Kapampangan culinary magic at Ebun

Language lesson: The Filipino word for "bird" is ibon. In Pampanga, the same bird is an ayup. Ayup is also the Kapampangan word for "animal," which is hayop in Filipino. Insects are called ayup-ayupan in Pampanga and insekto or kulisap in Filipino. And, while an animal is both a hayop or an ayup, a Filipino ibon (bird) is not a Kapampangan ebun (egg). Confused? You might be. Admittedly, I am starting to get dizzy too! Perhaps, it would be best to get rid of the unnecessary terms and do our definitions all over again.

A good start would be to get the pronunciation right. The correct way to pronounce ebun is "e-boon," not "a-bun" or "ey-bun." Ebun is the Pampango word for egg. As we all know, eggs are a good source of protein, and may either be the main ingredient or an essential supplement of many dishes. Chicken, duck, and quail eggs are everyday food. However, depending on the manner of preparation, even the most common eggs can be cooked and altered to become unusual fare.

Ebun is also the name of a restaurant in Greenbelt 3 in Makati that I recently visited. Why name a restaurant after the Kapampangan "egg"? Perhaps, it is a tribute to the versatile nature of the egg and the sound principles on which Kapampangan cooking is based. The ordinary egg can be mixed with other components and transformed to become special fare. In like manner, and with the Kapampangan cooking flair, common ingredients are turned into familiar yet superior meals.

In keeping with its name, the restaurant menu features a section called "Mga Lutong Ebun," where sarsiadong ebun (P65), bola-bolang ebun (P90), morcon (P175), sarsiadong tilapia (P120), asadong ebun, balot a la pobre and penoy a la pobre (at P75/order) are listed.

However, an interesting item under the heading of "Bayu Ning Bale" (Does this translate to "new dishes"?) caught my eye. Tofu sisig (P80). My hardcore carnivore friends will raise their eyebrows at this choice. After all, they have described tofu as "tasting like cardboard" many times before. However, Ebun’s tofu sisig might yet remove their prejudice against the soya bean product. Golden tidbits of tofu, well seasoned and slightly spicy, were a light and delicious alternative to the usual sisig combination. However, lest the carnivorous crowd think that I am suddenly going vegetarian, or on the way to becoming obsessively health-conscious, I have to declare that I had the meat version of the sisig, too.

Sisig ni Mely (P90) is the usual chopped meat sisig that we know. The only difference is that this version came cold and wrapped up in a banana leaf. How did I like it? I’ve tasted sisig that started off as good as Ebun’s version – until I got to the bottom of the hot plate, that is. I can now discern that placing good sisig in a hot plate tends to lower its quality sometimes. Morsels of meat and bits of liver become bitter when they are burnt on the hot plate. Sisig ni Mely, served cold, was delicious with just the right hints of hot pepper. The flavors were intact and unsullied by the effects of over-cooking.

Tender lengua in mushroom sauce and kare-kareng buntot na baka are dishes that require slow cooking and a lot of patience. The sauces that accompanied these were thick and rich. One understands even more that the bagoong accompanying the kare-kare is served to counterbalance the richness of the dish. Undeniably tasty, this is a good choice for big eaters who can slather their rice with the yellow-orange sauce. Bigger groups can share the inihaw pyesta (fiesta) plate. For P580, this is a combination that includes inihaw na liempo, chicken barbecue, alabos na hipon (steamed shrimp), inihaw na talong with burong hipon, inihaw na tahong, and dahon ng mustasa.

Fish eaters at Ebun will enjoy gatang tilapia with mustasa (P120), which is St. Peter’s fish cooked in coconut milk and garnished with mustard leaves and green pepper, while other gata fans can enjoy gatang sigarillas with bagoong or gatang sitaw at kalabasa (at an unbelievable P40 each.) My vegetable dish was okoy (P65), squash and shrimp fritters served with a dipping sauce of sugarcane vinegar.

It was a few minutes past noon and the restaurant was packed. The lunch crowd consisted mostly of young people who worked in the various offices in the vicinity. A quick lunch, and they were off. The tables were briskly cleared as other groups waited to be seated. The steady stream continued throughout the duration of the lunch break, and the entire restaurant staff was continuously alert and on its toes.

The group in the next table ordered three entrees on hot plates, and I craned my neck to get a better view of what they were having. I was certain that one of the dishes was sizzling bangus belly and the other was sizzling pork sisig. But what was the entree with the reddish sauce? I consulted the menu. It could have been either sizzling lengua caldereta (P160) or sizzling beef spareribs with barbecue sauce (P175.) The tantalizing aroma of the food wafted to my table. But by then, I was too overfed. Mustering the urge to have another mouthful was impossible. Hardly able to move and resting from my big meal, I vowed not to eat anything else for the rest of the day. And, while conditioning myself to use the exercise bike for at least an hour later that afternoon, I inspected the menu more closely.

Interesting items in Ebun’s menu included garlic pugo (quail) inadobo for P120, tuyo gourmet (P130), and tapang damulag (carabao) for P150. I was happy with my gulaman at sago pampalamig (P35), but the katas ng prutas (fruit drinks) list included something called camias shake (P60.) I resolved to try it next time.

Being a dessert person, however, I regretted not leaving room for halo-halo Guagua (P70), bibingka with quesong puti/queso de bola and salted egg (P75), or puto bumbong with muscovado sugar and grated coconut. Oh well, maybe I’ll just have a dessert feast on my next visit. And maybe that seafood pancit luglog (P85) that is served with bright green camias slices, too.

Ebun’s food is simple and down-to-earth. It is delicious without being overpriced. It is hearty comfort food that "hits the spot." The Kapampangan word for it is "manyaman!"

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Ebun, located at the ground floor, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center Makati is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sundays to Thursdays and 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Call 757-4791 and 757-4792 for inquiries and reservations.