Filipino Food on the Global Menu

Pinoy Food. Photo courtesy of Department of Tourism via Wiki Commons.

In the Philippines, we just call it “food.” To the rest of the world, it’s “Filipino food.”

Much like every Pinoy kid, I grew up with my mom’s hearty home cooking (but I don’t blame her for my weight). From her humble yet delectable adobo to her “special occasions only” pancit palabok, my mom taught me more about Filipino food more than any 5-star chef.

Based on my personal observations, Pinoys are fans of sarsa—a thick sauce that just tickles the palate, whetting it to make you crave for more. When we say sarsa, think of the brown soy sauce lacquer that coats the meat when one cooks adobo; imagine the golden color of the lip-smacking peanut sauce of kare-kare; dream of exquisite caldereta’s dark sauce made of the uncanny yet wonderful mélange of liver and tomato paste.

Another observation is our innate love for spices and aromatics. Most Filipino dishes start by sautéing garlic and onions. I think it’s safe to say that the mouthwatering aroma of this combination to Pinoys is like Pavlov’s dog’s bell. In short, the smell alone makes people drool. Pinoys are not afraid of bold flavors and we appreciate flavor extremes and everything in between.

Street Food. Photo courtesy of LCQGirl on Wikipedia.

‘The next big thing’

In 2012, Travel Channel’s “Bizarre Foods” host and renowned food critic Andrew Zimmern said in a Today Show Food Blog that he predicts “two years from now, Filipino food will be what we will have been talking about for six months.”

“I think that’s going to be the next big thing,” Zimmern said in the article.

“San Diego is now a big enough ethnic population of Filipinos that chefs are going there and seeing stuff. I think it’ll creep up into Los Angeles and from there go around the rest of the country,” Zimmern predicted.

And from Zimmern’s lips to God’s ears, Filipino food is slowly—and deliciously—making a buzz around the globe. I say it’s about time!

“It’s just starting. I think it’s going to take another year and a half to get up to critical mass, but everybody loves Chinese food, Thai food, Japanese food, and it’s all been exploited. The Filipinos combined the best of all of that with Spanish technique,” Zimmern continued.

Andrew Zimmern is not the only chef-clash-food critic who found love at first taste with Filipino food.

Lechon. Photo courtesy Arcade on Wikipedia.

In 2009, after his show “No Reservations” created a fan special, chef, host, and all-around culinary expert Anthony Bourdain found himself in Manila, Cebu, and the Philippines’ culinary capital Pampanga.

In Manila, Bourdain and local tour guide Ivan Man Dy sampled dishes cooked in Dampa: shrimp and crabs cooked in coconut milk and Ilocano specialty pinakbet.

Sisig on a sizzling platter. Photo courtesy of Bing Ramos on Wiki Commons.

In Pampanga, he dined with Claud Tayug in Balay Datung where he experienced local fern salad with quail eggs, a deconstructed version of kare-kare, a fancified adobo, and sinigang sa miso. He also had kambing (goat) four ways (one of which is papaitan) and sisig at its birthplace Aling Lucing’s. Bourdain described sisig as just “the thing you need” while enjoying a cold beer.

In Cebu, the culmination of his culinary trip around the country, Bourdain had a life-changing encounter with a pig courtesy of Augusto Elefano—a roasted pig, that is. After tasting Cebu lechon, he ranked it number one in his “Hierarchy of Pork.”

Tapsilog. Photo courtesy of Halil S. Mucaram via Wiki Commons.

Truly Pinoy in Toronto

Back in college, I asked my friends, “What’s your biggest, greatest dream? Answer as if God has given you all the resources that you need (money, intelligence, looks). Even if it sounds crazy—I don’t care.”

One of my dear friends, Anna Balmonte (now proudly Mrs. Anna Dolores) answered, “It’s not a ‘crazy’ dream… I want to make a Cinderella out of our traditional Filipino dishes so foreigners can rave about those the way they rave (about) Thai and Vietnamese food.”

I would like to think that much like Ate Anna, many Filipinos dream about making Pinoy food a star—“the next big thing.” Thankfully, with numerous efforts of Filipinos around the world, our local cuisine is slowly becoming global.

In Toronto, Len Cervantes of www.blogto.com wrote about the best Filipino restaurants in the area for 2013.

Crispy Pata. Photo courtesy of Roland on Wikipedia.

Cervantes mentioned Lamesa Filipino Kitchen in Queen and Bathurst for its caldereta, crispy pata, and kare-kare. Next is Sampaguita Village Restaurant where lechon kawali and bistek are hits. Tocino Boys is another restaurant where people in Toronto can enjoy typical Filipino breakfast staples like longganisa and—well—tocino. If you’re craving for the musical crunch of chicharon, head on to Remely’s.

On those bitterly cold days, there’s nothing like a piping hot bowl of bulalo, sinigang, or arroz caldo from Casa Manila. For a fusion of Chinese and Filipino influences, Co-China Manila is the place to dine. Their BBQ pork skewers and lumpiang shanghai will bring life to any party.

Paying homage to a famous Pinoy fast food chain is probably where Jollytops got its name, but not their dinuguan because you’ll surely not see that in Jollibee’s menu. For a wonderful twist on Pinoy classics—read: pork ribs adobo and pork binagoongan—Ritz Restaurant has it. Kanto by Tita Flips is another Pinoy food spot if you’re in the Bathurst-Dundas area where you can munch on pancit palabok, crispy lechon kawali, and sisig fries—Tita Flips’ take on the Canadian poutine.

Lastly, Mayette’s serves almost anything grilled to perfection. So, if you’re craving for inihaw na bangus, squid, tilapia, and pork, pull up a chair at Mayette’s.

Chicken Adobo. Photo courtesy of dbgg1979 on Wikipedia.

Filipino food, the Brits, and Uncle Sam

The United States is no stranger to immigrants and certainly the culture they bring with them. And with this culture comes cuisine and with cuisine comes good times.

Pinoy food definitely hits the right spot for many Americans: it’s hearty, tasty, and almost dirt cheap. So, when some Pinoys found the opportunity to introduce our cuisine to their new neighbors, they jumped on the prospect with gusto—and some adobo.

In 2012, Maharlika Filipino Moderno, a restaurant in New York City, was named one of the best new restaurants in the U.S by MetroMix New York.

“Maharlika has been a smashing success since they debuted in the East Village in January, booking all of their seatings weeks in advance,” according to MetroMix, who raved about Maharlika’s longanisa slider, goat adobo, crispy pata, ube waffles, and the endearingly Pinoy special: spaghetti with chopped hotdogs.

“A win of this magnitude would not be possible without our die hard supporters,” Maharlika said after getting the culinary accolade.

A year later and now in Manhattan, Maharlika creators started a new restaurant named Jeepney. Thursday night is the best time to dine and experience Pinoy culture as they encourage eating without utensils—and even plates—or what we Pinoys call “kamayan.”

“As a Filipino American I grew up having my American friends over at my house and when I was 5, I would beg my dad not to eat with his hands when they’re there… Now I’m so thankful that my dad made me remember that I’m Filipino,” Maharlika and Jeepney co-owner Nicole Ponseca said in an interview.

Halo-Halo. Photo courtesy of BingBing on Wikipedia.

With no utensils and only banana leaves to contain one’s food, the diner goes from the mere act of eating to a unique dining experience. A Zagat reviewer, noted for hopping from one restaurant to another, piped that Jeepney’s food was the best thing they ate that night.

“We have a terrific Filipino community in Jersey City. I’ve had a tremendous amount of Filipino food in my life though I’ve never had this sort of kamayan. It’s a new experience, the food was delicious, it’s a little bit more messy than I’m used to,” Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said.

Grub Street posted a lumpia special on its website, setting its sights on the Filipino party staple and listing the best places in New York to get the humble pika food that packs a punch. The list also featured classic Pinoy dishes and restaurants like Vekslers (that serves lobster rolls in pan de sal), Lumpia Shack Snackbar (with its halo-halo and pork adobo), Papa’s Kitchen (for some palabok and caldereta), and The Ugly Kitchen (for tapsilog).

Food trucks are fun and convenient ways of serving delicious food without putting a dent in one’s bank account. The rise of food trucks in the U.S. also gave rise to Filipino food and its strong following.

Tapa Boy’s beef tapa bowl. Photo courtesy of Tapa Boy website.

In Los Angeles, California, Tapa Boy is making waves with its food truck. Serving everything from beef tapa bowl with atchara (pickled papaya and carrots) to turon (fried banana fritters wrapped in pastry) to buko juice, Tapa Boy has certainly created a following—Pinoys and non-Filipinos alike.

“Our menu, primarily, is consisting of the traditional Philippine breakfast: tapsilog, tapa, garlic fried rice, fried egg, tocilog, with tocino, longsilog with longanisa. We also do crispy adobo,” said Lawrence Fama, co-owner of Tapa Boy.

Their breakfast meals and snacks will surely make any homesick Filipino feel at home.

Manila Machine’s Marvin and Nastassia. Photo courtesy of MM website.

Another famous Pinoy food truck in California is Manila Machine, the brainchild of Marvin Gapuitos and Nastassia Johnson. Although in hiatus (as announced on their website), Manila Machine is currently working on a cookbook. They serve sisig, adobo, lumpia, and pan de sal sliders with their signature Manila dip. Filipino breakfast meals and desserts (did someone say leche flan?) can also enjoyed courtesy of MM.

Senor Sisig Food Truck by the San Francisco Bay Area. Photo courtesy of Esque Magazine via Wiki Commons.

Perhaps Bourdain is right, the most heartfelt recollection of Pinoys when it comes to happy hour food is sisig. But thanks to Senor Sisig, you don’t have to wait for happy hour to get your pig fix.

With its long line of patrons, Senor Sisig stands out in the San Francisco Bay Area. One can enjoy Senor Sisig Burrito and California Sisig Burrito courtesy of Senor, as well nachos and sisig-silog—as if you’re munching after a hard night’s partying back in college.

Sharon Lim, food reviewer from www.examiner.com wrote, “The sisig has a perfect amount of savory with a hint of smokiness like it was barbequed on a grill. There’s a nice crust on the edges of each square piece, but a tender—slightly juicy—middle that provokes one to keep going for another bite.”

Photos courtesy of Hey Joe website.

In Phoenix, Hey Joe! food truck is also making a name and introducing bold Pinoy street food like balut, adidas (chicken feet), and even chicken—ehem—butt.

Hey Joe’s “Adidas” or chicken feet. Photo courtesy of Jacq Davis.

With all the shenanigans in the States about Pinoy food, Brits need not fret.

Londoners can now enjoy Pinoy comfort food—like okoy and lumpiang sariwa—courtesy of husband and wife Felix and Tess Peñas.

“Our aim is to promote Filipino food in London.  We also eat in Filipino restaurants here and sometimes the guests… so I told my wife, we better start our own, and if we do start our own, we better make it big, so people can make a good impression of the food,” Felix shared.

A few months after starting their restaurant, the couple won an award recognizing the quality of the food they were serving. Their offerings even piqued the interest of their patrons, some of which even flew to the Philippines for more of its cuisine.

“We got a nice review so when they went there, they were surprised, all the way, they started the okoy, lumpiang sariwa, down to the halo-halo and the selection of dessert. They finished everything. Okay, it was positive. At least they know that they ate some Filipino food,” Tess recalled.

Kare-kare. Photo courtesy of Gracinha Marco Abundo on Wiki Commons.

The couple dreams of making Filipino food readily available in London supermarkets, like Indian, Thai, and Chinese food.

With the rise of awareness about the culinary gift that is Filipino food, it’s safe to say that more Pinoys will have the guts to get the word—and food business—out there. Anthony Bourdain himself extends the invitation to Filipinos and foreigners:

“If nothing else, I hope that homesick Filipinos living abroad get a glimpse of some of the food and scenery they’ve no doubt been missing. And for viewers who weren’t previously familiar with the wide and tasty spectrum of flavors available over there, I hope the sight of me shoving a lot of very tasty stuff into my maw provides—if nothing else—inspiration to look further.”