There was zero attention to healthy cooking—just the way I like it.

Every time I get a request for a day tour for foodies, no miss, it’ll have to be in Pampanga. For a foodie like me and those asking for the gastronomic food trip, the distance of the drive is acceptable. Plus, they really have name forgetting and food that’ll make one faint.

Pampanga has so much good food that I’m sure each restaurant is known for a particular if not a few dishes. Poch Jarolan of Everybody’s Cafe is known for his kare kare, tidtad, morcon, longanisa, and more. Mila’s is known for her sisig, pako salad, chicharon bulaklak, tocino barbecue, and tokwa’t baboy. Susie’s Cuisine is known for her tibok-tibok, sapin-sapin, and chichiria.

How has Kapampangan food become so good and popular? I learned that in early Spanish times, the ships the conquistadors rode were repaired in the docks of Pampanga. It is for this reason the cuisine in Pampanga is heavily influenced by Spain. Spanish influence brought about dishes like morcon, afritada, caldereta, leche flan, and bringhe. Sisig, on the other hand, is an Angeles original without a trace of Spanish influence.

Clockwise from top: Roast beef, roast chicken, and toasted bread with melted cheese

Every time I visit Pampanga—Angeles to be more specific—I make it a point to visit a restaurant. Over two months ago, I got an invite for a birthday lunch for the siblings Vic Batungbacal and Maricris Encarnacion. The joint party was marked on my calendar because these siblings, who love to eat and are well travelled, always enjoy serving good food. “Patay na naman diet ko.”

Two weeks ago, that lunch happened. No dinner, no breakfast, my buddies Gina and Joy drove to Angeles to pig out at the siblings’ lunch party. We had no idea what kind of food to expect but I was certain it was going to be memorable.

I was so hungry when I walked in I zeroed in on what looked like kropek on a table. To my surprise, it wasn’t kropek but caprice, the blush-pink blooms of amaryllis. I must have been hallucinating.

After mass, we sat next to the buffet table and I started investigating what was to be served.

“Kare-kare ba ‘to?” I asked.

“Hindi po,” said the server.

“Caldereta? Lengua?

“Hindi po (No, sir),”

“Roast beef?

“Hindi po. Isda (it’s fish).”

After that, I just shut up and waited.

Before anything landed on the table, I had already grabbed two pieces of fried lumpiang gulay. Yummy! There was roast chicken, lechon, caldereta, paco salad with shrimp and chicharon, pancit bihon loaded with toppings, a soupy orange fish dish, and a buffet of desserts. The spread was beyond description. Each item was carefully screened. Some of the dishes were swimming in their own fat and juices. There was zero attention to healthy cooking—just the way I like it. I was doing quite well not eating rice and all then Vic brought out some toasted crusty bread topped with aged gouda and some other cheese he stashed for a day like this, melted the combination in a toaster, and put the result in front of us. I should have just eaten rice. It was so so good I ate so much. I wanted to kiss Vic.

Dessert was an outstanding pandan sansrival and a variety of sweets. Oh my. What a memorable lunch spread! The food was rich and extremely fattening. The best ingredients were put in each dish. I can’t wait for next year.

Pampanga indeed has great food and the Kapampangans do know how to throw an outstanding spread. I went home promising myself I’d diet. Tip: Plan a diet when you’re full and you’re sure to think you’ll succeed.

Happy eating!

#Sandy Daza

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