MANILA -- Planning to visit the municipality of Real in the province of Quezon and wondering what and where to eat?
The coastal town fronting Pacific Ocean is known for its rich seafood produce, delicacies and local dishes such as the sinantol.
Quezon's local savory dish Sinantol. Reyma Deveza, ABS-CBN News
For fresh seafood, Real has Nek Nek Seafoods & Restaurant, known for its selection of cooked dishes, or ulam, as well as its paluto service, where diners can have fresh ingredients cooked to order.
Located in Purok 1, Sitio Mahaba, Barangay Tignoan, the eatery has been serving diners in Real for nearly five decades.
Nek Nek is owned by the family of Rizalito Combalicer, 74, who opened the restaurant in 1979 and named it after his child, Nek-Nek.
"Sa mga paluto, dumarayo talaga sila sa amin. Mga artista, may dumadayo sa amin, 'yung mga nagbi-beach nagde-deliver kami ng paluto," he told ABS-CBN News.
For those opting for paluto, several shops near Nek Nek also sell raw, fresh seafood and other ingredients that can be brought to the restaurant for cooking.
Fresh ingredients at wet market in Real. Reyma Deveza, ABS-CBN News
After buying ingredients you can now go to Nek-Nek where they will prepare and cook the food that you like. They charge P350 for every kilo of seafood.
According to Comabalicer, one of their specialties is adobong pusit. "Yung adobong pusit ay talagang binabalik-balikan sa amin. Dinadayo," he said.
Rizalino Combalicer cooks Butter-Garlic Shrimp and Sinigang na Maya-Maya. Reyma Deveza, ABS-CBN News
Combalicer had no formal culinary training, but he started cooking at a very young age. After getting married, he turned his passion for cooking into a business, opening Nek-Nek in 1979.
"Sa kabayanan ng Real doon kami simula't sapul. Ako hindi ako nag-aral ng pagluluto. Ang sa akin ay 'yung tamang lasa na alam kong magugustuhan ng customer. Kapag nagustuhan ay tinutuloy ko ang pagluluto sapagkat 'yun ang babalikan sa akin. Hanggang sa makilala kami rito," he said.
"Sabi nila 'ano ba ang sekreto mo? Tinutularan namin ang pagluluto mo pero hindi namin magaya.' Sabi ko ay nasa timpla nang pagluluto. Kahit 'di ko na tikman ang pagluluto ko, alam ko na," the owner added.
Combalicer recalled that the eatery was once known for its lugaw, or Filipino rice porridge, before it became a destination for seafood and paluto.
"Nag-umpisa ako sa paglulugaw diyan talaga kami nakilala sa lugaw. At 'yan ang binabalikan sa amin. (Ngayon) hindi na ako naglulugaw sapagkat medyo may edad na. Hindi ko na mapagsabay ang pagluluto ng lugaw at ibang pagkain," he said.