Angeles City may be a chartered city independent of Pampanga since the 60s but it still shares the Kapampangan flair for cooking up delicious fare and perhaps more importantly, a contagious appetite for joyful eating. It’s a tall order to live down its naughty, steamy reputation but the city has another side that can satisfy the other senses. By that we mean the nose and the taste buds. Your Happyfoodies tagged along for a food trip of Angeles City and what we found pleasantly surprised us.
A truly organic experience at Terrazas de Barako
Approaching the estate of Hacienda San Benito, we look up to see the view of Mt. Malarayat standing out in the middle of the Batangas landscape of farms and habitation. Coming off the main road after almost two hours of travel, we pass through eight kilometers of farm after farm, a strip which we learned was known as the Millionaires Row as these are private farms of celebrities and tycoons, on the narrow path leading to Barangay San Benito.
Wine dining at Nectar Restaurant — Wine not?
The last time Happyfoodies attended a lunchtime wine tasting event, we left the venue slightly inebriated. As we boarded the lift with some editors, we seem to share a collective feeling of being primed for taking an afternoon nap and foregoing the tasks reserved for the afternoon. When we set our appointment with Nectar Restaurant in Makati for some lunchtime wine and food tasting, we thought history might repeat itself. Happily, with a bit more restraint, it did not. Oh, we’re not big wine drinkers, certainly no connoisseurs, but the concept of promoting a more democratic wine dining tradition sounded very interesting and too good to pass up.
J. Co Donuts get the sweetness and softness just right
Before you know it, we’re deep into the Christmas holiday. It’s the time of the year when part of the tradition is the merry eating, often a cause for indulgence that will visibly manifest itself come January. It’s also the time to give and receive (food calories included in the merry swapping of presents) so it was really a pleasant surprise to get boxes of J. Co Donuts at the doorstep. Hmmm, gets us into thinking: is there really room for another donut brand in a sweetly saturated market? J.Co isn’t really a new brand, having been around in other Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia where it got started since 2005. Well, only with a taste test can tell so we made room for extra calories to give Happyfoodies readers our impressions.
Fun dining at Madam Kwan’s
Ahhh, those Malaysia, truly Asia commercials running endlessly on the cable channels. Catching them every so often, you can’t help but wonder about the sightseeing, shopping and of course, the eating over there. By a stroke of luck, Happyfoodies got an invite from AirAsia Philippines and Tourism Malaysia for a look-see, look-buy and look-taste in Kuala Lumpur. One of our memorable food stops was Madam Kwan’s at the upscale Pavillion Mall which is a good opportunity to see why the place is popular.
When in Davao, can’t resist Luz Kinilaw
We concluded our recent Mindanao trip with an overnight in Davao City. With limited time on our hands, the temptation to cram never entered our mind as we took our sweet time shopping for durian candies, malongs and ref magnets at Aldevinco before heading out for dinner to where else but Luz Kinilaw. We came on a midweek evening but the place is still half-filled with eager diners. Funny but the times I’ve eaten here, I’ve never ordered their kinilaw (fish or seafood cooked with only vinegar or a similar souring/acidic liquid) as the biggest attraction for me was and is always, the Inihaw na Panga ng Tuna (Grilled Tuna Jaw).