Proudly Filipino
By Margaux Salcedo
Inquirer
Last updated 08:28am (Mla time) 09/16/2007
MANILA, Philippines - If art is a reflection of life, food is a reflection of culture. Filipino 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 holds some of the world’s best flavors, which makes me all the more proud to be Filipino! Here are five Metro Manila restaurants that serve some of the best Pinoy dishes around:
Abe
The Kapampangans are arguably the Philippines’ best cooks, so it comes as no surprise that Abe, which capitalizes on Kapampangan specialties, has become a favorite among Filipinos and foreign diners. A charming nook that is 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 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 Pampangeño specialty of fermented rice and 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. 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, the restaurant serves the recipes of private caterer Offie Benavides. Around for the past seven years now, this restaurant has survived and made its mark in the industry strictly by word of mouth. The result is a cozy little restaurant where the owner herself welcomes you into the place, cooks your meals and steps out to chat with you for a bit. Her menu is quite similar to Abe’s but at half the price, with hardly anything on the menu for over P200. Also with Kampampangan roots, Offie’s kare-kare is superb, her balo-balo perfect with dried fish, never going overboard on saltiness. She also has a turon leche flan dessert that is a fun mix of crunch and cream.
O Kitchen. 188 E. Rodriguez, Libis.633-7958. 0917-815-0822.
Kamayan
Tried and tested since the ’70s, Kamayan is still the most reliable Filipino restaurant out there. It is an introduction to both our food and culture, setting the scene for an amiable and relaxed meal (kamayan means “to shake hands” in greeting, and to eat with one’s 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. It also has a lengthy menu with the best of Filipino foods, including crispy crablets; a seafood platter that has crabs, prawns, mussels and squids; 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.
La Cocina de Tita Moning
Take a trip back in time to mid-century Manila as you enter the home of the aristocratic Legarda family. Guests are treated to a few sips of ginger tea with queso de bola toast al fresco and given a tour of the house where one meets family patriarch Don Alejandro Legarda prior to sampling the recipes of his wife, Doña Ramona Hernandez Legarda, more fondly known as Tita Moning.
The love that this couple has for each other is apparent in the display of their pictures in the different rooms, including one taken on their golden wedding anniversary. It was clearly a home of love as much as it was of stature.
The glow that welcomes you is also the magic touch of grandchild Suzette Montinola, who has opened 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 is topped with glazed nuts, a classy touch to the delicious dessert Tita Moning was well known for. On your visit, make sure you also take home 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.
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.
Laudico’s Sisig (pig’s ears), a favorite bar chow, is delicately enclosed in a crispy rice basket and presented elegantly with a quail egg. Lumpia, a light vegetable snack, is served 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.
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.
6 comments:
thanks margaux!! i love O Kitchen! i guess the thrill of finding a hidden good restaurant in the middle of busy E. Rodriguez Jr in Libis adds up to the entire dining experience.
have to check O kitchen out... if ever u wanna try lola maria.. jst message me.. :)
hey doc chef yeah i read your blog. legend villas just always seemed a little too motel-y for me haha. but then again, filling station was a nice big surprise so let's see! thanks for the tip.
fran, pareho tayo, i get tips from blogs too then visit the place or ask friends to cook an idea for me, like when we tried santol sinigang as suggested by marketman, of whom i am such a fan. wanna try lime 88 also, as you mentioned in your blog!
I really want to try Tita Monings! But it's just too steep! But I was told by Anton that it's worth the experience!
I have to try O Kitchen. Thanks for the heads up! :) Will try to visit it soon!! :)
Jeff! Where's Lola Maria?
Margaux - is it okay if I link you up?
Hi Margaux, your reviews of these restaurants are wonderful. I only wish there were this many good Pinoy restos in the States.
but marvin you have french laundry!
candish - of course i'd be honored to be linked. for two, you'd average around P2500 or so. actually, it'd be the same if you ate at elbert's or laudico's bistro filipino or even lemuria (am i rambling? elbert's is a steakhouse in salcedo vill, laudico was mentioned in the article and lemuria is in horseshoe village). but it would be worth it IF YOU ORDER RIGHT. and the experience is really different, worth the price. anton, as usual, is correct.
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