For the longest time, I was actually afraid to even try Cabalen. They used to be really popular for their exotic dishes like candied locust and crickets. I had no idea about Kapampanggan cuisine and didn't even want to consider it among my buffet choices. I wish I had been a little more adventurous earlier in life, I wouldn't have missed out on the many great things about Cabalen if I had.
Simply put, they are an affordable buffet restaurant offering purely Filipino dishes. While they do not have the outrageous food spread you'd find in other buffet restaurants in Manila, they do have very select dishes that are of really good quality. And in the world of food, quality will trump quantity every time. What's unique about them is that they continuously cook by batches. So, when you come in and there's kaldereta, sinigang, crispy crablets, kare-kare, dinuguan or whatever other Filipino favorite there is, the spread may be totally different an hour or two from when you start eating. They often replace dishes that have run out with new selections. While it may seem that the dozen or so viands on display are only a few, in reality there really is more than that, they are just not laid out all together.
What is consistently on display are their made-to-order sisig hotplates. I highly recommend the tofu sisig and the bangus sisig -- both are pretty unique as a sisig dishes. Their dessert buffets are also pretty consistent so you are sure to get halo-halo after your meal (in addition to other available Pinoy desserts like palitao or saba con yelo).
One more thing I love about Cabalen is the overall ambiance of the place. The old wooden chairs, the bright lights, the way the dishes are laid out in giant kawa or in platters lined with banana leaves -- it always feels like you're in the province enjoying fiesta with your family. read more