MENU: Fave Pinoy Restos UNEDITED

Space limitations. Boo. Here's the unedited version -


PROUDLY FILIPINO

If art is a reflection of life, food is a reflection of culture. Our
food is rich, loud in taste and a mix not only of Chinese and Malay
influences, but of Spanish and Mexican cuisines as well. I still
believe that our food owns some of the world's best flavors, which
makes me all the more proud to be Filipino! Here are my Top 5 Filipino
restos in Metro Manila …

La Cocina de Tita Moning

La Cocina is an experience that goes beyond dining as you are taken on
a trip back in time to mid-century Manila and welcomed into the home
of the aristocratic Legarda family. The gates are opened for you by
the family guard who will lead you to the patio, where you will first
enjoy al fresco a few sips of ginger tea with queso de bola toast.
Once you've settled in, you will be given a tour of the house, which
really introduces you to Don Alejandro Legarda, patriarch of the
family, as much as it invites you to sample the recipes of his wife
Doña Ramona Hernandez Legarda, more fondly known as Tita Moning. You
immediately sense the character of the man and his passion for life as
you see his camera, radio and whiskey collections, as well as his
library of medical books. (He was a gynecologist.) But more
importantly, you also sense the love that this couple had for each
other as documented in the pictures on display in the different rooms,
including one taken on their golden wedding anniversary; and in little
things such as Tita Moning's kitchy hand-made lamp, a paper maché
project of hers using labels from the don's whiskey bottles. It was
clearly a home of love as much as it was of stature. Therefore, more
than the sense of wealth spoken of by the tour guide, it is a Filipino
sense of family that is impressed upon the observant guest, bringing a
warm, welcome feeling to what would otherwise be an intimidating home.

The warmth that welcomes you is also the magic touch of grandchild
Suzette Montinola, who clearly inherited her grandmother's charm and
flair for entertainment and who is responsible for opening the doors
of the Legarda mansion to the world. Suzette has also preserved the
recipes of Tita Moning, and has created an all-Filipino menu that,
true to their family tradition, is sprinkled with elegant touches here
and there. The fresh kangkong salad, for instance, comes with
caramelized walnuts. Caramelized bananas are served with vermouth. And
the bread pudding has glazed nuts on top, a classy touch to the
delicious dessert Tita Moning was well known for. On your visit, make
sure you also go home with a bottle of Tita Moning's queso de bola
spread, which I guarantee you will get addicted to.

La Cocina de Tita Moning. 315 San Rafael Street, San Miguel, Manila.
734-2141/734-2146.

Abe
The Kapampangans are arguably the Philippines' best cooks so it comes
as no surprise that Abe, which capitalizes on Kapampangan specialties,
has become one of the favorite Filipino restaurants of both Filipinos
and foreign visitors alike since it opened last year in Serendra at
Fort Bonifacio. A charming nook that is as an ode to artist Emilio
Aguilar Cruz, father of restaurateur Larry Cruz of Cafe Adriatico fame
(among other restaurants), Abe captures the spirit of Filipino
friendship and good times. The menu lists favorite dishes of Abe's
friends (incidentally, Abe means "friend" in Kapampangan), which are
superbly executed by the restaurant. But the house specialties remain
to be those that hail from Pampanga, such as the Binukadkad na Plapla,
a deep fried whole fish whose meat is artfully flipped away from the
fish spine, served with balo balo, a real Pampangeño specialty of
fermented rice with shrimp. Another house specialty is the lengua,
which is thicker than at other restaurants, making for a more filling
serving.

Abe is one of the few restaurants that have successfully presented
Filipino food in an upscale setting without doing fusion cuisine and
without compromising the Filipino culture of sharing viands and eating
heapings of rice. (An order of rice at this resto is "bottomless".)
The menu is unabashedly straight up Filipino and we love it all the
more just for that.

Abe. Serendra Circle. Bonfiacio Global City. 856-0526.

O Kitchen
O Kitchen is a well-kept secret of Libis. Hidden in the compound where
the Padre Pio chapel is located, just a little past Shopwise, this
restaurant serves the recipes of private caterer Offie Benavides.
Around for the past seven years already, this restaurant has survived
the restaurant industry strictly by word of mouth, as its owner has
refused to join the many other restaurants who have set up shop at the
heavier populated malls. The result is a cozy little restaurant where
the owner herself cooks your meals and steps out to chat with you for
a bit and to welcome you to the restaurant herself. You therefore get
home-cooked meals in a very clean bistro setting at very reasonable
prices. Her menu is quite similar to Abe's but at half the prices,
with hardly anything on the menu for over P200. Also with Kampampangan
roots, her kare kare is superb, her balo balo perfect with dried fish,
never going overboard on saltiness. She also has a turron leche flan
dessert that is a fun mix of crunch and cream that I would order with
a scoop of ice cream (it comes without). Benavides ouidos her way
through most of the recipes but produces absolutely delicious meals
anyway, a real Filipina blessed with great taste!
O Kitchen. 188 E. Rodriguez, Libis.633-7958. 0917-815-0822.

Bistro Filipino
Hip and edgy, Bistro Filipino takes Filipino cooking to a whole new
level, with Chef Rolando Laudico creatively marrying traditional
tastes with new methods of cooking and presentation.

MENU featured this bistro a few months ago and gave this review:
"Laudico is at the forefront of modern Filipino cuisine. Sisig (pig's
ears), a favorite bar chow of many a Pinoy but squirmed at by many a
foreign guest, is presented not on a sizzling plate but delicately
enclosed in a crispy rice basket and presented elegantly with a quail
egg. As with the chandelier, the artist's creativity changes the
character of the dish from barbaric to brilliant: no foreigner would
hesitate to bite into Laudico's sisig. Lumpia, a light vegetable snack
that is usually enjoyed in egg roll wrappers, is instead presented in
a crisp cone and enjoyed with chorizo for added bite. Mongo beans are
pureed and served with parmigiano crisps garnished with slow roasted
herb tomatoes and crisp labahita flakes. For the main course, salmon
is not just buttered but served on escabeche sauce while the classic
pork adobo is given a make over by pairing it with foie gras and
glutinous rice. Over the top? Perhaps a tad on that last one but I
would willingly indulge if I were you."

And don't skip the molten chocolate cake with carabao milk ( gatas ng
kalabaw). It's absolutely heavenly.

Bistro Filipino, Net One Building, Fort Bonifacio. 856-0634 / 856-0541.

Kamayan
Tried and tested since the '70s, Kamayan is still the most reliable
Filipino restaurant out there. I would never hesitate to bring a first
timer to Filipino cuisine to Kamayan, my favorite branch being the one
on Pasay Road. It is an introduction to both our food and culture,
setting the scene for an amiable and relaxed meal (kamayan also means
"to shake hands" or "greet") and insisting that the guests eat with
their hands (kamay means "hand"). The room is also filled with
beautiful music not from CDs but from live singers who serenade you
with both classic Filipino ballads and modern day festive songs as you
enjoy your meal. For me this restaurant still bests others in
capturing the Filipino spirit of music and merriment in a humble
setting. If you can convince the waiters of the celebrity of your
guest, you might also get your guest's hand imprints on the ceiling
and walls of this restaurant, a welcome gesture showing not only the
hospitable nature of Filipinos, but our natural inclination to give
guests importance. It also has a lengthy menu with the best of
Filipino foods, including crispy crablets; a seafood platter that has
crabs, prawns, mussels and squid; spicy Bicol express; kare kare; and,
of course, the fiesta staple, the lechon (roast pig). Make sure you
enjoy all this with fresh mango juice and cap everything off with halo
halo!

Kamayan. 47 Pasay Road. 815-1463/ 843-3604.