It is not surprising then that this tradition is not lost with the Filipino diaspora the world over — and the ones in the Kingdom are no exception. Jeddah alone has its fair share of Oriental restaurants, although more often than not, Filipino dishes are simply embedded in menus with international and fusion cuisines.
To get the full experience of Filipino dining on this side of the world, you can bet your hard-earned riyals on Lapaz Batchoy Restaurant and Bakery. The restaurant has been a popular haunt not just for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their families in the Kingdom but also non-Filipino foodies since 2009, when it first opened its doors in Riyadh. A branch in Jeddah was soon set up, and a third launched in Alkhobar in January 2011.
Inside Lapaz Batchoy, one is reminded of Manila’s better friendly neighborhood eateries with its otherwise nondescript layout punctuated by colorful accents, including a fully loaded fish tank — a common sight in Filipino households. The chatter of regulars — families, friends, students, civic organizations and other groups — has a way of somewhat staving off homesickness, evocative as it is of the din on Philippine streets.
While the place is hardly new, its two Filipino cooks update the menu every two months so patrons can enjoy new dishes alongside established favorites. For the uninitiated, the eponymous lapaz batchoy is a tasty noodle soup that consists of chicken breast and beef bits, boiled egg slices and round yellow noodles, specially made daily to ensure freshness and quality. The soup must not be regarded as a simple appetizer; it is filling and may be considered a meal in itself. Its name is derived from the district of La Paz, found in the province of Iloilo in the country's Western Visayas region.
Another of the restaurant’s four specialties is the Bacolod chicken inasal, or grilled chicken (one-half) best dipped in soy sauce or calamansi, a yellow-green citrus fruit endemic to the Philippines. It also goes well with atchara, a condiment made of grated and pickled fruits and vegetables. Just like lapaz batchoy, chicken inasal also counts Western Visayas as its provenance, coming from Bacolod City in the Negros Occidental province.
The other two specialties are the sizzling sisig, a mixture of beef parts presented piping-hot — the marinade hisses as it arrives on your table — and kilawin tanigue, which is raw but fresh Spanish mackerel marinated in vinegar and mixed with vegetables. It is said to be the equivalent of ceviche popular in coastal South American regions.
Most of the restaurant’s main offerings — grilled and daily specials, value meals and signature dishes — come with a cup of rice, a staple of the Filipino diet. Another perennial favorite is the pancit, mostly dry noodles peppered with a variety of ingredients and enjoyed best with, again, a squeeze of calamansi. Pancit choices are, in order of thickness: sotanghon, bihon and canton. The bestseller is the mixed pancit; tray orders of this serve up to a group of 11.
Of course, there are absolute must-tries. Foremost is the adobo, brownish stew that can be either sweet or sour, or both. Another popular dish is the sinigang (stew or soup whose sour kick it owes to tamarind), which Lapaz Batchoy offers with a variety of meat options like beef, shrimp and more than one type of fish. Then there’s kare-kare, peanut-based stew that is traditionally prepared in a clay pot and comes with vegetables and meat.
Stews are obviously big on the menu; even beef steak is not served dry. Try the Bistek Tagalog, usually topped with onion rings, making the dish all the more aromatic. Chopsuey is another signature dish, basically a mix of vegetables with a sprinkling of seafood and chicken bits.
There are certainly a lot at Lapaz Batchoy to tickle the palate, but it is not limited to the Philippines’ epicurean delights; it also has other Oriental dishes like the Peking duck and butter fish. A separate menu for catering orders features dishes not on the regular one: the Mexican-inspired menudo, calamares (fried shrimp wrapped in flour) and spaghetti.
Lapaz Batchoy seats up to a hundred people, and it fills up quickly especially on weekends, when many descend upon the restaurant to load up not just on distinctly Filipino viands but also desserts. Sweet standouts include the pudding-like leche (milk) flan, buko pandan (coconut shreds in milk cream and flavored with extracts from a tropical plant native in Southeast Asia), and kakanin (soft and sweet rice cakes) like the kutsinta, pitsi-pitsi and puto. The one drink-cum-dessert that shouldn’t be missed is the special halo-halo — a cold, sweet blend of fruit chunks paired with condensed milk and crushed ice.
As if all of that weren't enough, Lapaz Batchoy also has a bakery just two doors down from the restaurant. It offers a mouthwatering array of cakes, pies and fresh-from-the-oven breads, showcasing more of the distinctive Filipino flair and flavors. The bakery doubles as a grocery, carrying a host of “Pinoy” products.
Its name may be based on just one dish, but Lapaz Batchoy Restaurant and Bakery has a whole slew of gustatory surprises for all discerning tastes. It is, justifiably, "the house of Filipino cuisine" in these shores.
SR15 to SR100 (already good for a group of four)
Delivery is free for orders worth SR50 and above.
Faisaliyah Dist. corner Macaronah going to Aziz Mall
Sulaymaniah Dist. near RKH Military Hospital
Khobar Center corner King Fahd Rd. and 8th Street
10 a.m. to 12 a.m. in Jeddah and Riyadh
10 a.m. to 11 p.m. in Alkhobar
