Looking for authentic Kapampangan food when you are not in
Pampanga? Then look no further for
located in the business area of Makati City is a branch of Apag MArangle, rank
#1 in GMA 7’s Pinaka Yummy 2015 in Pampanga.
Situated in the renovated Park Square in Makati Business Area, right beside Project Pie, Apag Marangle opens its 3rd location - 1st in the metropolis. This is a Kapampangan themed restaurant that offers not only good food but also true Kapampangan warmth. With The Big Difference Communication, a bloggers event was held at the said location last May 6, 2015. Those who attended the said event initially thought that this would be just your regular food tasting, unknowingly that we have set things boodle fight style. :-) (since I am part of the TBDC team- hehehehe! )
MALAUS KO PU! (Welcome!)
These are the words that you would see as you enter the restaurant. Not a welcome mat but stones embedded on their foyer. With the receiving area set with bamboo as decoration and the grilling area seen from the outside, you would immediately feel the provincial ambiance that they aim to give to each customer.
The place is designed to imitate the original store in Bacolor, Pampanga which was established in 2008. Apag Marangle roughly translated means, bounty from the earth enjoyed fresh. And that is the reason why, this food place
was born. With flavors gained and transferred from generation to
generation and a taste that is appealing to the public, Apag Marangle is
recognized as a true Kapampangan restaurant in terms of flavors and cooking technique. No food fusion to create a buzz, simply good food.
From appetizers to desserts, Apag Marangle Park Square aims to capture the city market by giving them a food experience that you would only get from the province. This is provincial food that we all love, now prepared and served in the city.
When we had a good number of attendees, we, along with the owners of the place, welcomed them all to a food experience like no other.
This is where The Big Difference Communication truly made a difference in food blogging style.
We were all introduced first to the appetizers made available for us to try.
Appetizers:
Ensaladang Manggang Bubut (Php 155.00 per serving) or green mango salad is your chopped green mango with onions, tomatoes and shrimp/fish paste. A perfect enhancer to all the food that you may order in Apag Marangle! 
Ensaladang Pako (Php 155.00 per serving) is your fern salad with salted egg and a special Apag Marangle dressing. It is a light starter set to open your taste palate for the rest that they have to offer. The saltiness of the egg is light and compliments the fern itself.
Betute or fried stuffed frog comes in two serving sizes - small (Php 85.00) and medium (Php 95.00). You will definitely see that it is a frog but the taste is wonderful! Fried to a right crisp, you can either dip it in the vinegar accompanying it or eat it on its own. The stuffing is seasoned right and fills the frog till full. This is one of the must thing to try when visiting this place.
Canaru (Php 185.00 per serving) are mole crickets. Most abundant during the wet season but it is something that you may get the whole year round in Apag Marangle. It doesn't look much but it sure is something worth your palate. It is crunchy, a source of protein and healthy too.
Soups:
Sinigang is a typical soup or stew here in the Philippines, characterized by its sour taste coming from either tamarind or guava and Apag Marangle has them both. Choose from sigang king sampaluc o kamias (tamarind or camias ginger lily) - ;sigang king bayabas (guava) - , they are both delicious and the smell is divine!
Corn soup or commonly called in Kapampangan Suam Mais (Php 220.00 a pot) is grated corn made into a stew/soup. It is creamy due to the starch released from the corn and flavored in the right level, making it a good tongue teaser.
Grilled Items:
Grilled or in Kapampangan Ningnang are some items that you get to experience when you are in the province. The grilled items of Apag Marangle ranges from seafood to meat. What we had that day was the Ningnang Pusit (squid) and Ningnang Hito (catfish).
The squid was stuffed and grilled enough to have the desired marks without making it gummy. The catfish is sweet! Fresh water fish it may be, it was cleaned and prepared right, showing off the beautiful taste that is inherent to it.
Dishes on its own:
Pindang Damulag, Okwi and Apag Signature Pancit Bihon.
Pindang Damulag is their carabeef tocino (Php 150.00 per serving). If you are not aware that you are eating carabeef aka carabao's meat, then you cannot decipher the difference in terms of flavor. It is sweet and flavored like your typical tocino. Only in the texture will you say that it is not your regular pork tocino. Yes, there is a slight toughness but it is still tender, making it an enjoyable dish on its own.
Okwi or what we commonly know as okoy (Php 175.00 per serving) is papaya-cassava fritters with shrimp and onions on top. It has a crunch and sweetness due to the shredded papaya. The onion gave it a sharp counterpoint in terms of flavor. A good snack food!
Apag Signature Pancit Bihon (Php 195.00 per serving - good for 2 to 3) is not your typical pancit bihon. Not because of the flavor but due to the toppings that it has. Think of your basic stir fried vegetable with string beans and squash. That is the topped vegetable in this dish. The flavor is right for a bihon. The toppings are not that common for a bihon.
Meat, Chicken and Balut
This dish is good for one person alone. Not because the serving is not that big but because it was prepared right and you will definitely hug the bowl it was served on. It was slow cooked, for about 3 - 4 hours, making the natural oil come out and the flavor placed seep into the meat. The whole garlic head placed while it was being cooked is so soft that it was able to counter the oil of the meat. Served with a whole banana, to act as anti-umay, this is a winning dish for me. This is their version of Humba.
Tidtad (Php 298.00 per serving) is their mild version of what we commonly know as dinuguan. Unlike the normal dinuguan where in the blood is mixed well with the meat and set to boil, this is pork blood in small amount mixed with the meat, making it pale in color but still worth your time and palate.
Litsun Pata is their signature crispy pork hind (Php 520.00 per serving). Served with a dipping sauce making it perfect to be shared with family and friends.
Okwi or what we commonly know as okoy (Php 175.00 per serving) is papaya-cassava fritters with shrimp and onions on top. It has a crunch and sweetness due to the shredded papaya. The onion gave it a sharp counterpoint in terms of flavor. A good snack food!
Meat, Chicken and Balut
This dish is good for one person alone. Not because the serving is not that big but because it was prepared right and you will definitely hug the bowl it was served on. It was slow cooked, for about 3 - 4 hours, making the natural oil come out and the flavor placed seep into the meat. The whole garlic head placed while it was being cooked is so soft that it was able to counter the oil of the meat. Served with a whole banana, to act as anti-umay, this is a winning dish for me. This is their version of Humba.
Litsun Pata is their signature crispy pork hind (Php 520.00 per serving). Served with a dipping sauce making it perfect to be shared with family and friends.
There Kare-kare is the classic! Unlike other Kapampangan themed restaurant, they prepared their dish in such a way that you would know it is truly kare-kare. No surprise vegetable in the pot. Just your classic ingredients, prepared right and well. The ox tail is tender and juicy. Vegetables were not overcooked and the accompanying shrimp paste is not overpowering salty. Served at Php 545.00 per pot, this is already good for a small group to share.
Their Pepalukluk Manuk (seated chicken traditionally cooked steamed over a bed of salt - Php 415.00 per serving) and Kalderetang Bibe (spicy duck stew -Php 415.00 per serving) is best shared with family and friends. The chicken and duck meat are both tender and simply slides off the bone! The flavors on both dish are well defined that it is a delight to eat it with either plain nasi (rice).
 |
| Kalderetang Bibe |
Rice or in Kapampangan, Nasi, can be ordered in cups or in a pot or kaldero (equal to 4 cups of rice). You can either have it plain, with garlic, tabang talangka (fat of a small crab) or Nasing Marangle. Nasing Marangle is flavored rice with meat toppings and vegetable. It is a dish on its own!
Desserts
Apag Marangle, offers a good range of after dish cap that you can sink your teeth on. From Leche flan (s- Php 65.00, l-Php 175.00), to Buko Pandan (Php 75.00 per serving cup), to their two types of sherbet. There is something that you can satisfy your sweet tooth craving and cap the dinner well. They also have a dessert that is good for a group and that is Meyumuang Kamuti (Php 135.00 per serving- good for 3 - 4 persons). This is sweet potato cooked in coconut milk, made semi-sweet. For those who want to try something new, then you have to try their Itlog na Maalat Sherbet! It is creamy and has a balance of sweet and saltiness. The salted egg, when processed, gave off a cheese-like flavor! Try it out!
Drinks
They also have a good range of local flavor drinks that will not only match your dish but also quench your thirst! From classic drinks such as Sago't Gulaman to your common soda, hot drinks and beer, they have something for everybody regardless of age and gender.
* * *
After acting as host for The Big Difference Communication, the PR and Marketing arm for Apag Marangle, we surprised everybody on how we have set the food tasting. It was set boodle fight style. With whole banana leaves, serving as table mats, we have placed the food at the center and distributed it accordingly to ensure that everybody gets to taste everything. With no utensils, everybody is encourage to eat using their fingers and truly experience the bounty of Mother Earth - the reason as to why the place is named as such. You can also have the same boodle food experience every Monday at Park Square, Makati.
After the food experience, we then made them enjoy the desserts made available to all and make know as to why Apag Marangle is a Kapampangan themed restaurant cut above the rest.
Come and enjoy the food, the courtesy and the ambiance of this themed restaurant located at the busy part of Makati. Apag Marangle is located at Park Square, Ayala Center, Makati City with numbers of (02) 688 5812 and 0925 875 1100 for reservations and inquiries.
Mangan kang manyaman king libutad ning plaisdan!
Photos:
(All photos used were personally taken by me during the said event)
During the event
Apag Marangle, offers a good range of after dish cap that you can sink your teeth on. From Leche flan (s- Php 65.00, l-Php 175.00), to Buko Pandan (Php 75.00 per serving cup), to their two types of sherbet. There is something that you can satisfy your sweet tooth craving and cap the dinner well. They also have a dessert that is good for a group and that is Meyumuang Kamuti (Php 135.00 per serving- good for 3 - 4 persons). This is sweet potato cooked in coconut milk, made semi-sweet. For those who want to try something new, then you have to try their Itlog na Maalat Sherbet! It is creamy and has a balance of sweet and saltiness. The salted egg, when processed, gave off a cheese-like flavor! Try it out!
Drinks
They also have a good range of local flavor drinks that will not only match your dish but also quench your thirst! From classic drinks such as Sago't Gulaman to your common soda, hot drinks and beer, they have something for everybody regardless of age and gender.
* * *
After acting as host for The Big Difference Communication, the PR and Marketing arm for Apag Marangle, we surprised everybody on how we have set the food tasting. It was set boodle fight style. With whole banana leaves, serving as table mats, we have placed the food at the center and distributed it accordingly to ensure that everybody gets to taste everything. With no utensils, everybody is encourage to eat using their fingers and truly experience the bounty of Mother Earth - the reason as to why the place is named as such. You can also have the same boodle food experience every Monday at Park Square, Makati.
After the food experience, we then made them enjoy the desserts made available to all and make know as to why Apag Marangle is a Kapampangan themed restaurant cut above the rest.
Come and enjoy the food, the courtesy and the ambiance of this themed restaurant located at the busy part of Makati. Apag Marangle is located at Park Square, Ayala Center, Makati City with numbers of (02) 688 5812 and 0925 875 1100 for reservations and inquiries.
Mangan kang manyaman king libutad ning plaisdan!
Photos:
(All photos used were personally taken by me during the said event)
During the event
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