Dining at Abe Restaurant

Last night, our family dined at Abe restaurant in Serendra. I've heard so much about this restaurant and their place is always full. We assumed that the food is stupendous.

Hubby and Tito Boy were assigned to wait for a table while we, the ladies, are out shopping in Market!Market!

Abe is a Campampangan (from Pampanga) restaurant that got it's name from a Capampangan term for friend, companion and getting together. The place is a combination of old and new interiors. The walls are covered with black & white photographs, the swiveling chairs are comfy and modern. The tables are packed close together so it's a little tight to move around.

After an hour of power shopping, the men called us to say the table and the food were ready. Here's the lowdown on the food:



Crispy Tadyang (P425) is marinated beef ribs and then fried. The tadyang is tender inside and crispy outside. We all liked it. However, the crispy tadyang from Guava is still the best.

Asado Lengua (Ox tongue). For non-adventurous eaters and non-Filipinos, don't worry this is not the Fear-Factor quality tongue. Unlike the Asado of South America, the Capampangan version is not grilled but stewed in sugar and soy sauce. Abe's version had the right sweetness and saltiness. The tongue itself is very tender and is pleasant to eat. It's quite good but, my mom was quick to say "Mas masarap ako magluto". True. The lengua was good nonetheless.


Gule Magalang (P195)is stewed vegetables of kang-kong (swamp cabbages), string beans and pumpkin. It didn't look too appetizing but we tried it anyway. It's nice, but not too special.



Kare-Kare is also not bad. The meat is tender and the bagoong is home made and not too salty.


The Fried Baby Hito is fried young catfish served with balo-balo, or fermented rice. This dish was disliked by everyone. The fish had a muddy taste and the balo-balu is plain yucky...eeewww. When I saw my mom's face squirm when she tasted it, I knew it was really bad.


Steamed rice is bottomless. Sulit for the men dining there.

As we ate our meal my mom and uncle couldn't help but reminisce about the food of their childhood and how good it was. I know what they mean, I grew up too with my lola making special meals for us every Sunday.

Overall verdict?
Tito Boy: "We had much better food in our table growing up"
Mom: "Mas masarap ako magluto! Ang mahal, hindi naman ganun kasarap."

These are the comments coming from the children of Crispina Manalo, the greatest cook of all time. It's no wonder no restaurant could ever pass their discerning palates.