My Dung Dinner

I was still at Casa De Babano in Bislig.., my second night.

After wash up, I had a bit of some needed lull (sige na nga... pahinga!) as that whole day of roaming a 25km radius on a habal-habal was rather physically taxing (umaamin ang tanders, take note). But as if in a flash, dinner time came. Gosh! So, I opted to walk around the area perchance to bump into dinner!

Not far from Casa De Babano (probably just a hundred meters away) I saw "My Dung" (a restaurant)!

Almost laughing, I said "what a thought-provoking name for a restaurant or eatery"! But yeah, I already also suspected "this might be a Vietnamese-food restaurant" because I have encountered that phrase somewhere there sometime ago. I think it's even a person's name. So, I went in to satisfy my curiosity!

Voila and OMG! Not a single dish is Vietnamese. I'm serious, none as in wala! I was expecting at least a Pho or a Banh Mi or Puerto Princesa's Chaolong.., NONE! Read this, a collage of their menu pages..,

Add to that, the menu describes everything to be good for 4 to 5 persons! How about if it was just me, myself and I? Buti na lang the waiter (or was he the owner?) said his cooks should be able to whip up something if they have what I want to eat. Aha! So, I said "fried fish". But he looked kind of still waiting for me to say something else. Thus, I repeated "prito lang, walang sauce, walang halaman, just fry it"!

He smiled, said "okay" and disappeared. While waiting, I took the time to browse (and fancy) at some of the menu names. Like, I mused at what could be a thing called "Mutya Ng Bislig"? Beauty Queen?!

Of course I also read everything "fish" in that menu. Very like all other restaurants in this country! They have Fish Fillet (that's fried fish fillet, but covered in flour), Fish Steak (sautéed, and served swimming in toyo sibuyas garlic), Fish Sweet & Sour, Fish Tinola, Lapulapu Sinigang / Sweet & Sour and Kinilaw.

I have long wondered why no restaurant serve the simple "fried" as in "prito"! Ang sarap kaya!

Anyway, not long after, the Royal Dinner for my Royal Highness was served. Chadaaan!

Oops, forgot to take a pic before diving in! But in that 'scene', I already devoured half of the first piece! Yes, half of the first fish. Yes, half of the first piece of fish na pritong fishda! Fish man! Aw, peace diay!

Fishtea oi!

Now now.., let's talk about my fried fishda! As you can see, it was served with a 'garnish' of calamansi, sliced onions ably accompanied by toyo (soy sauce). Why do restaurants feel like a fish is not cooked if it has been simply bare fried fish? Try it in many restaurants, they'll feel guilty serving it to you bare!

Aha and by the way.., in case you're a little curious, if you care to recall what I had for dinner last night at Casa De Babano click back to this. Yeah, they look the same but I'm not complaining. Masarap eh!

Don't be surprised, I now even have an entire story about this "fried fish" thing in the Philippines!

Anyway..,

After dinner, I walked back to Casa De Babano and hit the sack ASAP (very early departure tomorrow), and I forgot to ask why the place is called "My Dung"! Though I think it's pronounced as "mye doong"!