Santa Rosa's Best Pancit

I am a fan of pancit. I've tasted a lot of version in different cities/town around the metro and some provinces here in the country and some in nearby countries. All versions have a distinct trademark on it's own but there are always better than the other. Recently, a friend of mine invited me in their place in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and told me about a nice panciteria in their hometown. Yes, I never had second thought. I went to their place and from there, we went to a place called "Chato's". It was an ordinary eatery serving various "ulam" and "merienda". My friend ordered their special pancit and halo-halo for dessert (their halo-halo is one of the best as well and you can have it all year round except on Mondays, where the panciteria is close). And so after a few minutes, the order was delivered by a young lady (about her teens). The pancit looked similar to everything else (with calamansi on the side). Nothing's quite different yet until I tried it. Alas! No wonder why there were a lot of people eating during that day. I could taste something different on it. I cannot contain it and so I asked the old lady manning the cashier, about her late 80's. I learned that they do their own noodles that is why it's a bit different in a regular grocery/store brought noodles. That was one of their secrets and the others are to be kept secret since the early 60's and in generations to come.

After enjoying Aling Chato's pancit, we then went to another old panciteria nearby, Pancit Tagapo. While Chato's is cozy, Pancit Tagapo is more like a typical provicial panciteria with cool old furnitures/fixtures. So much for that, let's try their popular pancit!! They offer almost all versions of pancit, from guisado to miki and some house specialty like the "Tapsilogs". Anyway, I ordered one of my favs, the miko-bihon (a combination of the glass noodle (bihon) and the fat-flat noodle (egg noodle). It's quite a while before the order arrived but it's ok. Most likely because there are a lot of people waiting outside. Let's try it now! Compared to Chato's Pancit, you can already see what's different. It has "bagnet" as a topping. According to the lady, the panciteria had been using bagnet as a topping since late 70's. It's good, no actually it was very good! Probably not for those who disgrace cholesterol coz it's quite greasy but not that much. And their serving is bigger than the latter. Bona petit.

I enjoyed my "pancit trip" with my friend. It was awesome. A side trip that you can consider. A taste of history and an extraordinary food experience.

By the way, if you guys want to try these pancits, this is how: From Balibago, Sta. Rosa, Laguna take a jeepney going to Bayan and tell the driver that you're going down at Chato's or Pancit Tagapo. If you're driving, take Sta. Rosa exit- to Balibago Complex - and to Sta. Rosa City proper (Chato's is before the city hall while Pancit Tagapo is after).