One of the things I was really looking forward to during our visit to Quirino Province was Cagayan Valley’s regional noodle dish, pancit batil patong. Granted, this particular pancit is really from Tuguegarao City, but it’s such a popular dish that most provinces along the region has panciterias peddling them.

One such place is Akel’s Panciteria, which is located right along the main road of Cabarroguis, the province’s capital town.

► SEE: CABARROGUIS TOURIST SPOTS

AKEL’S PANCITERIA’S OPEN-AIRED INTERIORS

Quirino has such a provincial vibe that restaurants are quite hard to come by—most folks simply cook their own meals. So I was overjoyed to learn that among the few food places in town, there’s a panciteria selling pancit batil patong near Capitol Plaza Hotel where we were staying.

Akel’s Panciteria is an open-aired shed-type eatery. It has a very native feel with its unpainted wood and thatch roofing. It opens to a gravel atrium with a few huts parallel to the shed.

It’s quite basic, but I kinda like how airy its atmosphere was.

► CHECK OUT: QUIRINO PROVINCE TOURIST SPOTS

PREPARING THE ONION SIDE DISH

Since we were a big group, it took a while before our orders arrived.

While waiting, I checked their menu and found that aside from pancit batil patong, they also serve usual Filipino favorites such as crispy pata, dinakdanan, lechon kawali, among others. With those kinds of dishes, I quickly flipped to the back page of the menu and confirmed my suspicion. They have beer. Red Horse Beer.

Alas, everyone seemed too tired and just wants to freshen up back at the hotel, so no beer to go along with our pancit then.

► GO CAVING: AGLIPAY CAVES

AKEL’S PANCIT BATIL PATONG IN QUIRINO PROVINCE

After almost fifteen minutes, plates of pancit batil patong started filling our table. And yes, it has the usual pair of soup (batil) and chopped onions with calamansi.

The egg (patong) was poached just right and I can see that the noodles seemed to be legit miki from Tuguegarao. Bits of carrots, cabbages, bean sprouts, and carabeef were mixed with the noodles, although I can’t seem to find any liver portions. It was also interesting to find maling cubes instead of chorizo mixed along the bunch. The whole thing is sprinkled with crushed chicharon in lieu of the more traditional lechon carahay.

The group verdict was split in half; some liked it, a few don’t. From previous experience, I found that pancit batil patong isn’t really for everyone, but for me, Akel’s version of my favorite noodle dish was okay. It wasn’t as mind-blowing as those in Tuguegarao City but I was quite happy I’ve had my pancit batil patong fix. It was definitely better than not having any at all.

Akel’s Panciteria
Address: Provincial Rd., San Marcos, Cabbaroguis, Quirino
Contact Number: (0927) 406-9089
GPS Coordinates Map: 16.523306, 121.521667

Pancit Batil Patong Prices:
Regular - ₱50 | Special - ₱60 | Super - ₱70