It was a joyful moment when I happened to see this restaurant while walking around the area. Since my father is from Pampanga I knew what Cabalen means, and I also know that Pampanguenos are great cooks. I just had to go in.
Imagine my surprise to see that it's a buffet. There are appetizers to choose from and of course lumpia Shanghai is there. Many vegetable and meat dishes which include Filipino mainstays like adobo, dinuguan, karekare, pancit, pinakbet. I was also happy to see lechon kawali. Then there are choices of fish cooked different ways (smoked, grilled, fried).
There are also several choices of juices which are much too sweet for my taste. I had to dilute my cucumber juice with more water. For every glass of juice, I used a full glass of water. It was that sweet!
I was happy to see that I can make my own halo-halo and in my case I used less shaved ice and more ingredients. Too bad they didn't have ube or leche flan as toppings but I was still satisfied.
The staff was welcoming and attentive. Love that everyone gave such a hearty and warm greeting to people who walked in.
If I were to make one change, it's for them to find a way to keep the hot dishes warm. It's a turn-off to eat nearly cold food meant to be served hot or at the very least, warm. read more