When I was invited to Naimas Taste of Home, the name clued me in that it would have Ilocano dishes.

It had a cozy and native-influenced al fresco area.  

What awaits inside is a more spacious area.  They even have a second floor.

Food


Mga Pulutan/Appetizers

Sizzling Sisig (260 php)

Crispy Garlic Isaw (240 php)

The Sizzling Sisig and Crispy Garlic Isaw is worth the cholesterol.

♥ Crispy Tawilis (220 php)

But, I liked the Crispy Tawilis more.  It was very crispy and not too salty.

♥ Sizzling Litid (250 php)

I also loved the Sizzling Litid.  I think I enjoyed most of this sizzling plateful.

Naimas Nachos (260 php)

Naimas Nachos is deep fried wanton with the usual nacho grande toppings.  This is the perfect bar chow as it doesn't get soggy even after a long period of time.


Mga Paborito/Favorites

♥ Adobong Hipon sa Aligue (360 php)

One of my favorite is the Adobong Hipon sa Aligue.

♥ Paksiw na Mata ng Tuna (280 php)

But, the Paksiw na Mata ng Tuna is just as good.

Pigar Pigar (380 php)

I was expecting the Pigar Pigar to have some liver.  But, I guess it was all beef which was good too because it was tender and flavorful.

♥ Kinulob na Peking Duck (460 php)

Definitely save some space for the Kinulob na Peking Duck.  For the price, this is a steal! 

Mga Gulay/Vegetables

Gising Gising (210 php)

The Gising Gising is the healthiest among all our orders.  This is good but I guess everyone prefer the more sinful ones.

♥ Sinigang na Bulalo (380 php)

Well, I haven't had a Bulalo I didn't enjoy so I was also comforted by the warm and savory Sinigang na Bulalo.

♥ Sinampalokang Kambing (320 php)

This is my first time to try a goat dish here in Manila.  Trying the Sinampalokang Kambing brought me back to my childhood memories.  

I've spent some of my summer vacations at my mom's ancestral home in Ilocos Sur.  Every time we'd go there, my uncle would have our staffs buy a goat.  By the time we'd reach the house, there will be a live goat tied to the wooden post by the well.  The dried well was said to bring good fortune to the family.  The goat will be served to us for dinner as a special delicacy.  

How I miss those care-free days.  Everyday we would play with the neighborhood Ilocano boys (who used to bully and tease us by climbing up and make noise on our bed room window only to find out they just wanted to be playmates).  We would run or bike towards the tobacco fields to play hide and seek, luksong baka, patintero and our favorite of all: tumbang preso.  When we hear the church bell rings at 6 o' clock echoing across the entire town, we would head home for dinner which was the highlight of each day.  The manangs would set up our marbled folding tables and pair it with plastic stools by the window side so we could have a wonderful dinner with scenic view of the night sky wonderfully lit by stars, plaza light and church light.

Pancit Canton Regular (350 php)

I think this is hands down the tastiest Pancit Canton I've ever had.  And, look at the toppings... so many!

Pang-himagas/Desserts

Turon sa Saba (120 php)

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
If you're looking for heart warming dishes from the Northern Philippine provinces, Naimas Taste of Home should definitely be on top of your list.  Just expect the dishes to have a bolder taste and flavor than its native counterparts.  But, based on the impressions of my fellow diners, they seem to like it better.

If there's one place which was highly recommended everywhere (in publications, online blogs, online reviews sites, tv shows) to have Authentic Kapampangan Cuisine,  it would be Everybody's Cafe.

Thus, we squeezed it into out itinerary.

We arrived there around 9 pm and we were practically the only customers of this popular place.

It looks like a carinderia (even with flies).  Just with a better table set up since there is a table cloth.

The dishes are displayed like in a carinderia or turo-turo style canteen.

They have no menu and the set-up was like this so we had the impression that the food would be affordable.  We ordered the ♥ Morcon (360 php) for take out.  I think that is the their most impressive dish.

Unlike me, it is the family's first time to try the Kapampangan exotic dishes.

Food

Camaro (Mole Cricket) (220 php)

I was really excited to let the family try the Camaro.  I've had a pleasant experience with the camaro by Ikabud, Bistro Remedios and during the Marquee Mall's Big Bite!  Unfortunate, this one is not as good.  =( I felt bad that the family had to try this not-so-crispy, bland and greasy version at such an expensive price too!

Kalderetang Kambing (300 php)

The Kalderetang Kambing is delicious with a little spiciness to it.  It was tender enough but the serving was small and had lots of bones so  felt that the pricing is not justified.

Betute

I forgot how much the Betute was but I'm pretty sure it was also every expensive as it was priced per piece.  Compared to the Camaro, this is much better.  But, I still didn't like it's oiliness.  I suggest you try Cely's Carinderia and Abe's instead.

Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Out of all the place we dined at in Pampanga, this is the most expensive and disappointing one.  Trying Everybody's Cafe was a huge mistake!

A few weeks ago, me and my friends had a spontaneous getaway to Club Balai Isabel in Talisay Batangas.  There are a lot of activities that you can do there, one of which is eating! And, I'm excited to share our dining experience at Terraza Cafe.

Terraza Cafe is open air so there's no air-conditioning.  It exudes a homey vibe with its cabin interior and wooden tables and chairs.

There are three dining areas available: main dining area, function room and pool side.


My pick would be the pool side and here's why.  Just ask for a candle to keep the flies away.

Food

Salad and Appetizers

House Salad (240 php)

We started with a healthy House Salad.  Everything is fresh: greens and fruits.  What brings granduer to this simple looking dish is their home made kamias dressing.  It bring a refreshing tropical and citrus delight. 

Hearty Soups and Stews 

Bulalo (475 php)

One of my favorite soups is Bulalo.  The Bulalo is a pre-hispanic bone and marrow broth originating in Southern Luzon.  I'm not just a fan of bone broth for it's rich savory concentrated flavor but also for it's health benefits.  Way before bone broth has become a trend thanks to Paleo and Gaps diet, pre-historic records shows that it has always been known as an elixer around the world.  That is why we Filipinos have the Bulalo, Koreans have the Seolleongtang, Japanese have the Tonkotsu Ramen, French have the Consome and Italians have the Brodo.

Batangas is well known for it's Batangas Beef so having Bulalo to this pioneering city is a wise choice.  Terraza Cafe's is one of the best one I've had.  The chunky tender beef, melt in your mouth marrow and warm and rich broth is simply comfort food for the soul.  

Kalderetang Kambing (430 php)

I've been eating Kalderetang Kambing and it is only this time that I've seen one with grated cheddar cheese on top.  It made the dish more balanced and its a contrast to slight gamey flavor of the goat that didn't escape my senses.

Kare-kare (450 php)

One of the dishes that really got us into munching more is the Kare-kare.

Grilled and Fried Corner 

Chicken Inasal (300 php)

The Chicken Inasal is tasty but I'd enjoy it more if it was more tender and juicy.

Balai Lechon Liempo (380 php)

The quickest one to be emptied is the Balai Lechon Liempo.

Balai Bagnet (360 php)

How can you resist this beautiful Balai Bagnet?  For the price, this enormous chunk of delectable fat and tender meat is quite a steal. 

Sisig (300 php)

Gorgeously slathered with egg and mayonnaise, the mild spicy chewy Sisig was well-appreciated.
 
Seafood

Salt & Pepper Seafood (280 php)

The Salt & Pepper Seafood isn't exactly how I expected it to be.  It was more like sweet and spicy for me.  The seafood: squid, shrimp and dory is all similarly battered so it's difficult to distinguish one from another unless you bite into it. 

Tilapia na may Minatamis na Sampalok (250 php)

The secret to the sweetness of the Tilapia na may Minatamis na Sampalok is that they use fresh and live tilapia.  The tilipia cubes are so soft that they almost dissolve once popped into my mouth.  
 
Vegetables

Grilled Eggplant (185 php)

It took some time getting used to consuming the Grilled Eggplant.  Our local tongues are used to eating grilled eggplants with bagoong (shrimp paste).  If you love curry, you'll find liking in balai's special spicy coconut cream sauce that serves as a dip.

Buffet

If the resort is almost fully occupied, they offer a buffet.  Breakfast is included in the accommodation.


The menu changes.  But I'm quite please that whether it's breakfast, lunch or dinner,  there's fresh fruits available.  We noticed that the items we ordered ala carte were also candidates for the buffet selection.  There are also a minimum of 5 viands to choose from in addition to the salad, fruits and other desserts.  Some of the desserts we loved are their Mango Buko Loco and Churros.


There's a live station too.  During breakfast, you can order omelet with toppings of your choice.  For lunch and dinner, it becomes a pasta station.  I love their pasta!


So here's my breakfast place with a bowl of cereal.


I also had a warm bowl of champorado, a slice of puto and a hot cup of brewed coffee.  The puto is so delicious!  

During dinner time, there's a live band and wonderful lights set up all over the trees by the pool making it a cozy atmosphere.

Drinks

Health is Wealth (140 php) and Mango Shake (140 php)

I really liked their fresh and healthy drinks.  Everything we had was very refreshing and not too sweetened.

Tip: Aside from eating, you might wanna check out my Top 12 Suggested Activities To Do at Club Balai Isabel. 



Tsinoy Foodies Verdict
Terraza Cafe is offers reasonably priced delicious dishes served in generous portions.  I consider this food heaven a great complement to everything else in Club Balai Isabel.