Rich and silky tibok-tibok at Susie’s Cuisine

During my stay, I often heard about Susie’s Cuisine from my hosts. They raved about tibok-tibok, alongside other local delights like kakanin and pansit luglug. Tibok-tibok, often likened to maja blanca but celebrated uniquely in Pampanga, especially at Susie’s Cuisine.

Dining Experience at Susie’s Cuisine

After a day of exploring Pampanga’s historic churches and savoring balo-balo at Luring’s, my host Archie suggested we cap off the day at Susie’s Cuisine in Nepo Mart, Angeles City. Upon arrival, Susie’s Cuisine buzzed with activity. Diners, families, and friends packed the restaurant. Despite the long queue at the counter for both meals and take-home treats, dining here was a must.

The Famous Tibok-Tibok

The restaurant’s acclaim was evident in the framed articles from major publications praising Susie’s tibok-tibok. Intrigued, we sampled their halo-halo, pansit luglug, and the renowned tibok-tibok.

Tibok-tibok, a pudding crafted from pure carabao’s milk, stood out for its velvety texture. Unlike variants using coconut milk, Susie’s relied solely on 100% carabao’s milk, resulting in a creamy texture. Topped with latik and infused with local dayap citrus, each bite offered a perfect blend of sweetness and freshness.

A slice of it can already give a hint of what to expect as far as texture is concerned, smooth and delicate. But really, the taste of the pudding is in the eating and once its in your mouth, wow, its so creamy that it seems to melt inside. It has just the right amount of sweetness, not too sugary, and not too bland. This compelled me to just take a bit, after bit after bit until my share is gone. The latik does provide a beautiful counterpoint. Tibok-tibok is such a pleaser. Priced at P22 per slice, its a bit expensive compared to the others but then, it has fame and accolades under its belt.

Other Offerings: Pansit Luglug and Halo-Halo

The pansit luglug is also another dish that can be ordered at Susie’s. Its garnished with half an egg, scallions and crushed chicharon, crispy pork rind, and laden with that familiar yellow-orange sauce over thin white rice noodles. It’s sating enough.

The halo-halo? It’s a simple concoction, far from the elaborately ingredient laden cold dessert, from the usual. It can be compared with Razon’s, a more famous version, but only in terms of the dearth of ingredients.

The shaved ice is granulated, not smooth and just had bits of cooked saba bananas, beans, ube (purple yam) and a slice of leche flan, custard. It is then drizzled with lots of milk. But what I do like about Susie’s halo-halo is just the very smooth, custard. It melts in your mouth, perfectly cooked without any bubbles. It’s like tibok-tibok but sweeter.

Susie’s Cuisine at Nepo Mart embodies comfort food in Angeles City, Pampanga. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, a visit promises satisfaction and the desire to return for more of their delightful offerings.

SUSIE’S CUISINE
Nepo Mart, Angeles City / Dolores City of San Fernando Pampanga
Philippines
2009
TELEPHONE: (045) 322 4775

My gratitude to Mayor Ed Pamintuan and First Lady Herminia de Guzman-Pamintuan of Angeles City, Archie Reyes, Angeles City Information Officer as well as foodies and food bloggers Christine Nunag and Wyatt Belmonte for inviting, accommodating and touring me around their city and the province of Pampanga.