SOUQ Restaurant, Pampanga – After traveling from Manila to Pampanga for over 2 hours, we were all famished. We got the SOUQ, Pampanga, contact number, and from there we secured a reservation so we didn’t have to spend more time finding a place to eat.
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Hamanda Hotel
Upon entering the Pampanga restaurant, you’ll immediately see the SOUQ Pampanga hotel.
A sign on the left side advertises Hamanda Hotel. SOUQ and Hamanda Hotel share the same owner, and so is Mpacho restaurant. Both SOUQ and Mpacho are easily accessible because they are located just below Hamanda Hotel.
For a cheap rate of 3,200 PHP, you can enjoy the Classic Room with breakfast for two. If you want a room with a 49-inch SMART TV, you can book a Deluxe Room instead, by adding 600 PHP per night.
Both Classic and Deluxe Rooms can accommodate an additional person complete with breakfast by adding 950 PHP. If you are in a group of 4, the Family Room is what suits you. For 4,900 PHP per night, the Family Room has a free breakfast for 2, but Hamanda Hotel allows a maximum of 4 occupants per night.
Book at Klook
Get discounts when you book at Klook! And if this is your first time using or booking a hotel room using the Klook app, you can get even more discounts. All you have to do is use the promo code “BetterOnApp” or “HotelOnApp” to get a 5% additional discount!
SOUQ Restaurant, San Fernando, Pampanga
Lots of San Fernando, Pampanga, restaurants will greet you once you enter the city. And if you’re looking for great food, Pampanga should be the place you visit. SOUQ is one of the places to be for hungry travelers.
We reached SOUQ Pampanga a quarter before 1 in the afternoon. The parking lot was full so I was surprised that the resto wasn’t jam-packed. However, upon checking the private room, I saw there was a birthday party, which explained why we couldn’t find a parking space.
Thankfully, the staff suggested we park in a nearby space, so we were able to go in for our late lunch. We had a reservation so we were seated immediately upon entering. Nonetheless, the place wasn’t full so we could not have a hard time finding seats that time.
Made up of wooden tables and ceiling and metal chairs, SOUQ gives off that rustic vibe. The high ceiling helps to ensure that the place is well-ventilated. However, since we went there in the middle of the day, we didn’t enjoy the hot weather.
Thankfully, there was a big electric fan beside our table to keep us from being drenched in sweat. We immediately checked the SOUQ Restaurant menu and placed our orders. You can choose from the different Filipino and Kapampangan dishes when you dine at SOUQ.
We chose some of our Filipino favorites and added a chicken dish to feed our toddler. From the list I found that the Salted Egg Chicken Wings could be palatable for my son, so we added it to our order.
Aesthetically Pleasing Restaurant in San Fernando, Pampanga
Undeniably, SOUQ is one of the best Pampanga restaurants because apart from great food, it also has a pleasing ambiance.
After choosing our orders from the SOUQ Pampanga menu, I checked out the backyard of SOUQ and found a picturesque view. There is a bench with an arch made of branches and leaves and it certainly is a place where lovers can take couple pics.
If you don’t want to take bench photos, you can choose to do your photoshoot beside the bicycle on display. Walking past the bench with an arch is where you can see Hamanda Hotel’s pool. It may look small but it looks intimate for a small group of people.
Klook.comBaked Bulalo Steak
The first to arrive is the Baked Bulalo Steak. Tender beef shank cubes topped with caramelized onion slices sit on top of sweet mashed potatoes. I’m not sure why the potatoes are bright yellow in color but they are great to cleanse your palate from the savory taste of bulalo.
There is even bone marrow included in the baked bulalo steak, so make sure to keep your cholesterol in check after ingesting it. To make you less guilty, there are green beans and a piece of chopped corn on the side.
A small bowl of liver sauce is included on the baked bulalo steak if you need to add more flavor to the meat. However, the beef shanks taste great even if eaten alone or with plain rice.
Pork Sisig
Consisting mainly of pork belly and liver, the Pork Sisig is not the best that we’ve tasted, yet, it’s not that bad either. What I liked about the pork sisig is that it’s not that oily compared to other versions.
However, like any other sisigs, Pampanga SOUQ’s version is that it’s best eaten along with plain rice. So, make sure to share your pork sisig with your friends if you don’t want to eat that much rice.
Krispy Liempo Kare Kare
I can say that the Krispy Liempo Kare Kare is the highlight of our lunch at SOUQ Pampanga. The not-too-fatty liempo was fried to perfection. And when you add the peanut sauce and bagoong (fish-paste) to the krispy liempo, you’re getting more than what you are looking for.
Even my toddler loved the kare kare sauce on his plain rice! The string beans, and petchay are blanched and cooked just right so that you can hear the crunchiness as you bite through each piece.
No wonder krispy liempo kare kare is one of SOUQ bestsellers. Make sure to try it out when you go to San Fernando, Pampanga.
Klook.comSOUQ Laing
Taro leaves, gata (coconut cream), chili, and shrimp – the perfect combination that makes up SOUQ Laing. The laing was surprisingly delish despite not being spicy! The usual ones we encounter have at least a bit of spiciness but SOUQ did not fail with taste despite not making their laing unspicy.
If you haven’t tasted other restaurants’ laing, you probably won’t be eating others anymore once you have tried SOUQ laing. Combining the coconut cream with the taro leaves, SOUQ’s chef was successful at making a vegetable dish taste good.
Salted Egg Chicken Wings
Despite being a Filipino restaurant, SOUQ did not fail at making its Salted Egg Chicken Wings to be good. It also did a great presentation with plating, so my toddler was immediately drawn to it.
While we were afraid that our toddler wouldn’t appreciate the chicken wings, his taste bud accepted the poultry dish. He ate 2 pieces along with plain rice.
The SOUQ, Pampanga, Restaurant Review Conclusion
Dining at SOUQ Pampanga brings back memories of home-cooked Filipino dishes, so it’s a great place if you miss your mom’s cooking. The SOUQ dishes are very tasty and the restaurant brings a relaxing vibe, although it was a bit hot.
Many restaurants in San Fernando, Pampanga, sit side by side and it might be hard for you to choose which is the best. Thankfully, we learned that SOUQ Pampanga price is worth it, so it’s a place to go to when you want value for money.
If you ever you’re looking for a restaurant in Pampanga, make sure to visit and try SOUQ! But also do check The SOUQ Clark, if you’re in the area!
