagalog afternoon movies as a kid. ;p) It was 9:30 a.m.--way past our normal breakfast hours, but we, at least, have finally arrived.

The people at Everybody's Cafe are the nicest people in the world. They had none of the airs about things being a certain way because that's how it's done. Surveying the turo-turo line-up, we asked how big the servings are, and were told that they were good enough for two. Yikes! =S We explained to the good Ate that we were actually on a road trip, showed her the mag, and really wanted to try as much of their cuisine as we could. Being only two, it would be virtually impossible for us to do so if we got the regular serving sizes. Her face lit up at our story, and smiling, she said, "Sige, pwede siguro small size na lang. Para lahat ma-try niyo." Yey! ^_^ And so it goes that we had these authentic Pampangueno dishes for breakfast.

Tapang Damulag. Sweet-sour cured carabao meat. Every restaurant in Pampanga probably has their own version, but the one in Everybody's Cafe is wonderfully balanced. Not too sweet. Not too sour. Not too gamey. Perfect! =) We also ordered homemade longganisa, but I forgot to take a picture. Caramelized perfectly, that one is also a must-try!

Kilain. Pampanga's version of adobo, but without the soy sauce--made with pork cube, liver and lungs. I also wanted to try the adobong dumara (wild duck), but the duck was too big and I realized we wouldn't have enough space for it. Next time. Next time. =)

Dinuguan. It was the Pampanga version with the blood coagulated as opposed to being added as part of the soup. We really should have skipped it because it tasted too close to the Kilain (save for the interesting flavor bouquet that Hubby Sweet said came from the innards), but the Hubby is a dinuguan monster. Oh, well. For the record, it was good, but it shouldn't be ordered in the same meal as the Kilain. =)

Mechado. This one was recommended by Ate, supposedly because it was one of their specialties. We decided to try it because, unlike the Mechado we grew up with, this one did not have any tomato sauce nor did we see any beef cubes. We thought it might be closer to Morcon, but wondered about why it was wrapped in I-forgot-what-it's-called which is usually used for wrapping embotido or longganisa. When it was served, we discovered why. It is so because it is a form of embotido, but saltier, more flavorful.

Now what kind of foodies would we be if we went all the way to San Fernando to try authentic Pampangueno cuisine and didn't order these? =D

Betuteh. Stuffed Frog. Yes. It's breakfast, Fear Factor edition. Still, I do remember being forced to try deep-fried frog's legs when I was a kid because one of my aunts (who married a blood-tito) was Pampanguena. I do remember thinking it wasn't half-bad--that with eyes closed, one can actually fool herself into thinking she's only eating a chicken wing. But stuffed frog, I haven't tried. Especially since it was stuffed to look like a whole frog and goodness knows what they stuffed it with.

Ah, heck! Hubby Sweet just ripped the frog open and dug in. I watched him, waiting for him to lurch, but his eyes lit up.

"Masarap," he declared, nodding, "Not necessarily something I would choose to eat for breakfast on a regular basis, but it's not bad."

The frog was apparently stuffed with ground pork, tomatoes and aragao leaves. I dug in. Not bad really, not bad at all. Think relleno--except that this one's made with field frogs. Ngyah. =)

Oh, but my prior experience with frog's legs as a kid prepared me for the betuteh, but this...this (!), I have previously sworn I will never eat--EVER (!)--in my life. What kind of person would choose to eat an insect?! Then again, we went all the way to San Fernando, so I might as well try the other fear-factor breakfast option. Wah. =S

Kamaru. Mole-crickets, now harvested from the rice fields of Nueva Ecija (I suppose because the rice fields of Pampanga have since given way to development). Manong explained that they are actually sold in the palengkes, but those would still have the wings and limbs intact. To prepare the kamaru, the wings and limbs are taken off, then what is left is sauteed in tomatoes and onions then cooked/roasted until they are almost dry. Now, this, I really almost passed up on. I mean, really! Look at it. (OK, if you're squeamish, don't.) Still, I got it through my thick head that we drove all the way to San Fernando for an authentic experience and this (this!) is part of it.

Eyes closed, I picked one up and was half-tempted to just swallow it without chewing so I can finally lay claim to eating one without actually experiencing the grossness that has already been built in my mind. That said, my mind refused to let me cheat. My neurons probably sent some signal to my mouth because despite all my intentions, as soon as I popped one in, I automatically, almost involuntarily....chewed. @_@ It's not bad really. Actually good if you try real hard to think that you're not eating an insect. It's part-crunchy, part-chewy with a slightly woody taste (mole crickets feed on rice roots). It's like a mini-chicharon bulaklak, except higher in protein and lower in cholesterol. That said, would I eat it again? Uh, no. OK na ang one time. Haha! =D

While leisurely eating what remained of our breakfast spread, we decided to go somewhere else for dessert. There was a list of places we could go to, but they were all in Angeles, and really, we needed something closer to cap off our authentic Pampanguena breakfast. We tried calling some of the few ensaimada places in San Fernando, but a lot of them apparently listed phone details for their Manila branches and the Hubby Sweet thought it too much of a hassle to get directions to the San Fernando outlets.

Which is why we ended up at Razon's. Yey! =) We passed by it on one of the intersections along McArthur Highway while we were going around in circles trying to find Everybody's Cafe. While a kiosk now exists in Market, Market, I figured eating Razon's Halo-halo in Pampanga still counts as an authentic experience. =)

Razon's Halo-halo is relatively simple. No ice cream, no pinipig, no halaya, no beans, no langka. Just ultra-fine shaved ice, ultra-creamy leche flan, ultra-smooth macapuno and ultra-soft sweet bananas. Which is why, once you've mixed it up, every spoonful gives you a wonderfully-blended creamy dessert with an almost silky texture. None of the watery feel of coarsely-crushed ice, no need to bite on any of the ingredients. I also don't know if I'm just imagining things, but the Razon's in Pampanga tasted way better than the one I sometimes buy in Market, Market. =)

Over halo-halo, we did a quick run-through of the magazine article. With most of them talking about ensaimadas and native kakanin, we decided to just leave the rest of the San Fernando destinations for another visit. It was time to drive out again.

DESTINATION: ANGELES. Next! =D