In celebration of my dear sister’s confirmation as ambassador, we all went on an excursion to Manaoag, Pangasinan. This is our first family outing since my Mom passed away.

While having lunch at Serendra, I asked my sister where we will eat when we go to Pangasinan and she immediately answered “Matutina’s!”. She beat me to the punch because that’s what I was about to suggest. Apparently, she’s been there before with her friends and this time she wanted to enjoy it with us.

Matutina’s has been known to be President Gloria Arroyo’s favorite whenever she travels to Pangasinan. See the pictures and judge for yourself.

Their Sinigang na Bangus (Philippine Milkfish cooked in sour broth) soup is not spectacular, but what I do love about it is that they use fresh Bonuan bangus (fresh milkfish from the town of Bonuan, Pangasinan) and it’s boneless too!

Ah the wonderful, delicious bangus fat without the bones! One order costs P195.00 (US$4.10) and is good enough for two people.

Of course, the best “soda” available is buko juice (fresh coconut water) which you may choose to drink fresh from the husk or sweetened with milk, whichever you prefer.

Each order containing 12 ounces or so costs P45.00 (US$0.94).

What is lunch without Lechon Kawali (deep-fried pork chunks)? You may choose to use Bagoong Isda (fermented fish paste), which is the Pangasinense staple sauce or the usual soy sauce and vinegar. They have catsup too!

Each order is good for two persons and costs P110.00 (US$2.30). A real steal!

Noreen loves Adobong Pusit (squid sauteed in it’s own ink with soy sauce and vinegar) a lot. Luckily, Matutina’s offers it in their menu and it is really very good. Slightly sweet and just right to the bite, Matutina’s Adobong Pusit is the closest rival of Milky Way’s version. The flavors are so similar, it’s hard to say which one tastes better!

One order costs P175.00 (US$3.60) and is good for two people.

You can practically do anything with Bangus (milkfish). You can even make it into sizzling sisig, a Pampanga original method of food preparation which was originally done to pig ears and liver. They take the bangus, de-bone, boil then marinated in lemon sauce and other spices. It is then served on a sizzling hotplate with some butter as seasoning and topping. Absolutely delectable.

An order costs P120.00 (US$2.50). Served sizzling hot!

Last to arrive, though kinda late, was the Hipon Crispy (crispy shrimp). What they do here is put some flour and batter on fresh shrimp then put these in boiling oil. The result? Shrimp that is so crispy you can eat the whole thing without worrying about the shell. Perfect sauce for this treat is vinegar with a little chili pepper.

One order of Hipon Crispy costs P180.00 (US$3.75). They usually go best with a bottle of ice-cold beer on the other hand.

At the end of the meal, the restaurant gives away Buko Pastillas (candied coconut) to their diners. The Pastillas were a great cap to any meal at Matutina’s.

I highly suggest that you drop by any of their three branches when you’re en route to Baguio City or Manaoag. You get great food are great prices. It’s no wonder why it’s almost always full.

Matutina’s is not difficult to find because they now have three branches.

Bonuan Beachfront
0917 642 1466
075 614 3162
Bonuan Tondaligan, Dagupan City, Pangasinan

Urdaneta City
075 568 8288 or 075 624 2065
Nancayasan Highway, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan.

Baguio City
074 446 9009
19A Legarda Road, Baguio City

She always pays for dinner and for me, it makes the desserts a bit sweeter, the steaks a bit juicier, the pasta, a bit more tender. I decided to bring her to Bonifacio High Street’s New Orleans Restaurant, the one beside Claw Daddy. I wanted her to see how much High Street has changed, and on a Saturday night the place was packed with people. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for us to find a table for five.

From the left is Mercy, my sister, my Uncle Rudy and Noreen.

Ah so again she complains about my weight. It’s so like her. I had to endure the sermon about the health hazards of being overweight (yeah, tell me about it). Lucky for me, the ride to High Street wasn’t a long one. But I don’t really mind. I’d be more bothered had she been silent.

While waiting for our orders, New Orleans staff gave us corn on the cob and potato wedges to munch on.

Their corn is very sweet and juicy.

So despite expressing her disappointment with my slow weight loss, she feeds me anyway, Cajun style! I had the barbecue blackened chicken with mashed potatoes. A wonderful dish at P320+ (US$8.00).

Noreen had the Jambalaya with seafood An order cost P475+ (US$12.00).

Ate Tess, Mercy (her PA) and my Uncle Rudy had a salad (I didn’t post the picture because it wasn’t clear enough), a full slab of barbecue ribs, and jambalaya with blackened dory. The salad was P405+ (US$10.00), the ribs were P650+ (US$16.25) and the dory cost P350+ (US$8.70).

Dessert came as Lava chocolates (not very appealing to look at but definitely one of the best chocolate desserts I’ve ever tried) at P150+ (US$3.75). Then I ordered Banana Foster with vanilla ice cream. Outstanding dessert at P135+ (US$3.34).

New Orleans also has a dixieland jazz band playing good music for their diners. Not very loud, just right. We weren’t straining to hear each other. So the laughs continued.

On our way home, my sister wanted a picture of us taken with the signature High Street rock with falls in the background. It was truly a moment to cherish.