Try Traditional Tausug Kakanin + Pastries at This QC Dining Spot

(SPOT.ph) The love of food is almost universal for Filipinos the country over, and it isn't limited to savory viands. Over in Mindanao, the Tausugs nosh away on what are called Bangbang or Bangbang Sug—sweet and savory local pastries and kakanin clasically eaten for breakfast; taken with coffee in the afternoons; or served or passed around on special occasions. Flying out to that part of the country isn't something most of us Manila folks can do on the regular, but that doesn't mean you can't take part of and get a taste of Tausug heritage. Great news: Palm Grill in Quezon City now serves Tausug treats you'd be hard-pressed to find elsewhere in Manila!

Also read: Sweet and Sticky Pinoy Treats: Our Top 10 Kakanin

Try traditional Tausug treats at this Filipino restaurant in Quezon City:

"These Tausug native pastries played an integral part of my childhood growing up in the streets of Jolo, Sulu in the late 1980s," says Palm Grill's Miguel Cabel Moreno. Come mid-afternoon, he shares, the family's cook would prepare and serve them fresh for him and the family to share in the lanai of their ancestral home in Jolo; these would also be served during weddings, reunions, and other celebrations. Now Moreno's letting us in on the flavors he grew up with—this time at his own restaurant, in the heart of the Metro.

Palm Grill's Bang Bang Sug includes an array of treats, made to be paired with robust-tasting Sulu coffee (P140) as is traditional. Some are deep-fried, similar to doughnuts—including the panggi-panggi or Pangi Pangi (P190/four pieces), chewy treats (think less-sweet mochi doughnuts) bearing a long freeform shape; the Palikambing (P200/four pieces), or fried banana dumplings coated in sugar, best downed while hot; and the Tabid-Tabid (P200/four pieces), braided confections with a chewy glutinous-rice dough interior and a crisp-crackly coating of burnt sugar.

You'll also notice the prevalence of what's called hinti, or sweetened shredded coconut, employed in some way for some of the other treats. The Putli Mandi (P260/four pieces) has balls of glutinous rice dough stuffed with the hinti, then rolled in shredded coconut meat. There's also the Daral (P190/three pieces), with chewy hinti tucked into soft rolled crepes. The coconut mixture also lends its caramelized depth to the Pitis Patani (P270/six pieces), which might evoke suman as it's got a sticky glutinous rice mix steamed inside banana leaves, albeit given a hinti filling; and the Kitut (P180), where hinti is stuffed into a glutinous rice dough that's then deep-fried for a subtly crisp exterior.

Distinctly crackly in texture is the Jaa (P170), also called lokot-lokot—a lacey, rolled delicacy made with a rice batter that’s strained, fried, and glazed. And on the savory end of the spectrum is the Pastil (P280/five pieces), which is loosely comparable to an empanada-lumpiang togue hybrod of sorts with a filling of bean sprouts, and is best enjoyed with a generous pour of the seasoned vinegar served alongside.

The Bang Bang Sug pastries are available for preorders made at least a day in advance; simply give them a call at 0977-157-4571. It's well worth exploring the country's regional cuisines beyond the common fare in Manila—and it's great to know you've got options that don't entail flying out of the city.

Palm Grill is at 175 Tomas Morato Avenue corner Scout Castor Street, Diliman, Quezon City. For preorders and inquiries, contact 0977-157-4571. For more information, check out Palm Grill: Authentic Cuisine from South of Mindanao’s Facebook page.

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