When new-found travel buddies suggested that we head off to Aling Lucing's for dinner, I didn't know that I would finally get to taste the famous Pampanga sisig that even Anthony Bourdain crossed oceans and mountains just to taste in Kitchen Confidential. Aling Lucing's is considered the best sisig in Angeles, and perhaps the entire Philippines.
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| Aling Lucing's from the street. At dusk, not a lot of people, but this quickly changes when the clock hits 7. Families in SUVs would start arriving and the place is packed in no time. |
According to Rene, who lives just an hour away from Angeles City, Aling Lucing's serves the original sisig in the Philippines, although you would not know it just by looking at the place. When we arrived at around 6 pm, the place looked like any other carinderia in Dumaguete. There were dishes displayed in front, and someone was preparing the grill right on the street. We did find photos of Anthony Bourdain on the wall, and he was grinning from ear to ear, so the sisig must be that good.
We ordered the sisig, of course, and another dish called buro, which is fermented rice paste mixed with shrimps. You eat the rice with eggplant, okra, or lettuce. I had no idea how buro would taste but I was in a 'try anything' mood (I was in freakin' Pampanga, for Pete's sake!) and if I could try it, then I would. So we ordered that, and the guys ordered the usual BBQ chicken innards, which tastes really good, especially when paired with ice cold Coke.
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| Aling Lucing's celeb patrons taking time for photos. Anthony Bourdain! |
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| You choose what you want for dinner here. That's buro right there, right next to the shiny red tomatoes. |
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| The famous Aling Lucing's sisig! They weren't kidding, it tasted really good. It was overflowing with onions, and the meat was soft and crunchy at the same time. They told me that that they mix chicken liver in with the pork meat, so that gives the sisig that distinct, nutty flavor. |
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The buro and eggplant and okra plate. We did eat all this stuff up (if I remember correctly).
I don't know if you eat buro as an apetizer, but it certanly served the purpose for me. the rice was sour and sticky, and it had a sour smell mixed in with the familiar burnt smell of cooked rice. It felt weird when I tasted it for the first time, since it looked like something that someone just threw up. But surprisingly, buro grows on you. The taste gets better especially if you pair it with the greens.
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| Proof that I had a really great meal. For my first night in Angeles City, not bad! :) |
