FILIPINO CUISINE Britain’S Current Dining Scene Is Deliciously – and Proudly – Multicultural, Yet Filipino Food Hasn’T Made Much of an Appearance
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OUT & ABOUT Satay Duck Hearts by BBQ Dreamz What's all the fuss about? FILIPINO CUISINE Britain’s current dining scene is deliciously – and proudly – multicultural, yet Filipino food hasn’t made much of an appearance. Zoë Perrett explains why that’s about to change magine a cuisine which is the product of 7,107 islands, that combines ethnic Storecupboard staples Before you begin your foray into Filipino tribal foodways, Spanish colonial style, Indian spices, American accents, and RiceJasmine and Bagoong Fermented Stock up…. IChinese and Malay influences, whilst also sticky varieties shrimp paste ONLINE theasian embracing the multicultural city style that Suka Vinegar from nipa Nata de coco cookshop.co.uk this melting pot has yielded. palms, coconut palms Plain, coloured or ON THE HIGH STREET That, in a rather large nutshell, is and sugar cane flavoured coconut gel Earls Court in West Filipino food. Yet – in spite of being named Patis Fish sauce for desserts London is a main hub one of 2016’s hottest cuisines by global Soy sauce Lends a Garlic Adds delicious of the capital’s Filipino trendspotting agency The Food People – deeply savoury saltiness pungency community most of us could put what we know about it goodthingsmagazine.com 57 OUT & ABOUT on the back of the stamp sending a GET A TASTE… postcard to Manila. But, slowly, pop-ups and street food At a restaurant vendors are introducing adventurous gourmets to the delights of lumpia (a JOSEPHINE’S Central London’s oldest Filipino Filipino spring roll) and lambanog palm restaurant, established wine; fuelled by a drive to share that in Fitzrovia 20 years ago joyous spirit of eating that seems to josephinesrestaurant.co.uk pervade the Filipino way of life. ROMULO CAFE A swish Kensington outpost of A fine balance a family-owned chain Filipino dishes typically blend sweet, salty, romulocafe.co.uk sour, and sometimes spicy. The ‘swavoury’ (simultaneously sweet and savoury) trend PORK: THE PHILIPPINES’ FAVOURITE MEAT? At a pop-up so prolific in the UK has long been favoured It’s hard not to be greedy when so many delicious porcine preparations are on offer. Try… PEPE’S KITCHEN A – offal stews are eaten with sweet ‘puto’ rice • Binagoongang baboy Crisp pork belly with supperclub serving cakes; fruits laced with shrimp paste. Rice is shrimp paste Mae Magnaye Williams’ the staple starch; first served steamed as an • Lechon Crisp skinned spit-roasted suckling pig traditional, regional dishes accompaniment, leftovers are fried up with • Sisig Grilled pork in a sour, spicy marinade pepes-kitchen.co.uk garlic to make breakfast favourite, sinangag. LUZON UK Filipino fare gets a contemporary spin at Rex De Guzman’s pop-up Fish might fly… luzon.co.uk Flying fish are often on the menu, but so are MAYNILA Pop-up from Roni all sorts of other oceanic species; catfish, Bandong and Charl Asuit milkfish, blue marlin, tilapia and more. All maynila.co.uk might come fried, curried, smoked, dried, THE ADOBROS Brothers soused or stuffed. As you’d expect from an Mark and Mike Corbyn’s island nation, shellfish is similarly popular. supperclubs share the food they grew up on Psst... theadobros.com Cyrus Todiwala is a Filipino food champion. Inspired On the street by the late Des Rodriguez BBQ DREAMZ The team Torres, his Philippine belly of serves Filipino barbecue pork with shrimp paste and at London food markets coconut cream recipe is in Grilled Pork Cutlet Twitter: @BbqDreamz Mr Todiwala’s Spice Box by Luzon (2 June; Mitchell Beazley). The woman bringing Manila to London Rowena Romulo believes Britain is ready for her culture's 'unorthodox' cuisine Seven years ago in Manila, What is the Filipino food crispy pata (crispy pork leg Sandie Romulo Squillantini culture? with aubergine salsa and opened Romulo Café in We think about food tomato shrimp sauce) – my memory of her grandfather, constantly, considering the grandfather would have General Carlos P. Romulo next meal before we’ve ordered these! – the Secretary of Foreign finished the last. ‘Have you Some recipes are legacies Affairs and only Filipino to win eaten?’ (‘kumain ka na ba?’) of my late beauty queen a Pulitzer Prize. Now Sandie is a common greeting. Then grandmother, Doña Virginia and her sister, Rowena, have there is balut, an embryonic Llamas Romulo. Our chef, opened Romulo’s first British bird eaten from the eggshell. Lorenzo Maderas, has kept outpost in Kensington. We Just like Britain’s Marmite, their essence intact but added chatted to Rowena about the it’s a divisive treat! a modern spin. His signature rise of the cuisine it serves. dishes include bangus What must diners at Romulo (smoked milkfish) paté and Why Britain and why now? Café try? patotim (slow-cooked duck). With foodies rushing to be Comfort foods like adobo the first to unearth something (twice cooked chicken and What's ‘thank you, that meal new and the current trend pork belly), kare-kare (stew was delicious’ in Tagalog? for family-style shared-plate in a peanut-based sauce) ‘Maraming salamat, dining, the time seems right. or binagoongang boneless napakasarap!’ BBQ Dreamz image: Edwina Hollick image: Edwina BBQ Dreamz 58 goodthingsmagazine.com.