What kind of student were you when you were in school?
Were you the jock: always excused from class because of basketball or volleyball practice? Maybe you were the class clown: with the innate ability to make even the most terror teacher laugh. Or perhaps you were dubbed the cheerleader, for motivating others and giving words of encouragement?
Whether you’re a jock, cheerleader, or class clown, one thing is certain – you’re going to need good food to survive school. Word on the campus is that a new budget-friendly eatery just opened across Central Philippine University (CPU). And they serve the tastiest, most affordable beef pares.
Want to treat your barkada without breaking the bank? Come to Pares University-CPU branch!
Sino ang Top 1 Sa Sarap?
On December 9, 2022, Friday, Pares University had its grand opening for its CPU branch, right in front of the university. Anyone passing by Lopez Jaena, St., Jaro, Iloilo City can now drop by for their yummy old-school pares, beef mami, or sizzling sisig. This is their fourth branch, along with Pares U DB Ledesma, Pares U UI, and Pares U Robinson’s Main.
The restaurant’s claim to fame is their budget-friendly pares, consisting of braised beef in their signature sarsa, paired with light beef broth and garlic rice. These are made fresh every day. All this beefy goodness is available for only 129 Php. During their opening, they had a limited-time offer of 49 Php for this classic meal, with exclusive merch for the first 50 customers who joined their online promotion.
Aside from Campus Classics, Pares University regulars will also love their all-day silog meals (tocilog, hotsilog, tapsilog, etc.), desserts, and drinks. They offer ulam favorites, too, such as siomai, meatballs, and lumpiang shanghai. In an interview with Iloilo Today, owner Rechelle Tuares said: “We want to make sure that our product is quality and barato gid especially para sa mga students. The beef that we use for our Pares is imported.”
No wonder it’s so delicious!
Ano ang Masarap ka-Pares?
Pares is a Filipino comfort food comprising of braised beef, with a side of garlic fried rice plus a bowl of clear soup. The term literally translates to ‘pair’ in English. Jonas Pares, an eatery established in 1979, is credited for having coined the term to give a name to the pairing of beef and rice. Today, lots of road-side eateries and restaurants have this Pinoy dish in their menus.
The traditional way of preparing pares is to first sauté the beef in garlic, ginger, and onions until brown. Then add water with spices such as soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and star anise. At this point, one may put in beef cubes for more flavor, as well as bay leaves (although this part is optional). The beef must be slow-cooked for that melt-in-your-mouth soy-sweet result.
Pares University-CPU branch brings this old-style goodness to Ilonggos at reasonable prices. Order the traditional pares or choose plain rice to complement that beefy taste. For cold weather or a rainy day, warm up with their beef mami. Celebrating a good grade or passing an exam? You can’t go wrong with their sizzling sisig paired with siomai and Coke.
If you’re feeling extra hungry, Pares University Supermeal is here to the rescue! Supermeals come with soup, pancit, and vegetables of the day. You can choose from a variety of viands, including fried chicken, pork menudo, chicken curry, beef steak, and Bicol Express. Don’t forget dessert – sweeten your day with ube cheese lumpia, lesson flan, or coffee jelly. By then you’ll have plenty of energy to tackle the rest of your classes.
Whether you’re craving for delicious beef stew or you’re looking for an accessible and budget-friendly restaurant, Pares University-CPU branch will surely hit the spot. Tara na sa top 1 sa sarap!
Check out the Pares University official Facebook page for menus, updates, and more @paresuniversityILO.
