If you visited Haduan Falls or just happened to see the sights in Clark Air Base, then you may have worked up an appetite. At this point, you have three choices: Go to a fast food restaurant that can be found all over the country, get yourself a table at one of the more expensive and better looking dining areas in Pampanga, or try a hole-in-the-wall place.

Since we’ve been hiking for three hours to and from Haduan Falls, we figured that trying out one of Pampanga’s more famous hole-in-the-wall restaurants was the best way to end the day. So we packed the few stuff we had in the car and headed out to Macarthur Highway, where the village containing Mila’s Tokwa’t Baboy is located at.

Directions

If you are coming from Metro Manila and on the North Luzon Expressway, or NLEX, you need to go out through the Angeles Exit.

At the first roundabout, you need to get on Pandan Road. Once on this road, you will need to go to the very end, which will be another roundabout.

At this second roundabout, turn left to Macarthur Highway. Some of the landmarks you will pass on your right will include Honda Motor Sports, a Petron gasoline station, an O.B. Montessori school, and the Philippine Rabbit bus terminal.

After seeing the Philippine Rabbit bus terminal, keep an eye out for San Jose Street on the left side. You will need to turn left here as it is the entrance to Barangay San Angelo.

One inside the barangay, keep going then turn right on San Joaquin Street. Then keep going until you get to the corner of San Joaquin Street and San Andres Street. You will find Mila’s Tokwa’t Baboy at the intersection of these two streets.

To park, you will need to turn right into San Joaquin Street. Parking is just on the side of the road and in front of neighboring houses.

[Remember not to block anyone’s driveway.]

If you make a wrong turn along the way and get lost, you can try giving Mila’s Tokwa’t Baboy a call at +63 (45) 888-6727. This is what we did and they provided us with clear directions to their place.

Dining Area

It doesn’t get more hole-in-the-wall than this place. It isn’t a fancy sit down restaurant as it looks more like a converted house. In fact, some people may compare this to being a carenderia, or a canteen, than a restaurant.

The tables and chairs are made of mono block plastic, the waiters wore a simple t-shirt uniform and jeans, the walls were painted in plain white, and the screens were mounted on wooden frames; it looked so provincial.

And if that isn’t enough to convince you that it is just a converted house, the dining area was divided in to three parts. The first is a small area near the entrance outside. I am assuming this is where the locals can drink beer and smoke because they can see if friends or family are nearby and invite them over.

The second part is immediately to the right of the entrance. This area also appeared to be devoted to the drinking crowd as the place was a bit cozier with the smaller space and weaker lighting.

The third part to the left seemed to be geared toward families and big groups. Apart from the floor area being larger, the lighting was much brighter here.

Food

The menu was quite short and contrary to the volumes of pages I sometimes encounter with other restaurants.

The simple presentation of the food may falsely lull people in to thinking it is bland. However, when people bite into each dish, many may be surprised with the accompanying flavor.

Upon the suggestion of Mister and Missus Winefredo Rodriguez, we ordered the Sizzling Sisig, BBQ Tocino, Paco Salad, and the Beef Kaldereta. I was actually eyeing the Kalderetang Kambing but the waiter suggested I try the beef variety instead.

[I didn’t try the Toka’t Baboy as I preferred something to go with rice after our hike.]

We then added five scoops of plain rice because the three people I was with ate like birds. And this is despite walking three hours during or earlier visit to Haduan Falls.

One of the first things that surprised me about the place was the quick service. Given the full house and the number of dishes we ordered, I expected the food to take forever to arrive. Well that was not the case. After placing our order, I went back to the car and change the lenses of my dSLR so I could take pictures of the area. When I returned, the food was already laid out on the table.

[They are much faster than many expensive restaurants I have dined in.]

The second surprise for the evening was that the servings were bigger than what I had expected for a hole-in-the-wall. Due to their size, it was the first time in quite a while for us to carry a doggie bag home.

But like I mentioned earlier, the biggest surprise had to be that the food tasted the way it did. The Sizzling Sisig was crunchy and not soggy, the BBQ Tocino was flavorful, the Paco Salad was tasty, and the meat of the Beef Kaldereta was so soft, one didn’t need a knife.

[The sauce of the Beef Kaldereta wasn’t as thick as other restaurants’ though.]

Everything we ordered was spot on, but don’t take my word for it. A few steps from the entrance is a wall full of pictures of famous people who have tried the dishes at Mila’s Tokwa’t Baboy. These include movie stars, a famous chef, and a former first lady.

Oh, and just in case you are wondering, the prices are not at the hole-in-the-wall level because they can be considered high. The price range is from PhP 150 to PhP 350, with short orders starting at PhP 40 is a bit high, even by Manila standards. Notwithstanding the prices, the place was packed when we arrived for dinner.

I’m not sure if they take credit cards, so you may have to bring cash. To give you an idea of the cost, our bill composed of four dishes, five cups of rice, and a large soft drink bottle, set us back a total of PhP 1,128.

Final Thoughts

Today was a very, very good day. It was the first time in decades since I went on a hike. But instead of a mountain or cave, we went to a waterfall hidden within Clark Air Base.

After spending three hours walking and two hours swimming in the crystal clear waters of Haduan Falls, we worked up an appetite and decided to satisfy our hunger at Mila’s Tokwa’t Baboy.

After trying it out, I can think of no better place to end a good day at. The food was tasty, the servings were bigger than expected, and the service was quick. Everything we ordered just hit the spot for four very weary and hungry people.

However, it being a hole-in-the-wall may not appeal to everyone. Looking more like a converted house or canteen, people in search of ambiance will be better served elsewhere. But if people don’t mind the simple surroundings, this place provides an idea of what the best the province of Pampanga has to offer.

Must Do’s

• Try the Sizzling Sisig.
• Order the BBQ Tocino.
• Select the Paco Salad.
• Ask the waiter about the Beef Kaldereta.

Must Don’ts

• Do not forget to bring cash.

 

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We would like to thank Mr. and Mrs. Winefredo Rodriguez for arranging the itinerary.

One of the cozier restaurants in Boracay is the Globy Traveling Chef. From the outside, it looks quite simple, especially when viewing in under the noon day sun. But after entering its shaded dining area, it takes on a slightly different atmosphere.

And while we had already eaten here on our second day, it was also the last restaurant we dined in for our stay. And if that doesn’t seem strange, I must note that I try to make a conscious effort never to eat at any restaurant more than once. It’s not that the food wasn’t good, it’s just that I want to try as many places as possible for my trip to Boracay.

However, since it was our last day, none of us wanted to risk a new restaurant that may end up giving us stomach problems and ruining our good memories of Boracay. So we opted to go with a place that we tried out already.

Location

Globy Traveling Chef is a fairly young restaurant, having opened in late 2013. It is one of several restaurants with great beachfront property. Not only does it face the beach, it is a corner property with one side opening up to an eskinita, or small road.

The restaurant is located in Station 1 and is easy to walk to. Coming out of a place like Casa Fiesta, all one needs to do is turn left and walk a few meters.

It isn’t very big, which tends to add to it’s coziness. However, the flip side of this is it is sometimes overlooked by people looking for a meal. The sign is also high up on the building. With the noon day sun as a backdrop, it may be difficult see because it tends to blend with the clouds. The top part of the building is also unfinished, which may lead people to falsely believe it isn’t open yet.

Fortunately, the restaurant has a large version of their menu enclosed in a wooden stand in front of the entrance. And it’s size is what actually drew us to the place.

Apart from listing down the dishes, the menu includes the price of each dish so people can decide whether the food is within their budget.

Dining Area

The dining area isn’t too big and has a collection of padded free-standing chairs and benches attached to one wall. The furniture is made out of wood, with the chairs being surprisingly heavy.

[Yup, I let out a surprised groan when I tried to pull out my wife’s chair.]

There are ceiling fans in strategic places to help keep the place cool. And since it is a corner spot, two of its sides have wide doors that allow the breeze to pass through. So even under the noon day sun, the temperature inside isn’t too bad.

A bar is located at the innermost part of the dining area. This is also where the cashier is located and where most of the waitresses wait because it provides them with a clear view of the entire dining area.

Food

The restaurant offers a wide range of food to choose from. Some of its signature dishes include Brazilian Charrasco, French Coq Au Vine, Malaysian Nasi Lema, Moroccan Lamb Tanjine, and the Philippine Adobo. The menu also contained dishes from Korea, Egypt, Kenya, Russia, Germany, Columbia, Thailand, China, and India.

Our first visit was for lunch so we had hot soup, vegetables, and fried fish. For our second trip, we chose to have a Filipino breakfast there because of our flight. Our choices included Cornsilog, which is composed of corned beef, a sunny side up egg, and fried rice. Another one was Tocilog, which is composed of tocino, a sunny side up egg, and fried rice. In also included Tapsilog, which was made of tocino, a sunny side up egg, and fried rice.

[Got the naming convention yet?]

Their serving sizes are bigger than typical restaurants in the area. In particular, the rice was larger than the other places we visited. So for you heavy rice eaters out there, you may want to order one less cup because it may be more than you can finish.

Although prices are a bit higher when compared to the ones in Manila, they are about average for a place like Boracay. One needs to remember that Boracay is a small island and space is a premium here. The good thing about this restaurant is that you can eat as much as you want and never have to worry about not having enough local currency. Globy Traveling Chef is one of several restaurants that take credit cards so the whole family doesn’t have to keep counting their cash before ordering a meal.

Staff

The staff is very friendly and helpful. The service is more of the relaxed type instead of something with snappy military precision, making it a match for the leisurely atmosphere that Boracay has.

Having said that, if you find yourself to be extremely hungry and are looking for food that is delivered a bit quicker, you may want to visit fast food places along the eskinitas instead.

Final Thoughts

Globy Traveling Chef has quite a selection of food to cater to different types of customers. In our case, their Filipino dishes had the right taste and were bigger than we expected.

The two entrances allowed a bit of a breeze to pass through, making it a little cooler than other restaurants. Just like the rest of Boracay, the ambiance of the place was quite relaxed with the helpful staff working at a leisurely pace.

One of the most convenient things about the place is that it takes credit cards so people don’t have to bother taking cash with them.

Must Do’s

• Take it easy on the rice orders because the servings are a little bigger than normal.
• Make sure to ask if your credit card is accepted if you decide to pay through this option.