Patchawaran's - Thai Food Trip in Pampanga

I am taking a break from writing my Bangkok Adventure posts (there are two more coming up!) but I am here to give you another one . . . and it is about Thai food! (Thai pa rin talaga! Haha)

Since we didn't get enough Thai food in Bangkok, we got our fill and ate to our heart's' content back home in  . . . Pampanga! 

My sister heard about this Thai restaurant in Angeles City from her friends and told me about it. According to the waitress who took care of us, the restaurant has been operating for six years now.  It was previously known as Chiangmai Restaurant.  I am just not sure if the change in name meant change in ownership.  One thing is for sure though, they serve good, authentic Thai food because it is owned by a Thai lady who personally cooks all the dishes being served.   

The restaurant (a bungalow house) is located in a residential area.  The place doesn't have a parking area (it is street parking) so this can be a problem especially when it is peak time.  I am glad we went for a late lunch.  You know the place has made quite an impression when you see someone bring a group of Korean tourists there after a game of golf.  

So through this post, I want to bring you too to . . .  Patcharawan's Thai Restaurant!

Facade of the restaurant

This is the dining area when you enter the red gate, it is the al fresco part of the restaurant.

We were seated in the air conditioned area.

The restaurant's menu has more than enough good choices.  You get to choose what meat you want for the Thai dishes.  The menu even has International dishes (Singaporean, Malaysian and Mexican!  I know, I wasn't expecting the Mexican part, haha).

We came with a good appetite and ordered the following:

1) Shrimp and Squid Salad - it was refreshing, loved the dressing and the succulent shrimps!  And big too I must say.  I wish the squid were more tender though.

2) Fried Rice with Chicken - when we go out, we have to order Fried rice for the kids.  I also wanted to order Bagoong Rice but it wasn't available that day.

3) Grilled Chicken Satay - LOVE it!  The chicken was tender and the satay sauce was good!

4) Phad See Lew (pronounced as Pad See You) - I wish we ordered Phad Thai instead, haha!  This is actually me and hubby's favorite Thai Noodle dish so I am already expecting this particular taste which (sadly) we didn't get in this dish.  I found it dry too.

5) Chicken Stir Fry with Basil - another winner!  

And of course, we had to try one of their curries so we ordered. . . 

6) Chiangmai Curry - This curry dish tastes like peanut-ty and has a hint of sweetness, similar to the satay sauce. 

And you know what the BEST part about this meal?!!!  The price!  Our total bill (food plus plain rice and drinks) came out to Php1,300 only (around US$26)!   

For the quality and quantity of food you get and the price you pay, this place is a winner!

If there is one thing I would suggest is for them to have more wait staff ( or probably we came in after lunch time so the others are on break?)  But I have to say that the staff were nice and they were trying their best to manage all the tables.

So if ever you are in Angeles City and are craving for some Thai food, this is a good place to go to!

Happy Food Tripping!

(Oh my gosh, writing this post made me hungry, seriously. I want some Thai food now, haha! )

Patcharawan's Thai Restaurant

26B Malabanias Road

Angeles City

Mobile No. (63) 9205310378

FB Page (not sure if this is their official page)

Pampanga Eats: Matam-ih Restaurant in Clark

Something serendipitous happened last Sunday.  I was supposed to go to Manila to visit my Ninong and Ninang (our godparents in our wedding who are such a lovely and loving couple!) but guess what?! They were in Clark (which was a 30 minute drive from our home) for the weekend!  Talk about perfect timing!

So I was going to meet them in a restaurant which sounded like (because I wasn't sure, haha!) "Watami" (though there is really a Watami restaurant in Makati, haha) in Clark.  After a few turns and U-turns (and a Ninong who stood by the road to give me an easier time finding the place!)  I finally got to the place!  It sits on a lot by the main road of Clark (along M.A. Roxas Highway).  It is ironic how friends from Manila are the ones who told me about this place!  Wait, but I have an excuse!  I've been gone for a year and the place just opened last August 2014.  (Heehee)  

The name of the restaurant is. . . MATAM-IH!  And it serves Kapampangan food!  (But it does sound Japanese right?  Haha!)

Matam-ih means "delicious" in the Aeta (pronounced as Eye-ta) dialect.  The Aeta are an ethnic tribal minority group who live in Central Luzon.  The restaurant actually employs members of this tribe.  I've read in some articles online that one of the reasons why the owners (the Rodriguez family of Capas, Tarlac, led by Mayor Antonio Rodriguez Jr. and his son Antonio "Third" Rodriguez III) put up this restaurant was to give them source of livelihood.  A big population of this tribe can be found in Tarlac.  I love how the owners kept this ethnic group in mind as they conceptualized the restaurant. 

MATAM-IH is an open air restaurant with a pavilion-like structure. 

The restaurant also has air-conditioned rooms like the one pictured below which is good for 16 guests and requires a minimum consumption fee of Php 4,000.  The fee includes 3 hours use of the room. 

There is also a bigger one (good for 60 guests) with a minimum consumption fee of Php 10,000.

Our sumptuous lunch consists of . . . . 

Fried Hito with Mustasa and Buro (Fermented Rice with fish)

Inihaw na Liempo - loved this!
Wish it came with sawsawan (dipping sauce) made of vinegar and garlic, heehee

Begukan Babi (Pork Binagoongan) - 
It is also good, it has a nice balance of sweetness and saltiness

I am not sure if this is Pinakbet or just mixed vegetables, haha!  I like how the vegetables were cooked, they weren't mushy.

Adobong Pusit (Loved this! My top pick, reminds me of home)

We (meaning 6 adults! haha!) also had Sinigang and Laing (which was also good!).  I wasn't able to take a photo of the other food because we were busy catching up!

We also got a chance to talk to one of the owners.  She was so nice and pleasant and she even gave us free dessert!

By the way, I'm not saying everything is good because we had free dessert. . . but because we really enjoyed our lunch!  (Thank you again Ninong D and Ninang A for the nice lunch!)  

Manggang Atin Inangit

This dessert was delicious!  It is made up of sticky rice cooked in coconut milk, topped with vanilla ice cream, chunks of yellow mangoes and I forgot what the brown topping actually is.  I asked what it was.  But it is sweet, like caramelized brown sugar, I think.

When you dine in this place, you will also be serenaded (singing and chanting) by this group.  Kindly watch and give them some of your precious time and hope you spare some tip for them too.  It is not easy performing in front of a group! 

They ended their performance with funny pick-up lines for each of one of us in the group like this one:

Q: Ma'm, google ka ba?

Bakit?

A: Kasi lahat ng hinahanap ni Sir, nakita niya sa iyo!

Haha!  

I love this place because food and service is good!

When you are in Clark and you are craving for some local and Kapampangan food, please visit Matam-ih Restaurant and I hope you enjoy their food as much as we did.  

I know for sure, I'll be back before I leave for LA! 

MATAM-IH Restaurant

Lot 1-D, M.A. Roxas Highway, 

E. Jacinto St.,

Clark Freeport Zone

Pampanga

For more details, please visit their FB page.

Pampanga Eats: Meat Plus Café and Cookbook Kitchen

One of the things I am thankful for in my life is having a sister.  Here is a fun fact for you (I think I've mentioned this in an earlier post), we share the same birthday.  We are not twins. . . we were born six years apart.  I guess our Mom thought it was cool for us to have the same birthday, haha!  

I don't know exactly when we got closer but I am sure glad we did!  We love each other but if there's one thing she hates about me. . . it is the fact that I was the one who chose her name!  She wished I did a better job in doing so, haha!  (Sorry sis. . . at 6 years old, I had a limited choice and didn't know better!  But kudos to our parents for the vote of confidence, haha. . . For the record, her name is not bad at all!)

One of the things I love doing with my younger sister is having spontaneous lunches (besides shopping, heehee)!  And this is one of the things I truly miss doing since moving to LA last year.  Now that I am home, you can say we are making up for it! 

Here are two places which we have visited in the past weeks:

MEAT PLUS CAFE

I have been hearing about Meat Plus for the longest time from family and friends who frequent Subic. It is even hailed as a Subic landmark!  Luckily, I don't have to go there as we have one right here in our city.

If it's your first time to try this place and you don't know what to order, I suggest you go for the BBQ Pork Ribs because it is consistently good.  

I know. . . the presentation and plating can be better.  A side of veggies would be nice right?  This dish tastes better than it looks!  The meat is so tender and moist and the BBQ sauce is sweet and tangy. . .like a mild American BBQ sauce. 

My sister got a Cheeseburger.  It was not bad but I will get my burger somewhere else.

And we tried their Steak too.

I should have ordered it medium-rare (this was well-done).  The meat was a little bit chewy.  The best thing about this plate. . . the mashed potatoes!  Because it was made of real potatoes!  I enjoyed it though it needs a little more salt.  Well, less salt is actually good! 

Someone was really happy with what is in her plate!  

I think they used bowls and not scoops for the ice cream!  Haha!  For Php 160, I think it is reasonably-priced.

It is a good place to eat because there are more than enough choices in the menu.  You can also buy your preferred meat cut from their ref and for a minimum fee (I think around Php 150-200), they can cook it for you.

It was just my first time to try this place but I'll be back to try the other items in their menu. =)

Branches:

1) 6 Sampson Road

Subic Bay Freeport Zone

Zambales

2) G/F Northwalk III Building

Manuel A. Roxas Hwy,

Clark Freeport Zone

Angeles City

3) G/F Kingspire Business Centre

Km 71 Mc Arthur Hi-way

City of San Fernando, Pampanga

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Revisiting COOKBOOK KITCHEN

The first time I tried Cookbook Kitchen was in their original branch (a hole-in-the-wall type place which added to its charm) in Mandaluyong.  I heard from the waiter though that this place is now closed.  I remember the best (and most popular) dishes we tried were the Pork Steak with Honey Mustard Sauce and the Parmesan Crusted White Fish.  For dessert, they are known for their Kittin's Scarlet Cake.

Today, I have a new favorite dish and it always, ALWAYS hits the spot for me!

Pasta Adobo!!!

If you like Adobo, you will love this!  And don't get weirded out that you are eating it with pasta noodles, haha!  It has fresh tomatoes, pork adobo flakes and garlic bits!  Yummers!  

Another family favorite is their Fish and Fries which comes with 2 dipping sauces: creamy pesto and spicy red wine (I think. . .sorry Mommy Brain moment). 

We also tried their Coffee Musdslide (okay, I'll be honest, it's either Mudslide or Mudpie!  See, it was so good that we forgot the name, haha!)

Reminiscent of Friday's version

This place is cozy, a good place to get some comfort food and offers good service from its staff.  I am sure I am going back for some more of that Pasta Adobo and MORE from its menu! 

Cookbook Kitchen

Greenfields Square

Km 76 McArthur Hi-way

Sindalan, City of San Fernando,

Pampanga

Cookbook Kitchen

Libis Eastwood Mall

E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave.,

Bagumbayan, Libis, QC

PAMPANGA EATS: Everybody's Café

Last Saturday was one of the best days I had!

It was a day of celebration. . . .reconnection. . . and rediscovery!  The last three words apply to the good friends I met up with and the sumptuous lunch we had.

We met up with a High School friend who we miss so much because we haven't seen her for a looong time!  She came to visit (she lives in a different province now) and told me that she would like to eat in one of our province's (Pampanga) culinary gem . . . the Everybody's Café!  

We are all true-blooded Kapampangans but somehow we don't get to visit this place regularly, and for some of us, it was their first time last Saturday.  I knowww. . . haha!  It's ironic how people from Manila would drive all the way to Pampanga just to eat in this restaurant and we don't go to this place that often.  I guess human nature makes you take things for granted when that thing is within your reach. 

The last time I ate here was when I was probably in Grade School.  I remember coming to this place with the family to have merienda.  We would always have palabok (or pansit luglug as we call it here in our province) which was served with toasted bread and butter and halo-halo!

Goes without saying that it was a good time to rediscover this famous food destination as we also celebrate a lifelong friendship!

Having these girls around is like being back in high school except that our stories range from dealing with teenagers, hormones (not the teens'!), moisturizers and change in vision (well, hello 40s!), varicose veins and real estate taxes. . . such diverse topics ano?  Haha!  Yes, this is the story of our lives. . . now.

What goes well with good friends and endless conversation but an array of good food!


Welcome to Everybody's Café, the home of authentic Kapampangan cuisine!

Food here is served cafeteria/turo-turo style (direct translation by Filipinos: point-point, haha!) where you place your order by pointing at the dish you like from the food counter.  There are lot of choices but I think we did a pretty good job in "balancing" our meal.

One of the things we ordered was their specialty. . . Murcon!  Murcon is our local version of a meatloaf.  This is a staple in every Kapampangan household during fiesta or any special occasion.

The Murcon is served with additional sauce (made from its drippings) and I wish we slathered some over it before we took a photo, haha!  But even without the extra sauce, it's already good and tasty!

  

Of course, being the Kapampangans that we are, we had to order Pork Sisig. I love their sisig because it has some toasted parts.  I like it as it is.  We didn't even need to do anything (like put calamansi or soy sauce).

I did mention having a balanced meal . . .so we also ordered fish!  (Nah, we just felt guilty for ordering the pork dishes, haha)  We got some some fried hito (mudfish) which was fried perfectly!  It is served with buro (fermented rice and fish) and fresh mustasa (mustard leaves) ----- a popular trifecta of goodness for the Kapampangans!

   

We also ordered *Pako (pronounced as Pa-KO, stress is on the second syllable) Salad which has a vinegar dressing.

*Pako is Fiddlehead fern (thank you Google!)

And Bangus Torta which was something new to all of us . . .surprisingly good.

We also ordered Kare-Kare . . . 

And because I remembered eating their palabok, we placed an order too.

Something different. . . Palabok with slivers of Kamias

Naku, hindi. . .hindi kami gutom!   

We were not really hungry, hahaha!  We Kapampangans just love food!  We are known to be good cooks but we also love eating (well actually, who doesn't?!).

Another Kapampangan dish that is worth trying which we didn't order (because there is this thing called gluttony, haha) is Kilain (pronounced as Kila-yin).  It is an adobo-like dish (because it is also cooked in vinegar) sans the soy sauce. But its taste is entirely different from Adobo.  I find its flavor deeper and richer. I guess because of the liver component of the dish.  (Okay, I am not a Capampangan food expert, this is just my humble opinion, haha!)  When we cook this at home, we use finely chopped liver to thicken the sauce.  Some households also put lungs in this dish (we don't). 

Everybody's Café is also known for their exotic dishes like Betute (Stuffed Frog), Adobong Camaru (Crickets) and they also have Pindang Damulag (Cured Carabao Meat---*carabao is a water buffalo) as seen below.  I also saw Kalderetang Kambing (goat) and a lengua (tongue) dish (I forgot what it was) among the food choices.

We had so much food but we had more stories to share that lunch ran for 3 hours!

And at the end of this perfect day, all I can say is our hearts were full of laughter and our tummies filled with good food!

(Thank you BFF for the photos you shared for this post!)

For more details about Everybody's Cafe, please visit their FB page.

Main Branch: Del Pilar, McArthur Hi-way, City of San Fernando, Pampanga

Second Branch: Nepo Mart, Angeles, Pampanga

*I know that they are also part of the Salcedo Market in Makati every Saturday.

Pampanga Eats: Zenco Fusion Restaurant in Clark

Weekend is here!  One of the things I love doing on a weekend is go on food trips!  I love going to Angeles City and Clark Freeport Zone (which is probably around 25-30 kms from our city) because of the abundance of restaurants to try.  One of the restaurants my sister mentioned (she has yet to try it though) was ZENCO Fusion Restaurant (which she heard about from our cousin) located inside Clark.

Before trying a new restaurant, I go online and google about the place first!  So I am happy to have read good reviews about Zenco and I also learned that it is a Japanese restaurant owned by a Korean couple.  

A couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to try this restaurant located at the Bertaphil Compound in Clark. Bertaphil is one of the commercial/business areas in Clark where you can find several offices and restaurants.  (You can also find the famous C's Italian Restaurant in this lot as well) 

Photo from www.clarkisit.com

The restaurant is not that big, has a no frills interior, clean and with a good air-conditioning system.  If you live in a place where temp can go up to 39C, this is a big plus!  Haha!   

Photo from www.clarkisit.com

We needed some time to order because we didn't know what to get, haha!  I was looking for the standard Japanese food items such as gyoza, agedashi tofu, kani salad, chicken teriyaki etc. which I didn't see in the menu.  (But then I thought, probably because this was a fusion restaurant)  

While they don't have some of my favorite items, there is more than enough items to choose from (they have tonkatsu so we were fine, hehe)  and have a filling (they have big servings) dining experience.  They also have a good number of noodle soups to choose from which I want to try next time.  

We ordered the following:

California Maki - just because I always order this in a Japanese restaurant, haha!

It was okay, it wasn't bad.  But my friend and I prefer the usual California Maki that we are used to which is "dry".  This has some kine of a sauce over it.

Salmon Sashimi Salad - I know my friend loves Sashimi so I told her to get some.  She chose this salad.  I haven't mastered the art of eating (and appreciating) Sashimi. . . but I know how a fresh fish looks like.  I was impressed with the freshness of the Salmon!  I did try this salad (just the lettuce leaves) and the dressing was good.  The salad was light and refreshing.  

How nice the color of the fish ano?

Tonkatsu Curry - the restaurant's popular item is actually Cheese Tonkatsu.  It is a tonkatsu filled with mozzarella cheese.  But we weren't in the mood to be more adventurous with our tonkatsu, so we just ordered the Tonkatsu Curry. 

Big serving!

And because we were on a food trip and it was a Japanese-Korean resto, we had to get something Korean, haha!  So, we ordered the Soy Garlic Chicken.  I find it quite expensive though (half chicken for Php 400) but we loved it and will come back for this!  ( I haven't tried Bon Chon so I guess I have to try that first to compare these two)  

If you are in Clark and you are looking for a place to eat and you feel like eating Japanese (or Korean), you might want to try Zenco restaurant. =)

Zenco Restaurant

Pavilion 6A, Bertaphil, Clark Center

Jose Abad Santos Ave.

Clark Freeport Zone

Pampanga

Tel. No. (045) 499 0171

*near Gold's Gym and Koko Buri Restaurant (if I remember it right, haha)

For more details, please visit their FB page.

Pampanga Eats: Xtremely Xpresso Cafe

* This has been sitting in my draft folder since last year and just finished it today! 

*******************************************************************************************************************************
Nachos is one of my favorite things to order in a restaurant because you get a lot of different things! You get some meat, salsa, cheese and sour scream over a bed of chips!  It is a meal in itself and it is quite filling.  It is a perfect appetizer to get especially when you are a big group.

Hubby and I were at SM Clark and wanted to grab something to eat.  I saw Xtremely Xpresso Cafe and remembered that they have good Nachos. , , and that it comes in a big serving!

Nachos and Ice cold (must!) Coke Zero + more ice = Happiness!

For Php 220, I think this is a good deal!  It was good but it would have been perfect (for me) if the sour cream had a little bit of garlicky flavor in it.  (I just love garlic!)

No, we didn't finish this because we were saving room for . . . BIG BEN!  It is the restaurant's famous pizza (which I haven't tried before) so we thought of ordering it.  It comes in 2 sizes, Regular and XL.  The pizza toppings include pepperoni, sausage, bacon, beef, garlic, onion, pepper, mushroom, black olives and 2 kinds of cheese.  

This is just the Regular Size (Php 570)!

It was okay.  I just found the pizza bread a little too chewy for my liking.

Yep, hubby and I ordered food good enough for four people! Haha!  Goes without saying we had leftovers for dinner!  

Xtremely Xpresso is one place I'll go back to because I like the ambiance, the good service by the staff and it's a good place to get something to eat.  They have a good number of things in their menu like breakfast items, sandwiches, salad, pasta, entrees, and next time, I want to try their cold drinks. . . milkshake or coffee drinks!

Oh and I'll order their Tex-Mex Nachos again, haha!

You can try Xtremely Xpresso in the following branches: (Info below is from their website)

SUBIC BRANCH (MAIN)

#1 Dewey Avenue corner Sta Rita Street, SBFZ
Open Daily from 6 A.M till 12 M.N.

Tel: +6347 252 3681
Sun: +63923 748 0838
Globe: +63917 883 7642
E-mail: info@xtremelyxpresso.com

CLARK BRANCH

G/F Meeting Place SM City Clark.
Open Daily from 10 A.M till 12 M.N.

Tel: +6345 499 0314
Sun: +63923 747 8250

ANGELES BRANCH

G/F Marquee Civic Park Marquee Mall
Open Daily from 10 A.M till 12 M.N.

Tel: +6345 304 0972
Sun: +63923 747 8199

Pampanga Eats: Comfort Food at Tollhouse

Comfort Food to me means food that well. . . give us comfort, haha!  It is something we love to eat because it makes us feel better or they are tied to a certain happy memory.  All these things I've mentioned sum up what we had for lunch today at Tollhouse, one of our local favorite eating places in Pampanga.

Side story. . .

In my lifetime, I only attended one JS prom.  I had one when I was a Junior in High School.  I could have attended a second one, if only I said yes to that nice guy (from another school) who asked me but I was too shy to say yes!  There are two things I remember from that Prom night.  

First, my prom date.  I attended an All-Girls Catholic High School so I really don't know any boys I can ask for the prom!  But thanks to my best friend, it wasn't a problem at all!  What happened was my bestfriend and I swapped (elder) brothers, haha! But I got a better bargain because I sort of had a little crush on her brother.  *sheepish smile here*

Second, the caterer which is Tollhouse.  I know, of all things to remember, right?!  Haha!  I remember loving their Baked Macaroni!  During those times (in the 90s), Tollhouse was actually famous (still is) for this comfort food.  

So my sister and I thought of revisiting Tollhouse (they opened a branch in Marquee mall) today for lunch and ordered their Baked Macaroni of course. . . 

It was okay, I remember it being cheesier though.  This Baked Mac is done the Filipino way so it is sweetish.  I can say that it is still good since it is picky eater/toddler-approved!  The Princess loved the Bechamel sauce. 

I ordered Pancit Canton for the Princess (she loves noodles!) - it was on the salty side but it still tastes good, haha!  But we just took it home so we can "work" on it.

And my sister had a Combination BBQ . . . which tastes good though I wish the meat was more tender.

It came with a small serving of Macaroni which looked ho-hum BUT it is surprisingly good, haha!

I ordered Tropical Chicken too because to me, this is comfort food at its best. . . creamy chicken with mashed potatoes!

The Pork Thai Fried Rice in the menu sounded good and something we don't usually order except in a Thai restaurant, haha!  So we tried it.

And it was GOOOOOD!!!!  Our top pick for lunch today!

How do I describe food in Tollhouse?  It is something you would eat at a friend's house and cooked by Mom . . .and that makes it special. =)  That to me counts as comfort food.  

There were just 3 of us so it goes without saying that we had leftovers for dinner! Haha!

Another thing I love about it is you get your money's worth.  For the price you pay and for the kind of food you get, it is worth it! Our total bill (all these food plus 2 soda)  was Php 605 (US$ 14) only!  

There are other items in the menu that are worth trying which only means. . . we are definitely going back.

For more details about Tollhouse, please visit their FB page

You may visit their branches at:

Main Branch - Sto. Rosario St., Angeles City (Tel. No. 045-323-4162)

Marquee Mall branch - located at Ground Floor, near KFC