Buhay Palengke

It's not just heroes, nobles and luminaries that makes a city great and interesting. Ordinary folks that we normally take for granted everyday are actually equally important in keeping and making our city what it is. Let's start featuring local food and folks. 

All photos and article description c/o Mr. Ige Ramos who never gets tired of his passion in propagating Cavite food and culture.

Nyora Leleng

This is Nyora Leleng. She prepares little kakanin, burong itlog ng pugo, burong manga, atsara and sometimes little doughnuts (bicho-bicho), lumpia prito, and ukoy, practically everyday, to sell in her bilao at the palengke. She prepares these from her home at Plaridel Street in San Roque. Whenever I'm in Cavite City, I always buy from her, and most importantly, I don't make tawad. We need all the Nyora Leleng's to preserve our traditional food. We're lucky that she's still here. If you don't buy from her, the traditional food will vanish. You will find Nyora Leleng at the Cavite City Public Market, as early as 6:00 am until about 11:00 am.

Hilario

Ito si Hilario, master lumpia wrapper maker ng Cavite. Panoorin siya mula ala-sais hanggang alas-onse ng umaga, Lunes hanggang Linggo, kung papano siya gumawa ng pambalot ng lumpia. Matatagpuan lamang sa.

Mang Mon

Meet Mang Mon, wife of Aling Sony. He makes patis from alamang, ferments his own miso, mustasa and buro, and sells labahita for making Cavite bacalao.

Aling Leng

 Aling Leng from Rosario, Cavite makes her own tinapa, burong labanos and atchara.

Matet 

Orly

Matet and Orly of San Roque, Cavite City makes bagoong from alamang. They sell both raw and cooked. The cooked bagoong is prepared using garlic and paldo or raw sugar.

Weng & Totoy

Si Weng Pasillo ay gumagawa ng quesillo gabi-gabi mula sa kanilang tahanan sa Buenavista, Gen. Trias. Pagsapit ng madaling araw, hinahanda na niya ang mga ito upang iluwas sa palengke ng Cavite City at siya rin mismo ang nagtitinda. 

Quesillo or kesong puti in Tagalog is a regular choice for breakfast for most Caviteños, having been bought fresh from the market first thing in the morning. Similar to the Oaxaca quesillo of Mexico, this soft, raw cheese, made from pure carabao’s milk has a fresh, salty and sweet creamy taste. A small cottage industry made up of close-knit families from the towns of General Trias and Tanza satisfies the demands of the local market. Quesillo is available daily from 6:00 until 10:00 am, at the Cavite City public market. 

Si Totoy naman ay tindero ng calamansi na galing Mendez o Magallanes. 

Bibingkoy is a time-honored kakanin for Caviteños. The basis of this kakanin is the tang yuan, the same recipe used for making palitaw and bilo-bilo, where galapong (glutinous rice flour) is mixed with water and formed into small balls. Its roots can be traced back to Fujian, China, as tang yuan is the Hokkien word meaning “round balls in soup”. Bibingkoy is the classic Chabacano adaptation of the tang yuan. Patties of galapong are prepared and filled with sweetened red mongo bean paste. The patties are tightly arranged in a baking pan and cooked in the manner of bibingka. It is served with a thick soup made from gata (coconut cream), with added pieces of camote, langka, bilo-bilo, flavored with pandan and sweetened with panocha. Available only between 6:00 am until around 10:00 am. Must try: lumpia fresca, pancit puso and pancit luglog. Aling Ika’s Carinderia - Stall No. 9, Mercado del Ciudad de Cavite (Public Market) San Roque, Cavite City

Ikaw may suki ka ba sa kanila ???

----------------

Photographs and article c/o Mr. Ige Ramos 

Posted with permission

Tuna Spaghetti

Ingredients:

250 grams spaghetti noodles

1 can tuna flakes (in oil or water, your preference)

1 can or pouch spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup of mushrooms, sliced

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 small carrot, chopped (optional)

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

salt and pepper to taste

dash of Italian seasoning, thyme or basil (your preference)

grated cheese or parmesan cheese

Procedure:

Cook noodles according to package direction.

For sauce:

Saute garlic and onion until the onion looks quite transparent. Add carrots and bellpepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the tuna then the sliced mushrooms.

Add spaghetti sauce and spices. Season the mixture according to taste.

Garnish with cheese before serving.

Subi-Monte Cafe

Resto Name: Subi-Monte Cafe
Location: Cavite City
Type: Filipino/American
Average Price Per Dish: P120-P200

One of the very first local cafe to open in Cavite City serving hot and cold drinks ala Starbucks and a good place as tambayan and kwentuhan. It also serves pasta, salad, pizza, rice meals and dessert.

This cafe is self-service after the staff hands you the menu, you will be the one to order and pay at the counter.

Nachos - P119

Chopped tomatoes, onions, ground beef overloaded with grated cheese. Well real nachos are supposed to be with two main component salsa and melted cheese not grated cheese. It also has too many chopped onions that after you finished eating and leave the cafe the onion taste is left in your mouth even if you devour on the other food you ordered.

Fish N' Fries - P119

Batter-coated dory with french fries and honey mustard dip. Nothing special.

Combo Pesto Legaspi - P149

Pesto pasta with 2 pieces chicken lollipops and half sliced of tuna sandwich. Pesto pasta is yummy. Chicken lollipops and gravy is yummy. Tuna sandwich is yummy except medyo bitin lang ang half slice.

Strawberry Tea Soda - P59

One of my all time fave flavored soda.

Strawberry Peach Tea - P79

Another yummy strawberry drink.

Fruit Infused Water

This is the very first city resto who is serving fruit infused water.

Orders are very quick to arrive and staff are very attentive that after customers leaves the table it is immediately cleaned. Utensils are immediately serve at your table after you placed an order.

------------------------------------
Food – 3.5 stars
Service – 5 stars
Ambiance – 4 stars
Value – 4 stars

OVERALL RATING – 4.125 stars

-------------------------------------


Subi-Monte Cafe
59 P.Burgos Avenue,
Caridad, Cavite City

Aurora's Snack & Steak House

Resto Name: Aurora's Snack & Steak House
Location: Cavite City
Type: Filipino/American
Average Price Per Dish: P80-P200

Its election day today. God bless our country. After voting decided to have a lunch out this time at Aurora's.

When we arrived the restaurant is full of people and good thing there is still a vacant table. Female staff immediately handed us the menu.

After two minutes she came back and ask if we already have an order. 

A minute after spoon, fork and knife was immediately placed on our table. In less than 5 minutes both sweet treats were served immediately as well considering the resto is fully packed with people when we came.

Halo-Halo Regular - P50

Contains only 5 ingredients : beans, mongo, garbanzos, gulaman and macapuno. Beans, mongo, garbanzos and even macapuno are all super soft. Worth it for its price.

Sagot' Gulaman - P30

The yummiest sago't gulaman I ever tasted for a very sulit price of P30. The arnibal is a bit sweet but its super yummy. Umuusok pa yelo which is wow. 

Potato Salad - P40

Texture is okay but flavor is a bit na matabang but some parts are maalat and maanghang. It was not thoroughly mixed when it was made.

Main dishes quickly arrived around 10 minutes after the order was taken. Very very fast service.

Korean Porkchop with Rice - P80

Been ages since we last ordered this which used to be a takeout favorite. The porkchop is a bit overcooked. Flavor is not on the sweet side like it used to be years ago.  

Sizzling Porterhouse - P400

Aurora's is known for steak for ages in the city. I believe it is the only steakhouse we used to have so decided to order a steak since its been a very long time. Craving for a t-bone but sadly the female staff said it is not available. The only available is porterhouse so ended up with this. Price was not written on the menu and was surprised when the bill came out that it's a whooping P400 ???? You can get the same steak for lesser value in other more popular resto in the metro. Anyways if in Asao last night the sizzling plate was not heated enough this sizzling plate was heated too much that when the steak came out of the kitchen the staff placed it first in the counter to let it cool and a minute before it was served on our table. It came with plain rice and mixed veggies. Since the sizzling plate was too much heated up the steak got overcooked and already has a burnt aftertaste. The gravy is more on the salty side as well and not flavorful at all. A huge disappointment for its super exorbitant price !!! should have ordered a pork steak or the value ulam meal they offer instead that I even ended up having extra budget for dessert. Wonder how much the t-bone steak is priced since it is always way higher in restos maybe P500 or P600. #GrabeLang

What I admire and loved most about the resto is despite it was full packed with customers when we arrived the two female staff are very attentive. After taking orders they immediately served drinks then spoon/fork. And it only takes a minute or two for the dirty tables to be cleaned after the customers left the resto. And the staff even has time brooming the floor immediately. In terms of service this resto is superb and hard to beat. The two female staff should definitely have an added monthly bonus for efficiency and customer service.

But just like Chefoo and Asao amoy ulam ka rin paglabas ng restaurant.

-------------------------------------
Food – 3 stars
Service –  5 stars
Ambiance – 3.5 stars
Value – 3 stars

OVERALL RATING – 3.625 stars
-------------------------------------

Aurora's Snack and Steak House
P.Burgos Avenue,
Caridad, Cavite City
Tel no. - (046) 431-0102

Asao Grill and Steak House

Resto Name: Asao Grill and Steak House
Location: Cavite City
Type: Filipino
Average Price Per Dish: P80-P300


We've been a regular customer of Asao at home but mostly takeout. We dined a few times but this is the first time I brought a camera and decided to finally make a decent long overdue review.

Since it's Mother's Day today this restaurant is full packed with people. Good thing they have a tv set to keep you entertained while you are waiting patiently for your order. After getting tired of chitchatting and almost 30 minutes sitting noticed the tv barely has any sound. That time it is showing Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho so I ask the male staff if he could make the tv volume louder. Minutes passed and nothing happened. Only 2 of all the occupied tables are eating. The rest are all waiting for their order watching tv that have barely any sound. Went to the counter and ask if they can turn the volume louder. There is a man in the counter computer at his back standing are two young man in sando and two female staff all of them glaring at the monitor laughing and smiling. The man at the computer said nung paalis ako sa counter " Baka ayaw ng iba ng maingay naman" but a minute later nilakasan din ang tv nung male staff. All customers started watching Kapuso nung lumakas ang sound since majority of the tables barely has anything serve yet. The other two table wherein the customer had already left minutes ago had not been cleaned. I noticed kaninang-kanina pa yun. Rather than nakababad yung two female staff sa monitor na nakikinuod ng kung ano man they should have placed plates, spoon/fork and served iced tea immediately at the respective tables of the dining customers na lahat 15 minutes up ng nakaupo then cleaned the dirty tables before new customers arrived. Pero may mga customer pang dumating at umupo madumi pa din ang table na kakainan nila.

Then at last orders finally arrived after 45 minutes !!! 

 Sinigang na Blue Marlin - P220

If there is one dish that saved our VERY disappointing service and staff experience tonight this is it. The sinigang is yummy. The saltiness and sourness flavor is just perfectly right. We love it.

Taco Salad - P150

This is one of our staple order even during the time that this resto is still in its original location.  

Chicken Cordon Blue - P160

The outside is a bit burned "Sunog na ata" and my sister kidded " Hindi naman papunta pa lang duon" And they served it without the sauce that I need to ask "Yung sauce po pakibigay naman." In terms of taste yummy although I find the sauce a bit too sweet.

The first dish to arrived was the sinigang. A minute later the taco salad and chicken cordon blue. Plate, spoon and fork has not been placed on the table considering we've been sitting there for 40 plus minutes already. 

I ask the female staff "Baka naman pede po pabigay na ang iced dapat yun ang una ninyong sineserved" A few minutes saka pa lang dinala. 

Free Iced Tea

Then my sister uttered "Yung kanin na rin po" Why would they served the sinigang first when it should have been the iced and the appetizer taco salad ???!!!

Steamed Rice - P15 

The kanin arrived but without spoon and fork!!!! "Ano ito kamayan" "Ate yung spoon and fork!" We only ordered 3 rice and asked for an extra plate since me and my sister only wanted half cup. It's been 5 minutes and I'm almost halfway eating the taco salad and still no plate has arrived. I went to the counter to ask for an extra plate to which the male staff nodded. I guess he was expecting me to leave but rather I continued standing there waiting for the plate ng maramdaman na di ako aalis nataranta bigla similip sa kitchen and shouted "Wala ba kayo extra plate dyan?" He then handed me a huge plate which look like a serving dish plate may 2 bihon pa ng pancit na nakasabit sa side !!! Hindi na ako nakipagtalo I went back to my seat and used it. Noticed the other eating plates on the table pala are all different in sizes LOL.

Sizzling Bangus - P140

The sizzling plate is not hot when the dish arrived. After mixing the egg it didn't got cooked and ended up runny. The serving is also a bit too little for its price plus it's too oily. Taste is okay if only its not too oily and the eggs that didn't got cooked. Disappointing. 

The inside of chicken cordon blue. It has carrot and pickles. 

Sizzling Pusit - P140

We were almost done eating and this dish has not arrived. We told the female staff if matatagalan pa we will have it cancelled. It less than a minute it came and its no longer sizzling. It contains only 1 squid around 3 inches in length sliced thinly then tons of veggies. Its deceptive of its name and should have been called Sizzling Vegetables with Pusit rather than Sizzling Pusit. My sister suggested maybe we can order fried canton and pour it as toppings which I readily agreed. This dish is a major disappointment. 

After finishing the squid called the staff for bill out. Its been 5 minutes and our bill has not arrived so I went to the counter and presented my father's senior citizen card for discount. The staff ask if "Bill out na po ba?" I could have said "Kanina pa 5 minutes ago na namin hiningi" but opted not to reply anymore and went back to our table. Few minutes the bill came and they discounted it for P20. My father did not signed anything like in other restaurant and just before we were about to hand out the payment the staff was gone in our table. It's been customary and polite in any resto to wait for the bill to be handed by the customer sa loob-loob ko "Ano ba namang klaseng mga staff ito."  

Decided to stand up again for the nth time and went to the counter myself with the bill and payment. The female staff irritatedly told the male staff who at that moment was concocting iced tea "Abutan mo na lang ng sukli" then sabay layas. Since the male staff just continued with his iced tea I moved the bill and my payment on the left side of the counter corner to man at the computer this time with only one young man in sando standing behind him. The man seemed surprised and looked around searching for the staff while the young man in sando got my bill. The other female staff came from nowhere and got my payment then handed me the change sabay sabing "Thank You".     

When I got home amoy ulam kami. Before this usually happens when we eat at Chefoo pero mas maamoy sa Asao now thus the 2 star rating for ambiance. Overall it could have been a very disappointing night if weren't for that yummy sinigang. 

-------------------------------------

Food – 3.5 stars

Service –  .5 stars

Ambiance – 2 stars

Value – 3 stars

OVERALL RATING – 2.25 stars

-------------------------------------

Note: Only the taco salad is our regular ordered dish. It was the first time we ordered and tasted all the other dishes featured on this blog post.

Asao Grill and Steak House

P.Burgos Avenue,

San Roque, Cavite City 

Tel no. - (046) 431-7796

PAKIUSAP ULIT

ATTENTION : The person behind Manuel S. Rojas FB Account

It's been almost  a year since I've posted this PAKIUSAP because of the growing number of Caviteños stealing this blog's food photo, removing its watermark and claiming it as if their own for likes and credit on their own FB pages.

It's saddening that it  is being repeated again.

Whoever owns this FB account na ginamit pa si Manuel Rojas para magka popular konting respeto naman po.

Lutong Cavite is the FIRST and the ORIGINAL Cavite food inspired blog with FB page and social media sites it is saddening when fellow Caviteños repeatedly steal its content that took years of labor and sweat to put together. Inalis mo na watermark di ka pa nag-link back. Yes this is the online world but respect and ethics especially from fellow Caviteños would not hurt ? Whoever is behind this Manuel S. Rojas account RESPETO NAMAN PO.   

ANDREA's Pancit Malabon

It's been long overdue to have Andrea's pancit malabon featured on this blog so I went there yesterday. Since I have no plan of dining in I ordered a takeout pancit malabon and dinuguan. I requested the owner if it was possible to put first the pancit on a plate so I can take a photo for the blog before they packed it for takeout. Sadly the owner told me "Hindi pwede" sana daw kanina nung bago may nag-start na kumain yun ang kinunan ko sa plate I just said "Sayang nahuli po pala ako ng dating." Hindi na lang daw niya isasara yung styro para kunan ko so this is my end shot. 

The pancit malabon in a styro takeout pack I shot in the table resto. 

Maybe I'm just not really good at negotiations. 

Priced @ P60 per order

NOTE : Available everyday except Monday

It's been ages since the last time I tasted it. The soft rice noodle with plenty of toppings: sliced pechay baguio, crushed chicharon, sliced pork, sliced boiled egg and shrimp plus calamansi. I find the sauce matabang but since full naman ang topping sulit na for its price.