CALASIAO'S DINING TREAT
Apart from the rice cake that is known all over the Philippines making its origin at Calasiao, Pangasinan – the Calasiao puto – there are dining establishments on this first class municipality of the province that stands out in providing a rich culinary experience to all visitors.
Mica served as our official tour guide while in Dagupan. With the proximity of Dagupan to Calasiao, either a
short jeepney and tricycle ride I recall, we were lead to
two of the famed restaurants of the province serving nothing but authentic
dishes in the province of Pangasinan.
PANADERIA
ANTONIO BAKERY AND RESTAURANT
Situated at one
of the main thoroughfares of Calasiao - Judge Jose de Venecia Avenue -
Panaderia Antonio Bakery and Restaurant is one restaurant every guest should
not miss out. The restaurant is a pride
of the province of Pangasinan.
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| the restaurant's facade |
A relaxing
ambience emanated as soon as we entered the restaurant. Not only for family and friend’s bonding, I
suppose the restaurant can emit an atmosphere of love and “getting to know”
stage of dating. We were surrounded by
couples as I silently observe the type of guests the restaurant attracts.
Our dining table
was served with some of the best dishes the restaurant offers. It was truly a gastronomic treat! Beef kare-kare, sizzling T-bone steak, pizza
and of course, the boneless bangus, which Dagupan is known for, graced the
affair in welcoming us, so as the complimentary chicken skin.
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| chicken skin |
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| boneless bangus |
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| pizza |
Seldom do I eat kare-kare and it all depends on my whim
and for no other reason. But the beef kare-kare of this restaurant is truly a
must on your plate, distinctly prepared from what I had tasted on other
restaurants and eateries as of writing. And I only had a few servings. Since it would be gluttony in the guise of
food tasting should I place another order, as my main order was T-bone steak, I
was already contented on a minute for minute spoon traveling to Christian’s
plate who ordered the kare-kare.
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| kare-kare |
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| sizzling T-bone steak |
Too bad, I
wasn’t able to try any of the pastries and bread offered at the bakeshop, but
the late lunch served to us would already suffice so as to declare that we have
experienced the best of Panaderia Antonio Bakery and Restaurant.
DAGUPENA RESTAURANT
Built and styled
like an old traditional Filipino house, Dagupena Restaurant provides a homey vibe
of a dining experience. From Hotel LeDuc, where we stayed for this trip, it took a tricycle ride to reach the said
restaurant.
As soon as we
alight from the tricycle, we immediately checked on the interiors and placed
our order for our brunch (breakfast
and lunch).
What’s for brunch?
The Binagoongang Crispy-Pata is definitely
one of the must-try at Dagupena Restaurant, which makes the restaurant a
tourist destination and a landmark in itself.
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| Binagoongang Crispy Pata |
As the name of
the restaurant implies, the restaurant takes pride on what Dagupan City is
known for in terms of culinary masterpiece.
Since it first introduced Pangasinense cuisine during 1928, the restaurant
have continued to redefine its creations,
with more dishes to choose from, paying tribute to cultures that have enriched the
heritage of the region.
To satisfy our
hunger before we make the mandatory tour of Calasiao and Dagupan, our table was
filled by no other than the Binagoongang
Crispy Pata and Bangus Al-ajillo complemented
by tsokolate batirol and a soup I
forgot the name.
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| Bangus Al-ajillo |
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| Tsokolate Batirol |
Dagupena
Restaurant made me realize that a gastronomic experience in the said region
does not limit to the different servings of bangus
and pigar-pigar, as being innovative
and adept with the changing times, their dishes continue to evolve evident by
the introduction of the sinful, mouth-watering and tasty binagoongang crispy pata.
As the first
meal of our second day in Dagupan, Dagupena Restaurant was the right choice for a first pit stop
of discovering the region. A highly
recommended place to dine while in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
3 comments
Looking at the picture of the soup that you forgot the name, I think its the PAPAITAN. Does it have a bitter taste? If yes, then for certain it was papaitan or pinapaitan. It was derived from the Pangasinan word PAIT which means bitter. It's a famous Pangasinense and Ilokano souo dish mostly composed of goat innards.
ReplyDeleteused to frequent these 2 restaurants when i was still working at dagupan city....a must try...
ReplyDeleteI will try this places on my next vacation. ...
ReplyDelete