Starting from the beginning of my Abe favorites:
Salad:
Paco Fern and Tomato Salad (Paco Fern is a refreshing vegetable that has a more earthy flavor rather than the usual Caesar salad).
Entrees:
Their Pinakbet (a vegetable medley sautéed with shrimp paste) tasted just like the way my mom cooks it and their Kare-Kare (oxtail, beef, and vegetables stewed in a peanut sauce) was something to be reckoned with for its richness in flavor. The beef was soft and the vegetables were infused with the peanut taste I loved. Unsurprisingly, the meal came with an unlimited serving of rice!! The true essence of Filipino culture is the love of eating. Having a hearty plate of rice to compliment good Filipino cuisine is what makes Abe a place I would want to take friends who want to experience the fullness of Filipino cuisine and have huge appetites.
Food Checklist:
Next time I go, I think I want to try their Pastel de Lengua (ox tongue with a crusty pie topping), if I'm brave enough to try it. For dessert, I always have a craving for the bitter and sour, so the Tamarind shake sounds like the real deal!
One of the disadvantages of growing up as a Filipino-American is our Filpino taste pallet. I grew up with Ilocano food all my life and the way we cook simple Filipino dishes are vastly different from how most Filipinos would cook their food. I would find myself saying, "this tastes weird" or "that is not how you should cook it." I soon realized, after living here for the last four months, that there is no specific way of cooking Filipino food. The way Filipinos cook their dishes or incorporate their ingredients are influenced by the province they come from. Hence, typical "pancit" (noodle) dishes can be cooked 50 different ways according to the Philippines' various provincial cultures.
Even though I can safely say I LOVE FILPINO FOOD, there is a large part of my culture I have not thoroughly experienced. The most craziest dish I ever had was balut and grilled chicken intestines and those are simple street foods that most Filipinos here eat on a daily basis. So... experiencing even the simplest cuisines, like adobo or pancit, can be new for me because it can be cooked in so many different ways. Regardless, expanding my Filipino cuisine pallet is something I am determined to do. From the luxurious restaurants of Serendra to the street food in Quiapo, a true understanding of one's culture does not come from simply observing from the outside. Instead, I should delve right in and allow all five senses to feel the true essence of my culture. Even though I have to close my eyes and gulp down half born chickens, I will gladly do it because I am Filipino and I am FEARLESS..or rather food fearless :)