I love batchoy! Which is why I am a tabatchoy! I don't much care for cakes, cookies, chocolates or candy -- none of that sweet stuff gets me swooning.
No, I get fat on the salty, savory stuff. Which is why La Paz batchoy is a favorite of mine. Yummy flavorful broth, chewy egg noodles, bits of pork and liver, crunchy chicharon sprinkled on top -- what more can you ask for?
Unfortunately, I find that most of the batchoy versions served in food courts and chicken inasal places don't quite match up to the original that you can get right in Iloilo. I'm talking Ted's Batchoy and Deco's.
But now, Deco's is in Manila! Established in Iloilo in 1938, Deco's has been bought by the owner of Mang Inasal and has opened its first Manila outlet at Alphaland Mall at the corner of Pasong Tamo ext. and EDSA. Right now, I think it is the best batchoy you can find in the Metropolis.
Deco's at Alphaland is on the ground floor, right beside the Mang Inasal outlet. You can order from both -- have your inasal with a bowl of steaming batchoy on the side.
What makes Deco's so good is the quality of the broth -- not insipid or too salty, you can tell it's freshly made broth, made from scratch and not from bouillon cubes or mixes. The noodles are fresh and springy and the julienned pork and liver slices are tender and flavorful. They don't skimp on the chicharon bits and each bowl has a generous serving on top. You can ask for egg (hard boiled or fresh) to go with your batchoy and extra soup is free too.
The biggest order of batchoy is called "Extra" and costs only P77. Batchoy goes well with pandesal and Deco's has a serving of 6 pieces. They come warm and crusty, and taste just like the pandesal you used to eat when you were a kid.
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