Driving along the Tomas Morato strip, your eyes see restaurant after restaurant, offering different cuisines and flavors, but most if not all of these places are priced expensively and would cost quite a bundle if you dine there everyday. For those who want a quick and filling lunch that won't make their wallets whimper from anorexia, there's this little carinderia just around the corner of Tomas Morato that promises 'comfort food araw-araw'.



Comfort Food Araw-Araw

PenPen offers Pinoy home-style cooking at very affordable prices. This hole in the wall and 'little secret' of the area has been around for about a year now, but recently has revamped its look and jazzed up their menu with more delectable and hearty meal choices.

Located along Scout Castor Street, PenPen is owned by Chupsie Medina. And helping her with running the kainan is her son Ping Medina of indie film fame - ImaheNasyon, Tulad ng Dati, and Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, to name a few. He is the son of veteran actor Pen Medina.



"Dati nasa bahay lang ako nagluluto, pero ngayon mukhang araw-araw na ako dito," Ping says with a smile. He has helped out his mom a lot, from conceptualizing the look of PenPen, to thinking of exciting new dishes to add to their menu. Ping is currently frequenting the place to oversee operations in the first few weeks, always eager to hear feedback from customers.



For lunch that day, Ping recommended for me to try out three dishes that are PenPen customer favorites. First on the list is their Mini-Cordon Bleu (P85 for 6 pieces, P130 for 10 pieces).



Their Mini-Cordon Bleu are baked chicken nuggets stuffed with garlic cream cheese and generously drizzled with a creamy mustard mayo dip. Ping personally concocted the sauce, experimenting with different ingredients. It's a very delicious and affordable meal, and the 10 piece order can be ordered without rice, as pulutan enjoyed with your barkada.



PenPen's Classic Pinoy are gourmet-cooked, tried and tested dishes. Their Bicol Express (P75) is served in a white bowl, laden with pork chunks and green sili. I like their Bicol Express since it was saucy and thick; never mind if the pork fat mixes with the sauce - this is one dish that's supposed to be oily. As I mix the Bicol Express with my hot steaming rice, I immediately forget the cholesterol content and just savor my spicy meal.




Speaking of cholesterol, my last dish to try out for lunch was the ultimate heart-stopper: a bandehado of Crispiest Liempo (P105)!

To those who have weak hearts, this dish is not for you. This is for the brave souls who will temporarily make their arteries suffer for a few minutes of gastronomic indulgence.

I tell you, people, this one's the winner at PenPen. Imagine - thin porkloin strips fried to melting perfection. Indeed, the crispiest liempo that I have ever tasted, all thanks to Chupsie Medina's inventive cooking. You simply cannot go to PenPen without trying out the Crispy Liempo. It's so good, in fact, that Ping says there are people who want to order the liempo in frozen packs to take home.

PenPen is also known for its very affordable and yummy Pandesals with palaman.

I ordered their Kesong Puti (P30) for take-out that afternoon, and ate the pandesal in the evening at home. The pandesal had lettuce, cucumber and tomato that added crunch to every bite of the soft kesong puti (cottage cheese). The pandesal, I must say, was filling enough for dinner and that's a good value for money.




PenPen for a Cause

For the whole month of August, PenPen will be featuring Manikako: Dolls of Hope. Manikako are cute hand-sewn ragdolls that help create a bright and colorful future for Filipino children. PenPen will be giving 10 percent of their net profits for the entire month of August, to fund free art workshops to children in need.




"We're planning to make this a monthly thing with a different non-profit organization every month," says Ping. PenPen has two immediate goals: To give financial assistance; and to raise awareness for budding non-profit groups such as Manikako, helping them attract the right people willing to support their cause.

Do visit PenPen not only for their affordable home-style dishes and wonderful friendly service, but check out this little hole in the wall if you also care to make a difference.



PenPen is located at 105-C Scout Castor Street, South Triangle, Quezon City. For inquiries, call 411-41-57. PenPen also accepts catering.