“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien
So often, we find ourselves inhaling food and forget that it’s a time we should be spending with our loved ones.
Our friends from rctngl invited us to a dinner party surrounded by great people and even better food. Growing up, we both have enjoyed the Filipino-Spanish staples: adobo, sinigang, paella, sisig, and pancit. Filipino food is very hearty and heavy. It’s a cuisine that always makes you feel you are at home. Marco and Ralph brought forth their own interprepation of our motherland’s cuisine, without us having to unbutton our top jean button. Below is a breakdown of the 9-course Omakase styled dinner that I will give the effort of describing. Disclaimer: we are not responsible for any growls your stomach may make while reading. Let’s take a dive.
Manga at Bagoong
Bagoong is a fermented shrimp paste that is added as a salty element. Typically eaten with unripe mangoes or with kare-kare, an oxtail dish. Marco and Ralph flipped the mango and shrimp dish on it’s head. Instead of making a shrimp paste, the two made a mango and persimmon pasty jam instead. If you’ve ever been in an Asian market, you’ve seen bags of shrimp crackers or shrimp chips. These were my absolute favorite snack as a kid, as they were airy and made the most satisfying crunch when you bit into one. rctngl paid homage to our childhood by making fermented shrimp chips. The chips were to be dipped into the jam which was a salty and sweet marriage, I found myself going after another chip before finishing the first!
Piaya
Truthfully, I’ve never had Filipino flatbread in my life so when this was plated in front of me, I questioned what it was. It was a piece of flatbread with a tofu puree, longanisa, topped with chopped basil. I thought the same thing when I heard the description, “What the hell is tofu puree?” Marco is a huge fan of Mediterranean food and loves yogurt sauce. He wondered why doesn’t Filipino cuisine or Asian cuisine for that matter have a yogurt based sauce we can add to our dishes? He came up with a tofu puree to spread on a piece of flatbread and my goodness, it was fantastic. Now, the flatbread is not the flatbread you would have with Mediterranean cusine but is more like a green onion pancake prepared in a rectangular shape. The longanisa of course adds the salty but sweet element and basil with the fresh finish. I wish Asians would have more flatbread options because I would get this for happy hour every week if it was available.
Pusit
Filipinos love seafood and if it’s not our beloved bangus and shrimp, it’s always squid. Pusit, the Tagalog word for squid, is one of my favorite seafood. When cooked properly, it has a firm texture that I absolutely love. The squid was stuffed with small mushrooms and tomato, plated on top of a mustard leaf. Of course, the squid was marinated with seasoned vinegar, as sour is a flavor profile in Filipino cuisine. The dish is to be consumed whole where the mustard leaf provided a subtle bitter taste that was balanced well by the sourness and saltiness of the stuffed squid. Great dish that really highlights the squid where usually, pusit is chucked in a stew and diced up.
Kinilaw
With the salty and sour flavors all in a row, it was time for some freshness. Kinilaw, a dish similar to ceviche, is a raw seafood dish that provides bold flavors in a refreshing way. Star of the dish was snapper. Snapper was topped with apple, watermelon radish, avocado puree, and of course seasoned vinegar. Due to the firmness of the snapper, the crunch of the radish and apple added another texture element allowing seasoned vinegar to be this burst of flavor. Dish was excellent and was a great break from the salty flavors that were from the earlier courses.
Pancit Choco
Hold on to your hats, friends. Pancit is one of the Philippines’ most famous dish. There are many pancit variations but the most popular are pancit bihon, pancit palabok, and pancit canton. Admittedly, I’ve never had pancit choco (pancit pusit) and I was intrigued when this was read as the next course. Noodles used for pancit are always changing depending on the region you are in. Whole heartedly say I have never had pancit with mung bean noodles, but that was not the game changer. Noodles were prepared with squid ink, thus the choco element. This was topped with gailan, ikura, and of course, chicharron. Dish was balanced and had the crunch from chicharron and gailan and a soft popping texture of ikura. Warning: your tongue and teeth may turn black from the squid ink, so drink tons of water. Do not order if you’re on a first date!
Ensaladang Almisag
Another quick break from the salty side of the menu. This small salad was comprised of arugula, pomelo, masturtium, topped with dungeness crab and peanut. Masturtium provided a peppery element with the naturally peppery arugula. The pomelo and dungeness crab had a soft texture with the crunch of peaut. Great break and introduction to the pepper side of the night.
Pesang Tahong
I absolutely adore mussels. Add those babies to a broth, I’m in love. The broth was made from a miso base seasoned with pang-gisa served with youtiao. Chinese elements are seen through Filipino cuisine and Marco wanted to bring bread to the mix and dip into the broth. Youtiao is a Chinese doughy breadstick/savory doughnut. Mussels were prepared wonderfully and the miso added some earthiness to the dish. Youtiao provided a soft crunch and due to it’s lightness and purposeful blandness, it was perfect to eat the miso broth with. Such a simple but homestyled dish that was perfect for that cold Los Angeles night.
Pinirtong Hipon
This dish was a Filipino take on the beloved shrimp and grits, a staple from the South that is the definition of homecooked goodness. Prepared with blue corn grits, crab fat, shrimp, watermelon rind and topped with a sous vide egg. Traditional shrimp and grits look pretty when presented, but when you start eating, you’ve hit a point of no return. This dish was no different. When plated, the colors are fantastic but once that egg is cut, you just have to mix the bowl up and dive in. Best way to eat this dish is by having a piece of everything and you can’t do that unless you mix it up! Shrimp was light and cooked to perfection and was my favorite style, soft-shell. The crunch from the shrimp, heartiness from the grits, and creaminess of egg and yolk. I personally think there was too much grits that almost set me over but overall, dish was great.
Presa at Sorbetes
I love strawberry shortcake, specifically the one at Cheesecake Factory but I also love the strawberry shortcake ice cream pops, are you kidding me? There’s a sense of nostalgia that hits me every time I take a bite out of those pops. This dish brought me back so fast, I couldn’t believe it. It was a Filipino take on a strawberry shortcake ice cream and traditional dish hybrid. Vanilla ice cream crusted with pecan polvoron, puffed rice, and shiso dusted with taisan and diced strawberries. I couldn’t speak for at least four minutes after finishing this dessert. The taisan and it’s saltiness brought out the sweetness of vanilla ice cream. The puffed rice and pecan polvoron created the similar texture of the strawberry shortcake crusted pop, I was in heaven. Marco and Ralph, my birthday is coming in May and instead of a cake, I want 27 of these pièce montée.
“Smash” Burger
Though we were stuffed and at the brim, Marco comes out and asks who is still hungry for more! We hear the skillet in the background sizzling when he announced the bonus course was his rendition of a smash burger. The bun was a slightly sweet toasted hamburger bun topped with smash sauce, a nice fatty burger patty, classic American cheese, and some more smash sauce. I won’t lie, I can’t remember if there were grilled onions on the burger, I was in a food coma at that point, but the burger was delicious. The fattiness of the burger was absorbed by the warm toasty bun underneath while the sauce oozed out the sides. I’m not sure the best way to end a dinner party, but I’m definitely referencing this when I have one in the future.
Marco and Ralph, thank you so much for inviting us to your event. It was absolutely delicious and the creativity you two have is incredible. Congratulations and I hope the world can try your creations soon, in a restaurant. *wink*