*reposted from my old Multiply blog dated July '08.
An Abe Fiesta
Some say that Filipinos do not have a ‘royal cuisine’ unlike our Asian cousins like the Thais, Koreans, Indians, and the Chinese, but for me, I would say that an authentic Filipino cuisine is the one found up north, in the distant plains of Pampanga, which I’ve dubbed the ‘Kitchen of the Philippines’.
Time has revealed that when you see a Filipino restaurant, chances are you would find that some of the menu does have a hint of Pampanga. Cabalen, Kamayan, Mangan all do have some of their dishes trace their roots to a Kapampangan kitchen.
Well, I am glad on the new addition to the line of Pinoy restaurants that serves delicious Filipino food.
Let me introduce you to Abe.
Abe is a Kapampangan word which means ‘friend’.
Abe, who is owned by Larry Cruz, caters Filipino cuisine, specifically from a Kapampangan kitchen.
He named Abe after his dad, E. Aguilar Cruz.
Abe belongs to the famed LJC Restaurant Group, a well-renowned restaurant group who also owns CafeAdriatico, Café Havana, Bollywood and Fely Js Kitchen which he named after his mom.
Since, it belongs to the LJC group, you will find other best-selling entrée items which came from Abe’s sister restaurants.
Having a meal in Abe is very relaxing and gastronomically-satisfying for me.
I love the ambiance and usage of soft lights. There are window blinds that can be lowered whenever you get blinded by the daytime glare outside. Attentive servers always stand ready to serve you. There are also displays of family pictures of Larry Cruz’ clan along the perimeter wall of the place. Even though the atmosphere can go upbeat due to many diners, the atmosphere is still very cool and cozy. Definitely, it’s a good place to have a good Pinoy meal.
The menu is very descriptive. It’s quite difficult to choose from all of the entrees since all of them look mouth-watering.
For our lunch we ordered, Sinuteng na Baby Squid, Crispy Tadyang, Pastel de Lengua and Tamarind Shake plus bowls and bowls and bowls of steamed rice. Believe me, we ate like it’s a fiesta!
Sinuteng na Baby Squid came in as our appetizer. Sinuteng, a Pinoy ( I think it’s a Capampangan) word that is the corruption of the word ‘sauté’ is a dish made of baby squids sautéed in squid ink, olive oil and garlic plus a hint of red chilli. This is supposed to be an appetizer but a typical Pinoy can survive on this as his viand topped on his rice. The seafood dish tastes well. No fishy aftertaste and not too oily. The squid also are not ‘makunat’ or tough and they are perfect to be eaten as is.
An Abe Fiesta
Some say that Filipinos do not have a ‘royal cuisine’ unlike our Asian cousins like the Thais, Koreans, Indians, and the Chinese, but for me, I would say that an authentic Filipino cuisine is the one found up north, in the distant plains of Pampanga, which I’ve dubbed the ‘Kitchen of the Philippines’.
Time has revealed that when you see a Filipino restaurant, chances are you would find that some of the menu does have a hint of Pampanga. Cabalen, Kamayan, Mangan all do have some of their dishes trace their roots to a Kapampangan kitchen.
Well, I am glad on the new addition to the line of Pinoy restaurants that serves delicious Filipino food.
Let me introduce you to Abe.
Abe is a Kapampangan word which means ‘friend’.
Abe, who is owned by Larry Cruz, caters Filipino cuisine, specifically from a Kapampangan kitchen.
He named Abe after his dad, E. Aguilar Cruz.
Abe belongs to the famed LJC Restaurant Group, a well-renowned restaurant group who also owns CafeAdriatico, Café Havana, Bollywood and Fely Js Kitchen which he named after his mom.
Since, it belongs to the LJC group, you will find other best-selling entrée items which came from Abe’s sister restaurants.
Having a meal in Abe is very relaxing and gastronomically-satisfying for me.
I love the ambiance and usage of soft lights. There are window blinds that can be lowered whenever you get blinded by the daytime glare outside. Attentive servers always stand ready to serve you. There are also displays of family pictures of Larry Cruz’ clan along the perimeter wall of the place. Even though the atmosphere can go upbeat due to many diners, the atmosphere is still very cool and cozy. Definitely, it’s a good place to have a good Pinoy meal.
The menu is very descriptive. It’s quite difficult to choose from all of the entrees since all of them look mouth-watering.
For our lunch we ordered, Sinuteng na Baby Squid, Crispy Tadyang, Pastel de Lengua and Tamarind Shake plus bowls and bowls and bowls of steamed rice. Believe me, we ate like it’s a fiesta!
Sinuteng na Baby Squid came in as our appetizer. Sinuteng, a Pinoy ( I think it’s a Capampangan) word that is the corruption of the word ‘sauté’ is a dish made of baby squids sautéed in squid ink, olive oil and garlic plus a hint of red chilli. This is supposed to be an appetizer but a typical Pinoy can survive on this as his viand topped on his rice. The seafood dish tastes well. No fishy aftertaste and not too oily. The squid also are not ‘makunat’ or tough and they are perfect to be eaten as is. 
Crispy Tadyang was served next. The Crispy Tadyang is a deep-fried marinated beef ribs. This is cooked in a way a crispy pata is cooked. The meat is very flavorful, crispy and not tough. This dish comes with a cup of vinegar-based dipping sauce plus a side dish of their homemade atchara (julienne papaya marinated in a concoction of vinegar, sugar, peppers and ginger). For me, it is perfect if eaten with their atchara and of course a bowl of rice. A perfect ‘pampabata’! The dish can also serve as a good pulutan. The serving is quite big that is why it can be shared by 2-3 people. You can also share it so as to distribute the guilt of eating a pampabata dish, just kidding! 
Pastel De Lengua was the choice of my girlfriend. I am no fan of lengua but when I tasted Abe’s version, I love it! I love it because it tasted in between the usual Lengua that my lolo cooks and the Callos. The meat chunks are served generously. Plus there are also slices of chorizo bilbao and vegetables that accompany the meat chunks. One comment though, the pastry is missing but nevertheless the meal itself is good. The sauce can already serve as a viand if you top it on rice since it is very flavorful.Unlimited bowl of steamed rice which is constantly refilled by the attendants is offered here. During our visit their, I consumed around 3 servings of rice for the reason that the food is superb.
Tamarind Shake was ordered as our refreshment. You might be wondering, or some might frown at the idea of a tamarind shake but let me share to you how it tastes like. Tamarind shake taste like a tamarind candy that was put into a blender then served chilled with crushed ice. Now this is good! I like it since its sweet-tangy flavor neutralizes the oily after taste of the Crispy Tadyang. It also provided me with a good cooling effect from the blistering tropical heat during our visit.Other specialties that they offer includes, Paco Fern and Tomato Salad, Spicy Sisig Pampanga, Kare-Kare, Bamboo Rice, Binukadkad na Tilapia and many more. They also have Chinoy dishes a la Ongpin-style like White Chicken.
Abe’s service is very good and fast. Our attendant, Eds, was very helpful in assisting us and providing us a vivid description of their dishes. This helped us to have an idea on what to order. The fare is quite an upbeat but they will definitely make you feel your money’s worth. Abe is really an ‘Abe’ to keep.
One suggestion is that they need to restructure their comfort room since it is a bit tight and a person who is more than 5’7” will have his head bumped against the ceiling.
I suggest that if you want to go there, try to make it at least 1130AM for lunch or 530PM for dinner if you want to have a good seat since it gets full on meal times or better yet, drop them a call for a reservation if you’re into a date or other important celebrations.
Overall, I am recommending this place to everyone. Abe is a great place to dine in. We will definitely come back to this place to try their Kare-Kare (our neighboring table ordered it and it looks delicious), Sisig and their Bamboo Rice.
See you there, Abe!
Abe Restaurant
Ground Level
Serendra Piazza
Mc Kinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio
Bonifacio Global City
Taguig, Metro Manila
Phone Number: 856-0526
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