Remembering Larry
We were in awe of E. Aguilar Cruz when we started doing reportorial work, simply because he had that elegant authoritative look, and was then already recognized in the fields of literature and journalism. He was called ‘Abe,’ probably because he was Kapampangan. His son, Lorenzo “Larry” Cruz, followed the trail he blazed and went a step further. It was Larry’s recent demise that made us look back to the time he started as a restaurateur. While we met Larry in the our newspaper days, we came to know him better when he set up a restaurant called Cafe Adriatico, which was to blossom into a chain offering the best of Filipino food, specially those of Pampanga origin.
The last time we saw Larry was in Pampanga, at Everybody’s Cafe. We teased him about eating in a place other than his. With his typical smile, he said this was his weekend haven. He would spend a relaxing time in the house he built, away from Manila and where he enjoyed good company and delicious food, certainly complementing the cafe’s selection that would normally include frog legs.
The embutido, pork meat loaf, was and still is the signature dish at Adriatico, which we and our friends would frequent when we were working in the Malate area. The macaroni salad that went with it perfectly matched the loaf. And for dessert, we learned from Larry to take our Jaleang Ube with cream. Later he explored other areas, like the Milelong in
We had the chance to go and look at what the Duty Free Shop in Parañaque still has. There were lots of balikbayans, which was a good sign. They were crowding in the “signature” boutiques, but we did not tarry there and instead headed for the supermarket. We were disappointed that their frozen section did not have much to offer. Gone are the frozen meat (steaks, etc). There were some hotdogs, but the area really looked pathetic. Those who go for chocolates and biscuits would be happy here, because the collection is extensive. Some brands are offering freebies, like a rice cooker or a back pack, if you buy three bags of chocolates. Other than the usual butter cake, there is the Cafe Venezia brand, which produces a variety of cakes. We got the Tiramisu and were happy with it.
Merly has a fruit and vegetable store fronting the wet market in BF Parañaque. We were happy to get some of the big mangoes (from Pangasinan) at a lower price of P75 a kilo. We also bought two pilings of native saba bananas, at P2 per, five centavos cheaper. She also sells bibingka, either malagkit with kalamay topping or a combination of buko and cassava, at P180 for the big one and P150 for the small. The malagkit went very well with our lunch guests.
Having a hard time stuffing your rellenong bangus? Does baking or frying it give you nightmares because it would not turn in one piece, or the skin would get stuck at the bottom of your pan? Doing a hubad (undressed) relleno, as one friend of ours suggested and which we have adopted, is much simpler. Saute the ingredients as usual, and when done, arrange in a platter and serve. Maybe you can decorate it with sprigs of spring onions on the side. The sauce can either be catsup or a mixture of soy sauce, juice of calamansi, ground pepper and water boiled briefly in butter or margarine.
Prices are escalating fast. We heard an observation that in a week’s time, the price of meat has seen an increase of an average P25 per kilo. The good news is the cost of gasoline has gone down by P0.50 a liter, and LPG has followed.
Lately, we have been sending someone to do the marketing for us. We found this to be good in saving a few pesos, because only items on the list will be purchased. No impulse buying. The budget is then followed strictly.
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