PANGASINAN | Matutina’s Seafood Restaurant in Urdaneta

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Matutina Urdaneta

Being a TV-soaked kid in the 80’s, the first thing that came to mind when I heard that the Lakbay Norte gang’s gonna have lunch at Matutina’s Seafood Restaurant was of us eating at a long table filled with all sorts of sumptuous seafood dishes with Matutina of the John & Marsha TV show character doing the serving.

Matutina UrdanetaBut when in you’re in Pangasinan, ask any of the locals and the same imagery would probably be conjured, sans the squeaky-voiced Matutina character in the background, of course. Matutina’s Seafood Restaurant is a household name in the said province; it equates to good dishes from the sea much like Dampa is for the Manileños.

An hour has not passed since I devoured a whole arm-length grilled bangus  (milk fish) after the Dagupan River Cruise and here we were again, noisily piling in at the Matutina’s Seafood Restaurant branch in Urdaneta City for another round of foodfest.

Matutina Urdaneta

It was noontime and the place was packed. The décor was very Filipino; bamboo wall panels, traditional capiz sliding windows, karitela wheel spokes and rattan woven metal chairs on warm wooden tables; outside, thick wooden chairs and tables lay around the covered garden.

Matutina’s Seafood restaurant started out as a sidewalk turo-turo stall along Tondaligan Beach providing simple dishes to local beachgoers. It has since grown into two full-pledged restaurants in Dagupan City, one in Baguio City and another in Urdaneta City.

Matutina Urdaneta

Now to the food! There were no starters, we were immediately barraged with all sorts of dishes; standard fare pork barbeques, platefuls of Ilocano-favorite pinakbet, crispy nilasing na hipon with kropek and of course, the world famous grilled Dagupan bangus.

Matutina Urdaneta

My favorite was the nilasing na hipon with kropek; I love how crunchy and flavorful the shrimps were. The whole thing, heads and tails included, is dipped in special vinegar, much like a chicharon. The leche flan dessert was also excellent, perhaps not as good as the ones my grandma used to make, but good enough.

Matutina Urdaneta

Matutina’s Seafood’s claim to fame might be of former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo’s proclaiming it as one of her favorite restaurants, but really, no such praises is needed for Matutina’s; their food speaks well enough for themselves.

Matutina Urdaneta


       Matutina’s Seafood 
      
Address: Nancayasan Highway, Brgy. Tulong, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan 
       Contact Number: (075) 531-1814 | (075) 529-5084

       Other Branches:
       Bonuan Beachfront
       Address: Bonuan Tondaligan, Dagupan City, Pangasinan 
       Contact Number: (075) 614-3162 | (0917) 642-1466

       Baguio City
       Address: 19A Legarda Road, Baguio City 
       Contact Number: (074) 446-9009

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8 comments

  1. ikaw na,christian! pwede ba kitang ihire para maging writer ng blog ko? hahahaha.
    i remember na ang busog natin when we got here. tapos food trip na naman! andami kong kinuha na Ube candies. hehehe

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  2. We never fail to drop by Matutinas's whenever we come home to Pangasinan. They've come a long way but I'm happy to learn that the standard is still good. =)

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  3. Ed
    Haha bakit naman? You write as good as i do naman :)

    Kristeta
    Sikat pala yan sa Pangasinan no, I really didn't know much about them until nung punta namin :)

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  4. Hahaha! I thought of the Matutuna character too. Hehehe! =)

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  5. Now I know why it is called nilasing na hipon. Soaked with special vinegar ba? Bago siya i-fry?

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  6. Tin
    Hahaha who could forget Matutina diba :P

    Bonzenti
    I'm not sure Bonz, I think it is dipped in wine before being cooked

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  7. anong number po ang pwede namin macontact sa urdaneta branch hindi po kasi namin macontact lahat ng number na nakapost. thanks

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    Replies
    1. Hi, I put up a new contact number above for Matutina's Urdaneta

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