One of the famous tourist stops for authentic kapampangan cuisine in Angeles City is Binulo Restaurant.  It has been featured in several publications and TV shows.  Binulo means "bamboo" so I was excited to try their bamboo-cooked dishes.



It had a simple interior with a traditional Filipino home vibe.  It had wooden tables and chairs with scenic paintings on its walls.

Food

Appetizers

♥ Sisig (280 php)

The Sisig is a sizzlign round plateful of onions, pig cheeks, ear and liver.  It was delicious!

Shrimp Okoy 4 pcs. (175 php)

The Shrimp Okoy was perfectly crunchy which you can tell by the golden brown color.  The shrimp was tender within too.


Salads and Relishes

Paco Salad (175 php)

The Paco Salad has the pako fern, peanuts, shrimp and tomatoes.  This is a very light, refreshing and healthy dish.

Kare-Kare (485 php)

The Kare-Kare was very tasty with peanut essence and it was even enhanced by the bagoong. This is so good that some of my companions even poured the sauce over their rice.

♥ Crispy Binagoongan (310 php)

The Crispy Binagoongan justly deserves a perfect score for its crunchiness.  This dish was sensational!


Seafood

♥ Binukadkad na Hito (Butterflied Catfish) (295 php)

I've mentioned being a fan of catfish.  This Binukadkad na Hito was finished by your trully.  It was so good, I only left the head part.  The buro was not as sour as others I've tried. 


Binulo Specialties

♥ Pangat na Ulang (378 php)

The Pangat na Ulang was my favorite for the night.  The natural sweet flavors of the ulang and the mildly sour broth blended well together.  

Rice

♥ Binulong Nasi (150 php)

The Binulong Nasi had an interesting presentation as the rice was wrapped in leaves and served in a bamboo reed.

♥ Binulong Nasi (150 php)

The Binulong Nasi has a nice smokey and fragrant flavor.

Drinks

Fresh Fruit Shakes

♥ Buko Pandan Shake (85 php)

The Buko Pandan Shake is similar to the bottle buko milk shake with tiny buko bits.  But, this had pandan essence to make it even better.

Other Metro Angeles Food Tour (#MAFT2014) Posts
Abe's Farm
Angeles Fried Chicken 
Cottage Kitchen Cafe
Historic Camalig Restaurant
La Rose Noire (factory visit) 
Mother's Cake House
Prism Lounge
Sab Bistro
Salt Restaurant (Breakfast Buffet)
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
When looking for authentic kapampangan cuisine, Binulo Restaurant is one of the top options.  Although the dishes are a bit pricey, your money is well spent because of the fine ingredients and quality dishes they offer.  Being a place frequently visited by tourists, I expected the staff to be more accommodating though.

A few weeks ago, we were invited to try their new dishes at Wee Nam Kee.  I missed Wee Nam Kee so I was so delighted to accept.

We just love the interiors and spaciousness of their Glorietta 2 branch.

There are lots of hanging cage lanterns, ceramics and Asian fixtures.

Food

Appetizers

Crispy Mantou Bread with Condense Milk (78 php)

The Crispy Mantou Bread with Condense Milk is new at Wee Nam Kee but it's my old favorite so I happily indulged in this simple snack.

 

Prawn Paste Chicken Wings (218 php)

I love the crispiness of the skin and juiciness of the meat of the Prawn Paste Chicken Wings.  But, I could hardly taste the prawn paste.

Noodles in Soup

♥ Hainanese Chicken Curry Sharing (368 php)

The Hainanese Chicken Curry is a merger of my two favorites: Hainanese Chicken and Laksa Curry.  As expected, I loved this!

♥ Hainanese Chicken Curry Sharing (368 php)

The noodles have absorbed the tasty broth.  You can refill your broth anytime too.

Poultry

♥ Wok-Fried Chicken with Cashew and Sun-Dried Chili (270 php)

The Wok-Fried Chicken with Cashew and Sun-Dried Chili is actually the classic Chinese Kung Pao Chicken.  This is so good!

♥ Salted Egg Chinese Style Fried Chicken (295 php)

The Salted Egg Chinese Style Fried Chicken has the right blend of rich salty and yolky flavor but not too overwhelming. 


Pork

Stewed Pork Belly with Steamed Buns (350 php)

The Stewed Pork Belly with Steamed Buns is eaten by putting some stewed pork belly on the steamed buns and eat them like a sandwich.  This is a guilty pleasure that I'd succumb into from time to time.

♥ Cashew Coffee Spareribs (298 php)

The Cashew Coffee Spareribs has a nice aromatic bitter-sweet coffee flavor that makes it quite addictive especially when paired with rice.

Seafood

Prawns with Lychee and Peaches (495 php/5 pcs.)

The Prawns with Lychee and Peaches is a brilliant fruity revamp from the usual sweet and sour dishes.

Butterflied Tilapia with "Singapore Chili Crab" Sauce (385 php)

My least favorite is the Butterflied Tilapia with "Singapore Chili Crab" Sauce.  Even with the tasty Singapore Chili Crab Sauce, I can't get pass the murky taste of the tilapia. 


Noodles

Spicy Sambal Rice Noodles (295 php)

The Spicy Sambal Rice Noodles is a tasty staple with a nice spicy kick.

Rice

Pineapple Fried Rice with Pork Floss (250 php)

The Pineapple Fried Rice with Pork Floss is another staple choice.

Desserts

♥ Three Flavor Chocolate Truffle Buchi (White, Dark and Milk Chocolate) (128 php)

We are very excited over the Three Flavor Chocolate Truffle Buchi.

♥ Three Flavor Chocolate Truffle Buchi (White, Dark and Milk Chocolate) (128 php)

Each on is filled with a different chocolate filling.   There's white, dark and milk chocolate. 

Beverages

♥ Mango Mint Smoothie (125 php)

The Mango Mint Smoothie is so refreshing and it's a great complement for any type of dish.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
I'm very happy with Wee Nam Kee's new additions.  I'll definitely order the Hainanese Chicken Curry in every visit from now on.

I'm glad the Metro Angeles Food Tour 2014 (#MAFT2014) took the road less traveled by choosing Cottage Kitchen Cafe to try their authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine.


Even in Manila, establishments offering these southern American cuisine are quite few.  I've only tried Gumbo and Cajun Red Rock (I only tried their burger and that was ages ago).  So I'm quite ecstatic to venture more on these cuisines.

I even had to research what the difference between Cajun and Creole cuisine is.  I learned that Cajun cuisine is rich in spices (onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, paprika, thyme, file, parsley and green onions) and makes use of every part of a slaughtered animal.  Being rich in spices however, does not imply that all are spicy. On the hand, Creole cuisine is more extravagant.  It makes use of tomatoes, cream, butter, seafood and exotic herbs.  While Cajun is classified as country-style cooking, Creole is categorized as city-style cooking.
The place was dimly lit with candles on each table.  There's a bar area, a casual dining area with a good view of the stage and a more private area with curtains on the side.  The ceiling had a glass portion where you can see the clouds or dark skies with stars at night.  Diners are a mix of foreigners and locals.

Food

Appetizers & Starters

♥ Zing Wings (235 php)

If you love spicy dishes, I highly recommend the Zing Wings.  It got a pleasant spicy kick with a hint of rich herbs and spices.  The chicken skin is fun-tastically crispy and the meat was tender and juicy.

Deep Fried Potato Wedges (180 php)

For some finger food, there's the Deep Fried Potato Wedges served with thousand island dressing.

CKC's Corn Bread (100 php)

The CKC's Corn Bread is delicious!  This block is quite dense and heavy.  It is served with herbed butter.


Soups & Salad

Creole Onion Soup (180 php)

The Creole Onion Soup is a creamy heavvily spiced onion soup with cheese and crouton.  As you can see, it is very peppery.  From this point, I've acknowledged that creole and cajun cuisine seems like an acquired taste as some of my companions was overwhelmed and wary of the spiced flavors. 

Chef's Salad (250 php)

The Chef's Salad has greens, egg, ham, tomatoes and carrots with thousand island dressing.  

♥ Cajun Shrimp Salad (270 php)

We all loved the Cajun Shrimp Salad with wasabi dressing.  Every element was harmonically aligned to please the palate.

Southern Specialty Cajun and Creole Dishes

♥ Shrimp Jambalaya (450 php)

The Shrimp Jambalaya made it irresistible for me to lessen my carb intake.  Aside from delivering a really wholesome herbed and spiced flavor, it was topped with shrimps, mildly spiced sausage chunks and chopped green bell peppers.  It is served with dinner bread.

Cajun Fried Chicken and Dirty Rice 2 pcs. (300 php)

The Cajun Fried Chicken was pretty good.  It was more on the peppery side.  But, I prefer the Zing Wings over this.  I loved the Dirty Rice.  I hope they offer that separately.


Blackened Cajun Dishes

Blackened Chicken (385 php)

The Blackened Chicken is a spice and herb crusted chicken breast fillet.  As you can see it was succulent.

♥ Blackened Catfish (400 php)

Between the Blackened Catfish and the Blackened Chicken, I prefer the former.

CKC's House Special BBQ (All barbecue entries comes with coleslaw, baked beans, bread and choice of either: mashed potatoes, potato salad, fried, corn on a cob or steamed rice.)

♥ Original Baby Back Pork (575 php)

The Original Baby Back Pork is really good!  It had a sweet and savory BBQ sauce and smokey lean, tender and meaty pork meat.  This is a must try!

♥ Barbecue Beef Slab Full (800 php)

The Barbecue Beef is just a bigger and chunkier option.  Basically, it has the same barbecue sauce.


Desserts

♥ Peach Cobbler (180 php)

The Peach Cobbler was finished in a flash!  It is a pie filled with sweetened peach with hints of cinnamon.

♥ Apple Pie (180 php)

I liked the Apple Pie more than the Peach Cobbler.  But, they are equally good.  It's just a matter of preference.

Pecan Pie (180 php)

The Pecan Pie is very sweet with its rich and gooey consistency.  It had a generous amount of pecan.

♥ Specialty Cake of the Week: Peach Cheesecake (180 php)

The Peach Cheesecake served chilled was so heavenly!  This is my favorite among all the desserts we tried.


Drinks

Iced Tea

Other Metro Angeles Food Tour (#MAFT2014) Posts
Abe's Farm
Angeles Fried Chicken 
Binulo Restaurant
Historic Camalig Restaurant
La Rose Noire (factory visit) 
Mother's Cake House
Prism Lounge
Sab Bistro
Salt Restaurant (Breakfast Buffet)
Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Cottage Kitchen Cafe delivers authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine like no other.  In addition to its great dishes, the ambiance is superb and the staffs are nice.  Bring some company as dishes are in sharing portions.