Tetok’s Food Haus: Tatak Original

Last time, we headed to Valenzuela to pick up some stocks we could carry from Metro Manila to Mindoro. We’ve been to this warehouse for a couple of times already. Little did we know that we’re already near Marilao, Bulacan, where an old carinderia we used to dine is situated.

Tetok’s Food Haus is a small restaurant in the humble barangay of Lias, located in Marilao, Bulacan. We found this place six years ago when we attended a birthday celebration nearby and since then, we visited the restaurant thrice already. They offer short orders, party-sized trays, local delicacies and home-cooked meals. Their specialties are Pancit Palabok and Pichi PIchi.

Nelia’s Pancit Malabon

For pancit dishes, they both serve Malabon and Palabok. Since this is Bulacan, we opted to order Malabon. Nelia’s Pancit Malabon seems pale and dry but every forkful is surprisingly full of flavors despite of having cabbage, meat and boiled egg as the only toppings. It’s the sauce that took me there because it was tangy and savory and the flavor just sit with it. It was infused with calamansi already so you won’t be needing any citrus to squeeze. There was just a bitter aftertaste, which was probably brought by the cabbage.

Pichi Pichi

It may sound cliché but I’m serious when I say that this is the best Pichi Pichi I’ve ever had! We actually thought that Amber’s Pichi Pichi holds the throne but it was actually Tetok’s that outshined more. The gelatinous balls were so soft that they just dissipated in my mouth, melted and slid down like a butter, leaving incredible flavors of cassava, coconut and cheese. Their Pichi Pichi is honestly the reason why Tetok’s Food Haus became memorable to us. Who would have thought that this plain eatery offers food as great as this?

Sapin Sapin | Puto

The Sapin Sapin was sweetened just right. It’s the softest and smoothest I’ve tried so far. I mean I’m familiar with Sapin Sapin since we also have this in our province but I didn’t know it could be better like this. You’ll know that it follows the traditional method because through its taste and texture, you savor the process. The toasted coconut curds topping was also done well. On the other hand, we also had Tetok’s Puto. It’s good but it didn’t left a mark. We have a better-tasting Puto in Mindoro.

Lumpiang Togue

The corner part of Tetok’s is an eatery that offers Filipino home-cooked meals. We bought pieces of Lumpiang Togue, which are deep-friend spring rolls with bean sprouts. This reminds me of some precious moments of street food, where you’ll break Lumpiang Togue in half and put vinegar inside before taking a bite. It has generous amount of bean sprouts and other vegetables inside the crispy and neat wrapper. The flavor was just way too intense. It was salty, especially for older adults like my mom.

Halo Halo

I’ve heard that Tetok’s is also known for their barbecue. But they were busy grilling for a bulk order so they weren’t accepting barbecue orders when we visited. We just ended our meal with Halo Halo. All these mainstream Halo Halo and I still prefer the one made in sidestreet eateries. It’s the one that has simple fresh fruits and ingredients topped with crushed ice, milk, ube and leche flan. I’m glad to find this Halo Halo here. Tetok’s version has a great serving of milk and has a balanced sweetness when mixed together so it wasn’t hard to love. This creates a delightful ending for our meal.