The past two years now, our Valle Verde badminton group has been going to Baguio just to watch the Wimbledon on TV. We call it our Wimbledon party.

 

We all cramp into one room and watch the semifinals and finals. Part of the fun is taking sides and the teasing exchange. Some are so into it, you’d think we knew the players personally.

 

This year, we decided to turn it into a food trip as well. With the new highway opening and cutting travel time to the summer capital by an hour, we had plenty of time for lunch.

 

After taping for my show, “Foodprints,” on Lifestyle Channel, I proceeded to Baguio with friends. We stopped by Angeles, Pampanga, for a food binge.  We were about 30, half of whom were really going to Baguio while the other half just on a food trip.

 

I hardly eat pork, but I love Mila’s Tokwa’t Baboy for its crispy sisig. It’s the sisig of all sisig.

 

Upon parking, we passed the grilling area where the displays of inihaw na bangus, pork steaks and chicharon bulaklak were just waiting to be consumed. We were a long table of hungry diners. I felt like I was in bustling Divisoria, with barking of orders all around.

 

We started off with pako salad—fresh pako ferns topped with sliced onions and red eggs, with vinaigrette dressing. This would assuage the guilt of eating pork. It would also provide a buffer for the coming unhealthy indulgence.

 

Then came the chicharon bulaklak. One of the best I tried. It was not greasy at all and one got the feeling there wasn’t any fat.

 

Then came the tokwa’t baboy. Mila’s sister-in-law from Australia contributed this dish as pulutan for this place which started out as beer garden. The dish had crispy tokwa on one side and chopped very tender pig’s ears with onions, chopped celery leaves with soy-vinegar dressing. Yummy.

 

The tocino barbecue is unique and is also worth trying. The palabok, to me, was quite good but others in the group were not too crazy about it.

 

The killer was the crispy, no-visible-fat, and most delicious, sisig. Tasty, crunchy and because no taba was visible, I just let go.

 

In our group of over two dozen diners, no one held back. With steamed rice, this is heaven. We also ordered the kalderetang kambing and dinuguan.

 

To me, the pako salad, chicharon bulaklak, tokwa’t baboy and  sisig are worth a trip. To this day we talk about this food trip.

 

Mila’s is in Angeles City, Pampanga. Call (045) 8886727.

 

Malaysian resto

 

As half of the group drove on to Baguio, I suggested the other half pay Susie’s a visit at the Nepo mart. There, they took home tibok-tibok, sapin-sapin, sylvanas, siomai, empanada, taba ng talangka and many more interesting pasalubong.

 

Meanwhile we ate at A Chef’s Home Malaysian restaurant near the Mansion house. The Nasi Goreng mixed with spicy sauce is to die for. Beef Murtabak is also delicious.

 

(A Chef’s Home is at  Outlook Drive; tel. 0916-4445756).

 

In the evening, I enjoyed the pizza and just loved the pasta Aglio e olio at Amare restaurant at  Albergo Hotel.

 

(Albergo Hotel is at  Villamor Drive, tel. 0916 3321522).

 

Looking forward to Wimbledon 2015. Laughter, good food and great friends, that’s hard to beat. Even if your player got beaten.

 

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