ALING LUCING'S SISIG

4.5 out of 5 stars

The HunHao gang was supposed to trek to C! (review to come) for Italian Fine Dining, but it turns out that they're only open for dinners during Labor Day. Coming from an Anvaya-weary sunbathe, we were starving inexcusably past 2 pm. And it was a unanimous decision --- since we were in Pamapanga anyway, why not go to the restaurant where sisig was perfected and branded as the Philippine's perfect beermatch?

Off we go to Aling Lucing, touted as "THE Original Sisig Queen." They have expanded quite slowly, only putting up their store in Pasong Tamo a few years back, but it does not do away with their unbroken reputation maintained by word-of-mouth. Of course, news of Aling Lucing’s murder (or parricide?) this April all the more piqued us into going here, news of her death being plastered all over media (check the addendum attached to this article, one bye GMA, the other by Inquirer). May she rest in peace.

Her carinderia is by an abandoned railroad, very simple and straightforward. Because of its success, they put up another carienderia across the same street, which are both managed by her granddaughter.

It has stayed a carenderia in the truest sense: where you eat al fresco on flimsy wooden tables and monoblocs. They also serve other viands “of the day” from adobo to afritada, perhaps to cater to the locals who couldn’t possibly eat sisig everyday without dying from high blood pressure.

But still, it was an experience eating here, having the granddaughter smile accommodatingly at us, while taking out the raw sisig from the fridge to prepare it before our eyes. She said that 2 orders of sisig would be enough for us. She must have underestimated our appetites, because even if there were girls with us (including me, of couse, haha), we ended up getting an additional order.

HunHao in Pampanga

I’m not a fan of wet sisig. In the same vein, I never appreciated Aysee’s, much to my barkada’s consternation. Aling Lucing’s sisig is also wet sisig, and I was at first disappointed when I saw it. But once I tasted it, I realized that this is how sisig should be! It may not have been crunchy, but darn it, it was one of the best sisig dishes I’ve ever tasted! It was so good that it didn’t need other additives to mask its taste --- unlike most of the ones in Manila that I’ve tasted that uses chicharon, mayonnaise or chopped pieces of meat to mix in with the pig’s cheek.

We wolfed down ours down in a matter of minutes, it was that tasty! And in the back of your head, you’re thinking, gosh, what was that other ingredient in their sisig that makes it so good? It was my friend, Nix, that figured it out, saying that instead of using just oil, they also cook it with butter. And lots of it. :D Who could complain, really? Apart from that, instead of pouring Knorr over the sisig, you dip it in mild-tasting suka. I know, I know. Suka and sisig, who would’ve thought? But believe me, it matches, with the vinegar cutting through the butter perfectly.
Aling Lucing is certainly sisig in its own class, and it deserved to win the sisig festival in 2003, where it bested 176 other contestants. I highly recommend readers to try this award-winning sisig. If not Pampanga, then by baby-steps towards their branch in Pasong Tamo.

2 branches:
Aling Lucing’s Sisig
CROSSINGS (by the old railroad)
Angeles, Pampanga

Aling Lucing’s Sisg
G/F Centerpoint Building
Pasong Tamo (Near the Corner of Buendia)

ADDENDUM

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/89628/RPs-sisig-queen-found-dead-in-Pampanga-home
04/16/2008 | 09:33 AM

MANILA, Philippines - The pioneer who invented the popular sisig dish in the 1970s was hammered to death in her house in Angeles City in Pampanga early Wednesday.

Lucita Cunanan, a.k.a. "Aling Lucing," the pioneer who brought fame to Angeles City in Pampanga with her spicy pork dish, succumbed to massive head injuries caused by the hammer.

"Bilang barangay captain tinignan ko, wala kaming nakitang forcible entry, maayos naman. Tinanong ko maid ng matanda, wala siyang narinig na sumisigaw (As village captain, I checked the area but saw no sign of forced entry. I asked her maid, and she did not hear any shout or sound of struggle)," Val Lagman, chairman of Claro M. Recto village in Angeles City, said in an interview on dzRH radio.

He said Cunanan lived with her husband "Mang Tino" and a household helper. Her children do not live with them in the house, he said.

Citing initial findings by police, he said Cunanan's husband went out of the house at 4:30 a.m. to buy food. When he returned a few minutes later, he saw his wife hammered dead.

But he hinted police had "reservations" about Cunanan's husband's claims as there was no sign of forcible entry or sound of struggle.

Lagman also said a large necklace the victim would always wear was missing from the house.

"Di kami sigurado. May kaunting suspetsa naman (We are not sure, let's just say we have our suspicions)," he would only say.

Cunanan's trademark sisig was started in the mid 1970s when she served a unique blend of chopped pigs' cheek, liver, onions, vinegar and calamansi.

She was featured on the website of the Department of Tourism, which narrated how her dish gained fame.

The DOT website credited Cunanan for whipping up the "popular classical dish," usually a concoction of boiled and chopped pig ears and cheeks seasoned with vinegar, calamansi juice, chopped onions and chicken liver and more likely served in sizzling plates.

"It was Aling Lucing's, owned by 'sisig queen' Lucita Cunanan, that established the city as the Sisig capital in the country way back in 1974. Today, a variety of preparations include sisig ala pizzailo, pork combination, green mussels or tahong, mixed seafood, ostrich sisig, spicy python, frog sisig, Tokwa't Baboy, among other dishes," it said.

It added sisig has become a main fare for drinking sessions or even family dinners, and on occasion has become a centerpiece of local social functions. - GMANews.TV

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/regions/view/20080507-135027/Missing-Aling-Lucing-the-Sisig-Queen

INQUIRER NORTHERN LUZON Inquirer Northern Luzon : Missing Aling Lucing, the ‘Sisig Queen’ By Tonette Orejas Philippine Daily Inquirer Posted date: May 07, 2008 nquirer Northern Luzon Missing Aling Lucing, the ‘Sisig Queen’ By Tonette Orejas Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 03:33:00 05/07/2008 ANGELES CITY – Three days after she was murdered on April 17, there is yearning for Lucia Cunanan. “Hinahanap siya ng mga suki niya. Sinasabi ko kung ano ang nangyari. Nalulungkot sila (Her regular clients were looking for her, and I would tell them about the incident. They’re sad),” said Ruby Rosa Sususco, daughter of Natividad “Naty” Bernardo, a younger contemporary of Cunanan in the sisig-making business and stall neighbor in Angeles City. It’s Friday night and almost every eatery in Crossing, a commercial strip along the abandoned railroad tracks in Angeles, occupies half of the street, serving grilled food al fresco – except for Cunanan’s. The lights in her stall are out, dimming a proud legacy. “Aling Lucing, Home of the Original Sisig,” two sooty billboards proclaim. A small tarpaulin hangs, detailing where the funeral services were to be held. Day in and day out for 34 years, Cunanan had held court in this unpretentious corner, perfecting the dish that had become her trademark and which had evolved into a virtual “pambansang pulutan” (national bar chow). “She put the lowly sisig on the culinary map. Kapampangans can eat anywhere provided the food is good. Aling Lucing, whose eatery is near the railroad tracks, started that,” said Robby Tantingco, executive director of the Holy Angel University’s Center for Kapampangan Studies. How the 80-year-old Cunanan was murdered – her body had 10 stab wounds, according to police – was undeserving for this culinary legend, said Tantingco. Revolutionized dish By all measures, Cunanan revolutionized the sisig. It was documented as a vinaigrette salad – actually a snack of unripe mango, guava or papaya or anything fermented in vinegar – by an Augustinian friar, Diego Bergano, in his Vocabulario de la Lengua Pampanga in 1732. Sisig had been a pregnant woman’s food before it evolved into a bar chow favorite. As the pregnancy progressed, the woman took to eating boiled pig ears and tail dipped in vinegar. It was believed that the cartilage (soft crunchy bones) would make the fetus stronger. In 1974, Cunanan served large quantities of a different kind of sisig out of the need to make ends meet for seven growing children, according to her eldest daughter, Zeny. The dish was not only chopped pig ears; cheeks and snout were added. But instead of just being boiled, it was grilled to a crunchy perfection. Cunanan improved on the taste by adding chicken liver and hefty slices of onions, calamansi (Philippine lemon) and siling labuyo (chili). In past interviews, Cunanan had said that men with pregnant wives actually urged them to innovate on the sisig. “They were envious of what their wives ate but since they could not get a share of it, out of consideration for their wives, they asked me to prepare them sisig during their drinking sprees.” So the sisig, Cunanan-style, was born. It did not stop evolving and even went beyond Pampanga. “Many Filipinos have come out with their own concoctions. Aside from the usual pork, there’s fish, chicken, etc.,” Dan Tayag, former majority owner of Trellis Restaurant in Quezon City, said. Highest accolade The highest accolade that had been bestowed on Cunanan was the “Sisig Festival,” an annual culinary event began in 2003 by then Angeles Mayor Carmelo Lazatin. The first festival honored Cunanan for her feat in making Angeles famous as the “home of the original sisig.” At least 176 recipes were prepared in the next staging. Enterprise-wise, Cunanan was good. She opened sisig restaurants in at least two shopping malls. Asked seven years ago what made her sisig click, she said: “Siyempre, ating lugud (Of course, there is love).”

CANTINETTA

2 out of 5 stars

Not impressed with the Rockwell branch. The prices are jacked up to the hilt compared to the Pasong Tamo branch. Maybe it’s because of the rent, but nevertheless, I think they should have taken a bigger cut off their profit. The prices listed are exclusive of tax, plus they don’t offer the three-in-one pasta combination with steak that the Pasong Tamo branch offers. But I’m ranting….. Let’s talk about the food.

In the picture is the Quattro Formaggi Pasta (370 PhP) and the Deliziosa Pasta (420PhP). The pasta may have had the gorgonzola, ricotta, mascarpone and parmesan cheese as is written in its menu, but the sauce was too thick, buttery and heavy. It wasn’t one of those pastas that blew your mind away.

As for the Deliziosa, which contained artichokes, olives and parma ham, it was average at best. One thing that is good is the crust since they have a really good oven. But the artichokes were so obviously canned; and even then, they didn’t bother rinsing the vinegar preservative off too much. The parma ham was generously sliced, but it wasn’t as good as the ones I’ve tried in other restaurants. It was tough; I couldn’t seem to bite through it.

All in all, this restaurant is authentic Italian, but I’d rather go to the following alternatives: Pepato, Galileo Enoteca, Café Maestro, L’Opera…..or even the Cantinetta in Pasong Tamo! This restaurant has a limited menu like Cibo, yet with the prices of Pepato. Absurd!

But if you want to go check it out, the address is listed below. No need to reserve, unless you have a big company.

ate in:
Cantinetta, Rockwell
Rockwell Drive cor. Estrella St.
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 403-0145
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

other branch:
Cantinetta, Pasong Tamo
Ground Floor Karrivin Plaza, 2316 Pasong Tamo Extension
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 892-9873
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm

SEGUNDO PISO

4 out of 5 stars

Before I hit the books, I decided to give myself a personal treat by writing more about a restaurant that I'm fond of. I’ve been itching to write on these three other restaurants that are pending review, but I guess I'll just have to restrain myself for now and write on just one pre-midterms.

My foodie friend Elber accompanied me as we hit Pasong Tamo to reacquaint ourselves with one of my favorite Spanish restaurants, Segundo Piso.
This translates to “Second Floor" in English, and is aptly named because it is located right above their deli store called "Terry’s Selection." Most of you have probably heard of this place through countless features in lifestyle programs, magazines and newspapers. They not only serve delicious food, but also house an extensive array of wines.

There is another "Terry's Selection" with an adjoining cafe in the basement of Podium, but being that I'm into eating with all the senses, I'd much rather prefer the branch in Makati. Apart from the fact that Segundo is more spacious, it's wonderfully secluded unlike in Podium where you'd find mallers peering at you through glass walls as you eat your mess sandwich. Speaking of restaurant setting, Terry’s selection’s architecture is cool, clean and modern. They have an “open-air” kitchen so that the food is cooked in front of you. On one side of the kitchen, you have a large plastic colander with homemade potato chips that side their signature sandwiches, along with a huge leg of jamon serrano that they slice only when needed. On the other end of the room, you have sleek wooden wine cellars blending well with the design of the restaurant.

Just like “Blue Bacon and Green Eggs” or “Bianca’s Café and Vinotek” and “Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano” of “Santi’s,” they were shrewd enough to think of putting up a restaurant where they sourced most of their ingredients from their own deli. Not only is it convenient for the owners, but their customers are assured at the same time of the freshness and quality of their meals.

We started with two appetizers: Manchego & Salchichón de Vic Dumplin (320 PhP) and Flamenquín Andaluz (250PhP). The menu describes the dishes better than I possibly can, so I’ll just lift off what they have to say about them. For the dumplings, it’s, “The quintessential Spanish cheese & Vic salami enveloped in crunchy Chinese wrapper.” This was really yummy, with the salami blending well with the milder-tasting cheese. I guess the only minor problem was that it was a little oily, which more often than not occurs when food is fried lower than the ideal temperature. When prepared properly, deep-fried foods absorb less fat and oil. This is because the oil immediately surrounds the food and cooks it from all sides, creating an exterior layer that seals in the food's juices inside, while keeping most of the oil outside. I suspect that in this instance, the chef didn’t wait for the oil to heat up to the right temperature before dropping in the dumplings. Nevertheless, the authentic Spanish ingredients made up for it, and the oiliness could be easily remedied by putting a paper cloth below the dumplings.

Flamenquín Andaluz was described as “golden crispy sirloin roll stuffed w/jamón serrano & melted Swiss Raclette.” They were pretty generous with this serving, and the ham (which they carve at the front of the counter for this dish) had just the right amount of smokiness and bite to it. The sirloin and the raclette actually paled a little in comparison to the intensity of the ham. Even Elber was surprised that Raclette could taste that subdued, when it usually has a powerful taste (and odor, to boot!). But we still enjoyed and devoured this appetizer, belatedly taking off the superfluous outer breading just so that we’d have room to finish off our three-course lunch.

So far, I’ve never ordered a rice dish here that wasn’t worth raving. The paellas and risottos at Segundo are the epitome of all that’s tasty in this restaurant! I guarantee that once you’ve tried any of them, you’ll come back craving for more of this stuff. For today, we had Arroz con gambas al “Cognac” (490 PhP). I’ve had this dish more than a couple of times, and every time I order it, I enjoy it even more. This is a WINNER in all ways possible! Risotto with lots of cream and thickened with homemade broth is kicked up with a faint taste of brandy…oh, and TRUFFLE OIL! Anything and everything truffle is PERFECT. My apologies go out to Elber, who happened to be allergic to shrimp. We still got this dish though since I was craving for it (thanks, Elber!). This was served in individual giant clam shells, the risotto blended with cheese and shrimp bits, and topped with whole shrimps. Although this dish takes awhile to make (around 15-20 minutes), it’s certainly worth the wait! Oh, and it’s quite filling, too. When I went to Terry’s Selection in Podium with Ghafy another time, we ordered this alone and were quite full already. But since this is an eating spree, we didn’t stop with just appetizers and rice. Of course, we had to have dessert, compliments of Elber’s friend who happened to be the daughter of Segundo owner Juan Carlos di Terry.

It’s called Coffee Marquesa, which is topped with some roasted coffee beans. Elber was all praises about this dessert, and even before we got it, he described it as a “chewy ice cream.” If you haven’t seen or tasted this yet, that description might seem kind of odd. But when the Marquesa was served to us, this description was actually pretty accurate! The dessert, though difficult to explain, is very easy on the palate. In fact, it’s so scrumptious that I’d go back to Segundo Piso if only for this dessert!

No need to reserve. It’s fun dining! (pun intended)

Terry Selection
Segundo Piso
Bldg. B, Karivin Plaza
2316 Pasong Tamo Extension
Makati City
Tel. 729-7906; 729-7907
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Open from 9:30am to 6:24pm, Monday to Saturday
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

other branch:
Terry Selection, The Podium
Lower Ground Level, 18 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
(02) 636-3513
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm