Lumpia ni Lola Iding – a delight to one’s palate

Who would have guessed that the tasty lumpia was originally described as “pastries” of Chinese and Indonesian origins?  In Chinese it is called  “lunpia”. And in English, they garner the fancy name, “spring rolls”. 

 In Parimex Resto & Bar, they are proudly called Lumpia ni Lola Iding… delectable rolls of shrimp, mongo, nuts, potato and ground pork.  This lumpia dish was aptly named after Lola Iding of the Vergara clan four (4) generations ago and was where the recipe originated and eventually flourished down to the succeeding generations….each generation adding a little twist of their own though preserving Lola Iding’s original recipe.

The Lumpia ni Lola Iding is prepared meticulously making sure there is a balance of all the ingredients working together and blending in your palate. And to enhance the appetizing lumpia, dip it and pair it off with the vinegar sauce smothered with crushed garlic and round black pepper. This definitely creates a unique savory taste that lingers a bit in the mouth….then wash it down with an ice cold beer or a glass of ice tea! That is food bliss!

Tribute to Ima

For many of us, our mothers or grandmothers are the ones who first introduced us to good food and good eating. They helped shape our tastes. Their recipes were the centerpieces of meals around which memories were made of. You could say mothers are one of the best creations of God . Lucky and blessed are the people whose lives were greatly shaped and enriched by a mother’s unconditional love and devotion to her family. … and by her unsurpassed culinary delights.

My Ima’s cooking always garnered superlative comments from relatives and friends alike …and since she is now gone,  what better way to honor and pay tribute to Ima by showcasing all her lutong kapampangan dishes.  Hence the creation of Parimex Resto and Bar….a fitting tribute to a woman whose culinary skills inspires the flavors of Pampanga. So come visit us at Parimex and let your palate experience and savor Ima’s time proven delicious recipes.

Reminiscences of home cooking

They say that home is where the heart is. And nothing tugs at our heart strings more with reminiscences of hearth and home than food. It is wondrously mysterious how even just the scent of food brings us back to those long lost days when life was simpler and the world was good. Just ask Anton Ego, that scathingly jaded food critic in the Disney animated movie, “Ratatouille”. One bite of the “little chef’s” signature dish and he was transported to his mother’s table, where a simple peasant dish of vegetables was enough to dry his tears and lift his spirits.

Such is the powerful connection between food and memory. And all of us have at least one cherished food memory that brings us back to days that we can only long for with malcontent sighs.  It may be your lola’s chicken soup or lugaw from when you were a sick convalescent kid, or your mom’s chicken and pork adobo that you and your siblings and cousins and everybody else who happened to be around, had to fight for—down to the last morsel of meat and sauce that clung to the caldero.  It can be your favorite uncle’s sizzling sisig, which he served when he and your dad introduced you to the fine art of beer drinking during your last couple of years in high school, or that pasta dish that your ex-girlfriend, (now your wife) used to make every time you’d visit her, and which you and your kids now petition your wife to make every time everybody is home for the weekends.

 

And this connection between food and memory is especially powerful for us Filipinos—who as a people find ourselves in front of a table full of food in most, if not all major milestones in life. Be it a christening, a birthday, a wedding anniversary, a favorite relative’s homecoming, a job promotion, your friend’s despedida before leaving for foreign shores to look for work, or even at the last vigil for a dearly departed loved one, you can be sure that Filipinos will not only eat, they will eat well.

For us, food is not only sustenance it is a way to remember.  It is a way to honor someone dear, a means to express love, a channel for coming together. 

It is this ethos which drives the people behind PARIMEX, your dining destination and portal to fond memories of old.

The name of the restaurant itself is a contraction of Parian, Mexico, the place in Pampanga where PARIMEX was born. A loving tribute by a devoted family to their Ima or mother, the restaurant was conceived as a showcase for the best in traditional Pampango home cooking.  However, don’t let the term “home cooking” deceive you.  Pampango cuisine after all is renowned all over the country for its quality, its unique flavor and its diverse palate.

Take the erstwhile ersatz roadside food called sisig. Despite its humble origins in the street-side eateries and watering holes in Angeles City, sisig has conquered the national consciousness and is now available throughout the country in every conceivable version—pork, chicken, fish and even tofu!

It is also one of the signature dishes in PARIMEX, together with Pampango staples and Filipino favorites like crispy hito (—served with buro and mustasa leaves, of course!), kalderetang kambing, crispy fried quail, salpicao and other Pampango and regional culinary delights..

So if you are craving for a piece of home, a reminder of your mom’s cooking or simply a great place to eat with value for money, then come to PARIMEX. Take a seat and be prepared for a wondrously nostalgic gustatory ride.

Flavors of Pampanga

Parimex (Parian, Mexico) 

a. the central barangay in the municipality of Mexico, Pampanga 

b. a destination of "Kapampangan Culinary Heritage"

Parimex offers the complete dining experience for our customers. It is more than your typical restaurant & bar as it seeks to celebrate & carry on traditional cooking of our mothers, that familiar feeling of home treasured by all of us, and also satisfy the evolving taste of the modern Filipino diner. What better way to enjoy a sumptuous meal than to have it with your favorite drink in hand?

An excerpt from the book  “Comfort Food” of Erlinda Enriquez Panlilio best describes the value proposition of Parimex :

“… food reminds you of early home.  We associate it with maternal heart, with our mother’s cooking; resonating with childhood and home. It is what you crave for when you are looking to be whole, healed or loved.” – Fe Arriola

In essence, Parimex Resto & Bar offers customers the rare experience of dining and savoring the many flavors of Pampanga, all-Filipino favorites and new recipes, and unwinding in a pleasant and cozy ambiance. It’s premium dining and unwinding at a reasonable price!