Asian ‘Pob’ Crawl
Two Asian must-trys in Poblacion
Traveling around Asia has made me shun the Filipino habit of eating first and delaying alcohol intake until after the meal. Instead, I now prefer the Asian custom of enjoying your tipple with your meal, what my co-foodie friends call “Kain-Inom.”
Here are two places I now enjoy visiting in Poblacion, Makati, where one can eat in the customary Asian fashion of food and drinks side by side for a happy get together:
Big Mama Korean Restaurant
I started the “Pob crawl” at Big Mama in Azotea de Bel-Air Condominium Building on Polaris Street. In my off hours, I would eat in their former Pasig outlet on Meralco Avenue, which now has a different owner. So I checked out the Makati outlet tucked away in the quietest edge of Polaris, far from the heavily lit signs of the busy, crowded surrounding streets. This is one place where there is a freezer dedicated to subzero beers, and even frozen mugs to pour in your bottled or draft beer. To me, this scores highly on the scoreboard, especially to extinguish the spicy and hot characters of the food served.
We started with a plate of Yang Nyum glazed wings, freshly fried and crisp, which could be ordered in two heat variants. Biting into the crispy sweet-chili glazed skin exposes the hot and steamy interior of the chicken. I have been a patron of this chicken, and I can attest that the recipe has been consistently excellent in the past four years. The other variant for their wings or fried chicken is soy sauce glazed. It’s perfect for those who can’t take the heat.
We also ordered their Chol Myun noodles in a Gochujang or fermented red bean paste sauce that had just the right amount of sweetness balancing the heat from the red chilis of the bean paste. Chol Myun is not usually served in a restaurant, being more of a household noodles dish. The semitranslucent noodles have an incredible and pleasant texture.
There is a minimum of five creative and fresh side dishes, lest your eating place be labeled as an eatery for the destitute (anything below five banchan or side dishes for Koreans do not display prosperity). Though pricey, the monkfish cooked and braised in chili puree, leeks, and onions, are dishes to try, especially with toasts of soju, or makkoli (unfiltered rice wine) or gulps of beer. The firm white flesh has a lobster or scallop-like consistency as the ugly fish tapers on the tail.
VBQ Vietnamese Barbecue and Hotpot Restaurant
Newly opened on P. Guanzon Street, Poblacion, this restaurant is very popular among a youngish clientele. Besides the well-stocked bar filled with great coffee and bubble tea concoctions, I was pleasantly surprised that the restaurant owners take great pains in giving the guests a small charcoal grill on the table for the good assortment of marinated meats. There are infused oils, chili puree, and infused vinegar in jars for guests who prefer a participatory mode of eating aside from the standard nước chấm or Vietnamese fish sauce, or the pepper salt that needs a squeeze of lime.
The marinades are quite democratic in the sense that they are not as sharp as the ones you find in Uncle Ho’s city, but having the freshly grilled meats with your drinks is pure pleasure. The Bánh xèo, an egg-based crepe you also wrap in lettuce and dip in a northern style Mam tom (shrimp paste) sauce is the soft style of Bánh xèo. I prefer the crisp bubbly style though. Their spring rolls whether fresh or fried are good items to alternate with the wraps of grilled items. The Bún thịt nướng or grilled pork skewers, along with fresh noodles topped with sliced spring rolls, and the stir fried pork in bean paste would be a great choice for the Kain-Inom style prevalent in grill places such as this. Next time I’m here, when we won’t be drinking, I’ll get to try the desserts and coffee concoctions.
There’s a minimum of five creative and fresh side dishes, lest your eating place be labeled an eatery for the destitute.
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