With barely two hours’ drive on the spanking new stretch of the North Luzon Expressway, there’s no reason why Angeles City shouldn’t be the must have/must eat there! foodie destination. I used to think that this city had just about sunk to oblivion with the closure of the US military bases in Clark as I saw the run-down buildings and the isolated bars on Fields Avenue but I proved to be mistaken. If you’re motivated enough, you’d realize why the cabalens reign supreme when it comes to food, boasting of – not just their irresistible Kapampangan cooking – but also a fusion of other flavors like Swiss, Italian, Japanese, Korean and a host of other cuisines.
Take for instance our visit to the VFW Post 2485 Canteen . Due to its nondescript structure and out-of-the-way location, we were almost ready to adjudge it Angeles City’s best-kept secret. I knew I liked this place the moment we set foot here for lunch on the first leg of our food trip. The interiors which boasted of a pub-like atmosphere were a bit too dark for moi but a look at the apple pies on display signalled down-home American cooking. You know, the type you can plunk down your spoon and fork to with their large servings, huge pieces of meat, and everything else.
Upon the recommendation of our bachelor tour guide (heheh), most members of the group ordered the Creamed Beef on Toast, also known by the GI slang S.O.S. for “Slop on a Slice” and “Shit on a Shingle” (because unfortunately it looked like one!!) This fare consisted of two clices of crisp toast topped with a hefty serving of creamed ground beef. Simple but absolutely yummy.
Rachel had a burger with a big beef patty as expected while Yuga had a chef’s salad generously topped with cheese, ham, chicken, egg and veggies. I ordered the barbecued spare ribs and while the sauce wasn’t too fantastic, who can resist when you have one big heap of mashed potatoes and buttered bread on the side?
The VFW (which stands for Veterans of Foreign Wars) menu is quite extensive and surely, I can dream dream of going here once again to try the following: the Eggs Benedict, the VFW Eye Opener (their version of McDo’s Egg McMuffin, with cheese and a spicy sausage patty), the hotdogs, the hot ham hoagie (“shaved, mildly cured ham stacked on a french roll with onion, tomato, spicy Italian dressing and mozzarella cheese”), the Reuben sandwich, meat loaf, omelets and a lot more.
VFW Post 2485 has a website.
Meanwhile, here’s Spanky’s mini-review of this rockin’ place:
“This is perhaps one of the very very few places in the Philippines that serves a real SHIT ON A SHINGLE, or S.O.S., what GIs affectionately (or derisively) called their staple wartime food, Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast.
It’s similar to a Sloppy Joe, except that the ground beef is simmered in
cream, and the whole mess is slathered onto a couple of slices of
toasted bread (your choice of wheat or white bread), and the intermingling of crunchy toast and creamy beef almost makes you feel like you’re in Oliver Stone movie. One full order of the S.O.S. is only a hundred bucks.
VFW’s version of EGGS BENEDICT takes a while to prepare, mainly because each batch of Hollandaise Sauce is cooked up fresh upon each order.
Another cholesterol feast!!! And if you miss that late lamented McDo breakfast of Sausages/Egg/Cheese on a Biscuit, look no further!!! VFW bakes their own authentic southern style BISCUITS that melt in your mouth. And HASH BROWNS? Present and accounted for!! Thick diner-style MILKSHAKES? Yes sir!!!
Needless to say, the best burgers in Angeles City/Dau can be found here. PATTY MELTs overflowing with caramelized onions, and other Hotshot/Brothers-type burger creations are among VFW’s top-sellers. Walking into the VFW Canteen is like returning to pre-Pinatubo
eruption Clark Field. The furniture and fixtures are well-maintained 1970s chic.I t’s fully airconditioned, and very cool and cozy inside. At any given time, the crowd is divided evenly between Americans and Capampangans. And the serving staff is almost bargirl friendly ???). But don’t worry, this is very much a family friendly establishment, although if you prefer, you can enjoy your carnivorous American feast in the bar area.
Located in a nondescript building a block away from the main perimeter road,
VFW is indeed a local secret that deserves to be discovered by Pinoy foodies.
So next time you go duty-free shopping at Clark,forget about the Chow Kings and the Jollibees, and take the ten minute drive out to the VFW timewarp!!! ”
makes me homesick. I grew up in Angeles City, attended a private school near the church and went to mass at the Carmelite Sisters daily not because I was very religious . I had a crush on the sacristan.hahaha That’s where Digman halo-halo came from.
hey ajay!
i’m sure your kids are enjoying all the munchies from pure gold and all the pasalubong pagkain from pampanga!
thanks for continuing to promote my campaign for Cabalen Food Trips and (ahem!) my mission to get married, despite Jay’s dire warnings.
looking forward to the next posts on Zapata’s, Susie’s, Razon’s, & Mely’s *burp!*
see you at the “streetwalker” tour of Binondo!
Oooo! Heart-attack special! Yummmmmmy! The SOS really does look like its name. 🙂 Is that baby back ribs with mashed potatoes? Getting really hungry now.
😯 yummmmyyyyyy 😯
Thanks for sharing your reminiscencesm Cath:wink:
Spanky, may hang over pa ako, although ako ang unang nagpost, hahaha. Hope you already got your first batch of applications:lol:
Sorry Toe kung nagutom na naman kita:razz:
Ang-ang 😉
i was sick the weekend of anton’s pampanga trip so i wasn’t able to join. but the following weekend, i gathered 5 other friends to join me and follow the same itinerary. hanggang VFW lang kami, sumuko agad! we were so full after that lunch in VFW. they had humongous servings! i had eggs benedict and was so satisfied with it. it was lunch pero i was full till late night. best of all, the price was not bad – very reasonable.
Hi Chris. So our Cabalen food trip must have been the ultimate. Imagine eating major meals within two hours after the last one 😛 Hope you can join us next time:)