Tuesday, October 05, 2010

Bob Marlin, Take 2


Bob Marlin in Naga City is the favorite go-to place of my officemates in Bicol. The last time I was in Naga three years ago we had lunch and dinner there.

This time around, we went to Bob Marlin for our post-conference socials. The small restaurant was packed due to the Penafrancia, and especially since we went there on the last working day of the week.

We sampled the latest offering, Sinigang Frito, which was pan-seared tanigue steaks mixed in sinigang, or soured broth. Piping hot, it was restorative and had the intense flavor of the fried fish.


Locals pine for this, and it was love at first sight, er, bite, for me the last time - ginataang adobo, native (free-range) chicken stewed in coconut cream and vinegar, with papaya slices and young sili leaves.

I think I finished a whole serving of this, and more. It had been three long years since I had it, and I don't know how long I'll have to wait again before I return to Naga and eat at Bob Marlin.


Bob Marlin's crispy pata (deep-fried hocks), nominated as one of the top ten best crispy pata in the Philippines, according to a national magazine.

I can't vouch for Bob Marlin's version, because I don't indulge in that much crispy pata anywhere, but this one is crispy and fork-tender at the same time, not very well-seasoned so it was a ready canvas for the accompanying sauce (not in photo) and the chopped onions.


I loved the seafood platter that was ordered for us the first time I was in Naga, but it wasn't my destiny to eat it again. Perhaps for variety, we were presented with the meaty version of lumpiang shanghai, chopped liempo (barbecued pork belly), laing (taro leaves stewed in coconut milk) and soy sauce-drenched fried rice.

Not disappointing, but it didn't make me happy either. That's why I finished that adobo, and, come to think of it, I finished that big pot of soup, too.


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