PINOYAPACHE GOES TO NAVOTAS

AFTER TWO DAYS IN BENGUET and another four days in Zambales, I settled my tired soul in Navotas City in the early hours of March 17, 2017. It is good to be back in the abode of Jay Z and Carla Jorge. The superb couple hosted me last year but, this time, they have something which would make my stay memorable. That would be later in the evening. In the meantime, I need to change into something comfortable and catch a lot of Zs.

Navotas City is famous for its fleet of fishing boats; its fish port and fish market which is a source of fresh bounties from the sea for the whole Greater Manila Area; its indigenous delicacies of puto taktak and horse jerky; its stainless-steel ornately-designed three-wheeled bicycles which ply the narrow streets to service commuters; and its lone amphibian rescue vehicle.

Due to uncontrolled extraction of underground fresh water in Metro Manila, subsidence of lands nearby coasts sagged by many centimeters, allowing high tide and heavy rain to flood the streets of coastal towns and villages of which Navotas is located. Navotas is a sliver of land, broken in three, bounded between Manila Bay and the mighty rivers of the Navotas and the Tullahan. Be prepared for high incidence of floods when visiting though.

There is one main artery – M. Naval Street – and it plies all the way to the coasts. On another side is where the fishport complex is located. You would be passing by city hall, the city hospital, the San Ildefonso Parish, the San Jose de Navotas Parish, the San Roque Parish, department stores, banks, fastfood joints, narrow secondary streets choked with bicycle taxis and more than a dozen shipyards. Another road artery – Gov. A. Pascual Street – channels all vehicles exiting the tiny city to C4. Navotas is home, nevertheless, to many commercial establishments that serve the residents.

Unknown to many, Navotas hosts a hidden gem called PACING’S HOUSE OF BARBECUE. It is a small family-run restaurant which is unique for its nontraditional concept and taste and, at the same time, very enticing for its affordability in spite of the princely depth of how the food is presented and prepared. Located on Judge A. Roldan Street, it is just a walk of a few meters when alighting from Naval Street.

Unfortunately for car owners, there is no parking area. The narrow street is occupied by bicycle taxis. It is a small place consisting of six tables inside and an extra two tables that may be added outside when the demands of dining customers is great. It is managed by the couple Jay Z and Carla and they have a full-time staff of three. The kitchen and the order counter are located in one room with wide windows.

On the farthest corner is an aquarium and a soda chiller. As décor of the main wall, there is a flat TV, a guitar, framed art pieces, a vinyl LP disc of Best Pinoy Folk Songs and an oil painting by Rigor Esguerra. Across it, above the counter, is an old school blackboard where the day’s menu is written in chalk. Just off to the back are two mountaineering backpacks. The light-colored bag once belonged to Leo Oracion, the first Filipino to scale Mount Everest in May 2006. The dark one belongs to Jay Z.

Jay Z is an entrepreneur and this is his first venture. What he had experienced in the food business were learned from his late grandmother, Lola Pacing, and that is why the restaurant is named after her. He is a passionate mountaineer, outdoors educator, prepper and responsible gun owner. His wife, Carla, teaches in a public secondary school and is acquiring units to gain a masteral degree in a different field of laboratory research. She is also into prepping and is into improving her skill with a firearm.

Evening came and I was feted to dinner at PACING’S HOUSE OF BABECUE. Dish served were pork barbecue, crispy sisig, spicy tofu and longanisa. The pork barbecue is a winner and I had never tasted anything like it. Jay Z has his secret formula which he got from Lola Pacing. The crispy sisig is another dish that you should develop a taste of. These two are the favorites of their patrons.

The spicy tofu and their plump and spicy sweet longanisa just made my dining princely. As if that was not enough, a pint of Arce Dairy Ice Cream is pushed my way across the table. The creamy texture of the ice cream just won me over and I would bring the empty can when I go back to Cebu as my “war booty”. Jay Z and Carla just filled me up and I could hardly move.

They have not forgotten that I just had a rough week spent outdoors and travel and they have not forgotten either that I will be visiting the outdoors again for the next two days. Yes, I will be at Antipolo City early tomorrow morning to be with the training staff of CLIMBER as they opened the eighteenth batch of their Basic Mountaineering Course.

Document done LibreOffice 5.3 Writer