A full-day of activities from wakeboarding in Angeles City to enjoying the outdoor adventure challenges at Sandbox at Alviera in Porac sure made everyone hungry! A new restaurant at the Clark Freeport Zone that served authentic Kapampangan cuisine called Matam-ih – the aboriginal Aeta word for delicious – was suitably our final stop.
Matam-ih is housed in a cluster of white Victorian-style gazebos, accented with African safari and native Filipino-themed decor. Outside the restaurant are some carnival-type games like spin-the-wheel and tribal archery for both children and adults to enjoy. Most of the restaurant’s servers, staff and entertainers are from the Aeta community in Capas, Tarlac, providing an great source of livelihood to people who are traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers of Luzon’s mountainous regions. Interestingly, the staff carry nameplates of local and foreign celebrities which they choose themselves, encouraging light-hearted conversations between them and curious customers.
Among the mouthwatering bestsellers are bekugan babi (their version of pork binagoongan or pork sautéed with shrimp paste, PHP 195); pritong hito, mustasa at buro (fried catfish with fresh mustard leaves and fermented rice, PHP 210), adobong babi (pork adobo or pork marinated in vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic, PHP 185). For adventurous gastronomes, there are exotic fare like pritong adobong camaru (fried mole crickets, PHP 130) and betute tugak (fried stuffed native frog, PHP 180). While we dined on the delicious food, we were entertained by a campy group of young and energetic performers who belted out contemporary Filipino pop songs and cracked some pick-up line jokes.
Contact Details
Matam-ih Authentic Kapampangan Cuisine
Lot 1-D, M.A. Roxas Highway, Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Pampanga .
Tel. +63 45 499 2382, +63 9989962382
This trip was made possible through NLEX Lakbay Norte 4, a media trip held from January 29 to February 1, 2015, and organized by the North Philippines Visitors Bureau (NPVB), a non-stock, non-profit organization spearheaded by the Manila North Tollways Corporation, builder and concessionaire of the North Luzon Expressway.
Fly to Manila from abroad or across the Philippines on Philippine Airlines – your home in the sky. Clark Freeport Zone, Mabalacat City, Pampanga is 92 km northwest of Metro Manila.
What a unique concept. It is a great way to interact with them. Do you live in the Pampanga area? So many good information here on places to visit in the area.
We’re looking for an authentic pampanga restaurant to go to when we visit there this year. Thanks for sharing!