This month’s Foodie Road Trip takes us to the food capital of the food capital of the country—Angeles City, Pampanga.
I’m sure not a few will disagree, with countless towns and cities all around our archipelago also boasting of good eats. But Pampanga’s reputation as the gustatory capital of the country isn’t without basis. Known as the land of talented cooks, one trip to their vast province, and even the most skeptical critics could end up eating their words. While Pampanga is huge and specialties scattered all over, Angeles City, being the commercial capital, houses the most dining establishments and hotels.
Now, this isn’t the first time we’d be going to Angeles. But for this specific road trip, we purposely wanted to try the lesser-known, non-Capampangan food establishments. We’ve already tried the sisig places, had buro, camaru and betute on other visits. This time, we wanted to taste what Angeles natives enjoy when they’re not in the mood for Filipino fare.
It took us exactly one hour to get to Angeles City, Pampanga, from our place in Quezon City. Depending on the time and day, it should only take an hour to an hour-and-a-half from Northern Metro Manila. There were six of us in our Cook Magazine group and knowing how restaurants serve guests from the media who come to feature them, we knew we were in for two days of endless eating.
Purple Pad Thai
Our first stop is Purple Pad Thai, a restaurant tucked inside one of the subdivisions in Angeles. As its name suggests, Purple Pad Thai serves authentic Thai cuisine and it has been doing so for the past five years.
Its authentic Thai food has been such a hit with the discriminating Angeles diners, it has another branch within the city, at the local SM foodcourt. It is slowly, but surely, expanding, giving utmost importance to quality and consistency. Soon, it will be opening a branch in Baguio, too.
As its name suggests, its initial specialty was, and still is, pad thai. It is the perfect introduction into the Thai cooking philosophy of balancing flavors, temperatures and textures. Pad thai is a perfect mix of salty, sweet, sour and spicy, of hot and cold, and of textures that are soft and chewy with crunchy. Purple Pad Thai’s version hits the sweet spot for me. I’ve tried a few versions, and they tend to lean towards a dominant taste—sometimes too sour, often too sweet. From the pad thai, we moved on to its other specialties. Knowing how to balance flavors is not easy. Even harder is to train people to keep the quality and flavors consistent when you put up multiple outlets.
The partnership behind Purple Pad Thai is as unlikely as it gets. Randy Ramos, its finance and marketing manager, used to be a brand manager in a multinational pharmaceutical company. Chef Israel Yel Cunanan, head chef and operations manager, is a civil engineer. What is not unlikely is that their common love for food, especially Thai food, resulted in what is now Angeles City’s go-to place for authentic, reasonably priced Thai dishes.
Going back to the food, we were then served what seemed like an endless array of dishes. I honestly cannot find fault with any of its offerings, as literally everything was good. My personal favorites are the Seafood Tom Yum, Bagoong Rice, Green Beef Curry and its Fish with Tamarind Sauce. Like its pad thai, each dish was well-balanced, seasoned perfectly and maintained at the right temperature. In our line of work, where we need to take photos before eating, keeping the food in the ideal temperature can be a challenge. But by using authentic Thai serving dishes, which can be kept piping-hot by charcoal, each dish was kept perfect till eating time. Purple Pad Thai Chef Yel also maintains herb pots to get a steady supply of fresh Thai herbs. This and frequent trips to big markets, like Farmers in Cubao, for hard-to-source ingredients keep their dishes authentic and consistent.
Along with the sumptuous food, we were also served specialty drinks, such as Thai Iced Milk Tea, Citrus Trio and Thai Green Milk Tea. Of course, to end the meal, dessert was also quite good. Called Brazo de Manga, it is its version of the classic Brazo de Mercedes but with Philippine mangoes, one of the few fruits we have that is still better than the Thai version.
Purple Pad Thai was a pleasant surprise for all of us. The food, staff and the owners all made our first meal in Angeles City memorable. Worth mentioning, and I hope Randy and Chef Yel won’t mind, is the importance and respect they give their staff. We witnessed this firsthand, and it is no surprise that they are enjoying continued success. Happy cooks and servers will always produce great food and service. We will definitely be back!
- Purple Pad Thai is at 303 Ventura Street, Marisol Subdivision, Barangay Benigno Aquino, Angeles City.
Relish
I often encounter would-be entrepreneurs who are interested in putting up restaurants, thinking that food would be the easiest, safest business they can get into. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Even more challenging would be to put up a start-up restaurant in a city known for really good food. But for foodie friends Allan Dalangin and Eureka Ann Quinto, their love for food is reason enough to take the plunge.
Relish is on Arayat Street, just off McArthur Highway, the main road traversing Angeles City. What used to be an old and dilapidated house was lovingly transformed into a cozy dining spot that could rival any of the popular American-style, full-service restaurants in the country. Looking at its menu and seeing the portion sizes, you quickly realize that these people mean business. Relish aims to bring authentic smoked ribs to Angeles City. When other places are happy to serve boiled or baked ribs, Chefs Allan and Eurie wanted to do things the proper way, slowly smoking the ribs to tender, smoky perfection. And like any American joint would, the portions at Relish are beyond generous. According to the owners, they really wanted to give diners the full-service treatment often only experienced in international chain restaurants. While most joints do little more than take your order, bring the food and take your payment, service and hospitality plays a big role in Relish’s operations. “Our service is similar to that of famous full-service chain restaurants. We make it a point to get to know the names of our diners, know their “usuals,” and we treat everyone like family. Birthday celebrants get a surprise treat from us. We don’t just serve them food, we make sure that our diners feel special,” Eurie says.
We started off with a few appetizers. Typical of Relish, when I say “few,” I mean platters and platters of food. Its Nacho Bonanza is a platter-full of nachos with ground beef, jalapeños, salsa and lots of creamy cheese sauce. Next, we tried Relish Wings and Soy Garlic Wings. Its chicken wings are fried to a crisp and slathered with either spicy hot sauce (Relish Wings) or a garlicky sweet and savory glaze (Soy Garlic Wings). For those who like a bit of seafood, the Baked Mussels, plump New Zealand mussels, cheesy with butter and garlic are a great alternative. If you still have a bit of room before the main dishes come, try the pasta offerings at Relish too. Whether you feel like something sweet and spicy (Oriental Chicken Pasta) or rich and creamy (Chicken Pesto Pasta), you really can’t go wrong.
Of course, we were at Relish for the ribs and once the huge plates of smoky ribs were placed before us, we understood what Angeles locals and patrons of Relish were raving about. Smoking ribs is very different from simply boiling them and glazing to finish. Smoke gives the ribs not only the aroma of the wood, but also ensures tenderness by cooking the ribs slowly in low heat. Smoked ribs also has an unmistakable “smoke ring,” that pink ring just below the surface of the meat, a tell-tale sign that smoke and not just heat has cooked the meat. Relish serves two variations of ribs, the Ribstastic, baby back ribs, smoky and fall-off-the bone and the Big Meanie, a huge serving of ribs, cut nearer the shoulder for bones that are longer and meatier. These two are the very ribs that have made Relish a household name in Angeles even before they celebrate its first full year in business. To go with its sumptuous ribs, Relish serves equally generous sides. You can choose between potato salad, fries, marble potatoes or wild rice. Just like the food, drinks in Relish are also really good. We enjoyed its House Blend Iced Tea, Blue Lemonade and I especially liked the Cucumber Lemonade. The fact that the drinks are served in mason jars that can hold close to a liter of liquid means that one serving will seem bottomless already.
Chefs Allan and Eurie have a hit on their hands, and Angeles has warmly welcomed them with open arms and mouths. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Relish branch out and reach other foodie towns and cities.
- Relish is on Arayat Street, Diamond Subdivision, Angeles City. You may reach them at their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/relishribs/info
Peppers 21, Widus Hotel and Casino
Being the first at something can often be a double-edged sword. While there are advantages in being ahead of the rest, pioneers often encounter difficulties associated with chartering the unknown, thus the term “paving the way.”
Peppers 21 of Widus Hotel and Casino is the first fine-dining steak restaurant north of Manila. While the thriving Clark Special Economic Zone can be hardly considered wilderness, there is still a certain risk involved in putting up a high-end restaurant in a province and a city known for some of the best food in the country.
The 21 in Peppers 21 represents the aging process its steaks go through to ensure that its prime beef is tender, beefy and succulent. Dry-aging improves an already good cut of meat, intensifying the flavor, ensuring tenderness by letting the enzymes breakdown the meat fibers a little bit more than the normal vacuum packing would. While the beef rests for 21 days under careful temperature control, the surface of the meat dries out, forming a crust. Inside, the meat flavors get concentrated and the texture improves, resulting in tender, moist meat that is beefier. Peppers 21 serves US Certified Prime Angus beef, as well as Premium Australian Grass-fed Mulwarra beef. Each cut has its own distinct flavor and characteristics, so all bases are covered when you dine at Peppers 21. Whether you like your steak tender, lean and gamey or juicy, with bits of succulent fat running throughout your steak, there will always be something for everyone.
Of course, like any good steakhouse, you can’t just serve beef. Chef James van Haght, Peppers 21 sous chef, showcased their repertoire of dishes that go perfectly before, with and after your perfectly cooked steak. We started our dinner off with a bang, enjoying the creamy Widus Foie Gras with caramelized apples on brioche and berry reduction. For those who’d like something a bit lighter and fresher, you can opt for the Peppered Tuna Tartar. Cubed fresh tuna, diced and dressed, served with sweet mango and crispy potato strings. For the soup course, we tried all three offerings: the French Onion Soup, its Baked Potato Soup and the Chowder Bowl. My favorite among the three was the French Onion Soup with its layered flavors with its beef stock shining through. Aside from slowly caramelizing the onions, using a good beef stock is essential to make this soup, and Chef James and his staff did well. The salads were served as a refresher course, something healthy before the onslaught of beef. I’d recommend the Poached Pear salad, just because I like some fruit in my salad.
Now, for those who like seafood instead of steak, Peppers 21 a few show-stoppers in its lineup, too. Among its their seafood dishes, two stood out for me, the Smoked Salmon Galette and the Serrano Scallops. The salmon, cold-smoked then seared and baked, is perfectly flaky. The scallops, on the other hand, sweet and plump, are wrapped in salty and crispy Serrano ham. If I wasn’t set on having steak, I would have been happy to have these two seafood dishes for my main course.
Of course, we were at Widus’s Peppers 21 for steak, and it didn’t disappoint. We were able to try a couple of 21-day Dry Aged Australian Mulwarra steaks and a Certified Angus Prime Ribeye. The Mulwarra Striploin and Tenderloin were both tender and full-flavored. For me, steaks should taste of beef, and these were spot-on. The lean tenderloin had just enough gamey flavor, it resembled venison, which is one of the best lean red meats you can have. The Certified Angus Prime Ribeye, on the other hand, was the perfect blend of beefiness and succulent fat. Along with its choices of sauces and side dishes, you can have the perfect steak dinner. For those who have a huge appetite or are in big groups, it also offers 1-kilogram Tomahawk and Porterhouse steaks for sharing. And if you can leave a bit of room for dessert, try its Chocolate Molten Lava cake or Mango or Banana Foster, prepared tableside.
The opening of Peppers 21 in Widus Hotel and Casino has been long awaited and judging by the reception it got, it was right. We went on a quiet weeknight and the restaurant was busy. The crowd was a mix of expats and locals, proving that when you are brave enough to blaze a fine-dining trail, people will come.
- Peppers 21 is at Widus Hotel and Casino, 5400 Manuel A. Roxas Highway, Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga.