🇵🇭 PAGBILAO • Quezon: Kamayan sa Kubo, No Malice

 "It was a child with an extra large 'thing.' Too large for his age and he is voiding. It was funny, it was no malice for me because it was an art. And yes, it was really funny."

There is a favorite bus stop in Pagbilao, Quezon for buses and vehicles traversing the Manila-Bicol route. The name of this bus-stop-restaurant is intriguing for me called the "Kamayan sa Kubo." If we translate it in English, we might call it eating with bare hands in a hut.

Map Courtesy of Wikipedia

Location Highlighted in Red

The success of this bus stop or a restaurant (whatever we might call it) lies in its location. Located along the Maharlika Highway going down south, the main road that every vehicle usually takes when going to southern Luzon, anyone with hungry tummy can afford to obtain satisfaction in this restaurant with accessibility.

I said the name is intriguing because the name and the present set-up of the restaurant does not reflect with each other. In the first place, this is not a kubo, it is a concrete structure. The other thing is that, people eating here use spoon and fork.

However, the ambiance at night is winner for everyone who is hungry. There is a nice lighting, spacious premises, and eye friendly interior. But it still clings at the back of my mind why it is called Kamayan sa Kubo. My theory is that, it might have started as a kubo with customers eating with bare hands. Because of the success of this bus stop, the owner might have expanded and developed this business. Why not? Nice hypothesis to try.

In front of the restaurant is a sculpture that caught my sight. It was a child with an extra large "thing." Too large for his age and he is voiding. It was funny, it was no malice for me because it was an art. And yes, it was really funny. It is a part of the artificial landscape. The voiding kid serves as the fountain.

I might say the girls enjoyed the live show.... I mean the sculpture... I mean the Food! Yes the food! That's it! The food!

But hey wait! I didn't see those girls with me eating... Hehe... Where have they been? So I will only share to you what I have eaten here.

I tried their Fish Fillet. Of course it was boneless so that was hassle-free to eat. That is an additional score. Next thing, the fish meat is tender. The syrup is SSS (Sweet, Sour and Spicy) which is at an optimum taste and blend. My score for the food is 8 out of 10. It is I think 65 pesos per order.

As we go on our way, another set of buses are coming. I am sure, people unloading from these buses will surely notice what we have noticed and laugh how we laughed, or smile how we smiled. Every time I hear about Pagbilao, Quezon, it always reminds me one thing. Huh, Pagbilao, Quezon has left me unforgettable memories, encounter and experience. It really occupied a disk space in my mind.

Of course, if one will ask me about Pagbilao, Quezon, I will always remember and say... "Kamayan sa Kubo." This restaurant is where every memory stuck in my mind, everything funny, delicious [food] and malicious in this part of Quezon province.. But it's all in the mind! Might this boy be their secret key to success? A lucky charm?