Delicious memories are made of these
Restaurateur Maritel Nievera-Shani was born not so much with a silver spoon in her mouth as with a ladle in her hand. She grew up in Pampanga amid the delicious aroma of good food cooking in the ever-bustling kitchen of her mother, Ester Ochoa-Parungao. The pantry was always full — and so were a lot of happy bellies.
Ah, the asadong manok (tangy chicken stew) flew off the dining table as soon as it was put down. And oh, the crunchy okoy (fried shrimp cake) was A-OK, especially when dipped in its piquant vinegar sauce. And who could forget the sisig, laced with onion and red pepper, and doused with calamansi when ready to be devoured? A cherished Capampangan recipe, it has set hearts a-sizzle over the years. What about the bringhe, our own version of the Spanish paella that has brought unadulterated joy to many a Pampango household? And what about the morcon, the embotido, etc., etc.?
Well, you can say that the Pampangueños live to eat — and to cook. “Every town has its own recipe,” Maritel recalls with relish. “Paramihan ng pagkain. Come fiesta time, you could hop from house to house and stuff yourself to the gills.”
Thank God — and Maritel — such delicious memories are alive and cooking at Mangan (Capampangan for “Let’s eat”) restaurant. Maritel even brought a slice of home to Mangan — surely, the familiar wooden ceiling reminds you of the silong (open ground floor) of your grandparents’ house in the province.
Today, Mangan has a cozy new home at the second floor of Glorietta 5, a sleek new building in front of Glorietta in Ayala Center, Makati City.
“Before we put up Mangan, I looked for all these old recipes dating back to the days of my grandmother Apung Julia (Ochoa),” she tells us.
So, when you dine at Mangan, expect only the best that the Pampango kitchen has to offer. Care for kare-kare? Mangan’s kare-kare, using oxtail, is cooked from scratch with fresh ground peanuts and vegetables.
My immortal favorite is the seafood pancit luglog, Maritel’s own recipe. The white fine noodles are topped with squid, tiny shrimps, tokwa, tinapa flakes, and slices of camias. It comes with an array of condiments (I like to smother my luglog with roast garlic and pour a liberal amount of calamansi on it).
A hot favorite is Mangan’s simply scintillating sisig. Mangan’s Capampangan cook Nato Abasta shares a treasured secret, “In Pampanga, the pork meat for the sisig is grilled, chopped, and then mixed with chicken liver. It is spiced up with onions and chili. If you want it more spicy, we provide you with more chili.”
“We used to serve a lot of sisig varieties,” says Eric Lucero, Mangan operations manager. “But now, we’ve trimmed the list to the three best-sellers: Sisig ni Mely, tofu sisig, and lengua sisig. Whenever we would have food festivals, the best-selling dishes later become part of our regular menu.”
On top of the long list of certified best-sellers at Mangan are the sinigang na ulo ng salmon sa miso, sinigang na sugpo sa camias, bulalong baka with mais, sarsiadong tilapia, fried tawilis, lechon babi, beef spareribs with BBQ sauce, crispy hito, pusit adobo, sugpo sa aligue, gatang sigarillas with bagoong, grilled eggplant with burong hipon, and pinakbet.They cost from P51 to less than P500.
Of course, what’s a Pinoy meal without the panghimagas (dessert)? I must confess that sometimes, I go to Mangan just for its bibingka (you can choose between one with quesong puti and salted egg and one with queso de bola and salted egg). Or why not order both? They’re equally yummy! I know all this indulgence will soon go to my hips, but Mangan’s to-diet-for bibingka, served hot and fresh, is worth every second on the lips. And it’s budget-friendly at only P96 for the regular size and P30 for the mini version.
With guests spoiled for choice, Mangan makes ordering easy by dividing its menu into different headings, such as: Ensalada; Soup of the Day; Nasi (rice, rice, baby); Im-Bento (a complete meal with two main dishes); Ispesyal na Handa; Mapaling Sabo (hot soup); Mga Lutong Bangus (yes, there are 10 ways to enjoy your favorite milkfish at Mangan); Platter; Ispesyal Ning Bale (house specialties); Patingapun (available all day long); Sari-saring Merienda; Katas ng Prutas; Gourmet Pandesal; Sari-saring Kakanin.
On top of its regular offerings, Mangan has introduced new dishes like an improved hito, now cooked in gata (coconut milk); sinigang na bangus belly sa miso (P250), sinigang na spareribs sa bayabas (P250); and for dessert, leche flan topped with sago (P40).
“We use only fresh sampaloc and bayabas, nothing in powdered form for our sinigang,” Nato is quick to emphasize. “So you can really taste the goodness of the guava or tamarind.”
Because good old Pinoy food is meant for sharing, Mangan has its platter selections. For instance, Inihaw Pyesta — good for four to five persons for only P616 — is a feast of grilled delights that include inihaw na liempo, chicken BBQ, halabos na hipon, inihaw na bangus, inihaw na talong with burong hipon, inihaw na tahong, dahon ng mustasa with matching manyaman sawsawan (delicious sauce). Anyhow you look at it, this inihaw is great value for money.
If you can’t eat without reaching for the sawsawan, you will love Mangan’s bagoong balayan, bagoong alamang, and burong hipon, to name a few native dips, that you can pair off with Mangan’s platter of steamed vegetables (P202). Tell your dining companions to please pass the atcharang papaya, burong camias, and burong mustasa, too.
Yes, a most delightful news is that despite the global financial meltdown, Mangan has neither increased the prices of its dishes nor decreased their serving sizes. What’s more, it never scrimps on ingredients, which are delivered fresh to the resto every day.
Surely, nothing beats the heartwarming aroma of good old-fashioned homecooked food.
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Mangan recently moved from Glorietta 1 to the new Glorietta 5, Ayala Center, Makati. For reservations, call 729-0547. Mangan has five other branches located at Robinsons Place Manila, Robinsons Galleria, SM City North EDSA, SM City Pampanga, and TriNoma. It will soon open at SM North EDSA-Annex and SM Sta. Rosa, Laguna.
