Bibingka and Puto Bumbong Crazy

It's been raining real hard, and non-stop at that, for the past two weeks. Of course, i'm attributing the drop of temperature as the first sign of Christmas, considering we have reached the BER months as well. Christmas always reminds me of traditional after dawn mass fares such as bibingka and puto bumbong. I just had my dose of both, separately at Ebun and Via Mare. Ebun serves their bibingka with your choice of either kesong puti or queso de bola, it is also topped with butter and an extra grated coconut on the side. It is served hot off the clay pot with live coals where it is cooked in a pan lined with a banana leaf. The serving at Ebun is really generous and it is reasonably priced at 75php.

Puto Bumbong at Via Mare is served with grated mature coconut, muscovado sugar, and melted butter. Again, you have an option to include grated cheddar cheese (13php) or grated queso de bola/ edam cheese (18php) for an added zing. The puto bumbong itself costs around 45php for two pieces. I had mine with cheddar cheese. It was mind-blowing, an almost disturbing experience intensified by the rage of the rain pouring outside the glass window of the resto. I somehow wished that moment never ended. But then it did.