Cabalen: Pigging Out - Pinoy Way

We're sort of on a diet, if you call "eating whatever you like now and don't eat anything later" a diet, so despite having a food blog, we almost never go to buffets. They are the temptress that challenges our will. Resisting the urge to eat more is oftentimes futile and giving in is the only way to ease the heavy psychological burden it entails.

This time though, I was curious as to how this buffet-style Filipino restaurant, Cabalen, is faring since I last I there, maybe 7 years ago, so I forced pleaded Anne to eat there after our weekend French lesson. I was curious for two things: 1) Has the taste changed since I last ate there, and 2) Has my taste changed since I last ate there. That was last week but I just succeeded bargaining this week and so off we went into this obesity-encouraging Filipino restaurant.

As this is a buffet, we didn't really have any set meals since we just got a plate and filled it with whatever we liked that's on display.

He says...

I have this gut feeling that Filipino restaurants or any other Filipino establishments degrade in taste and quality as time goes by probably because of the whole "ningas kugon" thing. I was a but surprised because the taste wasn't as horrible as I thought it would be. In fact, it was tres bien (very good in French; Shut up, I'm just practicing!). They had most (if not all, I can't tell since there are so many!) of my favorite foods like longaniza,  tocino, crablets and many more and they all tasted as good as the best ones I've tasted in my life. Note that we had this meal on a half-empty/half-full (pessimistic/optimistic?) stomach. Hunger and fullness more often than not skews our taste in food.

Possessed while Eating. DO NOT DISTURB.

One bad thing I can say about the whole experience, though, is their iced tea. It was horrible. I don't know if it was watered down or they were intentionally trying to kill us with bad taste.

He rates: Food 4.5/5; Iced Tea 0.5/5

She says...

I'm really not fond of buffets. I always end up getting a tummy ache. Often times I throw up due to too much ingested food. This time though, not sure if I moderated my consumption 'coz I did have 3 platefuls plus a glass of halo-halo for dessert, but Cabalen day was a no throwing up day for me. Sure my tummy did ache a while and I felt so horrible (and guilty) after that lunch but I really did enjoy the crablets and the other dishes there. They were cooked in a classic Filipino way, no fancy dishes with elaborate presentation, just good Filipino food. 

I was disappointed though of the kare-kare. It just didn't have a balance of slightly sweet and creamy pea-nutty dish I had always look forwarded to each time I see one served (even in our hospital cafeteria).

Apart from that, the fondue was tasty as usual, although they didn't have plenty of treats for the fondue, just marshmallow and a few variety of fruit slices. 

Over-all, the lunch experience was pleasant.

She rates: 4/5

Ante-dinner Pancit Lucban Affair

a take-out food from Buddy's

Dieting is really tough when people around you tempts you with food you surely can't refuse. Yesterday, his mom brought home a box of Buddy's Pancit Lucban! Yes, indeed! It was in a box, like all other take-out food. No longer fo they serve them in bulky bilaos thus sparing them from too much foil and banana leaves!

We used to eat at Buddy's located in the open-air food plaza in Market!Market! when we visit the condo in BGC but I think it was only last year when they had opened a branch along Timog. We'd usually eat the pancit with a dozen on longganisa. Anyway, last night, we just had the pancit.

a hearty serving of pancit Lucban

Location: @home, take-out food from Buddy's

Food Ordered: Pancit Lucban

Cost: not sure

She says...

chomping on another spoonful of pancit!

This pancit from Buddy's is quite yummy. It really carries a different taste as compared to the usual pancit Canton or bihon that's traditionally served every birthday "for long life. Indeed Filipinos have such a number of beliefs and pamahiin. Going back to Buddy's pancit Lucban, it was tasty. The meat in it had bigger slices compared to the usual bits and pieces noted in commonly served pancit. It also had plenty of vegetables in it. It was really flavorful but quite oily at the same time. The pack came with vinegar and adding the vinegar into the pancit lessens the oily, greasy feeling on the palate. I really like this noodle treat. It's really something worth considering when planning the menu for my next birthday.

She rates:4/5

He says...

Buddy's restaurant has really great food and one of their specialty is the Pancit Lucban -- a noodle-type food with lots of toppings. This pancit has a lot of toppings and also varied in types. There are different vegetables and meat in it.

The oil and other seasoning give this food a very strong flavor. It's so strong that even old person can probably taste them.  If you're on a diet. This is not for you. The oil in this thing is so thick that the box it came with is soaked in it.

However, as delicious as this is, this is still not the best pancit out there.

He rates: 4.5/5

Amber's Golden Dinner Set

Imagine this: The rainy season has just (officially?) ended. The heavens have been kind to you and you were provided with a nice and warm weather for the week. What do you do?

Take a nice stroll outside and celebrate by eating out, of course!

And that's exactly what we did. Just conveniently located on the corner of Tomas Morato and Scout Castor streets in Quezon City, we took a small walk to this very simple looking establishment called Amber's Golden Bowl Restaurant. The place doesn't look so much like a typical restaurant in Tomas Morato but more of an upgraded carinderia (filipino. noun. a small food joint).

"Who needs interior designers if you have great food, right?"

The restaurant mostly caters to takeouts (or "To go" for Starbucks fans out there) that's why they only have an ordering counter and some bar stools lining the counter on the first floor. If you prefer to eat in, they have some seats on the second floor. The joint itself is open so you're treated to a bit of al fresco dining.

Alfresco dining - pinoy version

For this little excursion, we ordered the pork barbecue (for the meat) and the restaurant's famous pancit malabon (a noodle based food) and pichi-pichi (a local snack item) - the variant with the cheese. 

Don't be scared. That's just the cheese toppings.

She says...

Amber's Golden Bowl Restaurant reminds me of old chinese restaurants where we used to eat lomi and bihon. The area was not well ventilated. At 3 in the afternoon it was really humid. The barbequed pork tasted like its been prepared hours ago, not even a hint of getting reheated. Although, it did taste sweet and flavorful. The pancit malabon, which is one of their house specialties, had a full taste of atchuete, coconut milk and chicharon. It tasted nice but really the tastiest of all. The pitchi pitchi on the other hand was superb! It just had the right amount of sweetness, with a really soft almost jelly-like consistency and with an overload of grated cheese on top. This perhaps is the best pitchi pitchi that I've ever tasted.

Cool...ed?

She rates: pancit malabon-3.5/5, pork bbq-2.5/5, pitchi pitchi- 5/5

He says...

The pancit malabon tastes really good. Although it is not the best, it is one of the good ones (and I've tasted some really bad ones). Eating this with the egg slices, shrimp cuts and pork barbecue gives you a really satisfied feeling. Just thinking about sends shivers down my spine and a tongue drooling for more.

Drool worthy

Their famous pichi-pichi is famous for a reason -- it is the best pichi-pichi I've tasted in my life! This pichi-pichi itself is very soft and yet solid. It's soft enough to chew easily without stressing your jaws but solid enough to not stick on to your mouth. There are no hard residues (from the cooking process) anywhere in the pichi-pichi which is quite common on other pichi-pichi I've eaten. The cheese only adds more flavor to an already delectable chow. Being a meat lover, I partnered that again with the barbecue and, like in the movie Ratatouille, my whole childhood play right before my eyes.

He rates: 5/5 for this combo!

P.S. They have a site! Check it out HERE!

Grilled Chicken Afternoon

Pa-a @Mang Inasal

We headed to Broadway St. near N. Domingo as I was given a tip by the neighborhood veterinarian that it is the place for cheaper yet quality animal cages. It rained so hard that we dopped by Broadway Centrum. He hadn't tasted Mang Inasal yet so we decided to let the rain pass while trying out the place. Besides, there weren't really much option in this mallito ("little mall"). We tried out their PM1 which is a meal set with pa-a (quarter thigh and leg) and unlimited rice wrapped in banana leaves.

Location: Mang Inasal, Broadway Centrum

Food Ordered: PM 1 (pa-a with unlimited rice)

Cost: P99

She says...

Mang Inasal offers really affordable  and tasty grilled chicken. The chicken was well done yet it still retained its juiciness and remained flavorful. Perhaps they really have a good marinade mixture to begin with. I like it very much. As for the rice. I liked how it was done, just the right amount of moisture. They also have chicken oil at hand which they claim to enhance the taste of the rice, although I didn't find any difference in taste, just the oily feeling. I wonder how many calories each teaspoon of chicken oil contains?

She rates: 4.5/5

He says...

When I think of "Inasal", I think, over-priced pinoy foods you can probably buy from a karinderya. At least that was before we tried Mang Inasal. They offer one of the best barbecues I've tasted so far but with the benefit of afforability and mild abuse of their chicken oil on your rice. Although there isn't much of a difference in taste, it gives the rice a softer feel in your mouth and throat making it easier to chomp and swallow.

If you're low on cash but still can't deny yourself great food and Jolibee is not doing it for you anymore (Jolibee is a major owner of Mang Inasal, btw) then this is the place to go.

He rates: 4.5/5

Japinoy Lunch @Pinoydon

Pork Katsu @Pinoydon

We were at Podium when we decided to grab a late lunch at Pinoydon, a resto at the 4th floor near the cinemas which serves pinoy foods with a japanese twist, or was it the other way around? We had Pork Katsu, Bistek Teppanyaki, and Pinoydon Fried Chicken with supposedly terriyaki mayo sauce but they had served it with gravy thus I had to ask for the terriyaki mayo sauce which they did produce eventually.

Bistek Teppanyaki @Pinoydon

Pinoydon Fried Chicken @Pinoydon

Location: Pinoydon, Podium

Food Ordered: Pork Katsu, Bistek Teppanyaki, and Pinoydon Fried Chicken

Cost: Pork Katsu-P115; Bistek Teppanyaki-P120; Pinoydon Fried Chicken-P140

Is this the beef steakI've been longing for?

She says...

the place was quite, conducive to eating. The serving size was just the usual small portions. Customer service was poor. Even though there wasn't any other customers, we had to call twice to have our order taken. it was furthermore displeasing when she (the waitress) had to make a side comment which was within hearing distance when I asked for the terriyaki mayo sauce for their chicken karaage despite the fact that it was stated in their menu that they're serving the chicken with such sauce. As for their food, it was not so remarkable. The pork katsu had a more than acceptable taste, although the side dish of vegetable salad was not so delightful as it had ketchup-mayo as dressing. The bistek teppanyaki had a watered-down taste. The beef itself was tasteless. The sauce was like sweet soy sauce with a whole load of water. Didn't really taste nice. The chicken... geez... poor tasting fried chicken. It didn't even have even just a slight hint of crispiness. Guess, I should say, I'm not going back to this poor excuse for a resto.

She rates: Pork Katsu 2/5; Bistek Teppanyaki 1/5, Chicken 0.5/5

He says...

We often overrate food when we're very hungry when we eat them. Not for these foods. They tasted so bland and watered-down I might as well have eaten at home. We ordered 3 just so we have a second and third opinion. I would never return for any more.

He rates: 1/5 for all dishes