If there is one place in the country where the local residents hold one particular food item to such high regard and close to their hearts, it is in Batangas.  And boy, do the Batangueños love their lomi! They can’t seem to get enough of this dish that spells comfort in every spoonful with its gravy-like tasty broth, the thick egg noodles, the various meats, sausage, meatballs, and egg drop combinations and the various textures of chicharon generously topped on this soup that one can find on several favorite places. Ask Batangueños where to find the best lomi, and they will point out their preferred lomi-style with each district having their own peculiarities. For example, I have heard of a much sought after lomi from Ibaan where the “basic soup stock” or the caldo is reputedly made from pigeon to form a rich soup base. To someone from Batangas, the caldo is the heart of the lomi and the pancit or fried noodles it serves. It is also quite unique that fried noodles such as miki or bihon or even tapsi plates are accompanied by rich, oftentimes dark stock of sautéed vegetables, garlic, and onion soup base for slurping in between mouthfulls of noodles or fried rice.

Though Batangas province seems to be a sizeable area to explore I did get to try a few places in the capital city of Batangas with some foodie friends Christian Mercado and Hot and Cold Café owner Jericho Cabral who took us on a lomi sampling.

Batangas lomi is generally a little darker than the Manila or Northern Luzon style. The way to eat it Batangueño style is to transfer it from bowl to shallow plate in order to cool it readily but prevent the starch from breaking down too fast so that one can enjoy its comforting, consoling, and of course stomach-filling attributes.

Of the many lomi places we visited, I took fancy to three places in Batangas City which I dream of going back to:
Megalicious - is on the main highway right past SM Hypermart. This nipa hut structure beside Mega subdivision underneath some tall trees has a very provincial feel. A giant bowl of rich flavored lomi thickened by eggs with home-made quekiam, meatballs, pork slivers, and topped with lots of crushed chicharon and hard-boiled egg is served with a side dish of toasted garlic and fresh shallots. A dip of soy sauce, calamansi, and chili complete this 65-peso bowl that is good for two.

Emjaykas - is a sari-sari store cum canteen that caters to students and patrons of the auto repair shop beside it. Also located right past SM Hypermart and Eternal Gardens Memorial Park on the main highway, Emjaykas also serves a delicious Batangas-style goto with a variety of offal cuts and a generous sprinkling of fresh  sliced scallions. Their lomi has a strong full flavored broth and also quite liberal on the topping with whole chunks of chicharon and eggs. This lomi, I believe, is best eaten with chili, patis, and calamansi which highlights  the powerful caldo base for its soup stock.

Jhorjanes - There are two outlets, one at the very end of the Batangas exit of the Star Tollway, and the other in front of the Batangas Sports Complex. The dark shiny lomi has quail eggs and homemade meatballs with slivers of pork and also a generous topping of chicharon. The flavors are balanced and subtle in style rather than their more up front competitors.
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