A Cheek Of Her Own

I call Mom the "lechon authority". Indeed, she is. She loves lechon. When she says the lechon served is good, then it is really good. When she says otherwise, then that lechon gets a failing mark.

To satisfy her craving for her long-time favorite, I brought her today to the country's lechon capital for lunch. Where else? La Loma, Quezon City. This was our first time to see this lechon studded neighborhood. We chose to dine in Ping Ping's because it was the most accessible. Ping Ping was right along A. Bonifacio Ave.; no need to enter La Loma's lechon street proper.

Ping Ping, one of the more popular names in the lechon industry. The strategic location made it very accessible to customers, either for dine in or for take out (that's "for here" and "to go", respectively, when using contemporary colegiala English). The restaurant was filled with customers, with a birthday party going on in one corner and a beer binge-drinking spree (in broad daylight!) happening at the other end. 

Left: This was a delightful eye catcher to welcome the customers right in front of the restaurant -- the parade of lechon still pinned to their bamboo skewer.

Right: Mom and I got seated in one corner. We could not choose a more comfortable spot because the place was really crowded. Seen in the photo -- Mom holding a plate of her special request, an ulo ng lechon of her own. She had always dreamed of getting the crispy skin off the pig's cheek all for herself. So much for a 78-year-old lady with a konsintidor doctor-son. Interestingly, ping-ping is also the Ilocano term for cheek.

Top: There, our order. Plain lechon with pork liver sauce, no more, no less. Plain rice to complement the lechon and complete the set. Coke Zero for lesser guilt. Konti lang, 'no?

Bottom: Lechon-filled table. The third plate in the middle of the table was a quarter-kilogram serving of my favorite part of the lechon -- the tyan ng baboy. For me, the abdominal portion was the most flavorful part of the lechon because of its thinness and the alternating layers of taba and laman. The skin in this portion was also very crunchy, with the mantika spurting in the mouth with every bite.