Last year, I came across an article that talked about a interesting dish found in Cavite City, a city south of Metro Manila. And that dish? Pancit Pusit (squid ink pancit or stir-fried noodles)!

You may have heard of paella negra or squid ink pasta. But squid ink pancit? So I knew what to do and went to Cavite City at the end of the year to try this unique dish. While I was there, I also went on a food trip. Who would’ve thought that just a few minutes south of the Metro, there’s a city with its own culinary identity?

But before I talk about the dishes I tried, let me tell you how I got there. Googling for directions wasn’t helpful. So I thought that this was my opportunity to see the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange (PITX) and hope for a route going to Cavite City. PITX is the first ever landport in the country and a terminal to several modern (airconditioned) and traditional jeeps, point to point (P2P) buses, and provincial buses.

I’ve been to a landport in Taipei and was amazed how organized it was (although I hope it’s more foreigner-friendly by providing English signages). So while PITX is not yet fully operational, I saw a lot of potential.

While there are ticket counters, it’s weird that I still had to pay inside the bus.

As of December, there’s no available route that goes straight to Cavite City. So I rode a bus enroute to another city (forgot the name) of Cavite (the province), dropped by a place called Zeus (people pronounce it as zeh-yus), and rode another jeep. The total fare was only P53.

I just hope that along with the improvements in the terminals of our country is the upgrade of transportation. Sadly, the bus I rode was old.

Anyway, here are the dishes I tried:

Bibingkoy at Aling Ika Carinderia

When I did my research, I learned that the Bibingkoy sell out fast. Arriving at Cavite City at lunchtime, I feared that I might have missed my chance to try this dish. But thank God, there are still some left and I bought them all.

But what exactly is a bibingkoy? It’s a glutinous rice dumpling filled with sweetened monggo (mung bean) and drenched with coconut cream. It’s also cooked bibingka- (a rice cake that’s especially popular during the Christmas season) style, with charcoal heat on top and at the bottom.

Aling Ika Carinderia and their famous Bibingkoy (P10/pc.)

You can think of bibingkoy as the fusion of buchi (a ball-shaped, Chinese pastry made with glutinous rice flour, filled with sweetened monggo, and covered with sesame seeds), mochi, and ginataan (a Filipino snack made of small glutinous rice balls and other ingredients swimming in coconut cream).

You can find bibingkoy only at Aling Ika’s, which is an institution in the city. The recipe dates back to the Japanese period.

Address: Cavite City Public Market, Cavite City | Operating Hours: TBA

Menudencia con Casuy at New Chefoo Restaurant

New Chefoo Restaurant (or simply Chefoo) is another institution in the city. It’s a Chinese panciteria that’s been around since 1945 and almost always a part of Caviteño family celebration.

While there are many interesting dishes in the menu (I just love Chinese panciteria!) like their fried chicken, I only opted for their Menudencia con Casuy. This dish is said to have Chinese and Mexican influences. This is because the city used to be a port, especially for the Manila-Acapulco galleon trade.

At New Chefoo Restaurant (Menudencia con Casuy: P230)

The dish reminds me of a home-cooked chopsuey minus the meat but loaded with chicken innards (gizzard, heart, and liver) and topped with cashews. It’s a simple dish but I like it!

Address: 945 P. Burgos St., Brgy. San Roque, Cavite City, Cavite | Operating Hours: TBA | Facebook

Pancit Pusit at Bernie’s Kitchenette

This was the reason for my food trip. I was supposed to try it at Asiong’s Carinderia, which was popular for this dish. But it has permanently closed its Cavite City branch and transferred to Silang, Cavite (renamed as Asiong’s of Cavite). So I tried it at Bernie’s Kitchenette, an eatery that opened in 2015 but has already received recognition.

So the moment of truth: How was the pancit pusit?

This dish is probably the most unique pancit that I have ever tasted. It’s a world of flavors and textures. There’s a crunch from the chicharon (deep fried pork rinds) and green mango, sourness from the mango, herby taste from the kinchay (parsley), springiness from the inked noodles, and chewiness from the squid.

Okay, this dish is so good that it’s now my favorite variant of pancit! It’s the dish that will make any visit to Cavite City worth it!

Address: 843 Midtown Bldg., Molina St., Cavite City | Operating Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 9AM-7PM; Sunday, 9AM-3PM | Facebook

Pancit Puso at Asao

Pancit Puso (banana blossom pancit) is another popular pancit variation in Cavite City. Although I find the pancit itself ordinary, it has a surprising crunch from the chicharon hiding among the noodles.

Also, a side of kinilaw na puso (banana blossom marinated in vinegar) is served as a companion to the dish, giving a intense sourness.

Address: 897 P. Burgos Avenue, Brgy. San Roque, Cavite City | Operating Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 9AM-8:30PM | Facebook

Quesillo and Salakot at Dizon’s Bakery

Dizon’s Bakery is another institution in the city, known for it’s Quesillo (the city’s version of kesong puti or cheese made from carabao or goat’s milk) and Salakot (a kind of bread shaped like a salakot, a traditional headwear).

Dizon's Quesillo (P28) and Salakot (P6/pc.)

The quesillo is salty and perfectly complements the salakot, which is slightly sweet. I just found the bread chewy maybe because I came at a wrong time. But I’m guessing that the bread-and-cheese combo would be awesome if the bread was fresh from the oven.

Address: 618 P. Burgos St., Brgy. Caridad, Cavite City, Cavite | Operating Hours: Monday-Friday, 5:30AM-8:30PM; Saturday, 5:30AM-7:30PM | Facebook

**Samala* Rice Cake at Pat & Sam Delicacies &d Pasalubong**

I thought this would just be another biko, a rice cake made with glutinous rice, coconut milk, and brown sugar, topped with latik (a sweet reduction of coconut milk). But I was wrong!

While other bikos are usually sticky and dense, the Samala Rice Cake at Pat & Sam is probably the softest I have ever tasted! It’s the perfect pasalubong (souvenir) going back to Manila!

*I’m still figuring out why it’s called Samala.

Address: 506 Padre Pio, Brgy. Caridad, Cavite City, Cavite | Operating Hours: TBA

I didn’t get to try Robinson’s Tamales, which is another iconic dish of the city made with galapong (rice flour) dough and ground peanuts, steamed with chicken, pork, garbanzos, and hard-boiled eggs. Often eaten with pandesal (a famous Filipino bread) or rice, this dish is popular during noche buena (Christmas Eve) and media noche (New Year’s Eve). No wonder it ran out when I visited.

Another dish (or dishes) that I missed is the Tres Marias or “terno-terno” (literally “pair-pair”). It’s a meal that consists of 3 dishes: Adobong Dilaw (an adobo variety that uses atsuete**), Kare-Kare (a stew made with peanut sauce and paired with bagoong alamang or shrimp paste), and Kilawin na Papaya (a dish made with papaya marinated in vinegar). The dishes complement one another, with saltiness coming from the adobo, nuttiness from the kare-kare, and sourness from the kilawin.

Aside from these dishes, what else should I try in Cavite City? Comment them below.

**The adobong dilaw in Cavite City is different from the one in Taal, Batangas. The Taaleño version uses luyang dilaw (turmeric).

Cavite City Food Trip: Trying Pancit Pusit and Other Caviteño Dishes