Last Friday I had dinner with some foreign guests and we have decided to treat them to some local cuisine. And of course we could never go wrong with one of the LJC chain of restaurants to showcase Filipino food. I initially thought of Fely J which I have sampled a few months ago when one of my college friend came home to the Philippine for a visit. And since it is just a few steps away from the office. Fely J had some memorable dishes such as their Sinigang sa Bayabas which has a very thick and yummy broth. But since we opted for a change in scenery we have decided to go to the Fort this time. And the restaurant that we tried was - Abe Restaurant.
If Fely J was dedicated to Larry J Cruz's mom, this time around Abe is dedicated to his dad. It's menu are mostly Capampangan dishes. And of course we have to order one of the most famous of Pampanga's cusine - the Sisig. I was explaining to my foreign guests that this dish of diced pork and liver is best eaten with beer. I don't think they liked the idea so much and only gave it a taste. My mistake is that I ate the siling labuyo in the sisig which made me drink half of my beer in record time. Of course I didn't made it so obvious, sinabayan ko na lang ng subo ng Bamboo Rice. Now this rice which is cooked inside a bamboo was very tasty. I also seem to notice that they have a ritual that the server would rhythmically beat on the bamboo before serving it while the other waiters would answer the beat with a clap. And when it is served the rice is so sticky that you can get a portion using tongs.
Note: When I typed the last word I accidentally typed in "thong" which gave me a funny visualization of rice being served using a thong :) and I think you are having one now too, hehe.
We also ordered the Crispy Tadyang which to me, even if it has been an original dish of Bistro Remedios, the one that we sampled that day is not really that exceptional. And I guess the guests also find it the same way too. The other dish is that we tried is the Binukadkad na Pla Pla. This fish is fried and butterflied which I don't think the foreigners found appealing (I believe they found the presentation cruel) this too was not a hit to them. Surprisingly, the one that they said was very tasty (and they compared to oxtail soup) is the Pochero. I find this Pochero more like a Bulalo soup though as it is not cooked with tomato sauce.
But the real hit came with the desserts as I have asked one of my guests to try the Mango Jubilee and boy did his face light up with this one. I tried the Mango Crepe and this was one of the better crepes I have tasted too. Their Maja Blanca was also very good as there is pinipig sprinkled all over it. A gastronomic delight being a dessert fan myself. Good thing that they also have decaffeinated coffee which blended well with my dessert.
The next time I bring foreign guests here I would let them try the Chicharong Bulaklak because just like the Jeepney no matter how much foreigners are advised that they dangerous you have to try it at least once in your lifetime. Peace!
P.S. And yeah, before I forget Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera were also present in the restaurant and they were about a foot away from our table for quite some time as they waited for a table to be available. No reservations for them on a Friday night, huh? Good thing we didn't commit that same mistake and also one of us was early to arrive in the place and ordered in advance so the food was already there exactly when we are settled at our table. I think kaya hindi nakakain ng madami ang foreigners. Baka na starstruck :)
And again sorry for the lack of pictures, I was in GM mode again during this visit. But do see their website at http://ljcrestaurants.com.ph/abe/
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