O'ini Authentic Kapampangan Cuisine Review
The province of Pampanga has a reputation as one of the big culinary hot spots in the Philippines. Known as the birthplace of the wildly popular sisig, it definitely has a rich culinary history. This is why I was happy to discover that O’ini Authentic Kapampangan Cuisine can be found just along Xavierville Avenue in Quezon City.
As I said, Pampanga’s claim to fame is the Sizzling Sisig. The kapampangan version doesn’t have any mayonnaise nor eggs on top. However, the creaminess comes from the pig’s brains that are mixed into the chopped up pig’s head. O’ini’s version didn’t disappoint. It was rich and flavorful even without the additional toppings.
Another Filipino classic is the Kare-Kare. The rich peanut sauce and the tender pieces of ox tripe made me ask for more rice. Clearly, this isn’t a place to visit while you’re on a diet.
One of my favorite Filipino dishes is the Kaldereta. While I make mine with beef, this dish is traditionally made with goat meat. You can sample the original version here in O’ini. I don’t usually like the bony cuts of goat but they used some good meaty pieces here. I liked it but I prefer a spicier, heavier sauce.
Bulalo is another Filipino favorite. The one here has very tender beef. You can really tell that the meat has been simmering for hours. The broth has a deep flavor that I love with some patis and calamansi.
If you’re looking for seafood options, they also serve a mean Crispy Hito with Balo Balo (buro). I don’t often encounter catfish on the menu so I was pleased to find it here. The Hipon sa Bawang is a sure crowd pleaser as well.
What really fascinated me about the menu at O’ini is the inclusion of exotic dishes like the Adobong Tugak (Frogs) and the Pelutung A Kamaro (Crispy Crickets). If you’re looking for a food adventure or you want to give some foreign friends a nice challenge, bring them here!
I was pretty creeped out by the crickets because they really looked lot like small cockroaches. OMG! However, I got the shock of my life. They actually tasted really good. I mean not just tolerable. They were good. I would go back and eat them again. I think they work well on top of steaming hot rice. The adobo flavor really comes through!
The frogs, quite frankly taste just like chicken! The torsos were stuffed with a meat filling so they tasted a bit like embutido. Otherwise, these didn’t taste unusual at all. It was just like eating chicken stuffed with embutido.
Watch the video below to see my friends and I try these two exotic dishes!
You can wash down your meal with some traditional Filipino drinks such as sago’t gulaman, guinumis and fresh buko juice among others
Overall, it was a great Filipino food experience. You can really feel the amount of history that had been passed down through generations through these recipes. This is definitely a place that you must try!
Overall rating: 4/5 stars
See their full menu on Zomato: