April 17, 2023
This unpretentious and straightforward carinderia comes to life during twighlight, with every one of the aluminum pots making up the night’s menu arranged on top of a foldable table that had been shipped on this side of the street shortly after 5 p.m. “It’s our turn when these stores close for the day. This is where we started,” Romualdo Cunanan, 72, the family business’s cook, said. They sell trademark food to customers who have arrived from work and want to fill their bellies with an affordable sumptuous meal after a long day’s job.
During the day, you won’t be able to notice the makeshift carinderia, which is located in the same spot as the façade of another restaurant named LBS Bakeshop and Kitchen. This is my second visit to this restaurant, not only for the cheap price, but for one of the best umami-rich tidtads in the area. Other dishes include the palabok, which is topped with a thick orange sauce made from chicken broth, and goto, which is prepared with guts, the same meat used in the tidtad. Tidtad, on the other hand, is to die for.
“This has been our family business for more than 50 years, long before all of those series of stores on the side emerged,” Romualdo explained. Romualdo learned to cook from his father, who was born in San Luis, Pampanga and ran a carinderia in palengki during the 1950s. “I was always in the kitchen helping to prepare our dishes that we sell”
-Romualdo Cunanan
The makeshift carinderia is brought through an owner-type vehicle from the Cunanan family residence in Cer-Hill Subdivision.“This has been our family business for more than 50 years, long before all of those series of stores on the side emerged,” Romualdo explained. He learned to cook from his father, who was born in San Luis, Pampanga and ran a carinderia in palengki during the 1950s. “I was always in the kitchen helping to prepare our dishes that we sell,” he shared. While he acquired to make tidtad from his parents, the tidtad they now serve is his own recipe. ” It’s an innovation I came up with over the many years I’ve been cooking it.” Romualdo added.
Romualdo’s technique begins by boiling the pig’s inner guts, particularly the stomach. When the meat has been tenderized, he will begin the sinkotsa process, which involves sautéing it with garlic, ginger, and onion. “I’ll start putting the guts once these three spices have turned translucent, avoiding roasting,” he explained. This is when he begins to gently mix the guts in a circular motion, causing them to wrestle with the ingredients until it absorbs the flavor and unifies them all.
“I don’t use water because the guts will excrete their own after they’ve been tenderized by boiling.” However, once it began to boil, I added vinegar without touching it for several minutes. “I start pouring the blood when it starts to boil with the vinegar.” Romualdo spoke up.
Romualdo had stated that the family business he shared with his sister Yolanda and Bong had been their source of livelihood, allowing them to send their children to school and finish college. My sister Yolanda was able to afford sending her children to school, and they have since graduated and are now contributing to the family. “It’s gratifying,” he said.(end)
Location map of the Cunanan carinderia. Take note that the carinderia only opens starting at 5: 30 pm, everyday.