PAMPANGA, PHILIPPINES - Last Holy Thursday, we decided to go home and visit our hometown that is Subic. The thought of seeing the place again got me so excited since it has been almost a year now since my last visit to it. Given that it was the start of the holy week when we chose to traverse NLEX, we found ourselves stuck in a bad traffic which transformed the supposedly 2.5-hour trip to an 8-hour one. That's how bad the traffic was! To tell you the truth, it was not the first time that this happened to us! Looks like we had not learned our lesson still.

Anyway, since the long trip rendered us hungry, we made it a point to stop for lunch in Guagua, a municipality located just after San Fernando and Bacolor. One of the things that I look forward to when I visit Subic is our trips to the restaurants we have come to love along the way. Luring's BBQ House is one of them!

I can still remember those times when we travel all the way to Pampanga from Subic just to have lunch there and eat grilled chicken ass and grilled catfish, those moments when we travel to Manila and go off-the-road just to visit it, those times when we do not eat anything at all prior going to Luring's because we know we will be eating a lot later on; ahhh, those were the good, old days and I wish to relive it everytime I will go home to Subic from now on!

Upon arriving in the compound where the establishment stands, I immediately noticed that the look of the place have changed in a pretty big way. The big hall on the right is no longer there, along with its unfinished walls made of hollow blocks and dimly lit interiors. Instead, a huge dining hall is now standing at the far back, finished with a nipa roof and wall-less sides to let the fresh air and sunlight come in and fill up the hall. So breezy!

Their menu composes of Filipino viands that we consider comfort foods or are great appetizers, especially if paired with alcohol/beer! One would be the kilawin, which are raw slices of fish and onions drenched in vinegar.

These oily Chicharon Bulaklak which you can never go wrong with.

Grilled items like the catfish (which is now smaller than what I recall it to be), chicken ass (which I think is bigger and fattier than before!), pork belly or what we fondly call liempo and chicken barbecue (which are both juicy and flavorful!).

If you happen to find yourself in Guagua, suddenly hungry while driving along Jose Abad Santos Avenue in Pampanga, on your way to Subic, Bataan or back in Manila, go drive towards Luring's BBQ House to appease your growling tummy first. It may be out of your way but it beats the possibility that your tummy might mutate to a monster and just eat you alive without thinking twice! And oh! Do not worry about the cost, we only shelled out Php 1500 to fully satisfy 9 growling and salivating appetites!