And they call it Pancit-Pancit

It was through Chef Maridel Uygongco that I learned about this noodle stand somewhere along Quezon Street in Iloilo City. She casually mentioned it during a media gathering last November that she loves this stall selling beef mami using freshly made hand-made noodles. It was then seconded by Mr. Bombette Marin, who raved almost endlessly about these noodles when we met a few weeks ago. With such recommendations from these VIPs, I really set my eye on this hole in the wall noodle stand from then on.

But it was only today that I finally tasted what they refer to as Pancit Pancit. Located across a popular chicken barbecue restaurant (Jo's Chicken Inato), Pancit Pancit is a makeshift stall that is open past 5pm. It is because the chairs and tables are placed on the sidewalks when the businesses in the area are closed.

They have an open (makeshift) kitchen where the cooking is done - from the actual making of the noodles and the assembly of the beef mami for serving to the pouring of the broth to each order. One can see all these even from their tables.

Pancit Pancit has only one item "on their menu" (they actually don't have a menu) - beef mami. Just tell the servers how many orders you'll have and the side to go with it. They make their noodles almost upon order that you can really taste how fresh it is. A few minutes of boiling, they are then assembled in a bowl together with pechay, savoury beef chunks (although it is almost like corned beef) and chives.

The noodles alone are worth the order but the beef - very flavourful and almost melts in your mouth, makes it even more delicious. If they would add a new item on their menu, I suggest beef rice toppings. Anyway, the beef is spiced with the soy sauce, pepper and star anise, among others - that is if my taste memory serves me right. It is almost flaky when placed on top but still every strand retains the flavour.

For my first bowl, I overwhelmed it with chili sauce that I almost perspired everytime I took a spoonful of the beef mami. That's why on my second bowl (I waited for a friend who also was curious that she said yes to my impromptu invitation and yes, I had another bowl - to the disbelief of the server) I didn't put any chili. That's when I really savoured the taste of the noodles and beef.

They also served pan de leche on the side plus drinks. Each bowl costs PhP49 and its good to satisfy an average appetite. But for me who has this more than average appetite plus the fact that it was a first time, two bowls of beef mami (plus a pack of pan de leche) was my baptism over this noodle stall. I really hope they would maintain the quality of their beef mami especially the noodles and the beef because even if they only have one dish to serve their patrons - they can be assured that its the very best they can get.

So long but its certainly not farewell since I already scheduled another Pancit Pancit food trip a few days from now. Until we EAT again and that's it Pancit Pancit!

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It was only today that I remembered buying a pack of ready-to-cook pancit Molo. Locals are fortunate to buy them at groceries here saving them time, money and effort in the tedious preparation of pancit Molo. Anyway every pack of the RTC pancit Molo has the balls and the lang-lang . Its the balls that entice the buyers and the lang lang that "dictates" the price and weight. For this blog entry, I opted for the AR brand (150 grams for PhP 21) since they had the more photogenic combination at that time though I'm more partial to the Cares brand. Separating the contents makes you realize that what you actually bought but for that price, it's already a bargain, can be cooked in many ways and can serve 2-3 people. It is then up to you what you can make out from a pack or more. For this preparation, I used 2 chicken broth cubes and just estimated the amount of water. Upon taste test I added a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper and few drops of soy sauce. I boiled the lang

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A close relative of paella, this dish originated in Valencia, Spain and probably brought by the Spaniards when they colonized the country. Always a staple in family gatherings, this yellow rice is a complete meal in itself, with pork, chicken, liver, chorizo, shrimps, bellpeppers, peas and raisins to name its basic ingredients. RECIPE Saute your choice meats and vegetables. Cook malagkit rice with turmeric and broth cubes then mix sauted meat and vegetables when almost done. Garnish with hardboiled eggs and onion leaves.

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Just listening to Isidro Panizales Jr. animatedly talking about his life before and after being a “doughnut-preneur”, is like the different flavors of Sidro Doughnuts . Each variant seems to reflect different aspects of his almost three decades of living in America. From his work in corporate America for more than 10 years to that one little spark of deciding leaving work to pursue his delicious passion – life is like a box of doughnuts! IN A DOUGHNUT HOLE Sidro is an offshoot from the name Isidro but as Sid says, it’s a tribute to his father. The first Sidro Doughnuts came out of the kitchen and delivered to one lucky doughnut-phile on Dec. 18 last year. It comes in two sizes – Junior Doughnuts which at 30 grams each are perfect for parties and occasions. But if you can’t enough, there are the Regular Doughnuts which is more than 3x at 100 grams and comes with more toppings and flavours. Choose among nine specially concocted creations - Bugnay Berry, Calamansi, Dulce

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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