WATCH: Lawson tries Pinoy food in Pasig carinderia

It's not every day that we get approached by a record label and asked to bring one of their talents to eat, Pinoy-style, in a carinderia. So when we got a call from MCA Music a few days ago, we grabbed the chance to give Andy Brown, Adam Pitts, Joel Peat and Ryan Fletcher — from British pop rock band Lawson — something to write home about.

It's the band's second time in Metro Manila and since they liked it so much the first time around, they've been begging the label to bring them back here. This time around, they were willing to go out of their comfort zones and experience a most authentic Filipino culture first-hand.

"Last time we played, the crowd in the Philippines was one of the best crowd and still remain as the best crowd we've ever played to," said Joel, the guitarist. "We were gonna go straight to Australia... we really wanted to go back here so we made it happen," Ryan, the bassist, echoed.

We took them to Caruz Eatery in Pasig, a not-so easy on the eyes eatery along Pasig Boulevard (something the Brits might call "charming") that's known for its beef caldereta and papaitan. We ordered those and threw in sinaing na tulingan and nilagang baka for good measure. We also showed the guys how to order Pinoy style, by pointing at the dish they want to eat (they chose ginataang puso ng saging).




“Where are the knives," vocalist Andy asked as he tucked into the caldereta — which turned out to be the band’s favorite ("like a very nice beef stew"). The tulingan reminded one member of mackerel, but it was the puso ng saging that got the most hilarious reaction ("I expected it to be banana!" "It tastes like vodka!" "My problem with it is that it's got an unexpected taste." )

The four-meal lunch, plus rice and soda, cost less than P800. “That’s like a tenner,” said Ryan, clearly impressed.

Caruz Eatery, 220 Hillcrest Drive, Bgy Oranbo, Pasig City; +63 2 6715277. Daily 24/7.

This story first appeared on Coconuts Manila.

LINK ON COCONUTS MANILA:

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

WATCH: German speaks Tagalog, praises carinderia

Aling Banang’s is probably one of the most successful carinderias in Metro Manila.

Known for its delicious pancit bihon and halo-halo, it has been serving customers for more than 80 years now, with 13 branches and counting.

But who is Aling Banang?
She is Urbana Silva Santiago. During the 1930s, she started this business as a small merienda place at San Juan’s public market. Back then, it did not have a name but was very popular for halo-halo during the summer.

Santiago had 12 children. Her daughter Adoracion, known as Ising, evolved the business into a carinderia.

As the eatery grew bigger, Ising decided to name it after her mother. After all, it was Santiago's hard work that established Aling Banang’s.

Ising died in 2010 but passed the business to her children and grandchildren. They are currently managing the carinderia that Ising loved.

On this episode of Carinderia Crawl, Filipino-speaking German Maik Goetze tries the famous pancit bihon and tokwa’t baboy of Aling Banang’s on E. Rodriguez Avenue in Quezon City.

Maik, a sales consultant in Singapore, says he likes trying different cuisines because he also loves to cook.

At Aling Banang's, he digs into the pancit bihon and notes its toppings: lechon kawali and still-crisp vegetables. Maik is not fond of eating tofu but he liked the tokwa’t baboy anyway especially after dipping it in the soy sauce.

WHAT MAIK ATE: Pancit bihon, tokwa’t baboy and iced tea for 110 pesos.

WHAT HE THINKS: The meals that he ate are very uncommon to his taste buds but he feels comfortable eating the dishes. He particularly likes the pancit bihon because of its saltiness and fresh ingredients. He also recommends eating the tokwa’t baboy with Aling Banang’s soy sauce.

WORDS OF WISDOM: "I am always open to new things. That’s what I like about traveling, I get to experience new things, learn and apply it to the things that I do.”

Aling Banang’s, G/F Doña Anita Bldg, 284 E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, Bgy. Damayang Lagi, Quezon City; + 63 2 414 0377. Mon-Sat 7am-10pm.


This story first appeared on Coconuts Manila.

Watch more Carinderia Crawl videos:

Mang Tootz near UST
Juan's Budbod and Coffee near FEU
Manang's Food House in Ateneo, Quezon City
People's Food Court Stall 5 Alaminos

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Carinderia Crawl: Juan's Budbod and Coffee at U Belt

Kat Ragos opened Juana’s Budbod and Coffee when she was still a senior student at Far Eastern University. According to her, this eatery was mainly built so that her friends could have a place to hang out at outside the campus. Back then, there were only a few places around the university belt and they were always full.

Juana’s Budbod and Coffee started with the usual sizzling and 'silog' meals, but she wanted to differentiate herself from other eateries.

“I come from Rizal and 'budbod' is one of our specialty dishes there,” says Kat. “It's the idea of having something personal in my business and at the same time some sort of ‘brand’ for the eatery. I think we are the first, if not the only one, that offers authentic Budbod in Manila,” she says.

Budbod, which translates to “sprinkled on food,” consists of sliced meat, cucumber, onion and tomatoes put on a bed of flavored rice. Juana's also offers cheap coffee that approximates the frappés and drinks of an expensive coffee shop.

On this episode of Carinderia Crawl, production assistant Marix Durens goes to Juana’s Budbod and Coffee and orders a combo meal of Shawarma Budbod.

When she has the time and money, Marix likes to go mountain climbing. She learned about Juana’s Budbod and Coffee through her mountaineering friends because they always eat here during pre-climb meetings.

According to her, Juana’s offers food fit for mountaineers and athletes since their portions are big-size. Marix also wears orthodontic braces so it is very convenient for her to eat budbod because the meat is already cut into tiny pieces.

WHAT MARIX ATE: Budbod Shawarma Combo with unlimited rice and iced tea for P75.

WHAT MARIX THINKS: She liked the beef shawarma because the meat was tender. She didn't mind that the flavor has been tweaked to adapt to the Filipino palate. She also liked the flavored rice that came with the food.

WORDS OF WISDOM: “Lagi akong nag-iiba ng kulay ng buhok kasi nararamdaman ko ‘yung independence at freedom. Hindi rin ako ‘yung tipo ng taong nadidiktahan kaagad. Pwede mo akong sabihan tungkol sa mga bagay na ginagawa ko, pero titimbangin ko muna kung tama ba ‘yun o mali.”

Juana’s Budbod and Coffee, 504 M.V. Delos Santos cor Legarda Sts, Sampaloc, Manila; +63 906 2174887. Daily 10am-11pm.

This story first appeared on Coconuts Manila.

Watch more Carinderia Crawl videos:

Kanto Freestyle Breakfast in Pasig
Pancit batil patung in Kamuning, Quezon City
Beef and chicken pita at Hijo d'Pita in Teacher's Village
Special bulalo at Bulaluhan sa España in Manila

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com