Unlike its neighboring provinces Batangas and Laguna, Cavite is not exactly popular for its cuisine. People usually go to this province for a quick trip to its historical sites, clueless about the kinds of food the “Historical Capital of the Philippines” serves.
Enter “Proba: Cavite Comida,” a two-day food crawl hosted by San Miguel Pure Foods Culinary Center, which introduced Cavite’s culinary offerings from six food establishments that can be enjoyed by diners of all ages.
According to SMPFCC culinary services manager Llena Tan-Arcenas, one factor they want to address with the food tour is the acknowledgement and preservation of the food heritage of Caviteños, which, she said, can only be possible if it will be handed down to the future generations as well as if the cuisine’s authenticity is kept by not twisting or changing the traditionally used ingredients and way of cooking too much.
Cavite City: Bernie’s Kitchenette, Pat and Sam’s
The first stop of the food crawl was Bernie’s Kitchenette, a charming restaurant owned and managed by Chef Bernadita Rojas-Fontanilla, or Chef Bernie, three years ago.
Despite its recent establishment, it has become popular among locals for its Pansit Puso with kinilaw na puso ng saging, Bacalao, Crispy Lao-Lao (fried fish), and Morcon (savory meat roll).
During the media food crawl, Chef Bernie prepared two famous dishes from her menu: Pansit Pusit (squid in savory sauce) and Bacalao (fish sauteed in Magnolia Dairy Creme).
The hearty lunch was followed by Bibingkang Samala (malagkit topped with latik) from Pat and Sam’s. This delicacy is made of glutinous rice, coconut milk, and sugar; proudly Tatak Caviteño.
Tanza: Abad Ancestral House
Located in the town of Tanza is one of the oldest houses that dates its construction back in the 1820s. The Abad clan was able to preserve the structure that used to be a home, a clinic, and a production hub for fish sauce and fermented fish.
Although the heritage house is not open to the public, the SMPFCC was able to get an exclusive viewing and access to its balcony where Chef Chris Bautista, former culinary director of Lyceum of the Philippines University, did his cooking demo of two Cavite specialties. Chef Chris cooked Pipian, a Spanish-inspired kare-kare-like chicken dish, and Tinumis, a dish similar to dinuguan which used Monterey pork flavored with young tamarind leaves (instead of vinegar).
Kawit: Mang Jose’s Rolling Kitchen
A Filipino party is not complete without lechon. Our love for the roast suckling pig has given birth to many different ways of cooking it. The last stop of the day one of “Proba: Cavite Comida” brought food crawl participants to Mang Jose’s Rolling Kitchen, popular for its Puchon (lechon sa pugon), the brick oven-cooked lechon.
According to owners Jhing and Mimi Hernandez, they intend to make Puchon a traditional Caviteño dish that’s why they often join food expos in Cavite and Manila.
The rolling kitchen also serves Chicken Inasal, Tenderloin BBQ, Crispy Sisig, Tahong, and many other dishes patrons come back for again and again.
Trece Martires: Cavite Republic
The second day of the food crawl commenced at Cavite Republic, known as the reincarnation of the 1974 Town’s Delight. It opened on June 12, 2002 and has since been managed by Matt Pacumio, the grandson of Cecilia Pacumio, the founder of Town’s Delight.
The 16-year-old establishment was designed to look like an elegant historic architecture which complements the food and services they offer. It is known to serve food that combines the Caviteño taste with modern twists from several influences, one of which is Spanish.
Some of the specialties they served were Crispy Dinuguan, Paella Valenciana, Grilled Chicken Sinampalukan, Pancit Estacion Negra, and Cavite Express all of which made with twist.
They also served Lihim Ni Lola, a kakanin stuffed with salted egg and topped with latik. The kakanin looks like ube halaya but is more similar to suman. Lihim Ni Lola originated from their grandmother’s desire to show how to make suman.
Amadeo: Olivia’s Coffee
Putting a kicking end to the two-day food crawl was Olivia’s Coffee, a newly opened coffee shop in Amadeo, the largest coffee producer in the Philippines.
The coffee shop is owned and managed by Olivia Lansang, whose history with coffee started with her grandparents who owned a coffee farm in Bulacan.
Although Olivia’s Coffee is new to the coffee industry, its coffee bean producer has been active since 1995. It also produces differently milled coffee beans. Lansang proudly shared that its roasting processor is what makes it different from other mainstream coffee shops. Her coffee beans are roasted using a locally made air roaster.
Photos by Raye Sanchez