Do you eat tuna panga (jaw)? I do. Actually, I love eating not just tuna panga but any fish head. I devour the flesh, cartilage and even the eye sockets. So when we were invited for lunch at Owa’s Balay Pangahan in Silay City, I couldn’t say no especially since Realtor Eli Gatanela mentioned that they serve the best tuna panga he ever tasted.
Owa’s Balay Pangahan is the brainchild of Chef Mari Stelle Estrella since their family love to eat tunga panga. Before she opened her own restaurant in Silay, she was the Chef of Delicioso in Bacolod. Chef Stelle studied at the American Hospitality Academy (AHA) in Manila and trained abroad but she probably got her most valuable training from her Lola who they call Owa. Her Lola makes Silay’s famous dulce gatas which her aunt continues to make today. This is what I like about Silay, every family has their own specialty recipe which is handed down from generations.
Owa’s Balay Pangahan is located at Brgy. Mana-ul Street or Bangga Shell (corner Shell Gas Station). They turned their family garden into the quaint Owa’s Balay Pangahan.
When it comes to tuna, it’s very important that they are fresh since some people has allergic reactions to them. Good thing Chef Stelle found a reliable supplier who ships the tuna from General Santos City now we can enjoy tuna panga anytime of the year.
Upon reading Owa’s menu list, I noticed that their panga dishes has some really funky names. Sinugpanga (grilled), Panga-gang (sinigang), Pangabo (adobo), Ginatpanga (cooked in coconut milk) and Pangasig (sisig) are just some of their panga dishes.
But I think the most dazzling of them all is the Pangazling or “fish jaw surprised by garlic and pepper and hustled to your table on a sizzling plate.” What a jaw-dropping experience for the fish!
The first tunga dish we tried was the Panga-gang or the panga sinigang. The sinigang was simmered in tamarind based broth and it has tomatoes too giving the soup a pleasantly mild sour flavor.
The grilled tuna panga comes with veggies with a choice of vinegar or peanut sauce. They also serve grilled tuna belly but I personally prefer the panga over the belly because of the cartilage and fat in it. The worst thing that can happen to tuna is to overcook it because it becomes tough. The grilled panga and belly are really good, evenly cooked, very tender and juicy. You’ll want more aligue rice or bagoong rice with it.
The specialty for the week was Grilled Chicken in Malunggay Pesto. You wouldn’t know there’s malunggay in it. What a delicious twist to the usual pesto.
Aside from the panga dishes, they also serve pork dishes such as the Crispy Pork Dinuguan, Grilled Pork Belly, and Grilled Porkchop.
For desserts, Chef Stelle has a very interesting polvoron, Dilis con Leche, which she concocted for a school cooking competition and won. Indeed, who would have thought of a fish for dessert? And you wouldn’t know there’s fish in it either. It was very delicious and nutritious too since dilis is rich in calcium. Chef Stelle also made a twist of the usual Sapin-Sapin and made it into Sapin-Sapin Sorbet.
After a sumptuous meal, you may want to try their brewed coffee or their ginger-turmeric brew.
It’s nice that a lot of Negrense chefs, after spending their training abroad, come home to work with local restaurants or open their own restaurants. This changes our local culinary scene such that we have more choices. Owa’s Balay Pangahan offers a different flavor in Silay where there are already established names when it comes to local delicacies, pizza and pasta.
So, if you want to try the best tuna panga in Negros, visit Owa’s Balay Pangahan. They are open from Wednesday to Sunday at 11am to 2pm and 5pm to 9:30pm.
Below is the location of Owa’s Balay Pangahan.
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We Filipinos grew up eating whole parts of fish, nothing is thrown except perhaps for the bones. But if you are a picky eater, here are reasons why you should start eating fish head.
- Fish Head are more nutritious than the fillet. Fish bones, brains, cartilage and fat contains extra high levels of vitamin A, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc and calcium.
- Throwing away fish head is like throwing away food. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service, two to three pounds of head and scraps are thrown for every pound of fillet. There are so many people that go hungry everyday.
- Fish head which are not turned into food are considered wastes in the processing facilities which then require additional processes to decompose them.
I’m sure you are now convinced that eating fish head is good for our health, the environment and the economy. It’s a good thing Europeans and North Americans haven’t discovered the joys of eating fish head yet. They can have all the tuna fillet but the the best part is left to us, tuna panga.
