The One & Only; Marikina

FOODS: Deliciouso~ By Lou Iris Lausingco

Puto Ng Marikina

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Marikina is very famous for its puto. These puto are not like any other puto. Marikina’s puto is combined with a kutsinta like texture and taste that makes it very unique and fascinating to eat as a snack. Their puto at first looks like kutsinta because of the color. Even if it this puto looks very different from the usual white puto, it really is puto with cheese on top.

To top this off, we featured a very outstanding puto shop in Marikina which is Belen’s Puto. Belen’s Puto was originally a lechon shop until the owner Aling Belen got ill and needed an extra amount of money for her medicinal maintenance. She say’s “This business does not really add much to our daily income but what we really want to prove is that we use high quality ingredients. We also make sure that our products are clean”.

Aling Belen says that the uniqueness of Marikina’s Puto is that they do not use food coloring to create that orange-brownish color of the puto. Instead, they use “asuete” which is a Filipino spice that naturally causes things to color orange-brown. They say it is the best way to color a Marikeño puto since it is not a chemical that will badly affect one’s health.

If you want to try out a new kind of Filipino-merienda-dessert, then go grab a bite of Marikina’s puto! Enjoy a soft gummy enchanting flavor from a native dish of our own! Tara, punta na tayo sa putohan, PUTO na diyan!

Macky's Goto

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Tired of watery lugaw lacking that flavor you’re craving for? Rush and immediately taste Macky’s Goto located in 290 J.P. Rizal St., Sta Elena, Marikina City! This gotohan is very famous for its delicious goto and tokwa’t baboy that will astoundingly delight your taste buds.

After attending morning mass from the famous Our Lady of the Abandoned Church or the so called OLA, my friend and I got hungry. We hunt for for some native Marikina breakfast and so we headed to Macky’s Goto. Just thinking of the food that the welcoming and joyful staff of Macky’s will serve us made us drool. Thus, we rushed for it! The reality to grab and have a great breakfast meal! The warmth of their goto and the soothing taste of their other breakfast dishes will surely awaken your sleepy-headedness and rejuvenate your gloomy soul.

Of course, Macky’s is not only known for their great goto and tokwa’t baboy. They also serve great lunch and merienda dishes especially during Mondays. I do not know what is so special about Mondays but it is the start of a new week… So… let’s all eat up at Macky’s!

Kusina Ni Kambal

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I was invited to a promenade wherein the caterer is Kusina Ni Kambal. I was not very familiar with this caterer but I have been hearing from people that the food they cater taste really amazing. Plus, it’s an eat all you can buffet. Well, isn’t that great? Having me as one of their guests who is really fond of food, I really love that! I would love to come back for more especially if the food you gave me tastes great! Just like that! Bravo I say.

After my friend and I went to Macky’s Goto to have some breakfast, we immediately proceeded to Kusina Ni Kambal which is just near by. Since my friend is a family friend’s of the owner of Kusina Ni Kambal, I asked him if it would be okay if he leads me into an interview with Tita Irma (the owner and founder of Kusina Ni Kambal). Without hesitation, he brought me there and as I stood in front of the owner, I was startled as she was very neat and kind.

She told me that it was just an accident that Kusina Ni Kambal was founded. The story went like this as she narrated:

 “I went back to Marikina and I do not really know anything to do. The building where in Kusina Ni Kambal is standing until today was under renovation back then and the owner was my mother’s twin. My mother’s twin offered me this building after it has been renovated but she asked me, “What will you do with this building?” and there was the start of my business. That was July 1, 1988. From then, it has been 22 years. We chose to continue this business because this is really where we started. Food is a very broad kind of business. Before, Kusina Ni Kambal was just a food stall. It was as if we were just a canteen-style food stall and our food was only very limited.

Our customers in our little carinderia started to request if they can order a large amount of food then some also asked if we could just cater their parties. Dun nagsimula. We pursued with this business because we saw that this is it, I mean ito na yung linya naming talaga. We are proud and happy with what we are doing.”

Owner and Founder
-Irma San Miguel
 
Many reviews say Kusina ni Kambal’s dishes are really amazing and cheap, which is absolutely true! Kusina ni Kambal is located in 5 W. Paz corner Marcos Streets Sta. Elena, Marikina City. I personally tasted food that was catered by Kusina ni Kambal in a Senior Ball and I could honestly say it was great! They serve really spectacular food which makes Marikeños very proud. People from outside the city were also surveyed and they say they would be wanting to come back for more food in the Kusina ni Kambal’s menu. If you are hungry for Filipino and foreign dishes that are very affordable, come and join me in patronizing Kusina ni Kambal!  Dishes prepared here are from the bottom of the staff’s hearts and they are always ready to serve you with a serene smile.

Trivia:
Did you know that Kusina ni Kambal has a branch which is also located inside Marikina City? It is a beautiful place to celebrate mini parties in and a place where you can have your quiet time.  Inside Kapitan Moy Cafe, you will find this awsome place known as Cocina. Like Kusina ni Kambal, it is a restaurant that offers great catering service!