Pasta Bibiana

Ask what my favorite foreign food is and I would tell you that its Pasta.  Yes dear readers, I'm telling the truth. If I made a slip of the tongue and wrote something on Twitter saying, "I like Bacon Cheese Burgers more than anything else," then you should blame El Tigre and Burger Machine for it.  You see, they had a kiosk near my place. Their affordable burgers, with the prodding of my gym buddy, satiated my hunger in times I starved myself after a heavy work-out.  However for strange reasons, they packed up and left before the first great flood swallowed the main street where the burger joint once stood.

Now going back to Pasta, I think my affinity for this food choice was born out of tradition. How couldn't it be, Spaghetti was our staple dish during important family gatherings.  At Noche Buena, expect one placed next to the bread and the jamonado. When one celebrates his birthday, it is Spaghetti they serve instead of the modest Pansit Bihon. (Take it from me, I've had Spaghetti all my life)  Pasta has become too familiar to my taste buds that when I go out alone, I usually dine out at a Pasta Restaurant with Fettuccine Alfredo and toasted bread on my plate.

I tried my best to keep this love affair with  noodles, cheese, and thick sauce soaking it with tasteful goodness under cover. I was so good at keeping it secret that nobody ever found my trail when I sack a Pasta-Fusion Restaurant.  To my surprise, a friend suddenly came up with the idea of putting up a food business starting with - none other but pasta.  Much as I would like to think that it was our unspoken astral connection that was the culprit, rumors fly that it was born out of a broken romantic bond with a common friend. Whatever his reasons, I was ecstatic at the possibilities. Finally, I could pig out over my favorite dish without worrying too much about my dwindling budget.





The announcement was made one stormy afternoon. My friend would have a soft opening and my presence was required.  Naming his enterprise after his mother, Pasta Bibiana offers a healthy alternative to deep-fried, lard-thick, ready to eat meals found in contemporary food carts.  So off I went down south despite the strong winds pounding the city and the gusty drizzles that still threaten to become a downpour just to show up and have a taste of his creation.  Curious onlookers and customers alike surrounded his food cart but being his friend, (who starved himself the whole day expecting a gluttonous entrée) I had special access.

Forget that Pasta Bibiana's choice selections are guaranteed FRESH and devilishly affordable. I think the selling point of my friend's gustatory creation are the consumer's liberty to personalize their pasta experience. From the refreshing spiciness of the yoghurt-based fresh-fruit pasta salad, (which I made dedma even when they told me its masarap daw talaga)  to the subtle creaminess of a white sauce-penne combination (which was offered to me, or should I say readily chose - twice), or the guilt-free fulfillment of a tofu sandwich, (which I ignored since there's a Vegan restaurant near my workplace) to the cleansing quality of the pandan water, (that washes the aftertaste of the sweet and spicy combination of ground beef and white sauce - and its free)  Pasta Bibiana has something for all.*   Though this wonderful trove of a food gem happens to find its roots at the heart of Cavite, let me count the months and it will hit the choice spots of Manila as well.




I know my friend has come a very long way just to put up Pasta Bibiana and much as I would like to indulge my craving for another free taste, I decided against it. For I know that the sheer pleasure of enjoying good food and good company lies not with what's readily advertised but what your money's worth out of something that your taste buds deserve and will long for some more.

I placed an order for another white spaghetti just when my friend was not looking.

Pasta Bibiana is now open for business. Come visit them at 2/F The Foodcourt of Robinson’s Place Imus, along Aguinaldo Highway at Cavite, en route to Tagaytay.

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* words directly copied from RedtheMod Blog
* click images to enlarge