Jan 16, 2009

where good friends dine

abe means friend in kapampangan. as such, the tagline of this famous resto which initially opened at serendra and has now branched out in trinoma.

i never got interested in this resto despite the raves and long waiting line. why? because i am not really fond of filipino restos except for sentro which i really like, but that's another story. similar to sugi, mbkrs had something to do with this recent foodtrip.


i had one thing i have been obsessing about. the betute (PHP 290) which is basically stuffed fried frogs. i love frogs and so this one is on my must try list. two whole frogs with a pork stuffing which tasted like longganisa sans the reddish color, served on a bed of onions, tomato and cucumber with a vinegar dressing. i love the veggies, the frog was a bit chewy and i find the sweet stuffing inapt as well. moving forward, i'd stick to adobong palaka (frog).



another appetizer is the sinuteng baby pusit (sauteed baby squid) PHP 168. the dish might look unappetizing but this one is a winner. baby squid cooked adobo style but with loads of garlic, laurel, chili and oil. there's too much oil that it basically becomes the sauce so there's not much of that brown/black sauce of adobong pusit but the hint of vinegar is very evident. perfect with loads of rice.



we also had mutton adobo (kambing) PHP 395. it has loads of garlic, a dish cooked and garnished with a lot of garlic including the skin. the mutton is tender and very flavorful. again, another dish perfect with rice.



overall, it was a good meal. the dishes were perfectly executed except for the betute. perfect viands for a rice centric diet. with this meal, my mom shared the same sentiments. the reason why i am not fond of eating at filipino restos is because i could eat the dishes at home. and this was a perfect example of that. the dishes could be simply replicated at home and it would be much lighter on the pocket. there is no doubt that they serve good filipino food, a perfect place to bring expats and even ofw friends, as for me, i'd stick to homecooked meals whenever i get a kambing or palaka craving.


abe
trinoma
serendra

2 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:55 PM

    I haven't tried Abe because every time I go to Serendra, I'm always wooed by either Chelsea or Cuillere. Although I have tried Fely J's which also became one of my favorites. I will definitely visit Abe before the year ends. LOL. Parang January palang!

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  2. maybe it's because they serve the usual filipino fare and chelsea or cuillere is not your everyday meal. it's been open for years and i've only tried it this year...i'm sure you'll get to eat there this year hehe. will watch out for that in your blog.

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