Bulacan Food Munch and Pasalubong

Traveling must always include food munching galore. It is a way to treat ourselves after an exhausting trip and to try the local delicacies. It is also a way to discover the best restaurant in the place and recommend it to other travellers.

In our Bulacan escapade, we never missed to try the local menus that is offered in popular eateries, might as well the pocket and taste buds friendly eat destination.

Kubo sa Bayan, a Restaurant and Catering Service

One has to begin in SJDM, Bulacan. Found in the town proper is the "Kubo sa Bayan". It is across the street which is adjacent to church, beside the poblacion market. For assurance, you may ask the local where it is.

Said that it was featured in the travel show, "Biyahe ni Drew".  



What is distinct in this food facility is the set up, a vernacular structure. The building was made from indigenous material as bamboo and nipa. It is a passive building because it utilizes natural lighting and ventilations. In my personal view, I prefer structure like this. Aside from showing native architecture, it is environment friendly.

Food wise, the restaurant offers Filipino cuisine which I prefer whenever I'm on a escape. In this way, I got chance to distinguish and compare the local version of such menu and even try their best seller and unique dishes.

In our case, we tried a group meal. The meal was composed of Nilabos na Hipon, Buttered Veggies (Carrots, green peas, singkamas), rice and soup and sweet salad as a dessert. For drinks, it is packaged with a pitcher of ice tea.

The Verdict.

The Nilabos na hipon (sour shrimp soup with veggies) is the best for me. FYI, I love sour dishes brought by tamarind. It sourness is just right. Not too much just enough. The saltiness is also right that is still suitable to add condiment if you may.  

Butterd Veggies, just ok. It is like a dish that you wont missed after you ate it.

The Sweet Buko Pandan Salad is good but has not something special. You can find it anywhere else and even made your own.

Still, recommend this as eat destination for all traveller out there and if you happen to visit SJDM. I'm sure they have more to offer and more delicious menus.

Malolos' Unlimited Buffet.

Lola Gloria's Hapag Kainan

Indeed unlimited! The capitol has numbers of restaurant/carideria that offers eat-you-can dining. One of this is the "Lola Gloria's Hapag Kainan". Supposedly, this might be our eating destination after our Malolos Heritage Tour but that time the said restaurant s catering an event. Offers unlimited buffet set up for just 99 bucks. Ang mura!!! At mukhan ok din yung menus and set up and that's for me to find out the next time i'll be visiting the city.

Mang Bor's Restaurant

Obviously, everyone was hungry after that bit long tour. Our failure in the first eat destination put us adrenaline to look for other hefty blobbing place. And our feet brought us in Mang Bor's Restaurant. The restaurant is located in rear side of a university in the city. With it's much access to the university district, I am sure that mostly, it caters students. But I was thinking, could the student have daily eat all you can meal? I'm sure this restaurant must also offering value meal.

On that day, the dishes to choose from are sweet and sour meat balls, steamed veggies with buro (fermented rice paste), pansit canton( a local noodle dish), chicken curry with pine apple, dried fish, menudo, and ginataang kalabasa at sitaw (squash and string beans on coconut milk soup). For the dessert, they have sweet gelatine.

The Verdict

Among all the menus, I liked the meat balls. The sweet and sourness is balance. The meat was cooked evenly. Next is the menudo. The meat is tender that you chew it easily and the veggies were cooked just right. While the ginataang kalabasa was the one not good for me. The pansit is just right not so special.

When night falls, the restaurant turned into a night bar where they offer alcoholic bevergaes and pulutan as partner.

Regarding the place,I like it the more than the food I think. I found it nice. What caught my attention as an architect is the cooling features that was integrated to the building. It is a nylon net rolled down to surround the area. It serve as the outer face of the building and serve as buffer too, just like a see thru curtain. Into the net is water flowing down. That was literally cool. Water feature serves as cooling element. When ever the warm wind pass through. There is an exchange of temperature occuring. The warm air that hits the water cools down. Cool di ba! Well, that gave me an idea!

The place was also planted with some plants that enhances the looks of the area. Structural wise, it is also made with indigenous materials like woods for the post and roof framing and nipa for the roof.

Enlins Bakeshop, Home of Original Inipit and Ensaymada

Whilst, I'm done  relating our eat-tineraries, let me tell you about Malolos' home of pasalubong. A must drop by is Enlins Bakeshop. It has numbers of store all throughout the city proper. One at Sta. Maria street and one is in the major high way of the city, beside Mercury Drug Store.

The store has various type of pastries to choose from. I'm telling you they have a really good taste Inipit (a chiffon square sliced cake with sweet custard spread) and the ensaymada  is also a must buy. I bought inipit and box of ensaymada for my family.