QC Food Crawl: Lechon and Pares at La Loma
Lechon Display in La Loma
I realized that I have mostly confined my foodventures to Makati (where I live) and the nearby Bonifacio Global City (BGC). So I decided to explore the cities in the Metro, especially Manila and Quezon City (QC), and feature dishes and food spots (normally 3) that are worth a foodventure (see my first QC Food Crawl here and my latest Manila food crawl here). For this article, I will share 3 more dishes from QC, specifically in La Loma district. They are:
Lechon at Ping Ping Special Native Lechon & Restaurant
If I have a foreign friends visiting the country and they can only eat one Filipino food, without hesitation I will tell them to eat what the late Anthony Bourdain refers to as the best pig ever: Lechon, the country’s take on roast suckling pig. There are 2 popular ways of preparing and eating a lechon. The first is the Visayan (central region) method, in which the pig is stuffed with a ton of ingredients, with garlic and tanglad (lemongrass) as the most common. Cebu lechon falls under this category (check my Cebu lechon crawl here.)
The second is the Luzon (northern region) or Manila method, in which the pig is simply flavored with a few ingredients like salt and pepper. But what compensates for the lack of flavor is the sweet liver dip, which is a blend of pig liver, brown sugar, vinegar, and other ingredients. You’ll find a strong concentration of Luzon-type lechon sellers in La Loma.
I really doubt La Loma’s title as the Lechon Capital of the Philippines
La Loma proudly claims to be the Lechon Capital of the Philippines. I’m not sure who decided on that because I think Cebu deserves that title more. Maybe Cebu should just be called the Lechon Island of the World. LOL. Anyway…
The lechon industry of La Loma started in 1949 (another reference say 1954) when the first lechonero, Tomas De Los Reyes a.k.a. Mang Tomas, opened his shop, selling to the crowd coming from a cockfight. If his name is familiar, that’s because he invented the recipe behind the bottled liver sauce named after him. Today, you’ll find stall after stall of lechon sellers in La Loma, thanks to the legacy of Mang Tomas.
La Loma Cockpit
Lechon Stalls at La Loma
Although separated from the concentration of lechon stalls, I went to Ping Ping to try their version of the roasted pig (it’s just a few minutes walk). Its meat is tender and there are parts that’s melt-in-the-mouth tender that chewing is effortless. But as expected, it lacks flavor. Therefore, you need the sarsa (sauce) which is made in-house.
At Ping Ping
Lechon at Ping Ping
Its skin is crisp and paper thin, with a layer of fat. But it lacks flavor as well. I’m hoping it’s a bit saltier (and that’s why I love Cebu lechon, although its saltiness can go overboard).
Address: A. Bonifacio Ave., La Loma, Quezon City | Operating Hours: Daily, 11AM-11PM | Facebook
Pares at The Original Pares Mami House
When an establishment claims itself to be the original, you have to pay attention!
However, I did some research and found out that The Original Pares Mami House isn’t “the original”. The story goes that Lolita Tiu opened an eatery in 1979 that served Beef Pares (PAH res). The eatery is called Jonas, which I will feature later. It’s cook begrudgingly left his employer and opened his own eatery a few blocks away, which is now The Original Pares Mami House. That cook is named Jonas! So Jonas (the cook) doesn’t own Jonas (the pares spot) but The Original Pares Mami House that isn’t original at all! Whut?! LOL.
The Original Pares Mami House
Original or not, this spot is an institution in the Retiro Street, which is now N.S. Amoranto Street. That’s why this pares place is also referred to a “Pares sa Retiro” (Pares in Retiro). It’s also hard to miss, as it is housed in a red and white building…and always packed with customers from all walks of life.
This spot is always packed!
But what is a pares? Literally “pair”, pares is a “pairing” of beef stew (sometimes called beef pares), fried rice, and soup. The stew is made by braising chunks of beef in water, soy sauce, brown sugar, spices, and its most prominent flavoring, star anise. Some pares spots even serve siomai (pork dumpling) to go along with the meal.
So how’s The Original’s pares? Let’s start with stew, which I will describe as balanced. The gravy is nicely thick, rightly sweet, and perfectly flavored, with not one taste overpowering another. And the beef? O man! Both the meat and litid (tendon) are amazingly tender!
Beef Pares (with fried rice and soup: P115)
The fried rice is fluffy, mixed with egg and chorizo bits and generously topped with crispy garlic, while the soup is comforting. In fact, the entire meal is comforting! And don’t forget to add siomai, which is packed with meat.
Siomai (3 pcs.: P45)
Nothing beats the unoriginal The Original! LOL.
Address: N.S. Amoranto (formerly Retiro St.) cor. Dr. Alejos St., La Loma, Quezon City | Operating Hours: Daily, 24 hours | Facebook
And the Pares at Jonas
Now, let’s talk about the original pares at Jonas. Aside from the dish, the term pares also originated from them. Customers of old would often order the beef stew and the fried rice together. Eventually, it was collectively referred to as the pares we now know.
At Jonas
So let’s talk about their version of pares, which is slightly different from The Original’s version. Their stew has a soupy gravy instead of a thick one, and also on the salty side. The beef is tender but not melt-in-the-mouth. But this lack of tenderness is offset with a generous layer of fat, which adds to the flavor. The rice is fluffy and has a nice flavor coming from the onion.
Beef Pares (P168) and Siomai (P58)
The letdown to my Jonas meal is the siomai, which is unusually sweet.
While Jonas is the original pares spot, The Original Pares Mami House has, for me, overtaken its predecessor. Still, Jonas’ version, with its soupy stew, is worth trying.
Address: 561 Mayon St. cor. Malindang St., La Loma, Quezon City | Operating Hours: Daily, 6AM-10PM | Facebook
Which of the food or spot have you tried or would like to try? What QC food spot should I visit next? Comment them below!
References:
https://www.pepper.ph/mang-tomas-getting-know-man-behind-sauce/
https://www.esquiremag.ph/food-and-drink/food/food-feuds-7-controversial-break-ups-in-the-restaurant-world-a1729-20171024-lfrm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ7JfdFClRw
Recent articles in the Metro Manila Food Crawl series: