Location: Don S. Hernando Ave. (near K’s Bakeshop or the buko roll store), Laoag
Specialties: Salpicao, imbaliktad, beef curry, pares
Ambiance: Streetside, nondescript.
Prices: 50-60 PHP for beef viands, 10 PHP for fried rice. Bone marrow is free (if you ask).
Verdict: If you’re tired of budget food like tapsilog, this is the place to go. If you are budgeting for two, like you have less than 100 pesos to spend, go for salpicao but get one more rice. It’s cooked in margarine, but that’s good ‘coz it’s healthier. On the spicy side, it is tasty with lots of garlic. Pares is supposed to be the star, but is getting eclipsed by salpicao and imbaliktad, says Eki, the young owner. 17-year-old Genesis says bone marrow is anti aging (laughs), so he asked for bone marrow (straight from the fridge) and added it to his hot pares and waited a bit for the bone marrow to thaw. Pares tastes like a cross between corned beef and beef stew. Even better with bone marrow. I ditched rice when I started my Javita diet, but cheated to enjoy the food. Definitely going back again.
Photographed by Blauearth © Blauearth™ All Rights Reserved 2009-2015
