Nuffnang

12/25/2007

Cabanatuan- Vicentico's

Hidden in the heart of Cabanatuan City N. Ecija is one of its best dining experiences.






An old house turned into a surprising setting for a restaurant offering a beautiful outdoorsey, experience which takes my imagination back to the time of binibinis in kalesas and katipuneros lounging around and relaxing before a gruesome offensive (like the two waiters in the picture below who are trying to get a breather before the influx of dinner customers).








This grotto provides a haunting centerpiece that relaxes the diner with the slushing sound of water casacading down its base of black boulders.






The food:



I've eaten here several times before I started blogging and I must say that the quality of food this place serves is consistently good (most of the time).


Adobo - I'm not used to adobo with sibuyas but the first time I tried it here I loved it. It has now become a favorite here and I order it every chance I get. The caramelized onions I realized add its natural sweetness to adobo's perfect blend of salty and sour. Nice flavors which have tastily set inside tender cuts of well marinated pork.


Gising-Gising - Another favorite here. If I were to describe it I'd say it's a local, spicy version of sweetish, seafood chopsuey with tofu. Unfortunately, the veggies were quite overdone this time.



Garlic Rice - Quite good.

Sisig - I just love their version of this. A spicy and deliciously blended dish of diced lechong kawali with lots of crunchy bits of deep fried lechon skin served with an abstract swirl of mayo.

Tico Tico - Basically buko shake with gata, pandan jelly and sago. As good as it sounds, I found it surprisingly lacking in the flavor department. I could barely taste anything.
Overall I'd say Vicentico's is definitely a "must go to" place in Cabanatuan for a laid-back dining experience and above average food. The price of the food, I would say, is comparable to Gerry's in Manila (which is quite pricey by provincial standards). It's best to eat here with companions so you get to try different stuff or set meals per table which are also great.
Vicentico's is located in front of the plaza by the old provincial capitol bldg. Watch out for the small sign.

13 comments:

spanx said...

i was waiting for you to blog about this!

regular stopover ko ito back in the day when i had to make my road trips back from STI santiago and tuguegarao!

p.s.
have you noticed parang isang milyon ang tricycle sa cabanatuan?

Ruy said...

Spanx: Oh you go here too! Cool!=) I've been meaning to write a post about this for a long time na din. Just haven't gotten around to actually doing it, with all the other things to write about and all.
Oo nga, tricycles are most concentrated here. They're freaking bold and they really drive me crazy at times. Hehe..

carlotta1924 said...

are there different kinds of gising-gising? coz at recipes their gising-gising is made of green beans in gata.

Anonymous said...

I dont think this has gata and I didn't see green beans so I guess so.
This could be the Nueva Ecija version as there are some other establishments in the area that cook their gising gising pretty much the same way as Vicentico's does.

Anonymous said...

hi! nice reviews about vicenticos..I miss the place and the food so much..

Ruy said...

Rocks: Thanks for dropping by! It really is a place one could grow fond of.=)

Anonymous said...

hey!
i am a proud novo ecijano!
Vicentico's has played a great part of most of my memorable days when i was still in cabsy(birthdays, graduations, despedidas, meetings, hanging out with friends).,

have you guys tried their seafood kare-kare? i love it.,

about the tricycles..i think cabanatuan was named as the tricycle city of the world(?), of asia, or of the phil.,

Anonymous said...

Maan: Hi! Thanks for dropping by!
You're so right, Vicentico's is the best place for every kind of celebration.
Unfortunately we haven't tried the seafood kare-kare but it's not too late. We'll definitely order that next time.=)
I wouldn't be surprised if it was Cabanatuan was named tricycle capital of the universe! haha.=)

Anonymous said...

This restaurant is a hidden treasure of Cabanatuan City. If you are not watching your calories they have the best chicharon bulaklak and crispy pata. I also think they have an amazing halo halo and way better than Razon's. I ate here almost every day when I was on vacation there.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree with the last comment they do have the best chicharon bulaklak and halo halo. The price is reasonable and you get a lot of food for your money. This is the best restaurant in Cabanatuan and a close 2nd would be Rustica.

Anonymous said...

vicentico's indeed a good place to dine but pricey, have you guys tried Lamarang Seafood and Steak, foods are really great and less pricey, especially buttered chicken and crispy pata

ann said...

thanks for the info, we ae on our way to cabanatuan, first time ...trafic lng pala sobra pulilan area..we will check the reataurant kaagad

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...I missed Veravil Restaurant, I wonder if tge cook is still alive. I love his adobo, tinumis, chopsuey recipes

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