Trying Out Some Sumptuous Home-cooked Meals for the Weekend ✨

Hello! Welcome to another blog entry about food. Well, this quarantine period, all I’m doing is eat, sleep, work, do something, then repeat. During the first few months in lockdown, I attempted to work out more often but, looking at myself in the mirror it failed miserably. Haha! No complaints though, I am grateful that I have food on my table, work that pays the bills, and a shelter to keep me warm and cozy all year round.

Today’s feature is something special because this small business is from my mom’s friend, Tita Agnes. You see, I’ve known Tita Agnes since forever. She’s my mom’s good friend as they go to the same congregation and they have the same circle of friends. Her husband, Tito Milo was my late papa’s friend back in college so literally, I grew up seeing them hang out together all the time. To simply put everything, they are our family friend. I always see Tita Agnes as one of my mom’s most glamorous friends. Every time I see her, she’s always made up, with elegant accessories, and classy clothes. I sometimes go to her house before when they have afternoon catchup and “circle” session (discipleship meetings) and I remember sitting at their dining area marveling at their Latino/Spanish inspired house which reminds me of those houses I see in Mexican telenovelas where everything is beautiful and colorful. 

However, I never actually thought that she could cook. My mom never told me that she can cook until recently and like what I said, every time I see her, she’s always glammed up and with their house help around, it never occurred to me that she could cook and that she is good at it. What I do not doubt though is her impeccable taste. She is not just your ordinary Tita who goes to Mary Grace often for an afternoon brunch with her Amigas. She knows where the best restaurants are around the south and my mom always tell me where they would go to eat out. As boujiee as it sounds, Tita Agnes, my mom, and their friends always choose the most amazing restaurants to have brunch or lunch when things were still normal and they can all go out to hang out so, when my mom told me back then that Tita Agnes sells her homemade dishes, I never doubted if it will taste good. Also, my mom frequently orders her Pork Liver Pate and Brazo de Mercedes when she first started her small business. 

Luckily, today is my day because my mom ordered some of her dishes for me to try out. Disclaimer though, although my mom frequently orders from her, I haven’t tried her Pate and Dinuguan even once so this will be my first impression for the two dishes.

Pork Liver Paté (Php 350)

Let’s start with the Paté. I usually eat this when there are cocktail events that I attend to, with crackers or bread. This is the first time that I had a whole pot of Paté all for myself that I can eat whenever I want. Usually, the Paté that I get to try during events is dry and too salty for my palate however, when I tried out Tita Agnes’ Pork Liver Paté, I now get why this is my mom’s favorite. 

It has this smooth and creamy texture wherein it simply melts in your mouth in every bite of that cracker or bread. It has a balanced saltiness, that can tolerate a little more flavor when you pair it with your pasta or biscuits, perfect to open up your tastebuds for your entrée. I love how despite it being a pork liver, this paté doesn’t have the fishy or “malansa” after taste which often than not, stays in your mouth. 

I paired it with toasted sourdough bread and IT. WAS. BEYOND. DELICIOUS. I tried stopping myself to get another slice of sourdough since I just finished eating her Dinuguan paired with rice lol.

Kapampangan-Style Dinuguan (Php 250)

Speaking of Dinuguan, I also got to try her Kapampangan-Style Dinuguan. She is a kapampangan so you can expect this to be 100% authentic. I only eat two Dinuguan in the whole world. No matter how much you bribe me to eat a resto made Dinuguan, I will never do it. It’s not me being "maarte". It’s my stomach that keeps on acting up because as much as it’s immune to street foods, unfortunately, it is very sensitive when it comes to the restaurant made or carinderia dishes so I never trust anyone’s Dinuguan except for my mom’s or my boyfriend’s Lola’s. Imagine how hard it is to wait for someone either my mom or Lola Flor to make their special Dinuguan so when my mom asked me if I want to try out Tita Agnes’ version of this Pinoy classic, I immediately said yes. Of course, I’ll say YES because I know that even though Tita Agnes sells this dish, I can be 101% sure that it is clean, fresh, and safe for my sensitive stomach to consume.

True enough, it did not disappoint. I love how her Kapampangan-Style Dinuguan has a balanced serving of pork fat and “laman”. It doesn’t have that umay factor as it has a hint of sweetness to it to balance out the salty and sour flavor usually found in Dinuguan. As you can see in the photos, I don’t pair my Dinuguan with Puto because I love it on top of my rice!!! #TrueAsian

Brazitos de Mercedes (Php 200)

Last but not least is DESSERT. Dessert has always been my favorite part of the meal because, as you can see in my past blogs, I have a larger than life a sweet-tooth. No exaggeration there, I just love sweets because my mind is conditioned to think that sugar makes me happy and jolly and energetic. Don’t worry though, I’m trying to cut out my sweets slowly and just take it moderately because my family has a history of Diabetes and we don’t want that to be inherited from my father, right? 

Good thing, Tita Agnes’ Brazitos de Mercedes won’t give me some Diabetes anytime soon, unless I order this from her every day because this Brazitos is how Brazo De Mercedes should be. To be honest, this is my standard of a good Brazo cake because every time my mom orders this, I just love eating it, with or without coffee. 

You see, this Brazitos is not your usual fluffy ones, either with too much sugar, or no taste at all. I’ve tried many Brazos in my life and I won’t say what brand this is but there’s this cake shop where all I can taste in their Brazo is air and sugar. What made Tita Agnes’ Brazitos is how it is compact, not airy. The first time I saw it, I asked my mom why is it flat and looks small despite it long? She told me that it may look small and flat but when you eat it, it’s 100% cake and custard, unlike those commercialized ones that are 60% air, 20% custard, and 20% egg. When I got to try it myself, well, no doubt, its made with the finest ingredients, and who needs air in their Brazo de Mercedes anyway?

I also love how it is not too “eggy” or you can’t taste a hint of egg in it. Instead, you will taste the milky custard, and its soft and suave finish in every bite. I can pair it with my milk, coffee, or eat it alone because it has this perfect sweetness that is not overpowering or bland. Just perfect for someone who’s trying to cut down on their sweets, but who are we kidding, we need sweets in our lives HAHA.

Aside from the three dishes that I mentioned here, Tita Agnes also has Callos and Lengua on her menu. I’m not really a fan of these Spanish dishes since my uncultured tongue cannot eat the meat used for these dishes (beef’s tongue and tripe) but my mom got to try it and she loves it too. Looking at the photos, I can say that it looks so fancy and unanimously delicious too.

If you are looking for better-than restaurants homecooked meal delivered at your doorstep, especially this holiday season, you should try out these home-cooked meals by Tita Agnes. She doesn’t have a Facebook or Instagram page yet for her business but you can message or Viber her through this number: 09176255732. I hope she can start posting her business online like an “Agnes’ Kitchen” page or something like that because I swear she will give all the Tita restaurants a run for their money when she starts selling this online. I also think that judging by her Brazo de Mercedes cake, she can create some cheese roll that can compete with Mom & Tina’s or Mary Grace Cafe’s famous cheese roll because she knows how to bake perfectly!

Anyway, since I blabbered again in that last part, I just want to reiterate that you can contact Tita Agnes for orders through this number: 09176255732.

Always stay safe and remember to register to VOTE this 2022 elections 💖