Cabalen

My brother and his wife met with me at Cabalen last week. They treated me to eating all-you-can in Cabalen Trinoma Branch. 

That was their first time to travel to Luzon as husband-and-wife since they got married last year. Now they are based in Mindanao and establishing their residence there.

I find it fun eating in Cabalen as I prepared my tummy for lunch and at the same time my breakfast. So good, it was free for me. 

Cabalen is a chain of Filipino restaurants. Its other brands also include Mangan.

Eating All You Can

Shabu-Shabu and Grill. Yes, the term is shabu-shabu. First time I heard of the word, I thought of what? Methamphetamine hydrochloride. Sounds weird but that's what I thought of really. 

Three years ago, I ate in an all-you-can restaurant and spa in Pasay City, the one with shabu-shabu. I did not enjoy the food because first and foremost, I was alone. And then, I did not know how to cook with the shabu-shabu. I just watched the buthane gas in front of me then. Instead, I just took some foods that I knew and familiar with me. While other enjoyed cooking, I just enjoyed watching them.  

I was among the not so many Filipinos who were in that spa and restaurant during that time. The rest were mostly Koreans. I thought I was the one going there alone, I saw few Koreans and Japanese too, alone. The point is, while I enjoyed the spa, I did not enjoy the food. Eating is really not so fun while being alone.

Last week, I visited another shabu-shabu and grill - now, in Quezon City. I was glad to go there not by myself but with a company of several people. I was not alone, hence I enjoyed the foods. I ate a lot, and learned what they did with the shabu-shabu. 

Tong Yang in Eton Centris, Quezon City.

Thanks to the accommodating waiters of Tong-Yang in Eton Centris. I enjoyed so much the kimchi. I ate kimchi in Malaysia before and in Japan when I went there. And last year, I ate kim-chi in Makati. Sounds funny? Yes. The minimum gap is a year before my next kimchi tasting.

Kimchi

I thought of what will I do with those raw and uncooked foods. Shall I take the cooked yang chow together with crabs without efforts of cooking? Or shall I sample with those fish bellly? Now I know what to do. Now I know how to do it. Indeed funny for an introvert like me. Maybe not introvert but frugal mom like me. (Explaining...)

What do you want to cook?

This is the difference between the Philippines and other European countries. Food is affordable anywhere. Fine dining is fun. Eat-all-you-can restaurants are cheaper. You don't have to book for a month before you can get seated for a fine dining. Just have money and you can go to a restaurant of your choice. It is indeed more fun dining in the Philippines. 

For other eat-all-you-can restaurants, you can also try Dad's with one free buffet for every group of ten and Kamay Kainan with authentic Filipino dishes.