Luyong: Panciteria that is good enough to be good

They say that change is good if it is for the better. I say, why change something for the better when it is already good? Beepers were good way back 1990's, but now that we have iPads and Blackberr-ies, beepers are not good enough anymore. Luyong, on the other hand, proves otherwise- that some things are better left the way they are.


Luyong is like a set from a classic movie where Nora and Tirso would usually meet during their afternoon breaks. With blue painted walls, echoing footsteps, concrete floor, pastel paintings of landscapes and horses, and that distinct chinese restaurant smell, everything around is "how it used to be".

We started with the Hototay soup. I've been hearing Hototay from movies, and the elderly, and some of my friends from the province, but I never really had one. My friend compared it with the Chinese egg drop soup, only with more meat. True enough, there was more meat than vegetables, and the meatball in particular, was really tasty. It made a good impression on a hototay foreigner, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

(TIP: When sharing the Hototay soup, grab the meatballs first. They disappear faster than you think.)

Then came the crab omelette (fooyong), chao fan rice, lechon kawali, and chopsuey, arranged in order of recommendation. The crab omelette was served with broth, (or so I thought it was) or maybe it was its sauce, but it wasn't heavy like normal sauces. Broth or sauce, it complemented the crab omelette.

The chao fan (solo P90), according to the menu was good for one to two persons. It was more than enough for three. Try mixing Hap Chan's chao fan with Aristocrat's Java rice, and you end up with Luyong's chao fan.  One good thing about it is that it never overpowers the other dishes despite its strong flavors.

The lechon kawali was served with a red sauce which wouldn't pass for a marinade, or edible. If my tastebuds are not mistaken, I'd say the sauce is spoiled. We asked for vinegar instead, and it was good. The serving was good for a P190 lechon kawali (compared to other restaurants).

We got a plain chopsuey, not the lechon chopsuey we ordered. And the chopsuey was okay. But not good enough to photo. ahahah!

***

Overall, Luyong was good. It's the kind of place you'd go to if you want to revisit your childhood favorites unscathed by modern flavors. If the Thesaurus dinosaur would find a similar word for Luyong, it would have been Panciteria, because that's what Luyong is. We Filipinos may not be proud of panciterias or our famous turo-turo, but these places dug the strong foundations of our food culture, and they deserve to be acknowledged from time to time.

Luyong did a good job at that, and that was good enough for me.

Price: around P150 per head

Food :                      ****
Ambiance:              *****

Service:                   ***

Cleanliness:           ***

Experience:            ****
Value for money : *****

Servings:                ****

Luyong is located along J.P. Rizal Ave., Marikina City, Metro Manila.