Bale Capampangan

Photo from http://www.trendsandspots.com

On our way to a Pangasinan-Baguio family vacation I decided to explore the provinces we usually just plow through. My husband was supportive. We typically just have lunch at one of the stop-over restaurants, Luisita, or Isdaan in Tarlac.

I found Bale Capampangan through Google. It’s a buffet restaurant with a nice, warm ambiance and really reasonable prices – P195 for kids and P295 for adults. They had standard Filipino fare along with Pampanga delicacies.

Photo from http://www.jackiesangel.com

I’m not an adventurous eater – I did not try the snail dish. Of the dishes I sampled, I liked the spicy seafood one best. I had yummy halo-halo for dessert. It was simpler than what is usually available, with just sweetened bananas, sago, cereal and buko strips as ingredients. No leche flan and ube ice cream, this one!

I ordered fresh coconut juice. Be warned, you get what you ask for! It was just plain that – a half-opened coconut with a straw. I would have preferred it cooled and sweetened the way other restaurants adulterate their buko juice. I did not ask for ice or sweetener though, deciding it would be good for me to drink this pure thing.

I was happy we took our little detour to Bale Capampangan. It made me feel like we were enjoying life more, as opposed to rushing to our destination.

To get to Bale Capampangan, take the San Fernando exit from NLEX. From x road, turn right under the flyover to McArthur aka MNR. Soon after you pass the Subaru dealer the restaurant will come up on the left side of the street. If you see Jun-Jun’s, another popular restaurant, turn back coz you’ve missed it.