With different fast-food chains drastically penetrate all areas of the country, Tarlac still manages to recreate their own food and retain the local flavors that they offer to their visitors. Having gastronomy in the province provides another dimension of delight. If you’re in the area, keep an eye on these restaurants.
VES Food Resort and Villas
V.E.S. started as a simple food house in 1994 and became the talk of the town with its authentic sizzling, exotic Filipino cuisine and elegant yet affordable meals. It is perfectly built with a laid-back ambiance, having a lagoon, garden, and an uplifting landscape.
What I enjoyed from the buffet was the ever surprising Pako Salad having salted eggs and shrimp. The food house also offers Kalderetang Ostrich. Unlike the usual meat of fowls, the meat of the ostrich is somewhat similar to beef. Highlight of the lunch was the roasted organic pork “lechon” with its crispy and crunchy skin.
V.E.S Food Resort and Villas
588 Jimenez St., Sto. Domingo II, Capas, Tarlac
(045) 491-3467 / 0917-800-8816 / 0917-800-0943
www.vesfood.com
Dampa sa Tarlac
Perfect place for family bonding while devouring sumptuous seafood or boodle fights is the newest addition to Tarlac’s known food places, the Dampa sa Tarlac located along the McArthur Highway.
Aside from seafood counter with numerous kinds of fish, the restaurant also has a fast-food counter, dinengdeng bar with fresh organic vegetables, and a ready to cook station. The boodle fight we’ve got to try includes wide combination of their menu: crispy fried tilapia, pork barbeque, calamares, grilled catfish, buro with mustasa, mango salad, pork sinigang served in a coconut, pinakbet, and garlic buttered shrimp and green mussels (tahong).
Dampa sa Tarlac Seafood Restaurant
McArthur Highway, San Rafael, Tarlac City, Tarlac
0922-898-0908
Primadeli Ristorante
For a diverse food experience, drop by Primadeli Ristorante in San Vicente, Tarlac City that offers fusion of Western and Asian cuisines.
The degustation was started with a Shitake Soup (Php 99), a crème soup flavored with Japanese mushroom topped with bacon bits and garlic croutons. Appetizers also include the Julius Caesar Salad (Php 109) which is Cajun chicken strips wrapped with lettuce and stuffed with carrots and tomatoes, and Beef Nacho Grande (Php 199) corn chips topped with beef, tomato salsa, and melted cheese.
For the entrees, the chef prepared Paella Valenciana (Php 420), Goat Rendang (Php 288), Marinara Seafood Pasta (Php 199), Chicken and Pesto (Php 159), Vietnamese Spring Roll (Php 165), Smoked American Ribs (Php 299), Texas Ribs in Mustard BBQ Sauce (Php 499), and Chicken Lemon Grass Rosemary that set us all into food-coma due to the delectable and the amount of food we have taken.
Primadeli Ristorante
San Vicente, Tarlac City
0923-3403-761