Food Trip Pampanga

Just an hour and a half from Manila, Pampanga is considered the culinary capital of the Philippines due to its wide array of unique dishes and a lot of restaurants scattered all over its towns. I will focus in the City of San Fernando with 3 places known for its affordable prices and distinct character.

Aling Lucing’s Sisig

The birthplace of sisig, a popular Pinoy dish made from pork’s head and internal organs. I first heard of this venue from Anthony Bourdain’s tv show. It is located at the heart of Angeles City, near the railroad tracks and along a busy street. Menu consists of Ihaw-Ihaw or charbroiled pork intestines, liver, hotdog and rellenong bangus among others. The original sisig didn’t have egg on top as compared to other sisig recipes. It was flavorful and the serving was more than enough for two people. Affordable meals range from P75 to P150 per order. It’s worth visiting this foodie place.

Glaciano Valdez St. Angeles City, Pampanga

Lelut Baculud

Lelut is a Kapampangan term for goto or porridge. Baculud is the Kapampangan name of Bacolor based from online research. Now that you know the origins of the food outlet’s name, let’s get right down to the menu. Lelut is P50 filled with 2 pieces of chicken and 1 egg. It’s filling, comforting and my ultimate soul food. Side dishes include tokwa’t baboy – crispy tofu and pork bits with some awesome vinegar concoction. They also have Filipino staple viands with rice but I haven’t tried those yet. Lelut Baculud has two branches, one near downtown and one in San Agustin.

Old Public Market, Consunji Street Poblacion San Fernando City

San Isidro along McArthur Highway, San Fernando City

Choco-late de Batirol

For chocolate lovers like me, this hits our sweet spot. According to a Bisayan dictionary, “Batirol” is a small pot used for cooking chocolate drink, shaped like an urn, with a stirring rod that can be rotated using your palms. The regular blend is P90 per cup of pure traditional chocolatey yumminess. Other flavors include almond, mint, raspberry and more. My son ordered champorado which includes 2 pieces of tuyo at P100. The atmosphere is very fresh with vines and trellis inside the small restaurant. They also offer rice meals and traditional snacks like bibingka.

Northwalk 2 JASA Road, Olongapo-Gapan Road, City of San Fernando, Pampanga