Seeking the Unusual: Restaurante Pia y Damaso

Nga Nga Beef Salad

The odder, the better.

This is my simple philosophy when it comes to ordering from a menu. Let me explain. Depending upon the restaurant, chefs will always have the usuals or as I like calling them, their safe bets. These are the crowd-pleasers that are uncomplicated and perfectly satisfying for those looking to silence that grumble in their tummies.

But when I go out to eat, I always seek out the unusuals on menu. A chef would never risk putting something ‘weird’ on the menu unless he or she really believed in the dish. And besides, there are always those oddballs like me who are looking to try something new or out of the ordinary.

Which brings us to the topic of Restaurante Pia y Damaso.

While most menus are really functional bores, Pia y Damaso’s menu is actually intriguing. Funny, sassy and innovative, their menu actually made me excited to try their food. A rare occurrence, to say the least. But a menu is only words on a piece of paper; it's always about the food. Since a restaurant is only as good as the food it serves, I knew I would eventually be back soon.

The following weekend, we park ourselves at the stylized tables of Pia y Damaso order a little snack.

"Salty sweet chewy beef flakes, pickled green mangoes, red onions, haw flakes, cilantro, arugula and lettuce—pile them on leaves and roll it up like a betel nut chew."

I know that Nga Nga Beef Salad (P250) has nothing in common with a leafy packet of betel nuts besides that they are both wrapped up before consumption. But after reading the above description, how do could I resist this do-it-yourself, rolled-up salad that has haw flakes as an ingredient?

For those of uninitiated few, haw flakes are made from the fruit of the Chinese Hawthrow tree. These pinkish, disc-shaped Chinese confections became quite popular as a recess snack during my grade school days and are apparently a mini-food obsession I never really go over.

On the plate, this dish reminds me of a little garden—little rows of differing hues of green running parallel to perfect lines of red. Lovely. So pretty, in fact, that it almost seems a shame to eat it...almost.

I'm sure you've heard the line, "It's like a party in my mouth!" Well, this salad is not just a party, it's a beat-thumping, crowd-jumping rave. The flavors are clear and distinct: the saltiness of the beef, the tangy sweetness of the pickled green mangoes, the candied plum tang of the haw flakes and peppery dab of the arugula. But wrapped in the slightly bitter crunch of a romaine lettuce leaf, these tastes seem to meld into each other—creating the perfectly balanced bite.

Turkey Pate with Pistachios and Cranberries

"Turkey, pork, liver, orange, spices, dried cranberries, sultanas, pistachios and butter served with garlic croustades."

Turkey Pate with Pistachios and Cranberries (P250)? Sounds like Thanksgiving all over again. And since my dear A loves her pate, we ended up ordering this starter for a taste.

Sadly, once the dish land on our table, it was a visual downer. Expecting the colors of a Thanksgiving meal, what we received was a plate of drab quenelles of brown, punctuated by a sad leaf of parsley. Not a very delicious image, to say the least.

Putting aside our misgivings, we forge on and give the dish a taste. Unlike the "party" Beef Salad, this pate is a lonely one note. And that single taste is liver. Where is the turkey? Where are the cranberries? Where are those bright, earthy flavors of nuts, citrus and spices? Where is my Thankgiving pate?! Accross the table, A smiles as she happily speads her pate on the much-too-crispy toast, one after another. I shrug. To each his own, I guess.

Sometimes, getting out of your culinary comfort zone can yield amazing discoveries. Sometimes, it can become a gastronomic train wreck. But the benefits will always outweigh the costs. In the end, you just never know what new avenues of flavors you may end up savoring.

Restaurante Pia Y Damaso
Unit 2-053
Greenbelt 5
Ayala Center, Makati
Telephone: (02) 729-5511
Email: kafeedamaso@yahoo.com

Just Desserts: Restaurante Pia y Damaso

I have a confession to make. Although I'm a fairly adventurous eater, I am not a big eater of Pinoy fruit. I love strawberries, bananas, mangoes, oranges, but I'm not particularly fond of the sineguelases and bayabases of the fruit world. So this was probably the only way I was willingly going to eat santol...

De Espadana Quezo de Bola Cheescake (P220)

Yup, santol in a cheesecake. It's mixed with prunes and dried figs on top of—get this—a quezo de bola cheesecake!

Now, I love me my quezo de bola, so this was one time I was willing to get over the whole aversion to local fruits, and I am so glad I took the plunge. The cheese layer is sharper than typical cream-cheese cheesecakes, and was delightfully chunky. I normally like velvety smooth cheesecakes, but for this, I had to make an exception—those chewy bits added a different dimension to the cake. The fruit? Still not sold on the santol. It was fine, but I actually said, "Parang mas masarap 'yung cheesecake kung may ham sa ibabaw!" Hmm...a new, weird take on noche buena mainstays.

You could get this baby at Restaurante Pia y Damaso, which has a drool-worthy selection of desserts that I was raring to try. Alas, during my visit, my tummy (and my wallet) only allowed me to savor two of their delectable-looking offerings, the second of which was...

The innocent-looking Diablo (P150)—nasa loob ang kulo or, in this case, anghang!

Called the Diablo, it's described as "hot bittersweet chocolate pudding souffle with our special spices and red chili pepper (siling labuyo) with cinnamon cream anglaise and caramelized fig compote." The first time I ever tried chocolate with chili in it was when my Indian friend's father had me taste a chili-infused chocolate bar. While my friend wrinkled her nose as I bit into the bar, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it! I love chocolate, I love chili—so it was only natural that I would love them together!

The Diablo was much spicier than I thought it would be—so much so that my eating buddy had to ask the waiter to leave a pitcher of water on our table. She would water down the chocolate after every bite! It's one of the most interesting things I've had in a really long time: It looks innocent enough sitting in that little white cup. Once you dip your spoon in, you'll find a fudgy center surrounded by a somewhat spongy, super moist cake, a lot like a freshly baked chocolate lava cake in a cup. Once the chocolate greets your tongue, you at first appreciate the richness of the chocolate before being jolted by the incredibly spicy kick. This is definitely not for the faint of tongue. That creamy sauce adds a subtle, cinammon-y taste, but it does little to dampen the peppery burn. The Diablo gives new meaning to the term "hot chocolate"!

While I really liked it (and would gladly have it again), the Diablo strikes me as something that not everyone would appreciate. But the resto's got a wide selection of desserts to choose from, so you're bound to find something that could satisfy your sweet tooth—and leave your spicy tooth out of the picture.

Restaurante Pia Y Damaso
Unit 2-053
Greenbelt 5
Ayala Center, Makati
Telephone: (02) 729-5511
Email: kafeedamaso@yahoo.com

Table Recipes: Pinatisang Manok

Pinatisang Manok

I’m cooking Filipino tonight.

This may not be unusual for most of you. But sadly for me, this is a rare occurrence. While cooking Pinoy dishes should come naturally to anyone raised in these tropical isles, I have been amiss in learning to cook the good eats of my native land.

Don’t get me wrong. I love Filipino food with a passion. Because of my mother and a series of amazing cooks my family has had the honor of employing, I have been spoiled. Over the years, these women have created Pinoy dishes that could make grown men weep, yearning for a warm, home-cooked meal. In the end, I decided why screw around with perfection?

This year, I’ve decided that it’s time to learn, not only how to cook Filipino food but also to understand and appreciate why our food is so unique among other Asian cuisines.

I found the Pinatisang Manok or Chicken stewed in Fish Sauce to be an unusual dish. As mentioned by my cookbook du jour, Kulinarya, fish sauce, or more commonly known as patis, is usually not used as a main ingredient. More often it is used as a condiment more than a primary flavoring. But because this recipe combines two things that I love, chicken and fish sauce, I decided to give this recipe a go.

The end result is a light chicken stew that is both warm and comforting because of the high quality fish sauce and the subtle flavor of the mashed egg yolk. The broth has a surprising depth of flavor. With a bowl of steaming hot rice, this dish makes the perfect meal especially in the oddly cold weather we been having lately.

Just a quick note. The authors of Kulinarya emphasized the importance of using the best fish sauce possible.

“Premium patis, pure fish sauce, or patis puro is preferred. Like first-press olive oil, these are the prime yield, golden amber in color, flavorful and aromatic.”

Good Eats.

Pinatisang Manok
Adapted from Kulinarya: A Guidebook to Philippine Cuisine

• 700 g chicken leg quarters, cut into drumsticks and thighs
• 1 hard boiled egg yolk
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 120 g fresh ginger, julienned
• 120 g fresh chili leaves, removed from the stems and cleaned
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp fish sauce

In a wok, heat the oil over medium high heat, until it begins to shimmer. Add the ginger and saute until fragrant. Add the chicken pieces and half the fish sauce. Turn up the heat to high and cook the chicken to a golden brown.

Reserve a little of the chicken broth and pour in the rest in the wok. Bring the broth to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 2o minutes or until the chicken is tender.

In a small mixing bowl, mash the egg yolk and add the reserved chicken broth. Once the mixture achieves a paste-like consistency, add it to the cooking chicken broth.

Remove the chicken from the heat and add the chili leaves. Taste the broth and add the remaining fish sauce if deemed necessary.

Serves 6

Literary Eating: Restaurante Pia Y Damaso

Tapang Usa from Restaurante Pia Y Damaso

I have eaten in several restaurants inside Greenbelt 5 to say I am familiar with Restaurante Pia Y Damaso. I have never thought of trying it out because their name implies they serve either Filipino or Spanish cuisine, both of which I feel I already eat too much of at home.

Nevertheless, I was excited when I got an invitation to write about the food served at Pia Y Damaso. It gave me an excuse to eat out and at the same time an opportunity to change my view of places that serve Filipino or Spanish fare. I immediately set out to do some research before my planned trip to the restaurant with hopes of maximizing the dining experience. I wanted to pre-select my choice dishes so that I can build the anticipation with each day that passes.

I chose two items out of the restaurants main course selections. The adventurous side of me chose the smoked Tapang Usa (salted deer meat) and my fallback dish was Callos (ox tripe stew).

Callos from Restaurante Pia Y Damaso

They served us the Callos (P300) first when I was there. I could smell the garlic rice from a mile away and watched as the server carried the plate over and laid it in front of me. I had to take an extra whiff of the aroma that filled the air which can only be caused by freshly cooked food. I thought that if the rice already smelled great, I can be hopeful about the actual dish.

The ox tripe stew was served in a deep white bowl which highlighted the rich color of the tomato based dish. It was definitely a delight to see such a boldly colorful version of callos as I must admit my previous encounters with the dish left me with memories of a pale-colored watery stew whose sauce reminds me of what is inside a can of pork and beans (aka Hunts as that is the only one I have tried). Most of the time, the taste would be an even worst disaster than the image I just recalled.

I was not disappointed this time with the callos as the stew was very tasty. The tomatoes have not been cooked to a pulp that you were allowed to have bits and pieces of it with every bite. But it was missing one thing. It was missing that distinct flavor that can only come from stock created out of slowly cooking the ox tripe until it becomes tender. Without that, callos can only be comparable to any other beef stew you have ever tasted (i.e. imagine mechado). And that it was. The taste was pure tomato. Not that I don’t like tomatoes because I really love them, but they are not supposed to be the highlighted ingredient (or I might have been underexposed). Do you watch Iron Chef America? I can imagine myself as Jeffrey Steingarten saying “I just can’t taste the secret ingredient”.

I have not had Tapang Usa (P420) before, or ever, so I really did not know what to expect from my order. My friend teased me about having such an adventurous palate and I comforted myself with the thought that if I love the distinctive flavor of lamb then deer meat should not be too different for me.

My dish came without too much fuss. There was no garlic aroma emanating from the plate and it may be because the garlic rice was fully covered by a mass of bright yellow scrambled eggs. Like a pyramid, the dark brown meat sat on top of the eggs and in turn it was topped with pickled mangoes. I cut a tiny piece of meat to taste before I started my meal. I wanted to know what I got myself into by deciding to order this dish.

The meat was very tender and tasty. I am not sure why I expected something that was either salty or sweet but there was none of that. There was a taste that reminded me of some home cooked meal that I could not immediately put a finger to. If I were to describe it, I would have to say tapang usa tasted like meat that was left out to dry. I am thinking of something similar to making bacon with less of the saltiness.

Knowing I was ok to dive into my food, I tried combining the meat with the rice, meat with eggs and rice, and finally meat with eggs, rice and mangoes. Each spoonful gave me interestingly different experiences that I could only applaud the chef (or whoever created the dish) for capitalizing on how breakfast food almost always hits the spot.

The roasted peppers added some sweetness to the eggs while the slightly sour pickled mango provided the acidity to every bite that refreshes the tongue after all the intense flavors go through. The combination on my plate meshed so well together that I was halfway through my meal when I noticed my friend staring at me and laughing. He was laughing because he was amused at how much I appeared to like eating the tapang usa. And I did. I loved it so much I think I am going to go back and order it again, and again, and again.

Franco's Note: Many thanks to Apples of Kubiertos

Restaurante Pia Y Damaso
Unit 2-053
Greenbelt 5
Ayala Center, Makati
Telephone: (02) 729-5511
Email: kafeedamaso@yahoo.com

Behind the Kitchen Doors: Fast Food, Pinoy Style

Guinataang Kuhol from Caruz Eatery

Nothing says comfort like the flavors and aromas of a home-cooked Pinoy meal.

Admittedly, we love the fanciful culinary art of other world cuisines. But still there is nothing in the world like our Pinoy food. It is true that one can savor the tastes of the Philippines in more chi-chi establishments like Bistro Filipino, Abe or Sentro. But to really understand Pinoy cuisine you have eat in a Filipino home. If that is not an option, trying hitting the streets and asking the locals where they go for lunch.

My first visit to Caruz Eatery was almost a decade ago. At that time, I was doing store checks with a company salesman when lunch rolled around. For lunch, he brought me to this small carinderia. Caruz was the literal embodiment of a hole-in-the-wall. While the place itself was simple and unadorned, the food left an indelible impression on me. It was the best Filipino food I had outside my mother's kitchen. I promised to return.

Fast forward to last month. Erik Lacson and I decided that we want to highlight the best of Pinoy food. While discussing which of myriad of Filipino restaurants we could photograph, I recalled a small carinderia in Pasig I had visited years ago. I couldn't remember its name but I recalled loving the food. After little searching, we rediscovered Caruz Eatery. Although the once-humble turo-turo has become larger and a section is now airconditioned, the food is still as I remembered it--simple, delicious and comforting for both the stomach and the soul.

To take a peek at the delectable food of Caruz Eatery, please click here. While viewing the slide show, please click on the photograph itself for more information.

Many thanks to Nellie and Choy Caruz. Your food and hospitality are much appreciated.

Caruz Eatery
220 Hillcrest Drive
Brgy. Oranbo
Pasig City
Telephone: (02) 671 5277
Mobile: (0918) 523 3368

Table Recipes: Stir-Fried Beef with Black Beans and Chili Sauce

A Beefy Stir-Fry Heated Up

I’ve been woking up storm lately.

After excitedly seasoning my new wok (thank you V and C), I’ve been immersing myself even more into Chinese cuisine. Improving both my cutting skills and my cooking techniques. Being a bit of an obsessive-compulsive, I’m trying to get in some practice before a little trip I’m taking later in the month. More on that later.

I love this classic Cantonese dish. Once all the preparations (slicing, dicing and marinating) are done, cooking and plating are a quick and easy. As Chef Kwong says the Black Bean and Chili sauce can be easily used with other proteins such as pork, chicken, seafood and tofu. So feel free to mix and match.

Enjoy.

Stir-Fried Beef with Black Beans and Chili Sauce
Adapted from Kylie Kwong's Simple Chinese Cooking

• 500 grams beef fillet, cut into 1 cm slices
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup spring onions, finely sliced

For the Marinade

• 2 tablespoons cooking rice wine or shao hsing wine
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar

For the Black Bean and Chili Sauce

• ½ medium-sized red pepper, seed and membrane removed and finely sliced
• 1 small red onion, finely sliced
• ¼ cup ginger, julienne
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon salted black beans
• 2 tablespoons cooking rice wine or shao hsing wine
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon malt vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 small red chilies, deseeded and sliced on the diagonal

In a Ziploc bag, mix together the slices of beef with all the marinade ingredients. Seal the bag and leave to marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

In a hot wok, heat half the oil until the oil shimmers. Add half the marinated beef and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Removed the seared beef and set aside. Add the remaining beef and stir-fry for 30 seconds and again, remove and set aside.

To make the sauce, add the remaining oil to the hot wok. Add onions, ginger, garlic and black beans and stir-fry over high heat for 30 seconds. Stirring constantly.

Return the beef along with the cooking wine and stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Add the sugar, soy sauce oyster sauce, vinegar and sesame oil and stir-fry for another minute. Lastly, add the chili and reserved pepper and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.

To serve, plate the beef on the platter and garnish with spring onions.

Serves 4

Table Conversation: (Pinoy) Food for Thought

Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan's Pride and Joy

Let’s start the year 2009 right.

We would like to share with you the sage-like words of restaurateur and cookbook author, Ms. Amy Besa. She may pledge her allegiance to the American flag but she will always have the soul (and stomach) of a Filipino.

Click here to learn what every Pinoy, foodie or otherwise should know.

The Three would like to wish you all a Joyously Delicious New Year.