As what a ubiquitous SMS quote says, age appears to be the best in some things: Old woods, best to burn; old authors, best to read; old wine, best to drink; and old friends, best to keep. And so nothing beats a good hearty meal of Ted’s OldTimer La Paz Batchoy.
Chowing down the steaming broth of La Paz Batchoy will surely stimulate and liven up your senses. This noodle soup, garnished with pork innards, crushed pork cracklings, vegetables, shrimp, chicken breast, beef loin, shrimp broth, chicken stock and round noodles or miki is one of Ilonggo’s best when it comes to gastronomic arts and cuisine.
When in Iloilo, you can get your batchoy at restaurants, the most popular of which are Ted’s and Deco’s (both have branches all over the city and especially in malls). If you want to eat your batchoy in the place where it was first made and sold then there’s no other place but the La Paz Public Market, where you can have other choices aside Deco’s and Ted’s.
Ted’s Oldtimer La Paz Batchoy is known to be the authentic La Paz Batchoy to diners who are fond, if not worship batchoy. Teodorico Lepura or Ted was the man behind the success of batchoy in the Philippines; the batchoy that people from all walks of life enjoy eating any time of the day.
Ten pesos can barely buy anything today, much more so, build a food empire. But in Ted Lepura’s case, his savings of P10 in 1945 became the lifeblood of a small batchoyan restaurant in Lapaz public market. When Ted opened his first 5x5 small stall in this market, he was armed with a working knowledge on making La Paz Batchoy from his work with a Chinese merchant. The first stall was simply made of nipa and bamboo.
The only product served by Ted’s La Paz Batchoy at the time was the “original” La Paz Batchoy sold for P0.20 centavos. As time went by, he and his wife developed other batchoy products so as to meet the customer's demand for variety. Together with his wife and children, Ted toiled until his claustrophobic stall expanded and grew into one of the most successful food chains, not only in Iloilo, but in key cities all over the country as well.
The restaurant chain is presently under the helm of his daughter, Mrs. Adelfa Lepura Borro. Adelfa Borro is a trained cook. Her management envisions to continuously enhance the quality of their products, restaurant’s ambience, and customer services in order to meet global standards in the food industry. Because of her, Ted’s La Paz Batchoy was able to expand in different districts of Iloilo City, as well as, in nearby cities such as Roxas, Bacolod, and as far as Las Pinas, Laguna. Since officially starting the business in 1945, Ted's Oldtimer has slowly but indisputably revolutionized the most famous Ilonggo Dish that we all grew up and come to love, The Original Lapaz Batchoy.
The original lapaz batchoy back then was served only in two variants, ordinary and special. With a keen eye on customer needs, Ted's leveled up and started to serve the 3 variants, Special, Super Special, and Extra Super Special. The reason behind of doing away with the ordinary is that..... every customer is "special."
The mid 70's was a dark day for the family of Ted's Oldtimer. It is the decade in which the Lapaz Batchoy Innovator journeyed back to his Creator. Though that would be a gloomy, trying time for the company, the passing away of Ted's however signaled a new dawn for the business. It was the beginning of an era where their products would be further developed and brought to what it is now today.
Since the latter part of 1960s, their business mad an addition to their menu such as Miswa Batchoy, Bihon Batchoy and Sotanghon Batchoy (Vermecilli Noodles), which also have also been widely liked by Filipinos. The Miswa Batchoy, the Angel Hair fine noodles is equally delicious but lighter on the tummy. The Sotanghon Batchoy and Bihon Batchoy, with their silky, smooth and elastic nature, give one a refreshing feeling, even though the broth is pipping hot. In the 70's up to the 90's, Ted's introduced more novel dishes. It started to serve the Bihon (Rice Stick Noodles) is a neutral concoction, wherein one will experience a feeling of freedom after enjoying a satisfying meal.
Since 1945, Ted's has served its customer with the finest and the freshest possible ingredients. In their innovations, Ted's never compromised their products’ quality. Today, Ted’s has become a leader in Iloilo’s famed batchoy industry. Lapaz batchoy has become a trademark delicacy and a pillar in the Ilonggo culinary culture.
Ever since I was a kid, growing up in Antique and spending my college days in Iloilo City, batchoy has been on top of my fave food list during snack time along with arroz caldo and palitaw. And to this day, everytime I get the chance to stroll in the city with my friends, we make it a point to eat at Ted’s or Deco’s. Most of us eat the soup using spoon and fork, although it may undoubtedly be eaten using chopsticks as well (that is if you know how). The waiter in the batchoyan would even heartily grant us a second helping of broth when we happened to consume the broth first before the meat and noodles.
Batchoy goes very well with puto manapla - just ask for the Super Special with egg and extra chicharon. Be sure you always have a glass of cold water by your side because chowing a hot, steamy bowl of Lapaz Batchoy will surely perspire you a lot. Okay, a few minutes of waiting and your order has finally come. “Nong, pangayo bi extra kaldo...kag tubig dayon. Thanks gid.” It’s chow time. Let’s begin!
No comments:
Post a Comment