Features (714) 284—0191 • http://www.asianjournal.com ASIAN JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS • JUNE 20–26, 2008 B A Balikbayan’s guide to the best by Marge C. Enriquez Inquirer.net M Pinoy restaurant ANILA—As soon as a foreigner gets inside a cab from the airport, the first thing he’ll ask is where to eat good Filipino food. Top of mind, any cab driver will bring him to the original Aristocrat restaurant on Roxas Boulevard, Malate. Nancy Reyes-Lumen, editor in chief of Cook Magazine and grand- daughter of the Aristocrat founder, cites the Chicken Honey, the barbecues—whether the ribs or boneless chicken—and the juicy burgers as the classics. Since the Reyeses are a big clan, half of them are in the food and restaurant business and have spun off their version of a Filipino restaurant. Lumen prefers to bring a first-time visitor to the Philippines to traditional restaurants. “When he gets home and talks to Pinoys, they’ll know the place he’s talking about—then there’s a connection. These first-generation restaurants like Aristocrat, Via Mare, etc. are time-tested. On his second visit, he can go to other restos, the secondgeneration Pinoy places which are more modern and offer styled dishes.” Where would you take a foreign guest? It depends if he’s a backpacker or a principal from a multinational. There are so many Filipino restaurants in Metro Manila alone. Among the authentic restaurants, Abe (specializing in Kapampangan cuisine) and Via Mare Oyster Bar, were at the top of the list. Milky Way, another classic, and Café Juanita, the charmingly bohemian restaurant in Pasig, were also popular choices. The original Aristocrat and Kamayan restaurants are also must destinations. If awards are an indicator, Sentro at Greenbelt 3 is recommended for its modern approach to Filipino cuisine. For the sophisticated traveler, Philippe Bartholomi, GM of Friday’s resort in Boracay who started his career as a chef, mentions Travel Café at Greenbelt 5. The food is presented in the classic Western way without compromising the true Filipino flavors. It also provides tourist information of the Philippines. Upmarket For the trendy upmarket traveler, Bistro Filipino and Pepato are recommended. Undoubtedly, the quality of the food, service and presentation are five-star, but Pinoy food is best enjoyed in the classic way. Generally, Filipino cuisine is not vegetarian-friendly. The traditional vegetable dishes usually have bits of meat and seafood and are laden with onions and garlic. If you’re a vegetarian, insist on dietary restrictions. Sometimes, Filipinos tend to be slack when following instructions. It pays to constantly remind the restaurants. However, the restaurants in this article are known for their reliable service. If you want vegetarian kare-kare (oxtail stew), pancit (native noodles) or sinigang (tamarind broth), call the restaurant in advance and tell them to eschew the meat stock in the sauces. Or go to restaurants where cooking is ala minute. Majority recommended the dampa or food shacks where you can enjoy the fresh catch and have them cooked to your specifications, or charming roadside eateries in nearby provinces. Through it all, the experts chorused the best Filipino meal comes from the hearth. If you’re passing through Baguio, book a meal with artiste-chef Claude Tayag (book with Mary Anne at 0917-5359198) and enjoy Pampango hospitality. Restaurateur Conrad Calalang declares, “When a foreign wants to taste Filipino food, I always tell them, ‘Come eat at my place.’ Home cooking is the best!” Connoisseurs’ favorites Via Mare Chefs Josephine Sincioco and Myrna Segismundo recommend Via Mare for merienda fare. “It’s a favorite reunion place of the balikbayans (visiting Filipino expatriates). Sincioco and Calalang enjoy the seafood kare-kare or native stew. (It’s not on the menu, so tell the waiter.) Sincioco likes OCnIE SEC-B JUNE 20 with ads.ind9 9 the freshness of the peanut sauce in the kare-kare, the sizzling sisig (meat cooked with souring ingredients) and the balut or duck egg’s consommé, with subtle flavors of white wine and herbs. Segismundo enjoys the fresh spring roll; pancit luglug (rice noodles with shrimp sauce, topped with eggs, crushed ground pork rinds and smoked fish); and puto bumbong (steamed purple rice cake with salted eggs). Tayag says, “You can have puto bumbong all year round. The oysters from Capiz are very fresh and juicy.” “The sisig is crunchy,” says Calalang. The meat is twice cooked, hence, the fat is reduced. Via Mare has branches in Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Rockwell Power Plant Mall, and Greenbelt 3. Frozen Faves Abe Abe is Kapampangan word for “friend” or “good company,” as well as the nickname of Renaissance Man E. Aguilar Cruz. This restaurant at Serendra has been packing them in. Among the foreigners, the most popular dishes are the St. Peter’s fish or plapla, served with balubalo or shrimp relish made from fermented rice wine and mustard leaves; prawns with crab fat simmered in olive oil and lemon; pork cooked in shrimp paste and seasoned with garlic and chilli; kamaru or ricefield crickets, sauteed with tomatoes and onions. The sinigang na Inside Ca fé Juanit bangus or sour broth a with milkfish belly is cooked with ripe guava leaves instead of the usual tamarind for the sour taste. Cap the meal with fried banana spring roll with purple yam and jackfruit. “I like the way the rice is served in bamboos. The baby squid is tender. The fried tilapia is simple, tasty and nicely presented. Instead of flat fish on a plate, it is skewered, fried and curled nicely,” says Sincioco. “The pako (seaweed salad) is the real deal, the way we make it at home,” says Pampanga-based sculptor-foodie Tayag. Café Juanita An OB-gynecologist, Dr. Efren Vasquez lets go of his inner child with this charming restaurant with a bohemian décor. “It’s part bordello, part Moulin Rouge,” he says. Based on the Pampanga tradition of manual labor combined with instinct, the restaurant has a loyal clientele. Vasquez understood the psychology of the senses and applies them in the nuanced flavors of the meals. There are innovative salads such as the sigarilyas (winged seguidillas beans) salad, served with shrimp paste vinaigrette. “The bagnet salad is served with sinful lechon kawali (fried pieces of boiled pork), which is a nice combination of crispy and crunchy textures,” says Segismundo. Everybody raves over the kare-kare (oxtail stew). The gravy is creamy yet light—unlike other restaurants’ versions which are too starchy—and the oxtail and tripe are tender. “There’s just a hint of shrimp paste that bursts in the tastebuds,” says Vasquez. The vegetables are not boiled with the meat stuff to prevent sogginess. The mechado (beef brisket stew) consists of fine-grade beef that easily crumbles as soon as you pitch in the fork. “The peanut sauce of the kare-kare is flavorful, not chunky and cloying that you get in other run-of-the-mill Pinoy restaurants,” says Segismundo. Vegetarians can enjoy the coconut-based dishes, but inform the kitchen of restrictions. The desserts are light but lovely. The cassava cake is so soft that you can taste the pulps. It uses the first extraction of the coconut cream on top and is drizzled with cheese to balance the sweet flavors. It’s always served warm. The creamy coconut gelatin cleanses the palate to end the meal. “The young coconut is so soft, it just passes through your throat,” says Vasquez. Dessert goes with Senseo coffee. Segismundo says the place reminds her of Serendipity in New York with its ambiance of antiques and comfort food. Café Juanita is located at 2 United St. cor. West Capitol Drive, Barrio Kapitolyo, Pasig. (Inquirer.net) M arigold Commodities Corp. owner of the Mama Sita’s brand of sauces and marinades, has launched the Lola Sita’s Frozen Meat products in Northern California. Starting June 11, Lola Sita’s will be available in key Asian groceries and Filipino stores all over Bay Area and Sacramento. Lola Sita’s is made from the same fine ingredients and time-honored recipes that are perfected in the kitchens that prepare your favorite Mama Sita’s Mixes and Sauces, and is exclusively distributed in California by Chefs Corner Foods, based in Hayward, CA. “We are pleased and excited to introduce the Lola Sita’s products to the Bay Area, and share with the public our recipes of uncompromising quality, authentic, original Pinoy taste that my family has developed over the generations.,” says Kim R. Lapus, General Manager of Marigold Commodities. “We have developed these products using only the best quality American meats, and Mama Sita’s marinades originating only from the Philippines; because of this, Lola Sita’s products have married the best of both worlds! “We invite everyone to try and taste our products and judge for themselves what Lola Sita’s prod- ucts have to offer.” • Bistek Tagalog - Seasoned beef slices that are good for breakfast, lunch and dinner. A new menu you will want to add to your daily fare. • Korean Pork and Beef Kalbi - New recipes developed from our Korean kitchens, our Kalbis are soft and succulent! Just add a touch of sesame oil and seeds, and enjoy the authentic taste of Kalbi! • Beef Tapa - Ready to pan fry or grill, our tapa, marinated in soy and garlic, is the perfect way to quickly satisfy your hunger any time of the day. • Pork Tocino - Savor the sweet, savory, and sticky delight we call pork tocino with these ready to cook, marinated slices. • Pork Longanisa - Wake up to the smell of our Kapampangan style breakfast sausage. • Chicken Tocino - Boneless chicken, marinated in all the goodness that give you the flavors of authentic tocino. • Pork and Chicken BBQ - Heirloom recipe of Manila’s Legendary Barbeque, and the family that started it all— the Reyeses of Aristocrat, our barbecue products are a winner! Whether indoors or outdoors, add authenticity and a very Pinoy barbecue to any picnic or gathering gathering with our barbecue products. (Advertising Supplement) 6/19/08 5:48:28 PM