I Am Really Home : Batangas Lomi (First of Many)

I can't remember the last time I had this authentic Batangas Lomi

Well, perhaps the last time was in 2018 but that wasn't even in Batangas. At least it was by a Batangueno chef in his very own restaurant in Abu Dhabi. I've made feeble attempts to make my own version of it and I know I barely fared well. I crave for it all the time and my cousins made sure to always make me feel jealous when they post on their social media their "lomi escapades" -- they would try different "lomihan" (lomi restaurants/eateries) in our town and compare which one is the best.

_{Lomi is an egg noodle dish with thick soup and is widely cooked in the Philippines in different variations. The Batangas Lomi is particularly famous for its thick gravy sauce and its "overloaded" meat toppings such as kikiam, fish/squid balls, chicharon, eggs and a lot more. Some restaurants' lomi even have tofu and lumpiang shanghai (spring rolls). Batangas lomi does not have vegetables.}

"Pasalubong"

The Filipino term "pasalubong" means a present that someone brings upon his/her homecoming. By homecoming, it does not only mean coming home from a faraway place but it could also mean something one brings home from typically anywhere. In this case, my cousin brought me a "pasalubong" when they came back from one local lomihan.

I was stunned to find this is how lomi is packed for take outs. LOL.

Lomi take out: separately packed egg noodle soup, meat toppings, chopped onions, crispy garlic, kalamansi (Filipino lime), and soy sauce)

I quickly assembled the contents of the takeaway in a bowl hoping to still get an appetizing presentation. I guess I did not disappoint myself. LOL.

Taaaaddaaaaa!

The toppings are definitely not as much (how could I have expected an "overload", lol) but it still got me excited to finally try authentic Batangas lomi after many years.

Based on my cousin's lomi expertise this is not the best they have had. There is a lomi eatery in the nearby barangay (village) that is much more delicious, she said. I am intrigued and I will make sure to try that one of these days. For now, this satisfied my cravings. Thanks to my sweet cousin (who just really accidentally ordered an extra serving, not really thinking about me, haha) who brought me this. ❤️

How about you? what is your favorite noodle dish? Do you have something similar to Batangas Lomi?