Served in roadside eateries and other "no tablecloth" chow spots, pares, which literally means "pair," is a meal featuring beef stew and clear beef soup served with fried rice. Ideally, the beef chunks—“cooked in a mixture of soy sauce, star anise, water, salt, pepper, and sugar—“should be soft and loaded with litid (ligaments).
After going through pares freaks' online discussions, as well as consulting random foodies, we checked out the pares meals believed to be the best in Manila. SPOT.ph finds out if the chosen pares places serve genuine gastronomic treats or just passable tawid-gutom fare. We assessed and ranked them according to our taste, and we're pretty sure you'll tell us if it differs from yours.
1. ORIGINAL PARES MAMI HOUSE
2024 España Boulevard corner Basilio Street
Open 24 hours daily
Don't judge this pares place by pares its generic moniker. Though it has to be said that its name is so nondescript that most people simply call it "Pares sa Maceda." (This is because it's also near Maceda Street, which has a more prominent sign along España.) With a whole lot of litid, the beef stew is makes this pares (P67) a showstopper. It goes without saying that the beef chunks are extremely tender. The fried rice—“with scrambled egg and chorizo bits—“goes very well with the lightly peppered soup. The meal also passes the "leftover test." You order it to go and place it in the fridge once it cools down. You can reheat the combo and serve pares at home the next day. It tastes just as good.
2. COCOY MAMI HOUSE RESTAURANT
Unit 118-C, Visayas Avenue, VASRA I, Quezon City
Tel. no. 924-5019
Open 9:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
If crowds have been eating your pares (P70) for the past 14 years, then you must be doing something right. Cocoy's pares has beef stew with a generous helping of litid and fat, as well as a hint of star anise. The beef chunks are tender enough to be cut with a spoon and the fried rice is served with chopped leeks, scrambled egg bits, and toasted garlic chips. The soup tends to be too greasy though. Then again, you can forget about the soup.
