EATS and SWEETS : San Miguel, Bulacan Culinary Tour! Part 3

San Miguel, the northernmost town of Bulacan, is known for its historicity as well as its many sons and daughters who have played important roles in the country’s path to independence. Biak na Bato, Maximo Viola, heritage and ancestral houses, San Miguel Archangel Parish Church, and Pablo Tecson are just some of the many names, places and things these town is known for. But aside from that, it is also known for its culinary heritage, especially sweets, from where the old name “San Miguel de Mayumo” came from (“mayumo” means “sweet).

I, San Josenyong Gala, was fortunate to be able to be a part of the San Miguel Culinary and Heritage Tour 2018 where a visit to the town’s some heritage sites as well as many food establishments serving culinary and modern cuisine was conducted. The food tour proved that San Miguel is indeed a culinary haven, and a visit to the town will not leave anyone hungry, or unsatisfied.

This 3^rd part (out of 4) features food places enough to whet your appetite during the most important meals of the day: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They are San Miguel's go to places if you want to have a full tummy and satisfying meals after or before touring the heritage town!

BJ Snack House

This is the very first place we visited during our culinary tour and it was just so perfect because we were hungry after a more than an hour trip from Metro Manila. It can be found right beside San Miguel's Aguas Potables (large cylindrical concrete water tank built during the American period and now considered a heritage landmark) at N0. 328, Victor St., Poblacion. 

BJ Snack House traces its history in 1979 when spouses Vivencio Cruz Chico and Felicidad Ligon Chico put up an eatery that mainly serves "Gotong Baboy", matched with their "Pan de Carne", a culinary specialty they created. Their eatery was a hit and many San Miguelenos became avid customers.

The eatery was named after Billy Johnson, Vivencio and Felicidad's grandchild from their only child Gracita Chico Dimacale who took over the business when Felicidad died. The business had been open to serve its customer since it was founded but unfortunately closed in 2007. Just recently, it was reopened by Jam, the youngest son of Gracita, with the help of his childhood friend Lei, due to the clamor of their former customers who wants to have a taste again of their famous gotong baboy and pan de carne.

Many additional dishes was added to the menu when it was reopened. It now has a plethora of snack items which include nachos, pares, footlong, mojos, pancit palabok, fries, lomi, mami, and many more! Aside from just being a snackhouse, it also doubles as a hip bar complete with mini-bar in the second floor.

We were served with a delicious, but not too salty, rice porridge complete with different toppings such as adobong atay, hardboiled eggs, lechon kawali, and chicharon bulaklak. For those of us who wants to eat rice, tuyo, buro, boiled okra, and fried tofu are also available. It was a Filipino breakfast feast to say the least!

One of the most famous snack item here is their "Goto Overload", a serving of their gotong baboy with 3 toppings according to the customer's choice. It is affordable for only 49.00 and a favorite of the many customers visiting the place. BJ Snackhouse can be reached through 0916-250-6995 ot through their FB page BJ Snack House.

THUMB'S UP

The sun is up and the weather so hot but it got hotter when we got to have our lunch at Thumb's Up. It was really hot because all of the dishes that were served to us has just been cooked while some others are in sizzling plates. That kind of hot is definitely the kind of heat I wouldn't want to miss!

It was past noon when we arrived at the place. It was good timing for there are only small number of customers left from the bustle of lunch time. We made ourselves comfortable while waiting for the food to be served to us and we were in awe because when all the foods were served - there's almost no free space in the table left!

To illustrate said awesomeness, here are the dishes served to us: Kilawing Tanigue, Sizzling Bulalo Steak, Pork Sisig, Sizzling Squid, Pancit Bihon, Biko (Bibingkang Malagkit), Atchara, and Kalamay sa Latik. Each of these has three servings for only 12 of us. I was so full after that sumptuous lunch!

Among all the dishes served, I liked the Sizzling Bulalo Steak most. The meat is so tender it easily falls off the bone. The gravy that was showered on the Bulalo complements the meat's taste perfectly making it more savory.

Their atchara is also not to be missed. It was delicate, not too sour, but leaves that "tang" in your mouth needed for you to enjoy your sizzling, fried, or grilled food better. We were told that said atchara was prepared by the owner's elderly relative who still follows the old way of preparing atchara. It can be said that it's a heritage food already!

Aside from what's served to us, they also have many other products for sale such as different sizzling plate meals; silog meals; soups such as sinigang, nilaga, papaitan; different noodle meals such as mami, pancit canton, spaghetti, carbonara; and pica-pica's such as chicharon bulaklak, calamares, chicken lollipop, and many others.

If you want to be full and satisfied just like us, a visit to this place is a must. They are located at Tecson St., Barangay Poblacion, San Miguel and can be reached at cellphone number 0915-865-3540. For full listing of their products, you may visit their Facebook page Thumb's Up!

RASTA TACO

And here comes a hole-in-the-wall goodness that only San Miguel can truly be proud of - Rasta Taco!

This joint, though named for their tacos, is more popular because of their chicken wings. It started as a snack stall on December 1, 2016 and grew popular since then. The owner, Mary Ann, shares that their recipes came from just watching youtube videos while infusing her own ingredients and style in their preparation. 

Their chicken wings come in 4 different flavors : sweet and chili, honey bbq, sri racha, and their signature flavor, rasta taco. And because I am fortunate to have tasted them all, I can definitely vouch for their superb taste. I actually find them better tasting than many of other restaurant's chicken wings. Theirs taste miles better than a korean-sounding name fastfood's chicken where only the chicken's breading has the flavor but the white meat inside is bland. Their best seller is the BFS - Buffalo wings paired with their equaly tasty Shawarma Rice. Their chicken wings can be ordered in bulk, and delivered to you in a bilao!

Aside from the chicken wings, their other product includes fries, beef taco, quesadilla, nachos, taco shells, and burritos. Their stall may be visited for take outs at 379 Rizal St., Barangay Poblacion. As of now, they don't have their own dining facilities yet but you can also order from them online or through mobile phone. Their number is 0917-960-5173 and their Facebook page is Rasta Taco. You won't regret trying their products, I promise!

READ THE PART 1 (Amazing Glaze Doughnuts, Milktea Network, Adam's Pizza) here: EATS and SWEETS : San Miguel, Bulacan Culinary Tour! Part 1

READ THE PART 2 (Cristy's Pastillas, Inay Goyena's Chicharon, Sweet Bulakenya Foods) here:EATS and SWEETS : San Miguel, Bulacan Culinary Tour! Part 2.