Fried Calamares: Newest Street Food Favorite

"Calamares" is a Spanish word for squid.  In recent years, Fried Calamares has emerged as one of the most popular street food in the Philippines along with Fishballs" and "Kikiam". It is the street food version of the Mediterranean's breaded fried squid dish, Calamari. It is usually dipped in breadcrumbs but the local version uses flour and dipped fried until it is golden brown.

Spiced vinegar is the favorite sauce used for Fried Calamares, it gives the crispy squid a spicy yet sour and an after taste of garlic that sticks to the mouth and definitely a not so fresh breathe.

Rating:

6 out 10

(For me, Fried Calamares is actually the best buy among the street foods. Just check the cleanliness of the food handler and the foods that are being served before buying.)

Panaderia Antonio Bakery & Restaurant

As part of New Year celebration my wife and I decided to celebrate it somewhere cozy but I insisted that it should be a local resto in the area so we end up in Panaderia Antonio Bakery & Restaurant located in De Venecia Hi-Way in Calasiao, Pangasinan. It was established in 1998 and started as a Bakery which specializes in bread, they also claim that they are the ones who started "Plato Wraps"

The place and setting is really nice, ideal for a great picture souvenirs though there are some flies flying around which I believe the owners should really deal with. They also sell souvenirs such as shirts, Spanish sardines, Starbuck's Frappucino Cafe is also available together with other imported goodies.

We ordered their pizza called "Pizza Supremo", it is huge and the taste is great for it's price. Chicken Pesto is okay though I find it quite expensive considering it's not that special. We also had a Coleslaw for a side dish - it was nice, and it's really worth it for the price. The chocolate and strawberry shake is fairly good but what I'm really disappointed at is with is the Chocolate Mousse and Tiramisu. I thought it was a cake placed in a cup, how disappointed I am. It was just pure icing, nothing but icing.

Rating:

6 out of 10