Hapag Vicentico’s, a Taste of Nueva Ecija’s Culture

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Food is always an element of culture and history of a certain place. You will definitely get an idea of the past by trying out the different foods being offered. For the province of Nueva Ecija, especially in the city of Cabanatuan, Hapag Vicenticoā€™s offers an all-out Filipino style dining experience. During our stay in Microtel Cabanatuan, we had dinner at Hapag Vicenticos to try their bestsellers and experience the elegant and stylish ambiance of the restaurant.

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ā€œAng Aming Handaā€, Hapag Vicenticoā€™s menu.

Known as the ā€œHapag Kainan ng Bawat Novo Ecijanoā€, it is serving locals and tourists for about a decade now and still continues to provide a unique dining experience to every guest visiting the place. As per my interview with the staff, it was once an ancestral house converted into a restaurant by the owner family. The restaurantā€™s name came from the patriarch, Engr. Jose Vicente ā€œTicoā€ Salazar Jr.

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Lobby and walkway between the dining halls.
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Vicenticoā€™s facade.

When you enter the vicinity of the place, youā€™ll notice that itā€™s just a typical old house in the province. But upon stepping inside the restaurant, you will be transported to a vision of the past with the presence of antique furniture used to adorn the interior. An old version of a bed, serves a waiting area for guests, is located in the balcony before entering the main dining halls. First thing to grasp my eyes were the different colored tables and the very rustic chairs. The whole structure of the restaurant was made up of woods but it is air conditioned inside. Windows manifest the famous Capiz shells and large curtains covering them.

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Colorful table tops with the friendly staff to welcome you.
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Antique furniture used to decorate the interior of the restaurant.

You will also notice on the upper part of the walls the different kinds and sizes of plates that were used as decorations. An old farm cart is the center table of the lounge in one of the halls. Old Singer sewing machines were also used as the base of the tables.

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Old Singer sewing machine used as the framework of the tables.

Their menu features varied food selections from Sinabawan (soups), Gulay (vegetables), Pampagana (appetizers), Ensalada (salads), Sikat na Sikat (dishes that made them famous), Pang-Ulam (main dishes) to snacks, desserts, ice shakes and drinks. They also have Pang-Pamilya servings which are good for 4-6 persons categorized into 3 sets: Sooo Pinoy Award Winners (Php 1350), Hapag Vicenticoā€™s Favorites (Php 1400) and Hapag Must Try (Php 1450).

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Numerous awards received by Hapag Vicenticoā€™s.

After taking enough pictures of the very unique style of the place, we ordered our food. We tried their best sellers Crispy Pata, Gising-Gising and Pinakbet. While waiting for our orders to be served, I found out that the restaurant has already received numerous awards from Sooo Pinoy having the Best Sinigang, Kare-Kare and Pinakbet dishes. The restaurant was also featured on some food magazines such as Appetite and Cook.

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Crispy Pata (Php 420).
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Gising-Gising (Php 130).

Then, food was served. The plate of the Crispy Pata was so hefty and was actually good for 4-6 persons. The dish didnā€™t fail to surprise me because the pork skin was really crispy and the meat was tender. The soy sauce with diced onions, garlic and calamansi added a great flavor to the meat. For the veggies, it was my first time to try the Gising-Gising recipe. The dish is similar to chop-suey having the same vegetables but of a different sauce. On the other hand, I have proven the award given to their Pinakbet. The dish has a unique sauce which is comparable to Kare-Kare having the shrimp paste.

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Pinakbet (Php 130).

For the drinks, I tried the Tico-Tico, which is actually a dessert not a drink for me. It is a buko pandan served on a common halo-halo glass with a Stick-O on it. I enjoyed it so much since there was a unique flavor on the milk that was used. Meanwhile, Karl ordered Buko with Caramel and Sir Joy had a Mango Shake.

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Together with Karl of Turista Trails and Sir Joy of Microtel Cabanatuan.

I really had a great time dining at Hapag Vicenticoā€™s not only with the scrumptious food served but with the atmosphere that the restaurant offers, a way of enjoying food, culture and history of a place at the same time.

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HAPAG VICENTICOā€™S

1077 Del Pilar Street, Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija
Website: www.vicenticos.com
Tel. No: (044) 600-3237 and (044) 463-0452
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Dinner at Hapag Vicenticoā€™s was sponsored by Microtel Wyndham Cabanatuan. Thank you very much to Microtel Cabanatuan, Maā€™am Lita Budomo (Resident Manager) and her staff for the very warm accommodation extended to us during our stay in Cabanatuan City.

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