Trying out something new somewhere old

Having a mom from Bicol meant we grew up knowing good food, which thankfully, had not been limited to dishes peppered with chili peppers or swimming in coconut milk. And it might surprise many that though I’m half Bicolana, I’ve never eaten Bicol Express or Pinangat (a blend of taro leaves, meat or shrimp and coconut milk wrapped in more taro leaves and tied securely with coconut leaf which may or may not be chilli).

That is, until my latest visit to the region.

The famous Dad's Pinangat and me and the officemates posing with the famous Dad (3rd from left)

My first taste of Pinangat wasn’t even at the famous Dad’s Pinangat which was supposedly the original and best tasting pinangat in the province. It was in a restaurant called Ceña Una (Old House or Sinauna).

Located along Calle F. Lotivio St. in Daraga, Albay, this colonial-house-turned-restaurant is, like most of the establishments, are some 10-15 minutes away from the airport (according to our trusty Department of Toursim accredited driver). You may experience some traffic going here, though, as you’ll have to pass by Daraga Town proper and a few schools along the way.

If you’re not a big old-house-lover and the exterior doesn’t get you, the charming accessories inside surely will. While the house is filled with antique furniture and figurines, the were dedicated to maintain the old-Filipino feel that they even created wooden-looking cases for their modern furniture- from the air conditioners to the electric fans. If you’ve fallen in love with some of their decorative pieces, you can even call them up and have them make some for you, or just drop by their shop in Mandaluyong if you’re Manila-bound.

But the real winner of the night was the Pasta Ceña Una Espesyal.  It’s fettuccine pasta made with a seemingly deconstructed pinangat—Coconut milk, taro leaves and shrimp topped with spear mint and with a dash of saffron. It’s served with white bread which, on the bad side, could use some flavour, but on the good side, doesn’t take the spotlight away from the dish.

Pasta Ceña Una Espesyal (photo from foodtrippings.com)

If I had known Pinangat tasted these great, I should have probably tried them waaaaaaay back. It was one of the best dishes I’ve tasted during our stay here in Albay (and boy-oh-boy there were some pretty tasty dishes). That’s saying a lot from someone not a fan of fushion food, too.

Ceña Una Chocolate Cake (photo from flashbulbjunkie.blogspot.com)

The English Vanilla Cheesecake with Blueberry Sauce (nomnomnom) was nice soft but the dessert round was taken but the Ceña Una Chocolate Cake which felt like a challenge to my chocolate-cake-baking skills (which I have not yet tried, btw). It wasn’t as sweet as it looked, was moist and had pili nuts.

Kind of makes me think that eating in Bicol is a danger to the cholesterol levels. But that’s probably why Becilanos eat so much greens.

If you’re ever in the general area visiting the majestic Mayon, this is a place you should definitely make time for, too, especially since like most places around Albay, it's just 10 minutes away (at least according to out DOT-accredited driver, Kuya Al :))).

Contact details

Lourdes Villanueva (0524354338 / 09178684030)

513 F Lotivio Street, 4501 Daraga, Albay.

belaycenauna@gmail.com

http://www.balaycenauna.com/menu.html
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cena-Una/71303103946

Schedule

Mon - Wed: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

Thu: 1:00 am - 10:00 pm

Fri - Sat: 10:00 am - 10:00 pm

Sun: 11:30 am - 9:00 pm

A taste of history: Pansit Langlang

Mga ginoo; ang pansit-langlang ay siyang sopas na pinakamabuti! —ang sigaw ni Makaraig; —gaya nang makikita ninyo, Sandoval, ang halo ay kabuti, hipon, tiniping itlog, sutanghon, manok, at hindi ko na maalaman kung ano pa. Bilang pamago ay ihandog natin ang mga buto kay D. Custodio; tingnan natin, magpanukala siya tungkol dito!

Chapter XXV- Tawanan – Iyakan

El Filibusterismo

By Dr. Jose Rizal

When we came upon this text in El Filibusterismo in high school, our teacher asked us if we’ve tasted Pansit Langlang.

None of us even knew that it existed before that time.

So you can imagine our surprise when she said that a local canteen just a few blocks away still sells original Pansit Langlang. It took three blocks and six years for me to go there.

The place is called the Plaza Canteen because, I guess, people were less creative than then. It’s found (you guessed it!) just beside the Imus Town Plaza.

Its pastel-colored interiors and poster-paintings on laminated wood panels- makes the place feel homier and warmer.

 

A quick look on the menu posted at the counter makes you feel even more welcome if only because the prices are so affordable.

Since I didn’t really research on what Pansit Langlang was supposed to be like, I was surprised when they served us soup. Apparently, that was why there was a penciled-in note beside the name in the menu that said Mami.

This version of Pansit Langlang combined Miki and sotanghon noodles, hardboiled egg, chicken, chunks of bread, green onion stalks, Kinchay (coriander) and crispy fried garlic. As mentioned by Dr. Jose Rizal, other recipes for the same dish would also put in ground pork, dried baby shrimp, sitsaro (snow pea) and tengang daga (a type of mushroom).

Despite its simplicity, the dish feels like comfort food to be shared with your family during twilight in the porch of your house in the province.

This is probably why Dr. Rizal used to have his brother Paciano mail him the noodles for Pansit Langlang while he was in Europe – it reminded him of home.