Skip to main content

Balbi's

After watching the latest installment of the 007 movies, Quantum of Solace on its opening day, I decided to find out why both Cecile and Inday Hami rave about Balbi's. It was Cecile who first mentioned it in the comments section and luckily Inday Hami blogged about it so it already had a bull's eye mark for me.
Around 4pm I was at their snack shop and ordered the items which Inday Hami mentioned to be favorites. I got pancit palabok, ensaimada and cheese roll. It was then a usual clicks and flashes scenario while waiting for my order. I can’t believe that this snack shop is almost 50 years old for it was only days ago that I got to know about it.
The place is small, only 5 tables, making a homey and unpretentious ambiance. They only have a few items on their wall menu plus some turo-turo items for lunch with some breads and pastries on display.
My order arrived, the palabok looked and smelled enticing plus the breads were inviting. It was a good thing that I was the only customer that time and the staff was busy chatting so they didn't see (or pretend not to) what I was doing. Thankfully it was a quick session, since most pictures were clear enough, for I was really hungry.
The palabok was good and even though I was surprised it cost PhP 53, it was well worth it and I did not feel shortchanged. You'll find seafood mix the swimming under the sauce.
The breads were both good and priced just right (Php12 and Php13). I liked the contrast of the "hard" sugar (as topping) to the soft bread. I felt satisfied that I brought home two of each (and for better pictures too.)
It was really a satisfying experience and there would be more soon. Just like what Inday Hami told me during the EB, there are things better done in three's.
You bet!
UPDATE:
I found a very good article about Balbi's while Googling. Enjoy reading
Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region.  Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of  batwan  and the  malinamnam na sabaw .  One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces  1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit  (or tamarind powder) 1 piece por...
Read More ...

An Ilonggo favorite - Valenciana

Found in almost all occasions like fiesta, birthdays, reunions and others, Ilonggos really love valenciana because most if not all have grown accustomed of having it in special gatherings at home.  A complete " go, grow and glow " dish because it has the carbohydrates, protein and vitamins and minerals in just one spoonful, Valenciana is really an " occasional dish ".  Here's the recipe for Valenciana
Read More ...

Easy Century Tuna Recipes

If you're looking for simple, easy  and delicious Century Tuna recipes online, congratulations, you've found it right here! How about spicy tuna sisig or tuna sinigang ? Maybe stir fried tuna with pickles or just yang chow fried rice .  I love Century Tuna from its flakes in oil variety, the spicier the better, but when I discovered the versatility of its solid variant, it became an obsession. At first I was just into the usual tested recipes; pasta and sandwich filling, but then it got simpler – I just eat it straight from the can! Usually with a piece of bread or an apple. I just add a few drops of vinegar to spice it up a bit. Then came the experiments. Yup I got tired of that habit that one day, I decided to test my skills in the kitchen. Serendipity, you might call it yet most of them turned into good recipes that I have shared now and then. Satisfying my Palabok cravings had me experiment on this recipe on the spot. With Century Tuna in lieu of the us...
Read More ...

Pancit lomi and pan de sal in Oton

A road and food trip a few months back ended in a simple but delicious treat in the town of Oton. Right beside the town market is an assuming bakery that also serves quick orders of pancit - bihon, guisado and lom i, among others. Owned by  Mr. Wilson Esperancilla , the bakeshop has a typical bakery ambiance - lots of goodies and people comes in droves to buy them. Their pancit lomi is a best seller and I enjoyed every spoonful of it. From the thick and flavourful sabaw to the the thin (in contrast to the thick ones usually used) noodles plus the meats and toppings, it was one delicious treat - all in a bowl. Doubled with one of the best tasting pan de sals I've had recently, it was surely a perfect food trip to end our road trip. Bon voyage meets bon apetit!
Read More ...

Ubad 101

Ubad sold at the Santa Barbara Public market. This is different from ubod but practically the same. Confusing? Well ubod is the pith or the center of a coconut tree while ubad is the pith of a banana tree. To have an ubad means a whole banana tree has been cut down and stripped to bare its center. So goodbye to banana fruit, leaves and heart. To prepare an ubad for cooking, first thinly slice, around half a centimeter, the cleaned pith (must be very white and sized like a fluorescent lamp to be sure of the quality.) . Then using a barbecue stick, remove web like fibers "interconnecting" these slices (these are actually hardened banana sap). When finished you can crush is into smaller pieces and add to your cooking. Ubad is mostly used as extender to the usual meat and vegetable dishes, the most famous of which is the ubad-kadyos-chicken combination. Another dish that goes well with ubad is the usual ginisang monggo . With pieces of pork and malunggay as ...
Read More ...