Taste Test: Are Lola Nena's Pancit Bihon and Pancit Palabok Any Good?
Which is the best pancit?
(SPOT.ph) Do yourself a favor. If you haven't watched or seen any of Lola Nena's latest video content, do it now. Once your stomach has recovered from all the laughing and you've regained normal breathing, we wouldn't be surprised if you suddenly feel a little hungry. And because it's the last thing you saw, we also wouldn't be surprised if you have a Lola Nena's doughnut craving.
Lola Nena's has always been known for its doughnuts, especially the Triple Cheese Donuts. This is the Filipino merienda shop's crowning glory, and while we don't think it will be dethroned anytime soon, we do think there is more to everyone's favorite lola than her bright yellow, sugar-coated, cheese-filled doughnuts. In this edition of SPOT.ph's Taste Test, we try out the Pancit Palabok and Pancit Canton.
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A review of Lola Nena's Pancit Palabok and Pancit Canton
It may come as a shock if you were never the designated person to order merienda or food-to-share from Lola Nena's, but the menu was never just for afternoon snacks. The other items on Lola Nena's menu include the Pichi Pichi (price starts at P105) and Siopao Tostado (P216), which are lola's other bestsellers.
The ones that are not so known are Lola Nena's Hummus (price starts at P99), ready-to-cook Ilocos Bagnet (P495), and Nena's Embotido (P215), bottled goods like Adobong Tuyo (P230), Gourmet Tuyo in Olive Oil (P230), and Premium Spanish Sardines (P230); and then there are the Pancit Palabok, Pancit Canton, and Canton Bihon.
According to Lola Nena's website, the Pancit Palabok uses smoked fish to give flavor to the golden orange sauce that coats the thin rice noodles. This is topped with thinly sliced Ilocos Bagnet, crushed chicharon, slices of hard-boiled eggs, and green onions.
The Canton Bihon is easily distinguishable as it doesn't have that orange sauce. This noodle dish is made with rice noodles stir-fried with different vegetables such as cabbage and carrots. This dish isn't saucy but each strand is coated in the typical salty and peppery pancit canton flavors. As with most Filipino pancit, both these dishes are served with calamansi to counter the fishy and salty tastes.
Lola Nena's has another noodle dish called the Canton Bihon which shouldn't be confused with the Pancit Canton. The Canton Bihon is a mix of Pancit Canton and Pancit Bihon, and is topped with crunchy Ilocos Bagnet, bits of chicharon, and sauteed vegetables.
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Are Lola Nena's Pancit Palabok and Pancit Canton dishes any good?
We ordered the small Pancit Palabok (P350), which is said to be good for three to four people but we think it can stretch to five given how full the container is and how generous the toppings are.
It's not the most flavorful, fishiest choice in the orange sea of palabok, but for what it's worth, Lola Nena's Pancit Palabok can satisfy a palabok craving. The entire surface is covered in sliced eggs and meat that make it more filling; the noodles are cooked just right that it has a bite; and the orange sauce has that addicting smoky seafood taste—although we do wish it was saucier, the kind that covers the lips in a saffron hue-tinted lipgloss.
As for Lola Nena's Pancit Canton, this pancit is only available as a Budget Meal: Budget Meal 1 (Pancit Canton with 1 Piece of Siopao Tostado) costs P58, while Budget Meal 2 (Pancit Canton with 2 Pieces of Siopao Tostado) costs P75. If that's not budget-friendly enough in this era of nonstop inflation, we don't know what is.
We had managed our expectations considering these under-P100 price points, but luckily, the taste delivered. The Pancit Canton's noodles aren't saucy (as well), but the flavors transferred to the noodles seamlessly when it was cooked, resulting in peppery, umami noodles. The accompanying sisig-filled Toasted Siopao makes up for the absence of meat in this noodle dish, so we do suggest ordering the meal with the two-piece Toasted Siopao so there's enough sisig-goodness for each forkful of pancit.
The only issue is that if you order the Pancit Palabok and the Pancit Canton for delivery, just like we did, the consistency and the texture of the toppings are affected by the trapped steam in the container. The Pancit Palabok's crushed chicharon and the supposed crunchy Ilocos Bagnet turned soggy, as did the Toasted Siopao that came in the same container as the Pancit Canton. The bread was also softer and had lost its distinctive bun shape.
Also read:
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The final verdict: Which is the better Lola Nena's pancit?
It's not that we're being indecisive, but we do feel both pancit dishes deserve a win—but under different categories. Lola Nena's Pancit Palabok is worth it for its proportions and its taste, while the Pancit Canton wins for being the most bang-for-your-buck option on the entire Lola Nena's menu. It's hard to choose a favorite among the two, and we bet Lola Nena's, being the loveable, funny lola that she is, would also have a hard time choosing favorites either.
*Prices are taken from Lola Nena's delivery website.
Lola Nena's is available for delivery via the official website and GrabFood. For more information, check out Lola Nena's Facebook page.
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