Weight watchers and those on restricted diets must not read this piece on Mr. Pares located along M. Roxas Street, Brookside. Why?
The delicious but dangerously rich and fried meals here are hard to resist, so proceed with caution and a lot of discipline to sample but not indulge.
Mr. Pares’s crispy pata comes in a group meal for four with a thick gelatinous soup from the boiled pork hock, bagnet, chicharon bulaklak, rice, four hard-boiled eggs, and soda. As an alternative, there’s also lechon ulo with similar trimmings to enjoy as a group meal.
The crispy pata or deep-fried pork leg is enough to satisfy a group of four moderate eaters. The skin is perfection for that crunch you crave. The scissors can snip through the crispy pata in portions that are ideal for popping into the mouth after dipping them in the sweet soy sauce that accompanies the tasty dish.
A surprise awaits in the soft, juicy meat underneath the skin. The tendons are chewy and tender enough to eat. But what many people consider the best part is the meat that’s close to the bone as it’s truly umami.
The savory meat dish is boiled in herbs and spices, then allowed to drip to remove extra liquid, after which it is deep fried to transform the thin rind into something almost like chicharrónes.
Bagnet comes in about half-inch thick slices of fried pork liempo or belly. Some six inches of this reminds one of homemade deep-fried chicharon. The fat is reduced like the kinapusan of Iloilo, and the bagnet is a better version of lechon kawali, if I may say so.
True to its promise, this meat seems to have been boiled and allowed to fry in its own fat like traditional bagnet. This is crunchy and best dipped in their version of pinakurat or flavored vinegar.
Their chicharon bulaklak is presented like florets, with the edges curled and crispy. There are some pieces that still have the chewy center ligaments of the pork intestine, but are generally still crisp to the bite.
This is the best “edition” I have sampled so far because there is no gamey odor that’s common in these meat parts. This is fine, too, with the flavored vinegar or the sweet soy sauce that goes with the crispy pata.
What’s amazing is that there is hardly any excess grease to make one feel the danger in the fried foods of Mr. Pares.
The bone broth served as part of each group meal is good enough as a meal on its own. One can taste the rich savory flavor of the hock boiled for a long time until all the skin on the feet becomes gelatinous so it melts away into the broth. This silky dark soup is where the collagen is found. Depending on your choice, the restaurant staff will add onion leeks or onions to it.
Unlimited rice is part of the perks of your order. The cup of rice is served in bowls which you bring to a counter for a refill. But one cup should be enough to satisfy you.
The soda is served in another counter beside the rice refill station.
Their kare-kare should also be tried as a single meal with rice, soup, and egg. Pork legs are used in this meal cooked in peanut sauce and served with shrimp paste. The peanut sauce is thick and full of umami, too.
There are many meal combinations to choose from at Mr. Pares.
With its ample parking space and being open for 24 hours, Mr. Pares is a must-try.
It’s located along the road if one takes the Brookside jeep that turns around under the bridge. It’s also within walking distance from the Brookside Bridge along Leonard Wood Road if one is coming from the Pacdal area or one is taking public transport from the Diego Silang routes of Gibraltar and Mines View. There are stairs on the side of the bridge leading to Brookside where one can go on a leisurely walk toward the restaurant.
Be warned! The delicious meaty meals here can be addictive.
Exercise restraint even when the dishes they serve are oishi as these are too rich for the veins and arteries.
