Just like every other years of celebrations, my sister and I celebrated our birthday feasting on seafood at Aling Tonya’s Paluto Restaurant with its original branch in Baclaran Seafood Market. It has been a family tradition but this year we invited two more families (from my estranged father’s side) whom I haven’t seen and have lost touch for almost two decades now.
It was truly a happy gathering…and looking forward to celebrate more occasions at Aling Tonya’s. Though I haven’t met Aling Tonya, Alvin has been always there to accommodate us. 
Alvin serving Aling Tonya's for 16 years!
Many similar restaurants have sprung at Baclaran Seafood Market and other locations in Macapagal-Roxas Boulevard and Metrowalk-Ortigas but we remain to be loyal (just like Alvin) to Aling Tonya’s home branch. Though still a bit crowded and stinky (what else do you expect of a seafood market? hehe!) with few parking spaces, the Baclaran Seafood Market has been renovated adding more floors to it to accommodate more diners.
We usually place our orders ahead of time so we wouldn’t have to move around the wet market and wait for the food to be cooked…more than anything, we trust Alvin to pick the freshest and cheapest seafood for us.
While waiting for the Chua-Ton and Ton-Catipon families, my sister and I went down to take pictures of the colorful sea creatures. Too bad, most stalls have already closed since it was past 7pm.
Baclaran Seafood Market
abundance of shrimp, lobster and crab varieties
- red lapu-lapu and various species of alien-looking dover sole fis
- an assortment of sea shells
frogs anyone?
nice to meet you mr. octopus
turtle: please don’t eat me…
And this was what we ate last night…burp!
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- turtle: please don’t eat me…
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- steamed lapu-lapu
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- MKBS ensalada
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- adobong pusit
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- sweet & sour lapu-lapu
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- thr big & yellow moon
