Batangas twice

A fortnight ago we visited Batangas twice. The trips, not hurried this time, provided us with enough research material for this lengthier column. The first visit gave us the opportunity to look at what was reported as a dirty wet market, located on E. Mayo and Torres Streets, both one-way streets. Signs in Filipino saying ‘Patungong Palengke’ (To Market) lead you to it and you can enter either through the front or the back. Parking is not much of a problem, although jeeps and tricycles still seem to be the kings of the roads. This is a very busy area. Garments and footware, plus other dry goods, are sold in a structure facing the market. It was slightly drizzling when we visited and the surrounding area was getting wet but not by much, and we did not even get our feet wet.

A row of fruit stalls was the first welcoming sign. Because the first saleslady we encountered was gracious, she convinced us to get half a kilo of rambutan for P20 and lacatan bananas for P30. Little did we realize that in this market prices differ from store to store. As we moved on, we discovered to our dismay that we could have had our fruits at a lower price from other vendors inside the market, such as rambutan at P15, etc. Lesson learned–it is not good to buy from the first store because the probability is that you can get a better bargain somewhere else. Then, of course, there is the time element to consider.

Anyway, we filled our basket with a kilo of tomatoes at P20, onions at P50 and native garlic at P100 a kilo. Always a must is tawilis, silver-scaled small fish unique to this province. It is best to fry them crisp, serve with fresh tomatoes or vinegar and garlic dip. We were lucky that late as it was we found one vendor that still had some, at P60 a kilo. Truly a bargain! Certainly much cheaper than in Tanauan where we sometimes pay as much as P160 a kilo. Same thing in Metro Manila.

Meat is not any cheaper here: pork at P150, chops at P140, beef for P190 and buntot for kare-kare at P120, half the price in the city. We came across someone who convinced us to try what she called Pork Morcon with accompanying sauce. We were most surprised and rather disappointed to find that it was nothing like our traditional morcon at all. At least not like what we grew up with, where beef is rolled with either pork fat or a mixture of sausages, pickles and carrots, simmered in a mixture of soy sauce, tomatoes, onions and pepper. This one was more like embutido, made from ground pork with carrots, etc. It tasted good, anyway.

A reader requested us to locate the makers of Lipa’s bibingkang galapong (rice cake). We were led to Junior & Zenny’s place where a young woman, Emma, was busy cooking the rice cakes on the traditional griller over uling. But this was not the one we were looking for. Our reader described it like leche flan in consistency. We are still frustrated as no one in Lipa seems to know about this particular rice cake. We decided to get some anyway from Zenny’s. This bibingka is more like those at old Juanchito’s in Malate, served with freshy grated coconut. Each is the size of a platito and costs P20. As the lady was finishing an order for 30 pieces, we were in for a long wait, but the young man volunteered to give us six from his order of 30. There are, indeed, still some gentlemen in this country and we want to thank him through the column. We still missed sampling the city’s famous, almost legendary, lomi. Maybe next time.

Robinson’s Mall is Lipa’s in place. We wondered where all those people milling about came from–students, housewives, professionals, children. We were tempted to conclude that on a week day, most of them could only come from the ranks of the unemployed. The food chains are there offering burgers, coffee, roast chicken at P135, lechon for P350 a kilo, kilawin and tokua’t baboy. The supermarket is pleasantly laid-out. There’s live hito at P80 a kilo, tilapia (the ones from Batangas are supposed to be the best) at P78 and bangus at P98. We also noted imported bottled sauces under the Monarch brand from New Zealand in three variants–ground beef for P65.75, mint at P69.15 and with pepper.

On the second day of that week we went to Batangas City where we were brought once again to the PonteFino Hotel. Our friends Mila V, Rosary and Boots told us the executive chef, also a friend, Dennis Edillon, was preparing a degustacion lunch of his latest culinary inventions, which he refers to as Asia-Mediterranean cuisine. Dennis was waiting for us, a group of hungry writers, and explained that the location of the hotel is perfect for this type of cooking–the abundance of fish caught from the oceans, fresh tomatoes that he sun dried, vegetables harvested from the fertile land. Perhaps aspiring cooks and homemakers who are similarly situated should follow the chef’s principle of maximizing ingredients that are readily available in one’s area. One’s inventiveness should be a great help in producing and successfully mixing the many flavors of Asian and Mediterranean cooking. When we looked at the menu, we sort of got scared–there were 12 courses, including dessert!

But this was a taste-test session so the courses were presented small but still substantial portions to get every single flavor and texture, each dish attractively styled, combining color and taste but without any one element overwhelming the others. Our picks–which you might want to try when you visit PonteFino–are: Crab Brandade, pan fried crab meat and potato patties with roasted pepper aioli and fried potato curls; Goat Cheese Salad, mixed greens with raspberry vinaigrette; Mixed Seafood Cartocio, a perfect blending of the flavors of fish, shrimp, clams, scallops and mussels with spaghetti and wrapped in foil and baked; our favorite oven-cooked (with veal jus) Smoked Cheese-Crusted Salmon and Duck Confit, with caramelized onions, Percik sauce and lettuce. The dessert was Light Samurai Crepes, by which time everyone was giving Chef Edillon a five-star applause for successfully combining the best flavors of Asia and the Mediterranean cities like Tuscany.

Back in Manila, our friend Nita Kabayao Mapua, dubbed "The Romantic Chef" who has a collection of more than 2,000 cookbooks, informed us about her new products. We always remember her as that very artistic lady who can convert about-to-be discarded items like crabs shells and toothpaste boxes into beautiful items that she uses for her Christmas décor. We find her latest product, Inday’s Puso Relish, very innovative. It is made from finely chopped banana heart and comes in two variants, Classic and Spicy. We give it a good mark as an ideal side dish for fried meat, chicken and fish or even beef steak. The classic is sweetish while the spicy has just the right kick, so to speak. They come in bottles of 8 oz at P75 and 12 oz at P140. This is not available yet in the market, but orders can be placed at telephone number 842-4356.

Nita is into making some other products, labeled in a very romantic way. They include Honeymoon Pies or Piyaya, Teasing Soup or Pancit Molo, Lover’s Delight or Pancit Palabok; Sweetheart’s Choice which is Spaghetti D’Amore; Passionata or Canneloni con Passion. She also has come cookies and cakes.

There is this quaint restaurant on Domestic Road, diagonal to the airport terminal. It is on a side street and has as its regular clientele people who like Spanish food. It is La Copa, which was located for a time in the Philippine Village Hotel. We must say the set of pica-pica–mushrooms in garlic, gambas and salpicao–are as we like them, in olive oil and with lots of garlic. The usual paella, lengua, arroz ala Cubana are also offered. That’s one good restaurant worth the visit, for decent meals when in the vicinity of the airport.

Have a great Sunday!

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