Last night, I was at a party with close friends who are foodies, restaurant chain owners, bakers, a wedding cake-maker, as well as comedians, badminton players, etc. On such gatherings, it’s a must that the food be way above standard fare, simply because the party guests have tasted some of the best cuisines here and abroad. Pipintasan ka if the food is not good!
We had lechon from Cebu, kinilaw, fresh lumpia, fresh halabos na hipon with a dipping sauce, prawns in gata, Bicol Express, palabok, callos, puto bumbung, bibingka. Everything was outstanding.
For my part, I brought a good old reliable dessert: turon.
Turon is one of the most common desserts in the country. It is in the menu of most Pinoy restaurants. Call it the adobo of Pinoy desserts. But not everyone makes it well.
Well, I found one that does it really well, and serves it in parties and various occasions. The turon place is found along Esteban Abada Street. Coming from UP along Katipunan, turn right to McDonald’s, then right to Abada. On your right side, beside a water station, you can find the best turon around.
The guy in charge cooks three large bags of saba bananas every day. He wraps each sliced saba individually, dabs some brown sugar, adds langka, wraps them and leaves the sides open. He puts brown sugar on the slowly heating oil and patiently fries the turon until they are nicely crunchy and sticky.
To me, it’s the best I have tried. If you want to bring some to a gathering, drop by and order a few hours in advance. It will be the talk of the party. I bought mine at 2 p.m., served them at 7 p.m. and they were still crunchy.
Speaking of parties, I noticed there are new themes to get-togethers these days. When I got married many years back, our reception had different booths of food. Those that I remember had empanada, roasted calf, pinangat, dirty ice cream and others.
Today, I see Potato Corner, Wham Burgers and such, and I love it. A friend, lawyer Lawrence Koteh, recently came up with a brilliant idea and invited Balay Ti Empanada to his children’s party. Guess where all the adults hung out that day?
It was such a hit. The empanada was different and delicious—oily, crunchy with a filling of sauteed monggo and green papaya, plus toasted longaniza and perfectly cooked egg. Yum!
We all try to offer new things at our parties. Why not have an Ilocos empanada booth? Balay Ti Empanada also serves delicious pancit with bagnet in its resto.
That’s what I’ll do for our next get-together. I am confident it will surprise and satisfy everyone in our group.
Happy eating!
Balay Ti Empanada, Katipunan right across Blue Ridge; tel. 0917-5384838
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