Kain lang ng kain

When we heard that Kanin Club at the UP-Ayala Techno Hub was open, mom, dad and I checked it out. I had heard good reviews about their food, particularly about one entree that has become one of their signature dishes - Crispy Dinuguan (pork blood stew).

The dish looked normal, like any other dinuguan dishes, with its glistening thick black gooey sauce topped with a bright green chili pepper. Excitedly, I placed a few dollops on my plate. Kanin Club offers different kinds of rice from the usual menu listings like fried rice and garlic rice, to the more exotic Mindoro rice, to the must-trys like Tinapa Rice and Sinangag sa Sinigang. I opted for the regular Mindoro variety because I knew that plain rice goes well with fried stuff.

The dinuguan taste itself was good. I liked the spot-on sourness of the dish as well as the firm consistency of the sauce. It congealed nicely and was quite homogenous, just the way I like it. The way they did it was that they deep fried most of the meat and innards, so you get hard crunchy parts mixed with the mushy blood sauce. It was good but, the thing is, I couldn’t tell what I was eating. I didn’t know which part of what animal I was munching on. So to those who like eating unknown things or those who prefer not being able to identify what they’re eating (like a guessing game), this dish may be for you.

All in all, it was good. Hindi mo lang nga alam kung ano ang kinakain mo pero kain lang ng kain. I think one plate should be shared by a huge party because after a few spoonfuls, I felt a bit dizzy. Man, I think I’m getting old…