Continue reading »]]>

Oh Lomi! With thick noodle soup, egg on it, chicharon and some friend pork belly and innards...sinful but delicious!

It was morning, and I just came from Laiya Beach. Dang! I had a hangover that morning…must have been that brandy I took when we were having a party with my officemates last night. Bad shot, stomach’s sour, head was heavy and the gravity on earth seemingly increased to 2Gs!I was hungry and I was really craving for that hot thick and rich bowl of noodle soup called Lomi, Batangas‘ answer to savory hot noodles like the mami and the batchoy (and of course, ang walang kamatayang instant noodles!). I was looking for one at San Juan town proper but the food shops are not yet open. So I went all the way to Lipa City, an hour away from San Juan, just to have that heavy soup!

Lomi is a hot, thick, noodle soup which is usually composed of thick noodles, very thick soup that is mixed with egg, some pork meat and innards, some have squid or fish ball or chicharon on top of it, and voila–belly buster, “calometric” fuel that would surely charge you with some energy (and raised blood pressure).  This soup is known to be a belly buster in Philippine cuisine. Despite serving it in a regular sized bowl, the thickness of lomi will really make you full for more than six hours I guess.

Lomi with onion, calamansi, (chili and soy sauce hidden) as condiments

In Batangas, if they serve it more than PhP50 (US$1.25),  that’s already enough for two people to consume! Sulit! Not only its heavy, its also affordable too!

Upon arriving Lipa City, the jeepney stopped near Lipa Cathedral or the Catedral Metropolitana de San Sebastian de Lipa. She’s an icon for this city, and her cupola or dome dominates the city skyline.

San Sebastian Metropolitan Cathedral in Lipa City

I was avoiding the temptation of expensive fastfood lurking at downtown’s streets. I went here for lomi, not for burger! After passing by the church, I immediately ask local tricycle drivers where can I get the nearest lomihan or carenderia/canteen that serves lomi. They all pointed to Kalaw Street where there is a carenderia in which most tricycle drivers have their sumptouous meal of lomi. Di naman ako maarte, so I went on street food 101–dyan lang sa karendieria nila ate!

Ate was able to give me lomi for only P35! With calamansi, sili and toyo as condiments, I had a happy breakfast. Chicharon cracking in my mouth, savory pork and that warm and thick bowl of noodle soup just pacified my tummy! I was satisfied and I feel lighter (from the hangover)! Lomi’s the best tummy filler whenever you’re in a hurry in Batangas! Buurp!!!

Continue reading »]]>

Black Saturday, the whole Philippines (well except for some pockets of it) is at its somber state. Having a big Catholic population, the economy would correspond to the religious needs in this country. Because no business whatsoever will be done for the day, my barkada (peers) and I decided to visit several heritage sites in the province of coffeebeans and balisongs, Batangas.

7:00AM. Assembly time. Good thing walang traffic. The bus terminal at Buendia corner Taft Avenue in Pasay City is not filled unlike the previous days. So, off for a 2 hour sojourn for Lipa City, ate Vi’s hometown and known for the miracles at Carmel. A bus ride from Manila to Lipa would cost you more or less PhP150+/- for air conditioned trip.

Catedral de San Sebastian de Lipa. We disembarked near La Salle Lipa, the hub of transport going to downtown Lipa City. At first we were searching for Ate Vi (mga diehard fans ba? hehe!!). Our first stop is the Cathedral of Saint Sebastian.

Being the ecclesiastical seat of the Archdiocese of Lipa which occupies all of Batangas, it is the center of religious activities of the said archdiocese. The current church itself was built under the supervision of an Agustinian priest named Benito Varas OSA which started from 1856 all the way to the last days of the Spanish colonial era at 1894. It’s magnificence was partially destroyed during World War II and was restored after the great diluge.

The Cathedral today, featuring a very tall belfry and a baroque facade and a dome (which was not present at the original plan), it has somewhat emulated the skyline similar to that of the Vatican City. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why it has earned the title of being the “Rome of the Philippines.”

The Miraculous Rose Petals of Carmel. Who would not have remembered the miraculous falling of the rose petals in Lipa? So after a visit to our first church of the day, off we go to the Carmel Convent which according to the locals, is just a few blocks away….and a few blocks away….man, these locals are so used in walking, ang layo pala! But our walking was rewarded with refreshing veranda, chapel and atmosphere of the said convent. The story is that in the late 1940′s, a nun had received an apparition from the Blessed Virgin Mary, and as a manifestation of Her power, rose petals with her face fell from nowhere. The Batangueños believed it was a miracle. Since then, thousands of devotees seek the tranquility of the said convent.

Actually after Carmel Convent, we decided to go to Padre Garcia instead of going to Batangas City. So may part 2 pa tayo dito sa Lipa, the hometown of Ate Vi, miracles and coffee plantations. So stay tuned.