It has been a while since I last ate at Susie’s Cuisine—seven years ago, to be exact. The problem lies in its location, most branches being around the Pampanga area. There is, however, a quick and easy way to quench my cravings—apparently Susie’s Cuisine has a branch in Metro Manila. And they have not one, but two—one in Las Piñas and another much closer to our place, Quezon City.

But what’s the fuss about Susie’s? Well, it is one of the go-to restaurants in Pampanga, serving Filipino and Kapampangan delicacies and comfort food since the early seventies. It was at Susie’s Cuisine San Fernando branch where I first tried their dishes and haven’t forgotten about it since.

Craving for a home-cooked pork binagoongan and a plateful of pancit malabon? How about a classic afternoon merienda of lugaw and lumpia? If you happen to pass by Quezon City, I have just the place for you. Neatly tucked in a quiet street, an eatery called Lola Idang’s Bahay Pancitan.

The place is not that big, with only about ten tables set on a 35-square meter eating space. The restaurant is so unassuming that you’ll hardly take a second look at it; plain white tiles flooring, simple decors, plastic Orocan chairs, and tables laid with generic plaid table clothes. What distinguishes this small diner from the throngs of eating places in Quezon City though is their food.

It was by pure chance that we got to sample a relatively new pancit batil patong place in Quezon City. Coming from Tandang Sora , we alighted on a jeep at General Avenue en route back home, and by pure luck chanced upon Noa’s Diner. From its simple tarp sign, you’d assume it’s just another carinderia, but I did a double take as we passed it—I saw a sign printed on bond paper posted on their wall proclaiming they serve our favorite noodle dish in the Philippines!

THAT SMALL SIGN PRINTED ON BOND PAPER HAD US GOING INSIDE

Pancit batil patong, as you probably know by now since I can’t stop talking about it here on my blog, is a noodle dish that originated in Tuguegarao City. What’s different with it from all the usual pancit in the country is that they mix in carabeef  and top it with poached egg. The miki or noodle they use is also unique to the city, so most panciteria serving this in Manila actually buy theirs all the way from Cagayan, transporting them using public buses that ply the province to and from Manila. It’s actually one of the reasons why most pancit batil patong restaurants in the metro are located near bus stations that have routes going to Cagayan Valley. It’s such a surprise then to find a panciteria such as Noa’s Diner quite a way away from any bus stations.

Straight from our Tagaytay trip, our van from Taal Vista Hotel took us straight to Quezon City’s Maginhawa Street to check out The Wander Space, a travel-related café right in the middle of Quezon City’s premiere food hub. Together with my traveler friends, tired as we were, we cannot be more excited, our destination was right within our alley.

THE WANDER SPACE CAFE AT THE THIRD FLOOR OF MAGINHAWA’S BUILDING #80

Located on the third floor of the eponymous Building #80, right beside the famous bookworm hangout Bookay Ukay, The Wander Space blends café culture with travel. Put up by Kim and Bam, two young entrepreneurs who are themselves true blue travelers, one can immediately feel that this is a passion project upon entering its wood-framed glass door.

We were on our way to a foodtrip weekend at Taal Vista Tagaytay, call time was still at five in the afternoon and the meeting place was in Cubao. With a few hours to spare, I was racking my brains on what to do to while away the time when I remembered a comment I received on my Facebook page about a pancit batil patong place near Cubao.

Together with my constant pancit companion, C, we headed to Anonas to find Jenter Food Hauz Pancit Tuguegaro. Going there was easy enough. From the corner of EDSA and Kamuning, we boarded a Project 2-3 jeepney and alighted at the corner of Anonas and Bigna Street. From there the panciteria is just a hop away.

Ever since frequenting Quirino Highway in Quezon City, I’ve always passed by an old panciteria near the Sangandaan intersection. Aling Leoning’s Special Pancit Palabok, it humbly proclaimed above its doors. I’ve always thought of trying out their food, but I always gravitate to the nearby Jollibee and its mouthwatering Chickenjoy. About two weeks ago, together with A and BG, I finally got the gumption to avoid the bee, enter the old panciteria, and try their noodles.

LEONING’S SIMPLE INTERIORS

Aling Leoning’s naturally lighted interiors is straightforward enough. A foyer leads diners to a counter where they take your order, you then turn right to the small dining hall filled with a combination of heavy iron and rattan chairs paired with marble-topped tables. The furnishing was more fitting for a garden, than say, a panciteria, but I guess it gets the job done.

I was quite surprised. I have never seen Tuguegarao’s famous noodle cuisine—pancit batil patung—served on swanky boat dishes. The miki and its excess of veggies and carabeef, were on the main part of the dish. The chopped onions, on the prow. And the soup on separate bowls. I was fervently hoping for it to taste as good as it looked.

We were at Mommy Alma’s Bulalohan & Pancit Batil Patung place in front of GMA 7. Located on the corner of EDSA and Timog Avenue, this is probably the most conveniently located batil patong place in Metro Manila. If we find their noodles good, we’d probably be here every time we get the chance to cross EDSA.

With Rapsatodits—the nearest pancit batil patong experience in Quezon City—closing down, we were kinda hard-pressed where to get our fix when the craving attacks for our favorite northern noodle dish without going all the way to Paco’s Jibs and Bustillos’ Cagayan’s Best. As luck would have it, one of my common friends in Facebook tagged me on their batil patung find that’s just a ride away from Trinoma, Weng’s Pancit Batil Patung.

SIMPLE AND UNASSUMING STORE FRONT

Located on Del Monte Avenue, just a few steps away from West Avenue along Quezon Triangle, Weng’s place is an unassuming open-aired panciteria. A bright red tarpaulin announces that they do serve Cagayan Valley’s famous pancit.

► CHECK FOR CHEAP HOTEL RATES IN QUEZON CITY

So, what’s pancit cabagan like? I asked my pancit buddy as we were going through a plate of pancit batil patong at Ed’s Panciteria in Tuguegarao. She said that it’s a bit similar to what we were having now, except they use hard-boiled quail eggs and pork instead of poached chicken eggs and carabeef. Plus, she went on, it’s much more saucy.

That got me really curious. With my love affair with pancit batil patong, I guess it really wouldn’t hurt to fall in love with another northern noodle dish.

► CHECK OUT: TUGUEGARAO TRAVEL GUIDE

The mighty sound of revving engines can be heard rumbling outside. We were at the Red Baron, but those sounds were not coming from the Jagdgeschwader 1, the squadron where Germany’s famous Red Baron flew, they were coming from vehicles driving into the carwash area where the ribs and steakhouse is located.

It was almost Halloween when we visited The Original Red Baron Steaks & Ribs Quezon City—they have another branch in Sta. Cruz, Manila, then the The Original tag. The place was decked with all sorts of ghoulish stuff that would make Ray Bradbury proud—spider webs, pumpkin heads, chopped hands. Being located inside a carwash, which is the way they really wanted it to be, Red Baron’s floor space is quite small. It nevertheless can seat a total of twenty-two individuals quite comfortably.

►MORE QC RESTOS: GRILLS & SIZZLES

Metro Manila was covered with lashing, umbrella-bending rain, but it was not enough to keep us from checking a Pancit Batil Patong place we saw on Facebook. Tucked at an unknown street deep in the heart of Quezon City, we braved the flooded roads and risked breaking our umbrellas—we simply got to know if Jonash Panciteria and Carinderia offers an authentic version of our favorite noodle dish from Tuguegarao City.

►CHECK OUT: TUGUEGARAO TRAVEL GUIDE

It wasn’t hard to find the place, although I had to walk some minutes from the KFC at the corner of Roosevelt and Mindanao Avenue amidst the roaring rain; there simply was no other way to go at the said panciteria. Taxi is of course not an option for me.

►BOOK DISCOUNTED FOOD TOURS IN MANILA

The sky looked heavy, the clouds about to burst. I was walking briskly along the sidewalks of Congressional Avenue, my mouth already watering. I was looking forward to a brimming plate of Tuguegarao’s pancit batil patong but got something else entirely. The Rapsatodits pancit batil patong place in Muñoz was closed at the moment.

It was a typical stifling Manila evening. The plan was to sit down and have a few bottles of Red Horse at the usual hang out since J, one of our buddies, is going off to China. But things went a little differently this time, the word lechon was coming up on our Facebook chat every other minute, and before long, it was decided that we should have forkfuls of this Cebuano delicacy first before we clink and drink to China.

The hunt for the perfect pancit batil patong continues. After being disappointed with Pasig’s Pancit Center and Bruno’s Pancit Batil Patung Kamuning, we were still on the look out for a restaurant that can really do justice to this Tuguegarao noodle favorite. This time, our feet led us to Muñoz in Quezon City to find if Rapsatodits can finally satiate our mad cravings for that elusive dish.

RAPSATODITS PANCIT BATIL PATONG IN MUNOZ

I first saw Rapsatodits while speeding along a jeepney bound for Muñoz. Unable to stop, I simply noted its location and Googled it on my way back home. But as we finally got to visit the place, the carinderia seemed to have vanished into thin air. Our fears were allayed though when we were told that they’ve simply moved to a much more affordable location, albeit, a harder one to find.

►BOOK DISCOUNTED MANILA FOOD TOURS

Where to find a dish of pancit batil patong in Metro Manila? That was our question after having a taste of the famed noodle specialty in Tuguegarao City. Food is almost a bit like life experiences itself, it’s very hard to forget, especially if it’s something that really made an impact on you—or in this case, your palate. You can’t stop thinking about it and you start to crave for it, every single day.

►CHECK OUT: TUGUEGARAO TRAVEL GUIDE

PANCIT BATIL PATONG IS LOVE

And so it was that not even a few hours after getting back from Tuguegarao City, I immediately scanned the interweb if there are restaurants serving pancit batil patong in Manila (this was before I got to try Pancit Center in Pasig). I got a few hits indicating a small restaurant cum carinderia somewhere in Kamuning—Bruno’s Tuguegarao Pansit Batil Patung.

Plans were immediately made to visit the said panciteria.

We’ve been hankering to try it out another Kanto branch ever since visiting the Kanto Freestyle Breakfast Mandaluyong some months back. Even though our eyes went white while waiting for our orders to arrive, we were pretty much satisfied with the food we had then.

With nothing to do one weekend, we decided to drive out to Libis and check out the Kanto Freestyle Breakfast in the area.

Going there was easy enough since their Facebook Page provided a map customers can use to find the restaurant—err, carinderia, as they claim it to be.

Pardon the grainy photos as I didn’t have my camera with me at the time and had to make do with my cellphone.

We’ve been hearing about a smoochingly good café somewhere around UP campus for quite some time. We’ve always wanted to check it out but due to some reasons, it always doesn’t push thru. And as with such circumstances, the best thing to do is to not plan at all. And sure enough, we found ourselves taking an ikot jeep along UP campus’ shaded avenues one Thursday afternoon looking for the Chocolate Kiss Café.

I am not that familiar with UP and finding it was not easy. We knew that it was located somewhere along the university’s Bahay ng Alumni so we simply asked our manong driver to drop us near that area. After a few questions for directions, we finally found the famed café at the building’s ground floor.

Our family’s traditional pre-Christmas dinner did not push through this year due to scheduling and other problems. I cannot remember a Christmas without such tradition taking place since I was a kid; from Jollibee kid heaven to Dampa seafood pig-outs, it’s a yearly thing for a family like us who really doesn’t go out that much. I was delighted then that a day after Christmas, an impromptu dinner at SM North Edsa’s President Tea House suddenly materialized.

After years of hearing about Pan de Amerikana, an eccentric breakfast place with huge chess pieces on a garden setting somewhere in the Marikina area, I was finally able check it out—well sort of—upon chancing upon a blog post by Marlies Travels about the said place, albeit on a different location.

I was on the night shift and I was thinking it could be the perfect excuse to have breakfast at this restaurant since it was not that far from our office. We hopped on a train to Katipunan Avenue and hailed a cab straight to the place. I’m not a taxi person but we’ve no choice as there seems to be no other way to get there by commuting.

We were too early though, the diner doesn’t open ‘til 8am, so we’ve no choice but to wait it out.

Located at one of the quiet side streets of Quezon Avenue is one of the more famous breakfast place in our workplace at Quezon City, the gut-busting breakfast buffet of Grills & Sizzles. 
 
The grill, which opened in 1999, really specializes in steaks as their name implies. I tried out their steaks once and actually found them to be pretty good and not that expensive. But, what really draws us to this resto is not their steaks but their breakfast buffet which they started serving around four years ago.