Longing for a home-cooked pork binagoongan and a plateful of pancit malabon? How a few basic afternoon merienda of lugaw and lumpia? In the event you occur to cross by Quezon Metropolis, I’ve simply the place for you. Neatly tucked in a quiet road, an eatery known as Lola Idang’s Bahay Pancitan.
The place just isn’t that huge, with solely about ten tables set on a 35-square meter consuming area. The restaurant is so unassuming that you just’ll hardly take a second take a look at it; plain white tiles flooring, easy decors, plastic Orocan chairs, and tables laid with generic plaid desk garments. What distinguishes this small diner from the throngs of consuming locations in Quezon Metropolis although is their meals.
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| LOLA IDANG’S AT WEST TRIANGLE IN QC |
I’ve by no means tasted a binagoongan pretty much as good as those being served at Lola Idang’s. Crispy binagoonan (₱105.00), as they title it, is split into three layers. The underside one, a peeled steamed eggplant, over it’s the pork which is fried to a crisp (nearly bagnet-like in its crispiness), and topping these two off is a beneficiant serving of evenly candy & chili bagoong (shrimp paste) and a few tomato and onion garnish. Paired with a steaming white rice and a spicy vinegar dip, and also you’re in for an outstanding deal with. Simply writing about it really makes my mouth water.
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| INSIDE LOLA IDANG’S SIMPLE EATERY |
Though the resto can really reside off with simply their binagoongan dish, they do really serve different chows too. As their title connotes, their precise specialty is Pancit Malabon. These may be both ordered ala carte or may be purchased in bilaos (massive woven tray) of various sizes for take-outs. I’ve tasted their pancit as soon as and sadly was not that impressed although.
►SEE: NORMA’S PANCIT LUGLOG & RESTAURANT
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| LOLA IDANG’S LUGAW ~ ₱30.00 |
Apart from their crispy binagoongan, one other of my favourite is their lugaw (rice porridge) (₱30.00), tokwa (fried tofu) (₱35.00) and fried lumpiang ubod (spring rolls) (₱38.00) combo. Their lugaw is flavored good, its consistency and texture spot on. Paired with the overflowing bowl of tokwa dipped in spicy soy-vinegar and their crispy lumpia and we’ve received a basic afternoon merienda elevated to the next stage.
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| LOLA IDANG’S TOKWA ~ ₱35.00 |
Sadly, you’ll be able to solely get pleasure from these dishes for those who can stand their inattentive, unsmiling and unfriendly serving workers who’d relatively crowd into their sales space than take your order. It really feels that taking orders was an excessive amount of hassle for them. And for those who want one thing, you’d really need to method their station to name their consideration. Ask for a glass of water, anticipate it to reach a century later. Take an excessive amount of time selecting an order, and also you’d nearly really feel them looming up your again, eyes rolling upwards, mouth bent downwards.
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| LOLA IDANG’S FRIED LUMPIANG UBOD ~ ₱38.00 |
Regardless of all that, I nonetheless frequent this straightforward consuming place. Ultimately, it’s nonetheless the meals that issues in any case. Lola Idang’s Bahay Pancitan nonetheless will surely really feel homier and reside as much as its title if solely their individuals would make you’re feeling you’re welcome to dine of their restaurant. I simply hope that subsequent time I enter their premises, their service can really complement the superb dishes they serve.
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| RANDOM SWEETS AND SNACKS |
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| REVISITING THE CRISPY PORK BINAGOONGAN AT LOLA IDANG’S |
After being away for thus lengthy, I used to be lastly in a position to return to Lola Idang’s to have a style of crispy binagoongan (₱105.00). We ordered a plate of it together with rellenong bangus (₱120.00), a bowl of pritong tokwa (₱35.00), a serving of lumpiang ubod (₱40.00), and two glasses of sago’t gulaman (₱25.00).
It was as if I’ve by no means left. The binagoongan was nonetheless as wonderful as I remembered it to be. The bangus was new to me however I didn’t prefer it that a lot. The tokwa although was nonetheless good however nonetheless don’t just like the recent lumpia. Pricewise, all the things was additionally amazingly the identical!
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| SAGO’T GULAMAN ~ ₱25.00 |
The one factor that in all probability modified had been the waitresses serving us. Gone had been Lola Idang’s bitter unsmiling gals from earlier than, changed by a extra attentive workers. Effectively, they’re nonetheless not into smiling, however not less than they’re fairly useful and don’t make you’re feeling unwelcome. change!
I received to go to Lola Idang’s once more a couple of weeks in the past and moreover ordering the standard favourite, the crispy binagoongan, I used to be in a position to check out a couple of of their dishes that I haven’t had the possibility to order earlier than.
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| LOLA IDANG’S GARLIC TAPA ~ ₱105.00 |
First off, Lola Idang’s Garlic Tapa (₱105.00). That is an ala-carte order so rice just isn’t included. Serving dimension was beneficiant, greater than adequate for 2 individuals not less than. The style was wonderful—actually, actually savory. The draw back was that the the meat was fairly rubbery, which was an enormous letdown.
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| LOLA IDANG’S PANCIT LOMI ~ ₱65.00 |
Subsequent up was their Pancit Lomi (₱65.00). I often don’t dig lomis, moreover the one I attempted in Casa Rap. I get simply turned off by its icky gooey soup, however surprisingly, I really favored Lola Idang’s model of it. The style is good and the soup consistency is ideal—that means, not icky haha. For its worth, serving dimension is on the massive facet.
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| LOLA IDANG’S CRISPY BINAGOONGAN ~ ₱105.00 |
The same old crispy binagoongan (₱105.00) and fried tokwa (₱35.00) nonetheless didn’t disappoint. We got here out completely satisfied and tremendous full. It was definitely one other good lunch at Lola Idang’s.
It’s been ten years since I final set foot at Lola Idang’s QC alongside Examiner Road. And it’s been ten years since my final crispy binagoongan. To say that I’m extremely excited to return to Lola Idang’s for my favourite binagoongan dish was an understatement.
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| LOLA IDANG’S INTERIORS AT 2024 |
We arrived at Lola Idang’s Bahay Pancitan for dinner. We nearly didn’t make the 7:30PM cut-off for dine-in orders, prioritizing our grocery buying first on the close by Hello-High Grocery store—spell near-expiration cut price objects, lol.
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| NEW WALL HANGINGS |
The restaurant appeared frozen in time, it appears nearly precisely the identical manner as our final go to, a decade again—the identical yellow partitions (albeit with hints of greens this time, and a wall hung with their best-selling dishes), the identical inexperienced checkered desk mats, the identical plastic Orocan chairs, and hopefully, the identical Lola Idang’s goodness we got here right here for. What I hope was totally different although was their previous grumpy service workers—which had been now fortunately gone.
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| LOLA IDANG’S CRISPY BINAGOONGAN ~ ₱215.00 |
BG, who’s now my spouse (we had been nonetheless boyfriend and girlfriend after we final went right here), and I every ordered a plate of crispy binagoongan, which has now doubled in worth from ₱105.00 to ₱215.00—fairly comprehensible, contemplating how excessive inflation is these days. We additionally paired it with a bowl of goto for Child A, which additionally doubled in worth from from ₱30.00 ₱65.00.
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| LOLA IDANG’S SUPERB SUKA |
Serving dimension was nonetheless the identical, and so was the style—the crispy pork, the eggplant, inexperienced chili, tomatoes, and the salty bagoong that makes you wish to pour a serving to of their beautifully bitter vinegar on a small platito with the inexperienced chili on the edges. It was the very same style we got here to Lola Idang’s for. Hopefully, it gained’t take one other ten years earlier than our subsequent go to.
Lola Idang’s Bahay Pancitan MENU
Handle: Quezon Avenue nook Examiner St., West Triangle, Quezon Metropolis, Metro Manila
Opening Hours: 9:30AM to 7:30PM, Till 8:00 PM for take-out
Contact Quantity: (02) 8332-6947, (02) 8925-1424