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)

The LA County Fair 2015

I grew up in the province in Philippines and one of my fondest childhood memories was going to the perya (local carnival) with the whole family during our town fiesta.  There were several game booths and rides we enjoyed.  My favorite ride was what they call the "Caterpillar" and my favorite game booth was the Balloon Popping game (where you had to use darts to pop  the balloons)!  I hated the Horror Train because I was really scared of it!  Yes, even if I knew everything was not real and were just badly made scary props haha! There were also "special shows" like those that featured a pair of Siamese Twins.  Simple joys from visiting the carnival included eating cotton candy and those old-fashioned pink-colored popcorn.  Carnivals have a special place in my heart because they bring me such happy and good memories!  This is the reason why I wanted to go to the LA County Fair which opened last September 4 (and would run until September 27, 2015).

The first County Fair I've been to in LA was Orange County's (which we visited last year).  After experiencing the LA County Fair, I have to say that I like it bettter because it is bigger and there were more rides for the kids to enjoy.

If the kids were excited about the rides, I was excited about food tripping! Haha! 

So we started our Carnival day with a Gyro Sandwich and a burger.   . . . 

Then my little girl looked up to me and said. . . "I like rice!" Haha!  So sh ended up eating just the pita bread (which she liked) from the Gyro sandwich. 

The kids enjoyed different rides . . . 

And Hubby enjoyed playing hoops!  He was in good shape (or was he just lucky??? Haha!) that day (Nahhh, he was really good) that he won two basketballs for the kids! (Woohoo!  Huney, I just have to say that you're so sexy when you play, hahaha!!!)

Some of the game booths we saw. . . .

I wanted to try this one BUT they didn't use darts!  They use bean bags to pop the balloons which I think makes it harder to do.  I don't have a good arm!  Haha!

Saw this giant slide!!!!!  It's one thing. . . . I will . . . NOT do! 

Besides Rides and Games, they also have a number of expo halls where you can find a myriad of things!  

From artificial grass (if you want that lush green garden without having to water it, haha), to a Tempur Bed . . .

And this is probably the most interesting thing I spotted  . . . .  

The company actually made one like this for a client . . . goes without saying that the client was a die-hard Dodgers fan!

In between the rides and walking through the expo halls, we tried the following Carnival eats!

From left to right (Clockwise) - Dippin dots ice cream, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Fried Chix in a Stick and a Hollywood fave since 1939. . . Pink's Hotdog!

Also spotted. . .ginormous turkey legs!  (Haven't tried this yet.)  Seeing these remind me of the Medieval Times, haha!  I think they would totally fit in the set of Game of Thrones!  Di baaa?!! 

  

And for something different, we tried the chocolate-covered bacon. . . which I didn't like, haha!   I still prefer my bacon as it is.

On our way out, we dropped by the Petting Zoo. . .  

I wish though that they had something like this which our little boy enjoyed at the OC fair last year. (If they have it, please let me know so I can update this post accordingly.)  

We had an amazing (and tiring!) day at the LA County Fair!  I was telling Hubby that probably we burned at least half of the total calories of everything we ate, haha!

I may have seen a number of carnivals that are fancier than the perya I know.  But my perya still has the No. 1 spot in my heart because it brings me back home, to my family and to my happy childhood. (Okay, I'm getting homesick again)

For more details about the LA County Fair, please visit their website.

Singapore Eats: Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

Singapore has a special place in my heart because it is the first country I've traveled to outside Philippines!  

It all happened when I was hired by the bank that never sleeps in 1996.  I was part of a Regional Office so my work gave me the opportunity to travel around Asia.  This was actually my first and only job (for close to 13 years) until I "retired" when I got married.  When people ask me how I managed to stay, I just tell them two things:  I love what I am doing and I love the people I work with!  (As Confucius said . . .Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life!)

Soooo going back to Singapore, haha . . . 

One of the first restaurants I've tried was the Jumbo Restaurant in East Coast (thanks to our Singaporean Consultant who has become a dear friend) and the best thing I ever ate during that dinner was. . . Chili Crabs!  It is one of Singapore's most popular dishes.  

There are a lot of places to get Chili Crab in Singapore and I am sure locals (and tourists) would have their own favorite place but I keep going back to the first place which made me fall in love with this dish.

So when we went to Singapore last month, Jumbo was part of the itinerary.  We went there for lunch and ordered the following:

Crispy Fried Baby Squid

Cereal Prawns

I wanted Mom to try the Chili Crab BUT she doesn't like spicy food and I think she won't be able to take the heat so I asked the waiter what crab dish can she recommend that is not spicy.  So she said Steamed or " Sautéed" and I chose the latter one.

When our order came. . . I was surprised to see this!  

I was worried that it might be curry!  So I had a bad case of hearing. . . what I thought "Sauteed" was actually SALTED, haha!  The sauce was made of salted egg.  It was our first time to try this dish too and we loved it!  It is not salty at all, it had a good balance.

And of course, we had to order the famous. . . Chili Crab!

Finger lickin', lip smackin' good!

Don't forget to order Fried Mantou with your Chili Crab!  They are good in itself but best with the Chili Crab sauce.  The sauce is savory, spicy. . . I don't know what goes in the sauce, it is just packed with flavor!  Whoever invented this should be given a National Award, haha!  Sorry, wasn't able to take a photo of the bread because we were just too excited (and too hungry) to eat!  But they look like this . . . 

Image from www.yelp.com

You need to dunk (not dip, but dunk!) these bread on the sauce and savor the goodness of both.  Heaven!

Oh and if you're wondering what the kids had, they enjoyed the Yang Chow Fried Rice.

My mom has such simple taste which actually makes it harder to please her when it comes to food, haha!  But I'm glad she enjoyed eating at Jumbo and was happy with the freshness of the seafood.

I know writing this post would kick in cravings for some seafood goodness. . . I think I should start looking for places in LA where I can get some Singapore Chili Crabs!

For more details about Jumbo Restaurant and its other locations, please visit their website.

LA Eats: Mama's Lu Dumpling House

This gloomy weather (we have been getting rains this week) makes me lazy, sleepy and makes me want to eat!  Rain and food just go well together!  Haha!

This kind of "bed" weather calls for something hot and piping!  So I thought of sharing with you this place we went to in Monterey, California called Mama's Lu Dumpling House.  

*(Okay, the Grammar Nazi in me would say, it should be Mama Lu's but I am writing the place's name the way it was posted on the restaurant's door, haha)

Image from this blog site

We had Xiao Long Bao . . . 

They were okay, but I prefer Din Tai Fung's because I like their dumpling's skin/dough better because it's thinner.  (You may read about by dining experience in DTF here) 

And Spicy Wontons!  I love spicy food but they weren't kidding when they said spicy!  These were so spicy that I wasn't able to enjoy them as much as I want to!  If you have a high tolerance for spicy food, you would love these!

And for our picky eater, we ordered some Yang Chow Fried Rice

We also tried one of their popular dishes, Deep Fried Fish with Seaweed which was good!  

We also enjoyed the complimentary peanuts they served.  The peanuts are mixed with some salt and sugar, something new in my book.  We were about to finish ours when I remembered to take a photo of it, haha!

Personally, I would go to DTF for my Xiao Long Bao and Spicy Wontons BUT I want to go back to Mama's Lu to try the other items in the menu!  They have a pretty extensive menu!  Yep, there's more to them than XLBs and Wontons!  Their other popular dishes include the Beef Wrap and Green Onion Pancake.     

What is also nice about this hole-in-the-wall place is that their food (which is flavorful!) . . . is not reasonably-priced. . . because it's cheap!  Prices range from $5-6.99!  (Not $7. . .but it's $6.99! Haha!)  It is probably one of the inexpensive dining places we've been to here in LA.  

Good food, extensive menu and excellent prices only  mean one thing. . . .MUST.COME.BACK!

Mama's Lu Dumpling House

153 E. Garvey Ave., 

Monterey Park, CA

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.