“MAYBE WE really got the taste our dear cabalens, to stay for 16 years in the business serving authentic Kapampangan food is not easy but we are thankful and more committed to promote and preserve our cuisine.”
So thinks Chef Cherry Passion-Tan of Apag Marangle, the restaurant chain that has held more than its own amid the influx of many restaurants hereabouts serving not only Kapampangan but all sorts of international cuisines.
Like a great host, Chef Cherry made sure that her restaurant has something for everyone in a comfortable setting offering more homey, relaxing vibes to diners, amid a profusion of green plants. At its main store along Jose Abad Santos Avenue in Guagua, Pampanga, a choice of al fresco or air-conditioned indoor dining is available.
At 16, Apag Marangle has certainly elevated Kapampangan dining experience to an incredible level of appreciation for local flavors. Nostalgia plays a big role in Apag Marangle as it sets the tone on how its dishes came about – from locally sourced ingredients, preparations, cooking methods to serving the food all done traditionally.
“We bring back the joy and good memories of old recipes on the table. Like for sinigang, we use real tamarind or guava to give it that authentic tartness. It’s not simply Kapampangan food with a twist or what’s the trend now, it’s about what you miss eating that you can’t get anymore or what you miss from your childhood at grandma’s dining table. That is Apag Marangle – Kapampangan dishes in the traditional, old-school way,” shares Chef Cherry.
Her business partner Mark Navarro notes that all dishes here are served freshly cooked that’s why there is waiting time. “Good food takes time, as much in the preparation as in the eating.”
While waiting, guests can shop for artisanal food products and pasalubong like pititchan, mamon tostado, uraro and more. The famous Cusina Manuela Empanada and Tsokolate Batirol are available too.
At its 16th anniversary celebration last April 8, Apag Marangle hosted an intimate dinner for family and kin, bloggers and media. An exquisite, if extravagant, buffet spread welcomed the guests starting with the crowd favorite swam mais (Filipino corn soup with leafy vegetables and pork), followed by paku (fern) salad. On to bestsellers pork humba, sisig and inihaw sampler of grilled fish and meat with buro, steamed vegetables and atchara on the side. The DIY palabok station was a fun experience while halo-halo was the perfect ender for our feast. It was a fun way to customize your own dessert, mixing up the different textures and flavors of kaong, langka, sweetened saging saba, macapuno and nata de coco. Each concoction can be mixed with ube ice cream and Apag Marangle’s most famous desert – leche flan.
Apag Marangle also offers on-site catering within or outside Pampanga. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Main branch is located at JASA, San Juan Nepomuceno -Dalan Betis, Guagua, Pampanga. For reservations call 0922-8880568 or PM official FB page.
