Pampanga, the Culinary Center of the Philippines

Top 5 Food Trip Destinations in and around Manila (2 of 5)
by Anton Diaz, Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com
Published in San Miguel Great Food Club Newsletter (November-December 2009). 
(Please register in MyGreatFood.com if you want to become a member of San Miguel’s Great Food Club)

 2. Pampanga, the Culinary Center of the Philippines

A Pampanga food trip is always good for a full day without the need to
go on overnight because it is now one hour away and very accessible via the
North Luzon Expressway (NLEX). A trip to the culinary capital is not complete
without trying the best restaurants there.

Most people would go on a convoy or meet up at the last Caltex along
Edsa before turning into NLEX. Others prefer to meet at the Total Gasoline
Station, which is the last station before the San Fernando Exit.

Here is a good tip: Start with the best of San Fernando’s restaurants,
then travel along MacArthur Highway to Angeles City’s foodie places. You can
already exit Pampanga through the Angeles City NLEX Entrance going back to
Manila.

First Stop, the Best of San Fernando, Pampanga:

1. Everybody’s Café – This
is an all-time favorite and considered an institution of Kapampangan cuisine.
Everybody’s is popular for its melt-in-the-mouth, creamy Morcon, Pindang
Damulag (Carabao’s meat) with Rice and Carabao’s Milk, Tidtad Babi (Kapampangan
Dinuguan), and its “fear-factor” treats of Betute (frog) and camaru (cricket).
The restaurant has maintained its original turo-turo ambiance, which has been
around since after World War II.

2. Lilian Borromeo’s Home of Kapampangan Cuisine – Lilian is a Kapampangan Chef Celebrity best known
for her classic local fare and San Nicolas cookies. She caters to requests to
serve breakfast in her ancestral home in Mexico, Pampanga and to have demos on
how the famous San Nicolas cookies are made. She will entertain you with
stories of her family’s culinary heritage and anecdotes on Kapampangan culture.

In between meals, most people would stop by and pray in the half-buried
church in Bacolor, Pampanga and the
Betis Church, which is hailed as the
Sistine Chapel of the Philippines. In Betis, you can also check out the
different wooden furniture and handicrafts of the talented local craftsmen.

Next Stop, the Best of Angeles City, Pampanga:

1. Claude Tayag’s Bale Dutung (House of Wood) – It is now a popular by-reservation-only restaurant
(minimum of 10-12 people) where Claude and his darleng Mary Ann Tayag
personally host an intimate 5-hour lunch. You can choose from the traditional
Kapampangan meal or their special 5-ways lechon. Recently, Bale Dutung made it
to the Miele Guide as one of the top restaurants in Asia. It is recommended
that you have a very light breakfast if you are going to Bale Dutung for lunch.

2. Chef Chris’ C’ Italian Dining – This is not Kapampangan cuisine but it is voted as one of the best
Italian restaurants in the country. It is best known for its thinly sliced
roll-over pizza called Panizza. This kind of pizza has been copied but nothing
beats the original. C’ Italian Dining is located along Friendship Highway in
Clark, Angeles, Pampanga. For a party of 10 or more, you can personally ask
Chef Chris to design a special set menu for your group and let him do his
culinary magic. It is great to hang out there at night — dinner could easily
last for 3-4 hours.

3. Aling Lucing’s Sisig –
You can also pay tribute to the home of the original sisig on a sizzling plate,
popularized by Aling Lucing in her original grill place along the railroad.
Even after the owner passed away, the place did not lose its popularity. Most
people would go here just to say that they have eaten in the birthplace of
sisig — one of the unofficial national dishes of the Philippines.

 

Last Stop, Dessert and Pasalubong:

The Nepo Mart area in Angeles City is a popular stopover for Susie’s
Tibok-Tibok (pudding made from pure
carabao’s milk) and Rosing’s Candies of pastillas and other sweet treats (all made from carabao’s milk).

You can also end your food trip with the famous Pampanga Halo-Halo,
which is made with a few ingredients and sweetened to perfection. Two of the
most popular Halo-Halo places around the area are Razon’s Halo-Halo (made with sun-ripened saging na saba, macapuno and
leche flan with dayap rind) and Corazon’s Halo-Halo (made using macapuno, saging na saba, mais and their
special beans and halayang gatas).

Live an Awesome Life,  

 

Anton Diaz
Founder, OurAwesomePlanet.com
Mobile: +63917-LOVEOAP (5683627) 
Email: anton@diaz.ph
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P.S. What’s your favorite in Pampanga?