Back in 2013, a friend and I went on a day trip to Batangas to check out some of its old churches. The Philippines is a country with a Catholic majority, so there are plenty of gorgeous old churches to see (some admittedly needing restoration, but still). I’ve always admired the architecture and wanted to see it myself.
Such a trip would not be complete without trying new food. Happily, my long-time friend Gary To (whom I’ve known since I was a teenager) owned a noodle joint, Lomi King located in Lipa City, Batangas – a good two-hour drive from Manila. When he found out that I was heading to Batangas, he invited me to stop by and eat. Me being me, of course I had to check it out.
If you’re wondering what lomi is, Wikipedia surprisingly has an entry about it. You can find it here. Anyway. . .
Gary learned the recipe from his dad who started the whole lomi business in Lipa. He took a while to get into the food business, but the world is seriously better off that he did. He learned from their family business and eventually started his own. He kept saying that he started as the janitor and worked his way up. Might be too self-effacing, but it’s his way of saying that he learned the business from the ground up. This is food biz royalty who jumped through the hoops and earned his marks.
I had my heart set on eating lomi. After all, the place was called Lomi King. He didn’t reveal his secret recipe for lomi, nor was I going to ask. One must respect trade secrets. He did share their other offerings like this club sandwich and chami (another type of noodle dish).
This chami had kikiam, seafood, eggs and pork. Just look at that!
Now this is what I wanted to try. Meet Lipa City’s most excellent lomi courtesy of Lomi King!
Pretty! Even better, the lomi was really good. . . and I’m not saying that just because he’s my friend. This was one helluva big bowl. Even when shared by two, it was still a hefty serving. Catching up with an old friend over such comfort food, I learned about his business, the food itself and I left proud because I know the Lomi King himself!
If you’re ever in Lipa City, just go. Don’t think about it. It’s good food, trust me. You enjoy a great budget-friendly meal in a very casual environment. The ingredients are fresh. The servings are generous. The dishes are prepared to perfection. They have such obvious pride in their food, so what’s not to like?
Address:
Lomi King
Pres. J.P. Laurel Highway Lipa
Lipa City, Batangas
Philippines