The Tatler Dining Guide Philippines
Baking at RÉpuBlique
MaSteRful techniqueS anD RecipeS
If you’ve sampled some of the divine treats on which the empire of Wildflour Café + Bakery, Little Flour Café, and Wildflour Italian has been built, then it’s safe to assume you’ve been harbouring a sinful taste for Margarita “Margie” Manzke’s sweet sorcery.
When her addictive powers combined with those of seasoned restaurateur sister, Ana de Ocampo, these crowd-pleasing café-cum-bakeries became the answer to all our carbcraving prayers. But stateside, Manzke is also the co-owner of République bakery (which sees a line of customers spill out
onto the sidewalk every day, antsy for a taste of the more than 50 varieties of pastry that emerge fresh from the oven), as well as two restaurants in
Los Angeles.
If this isn’t reason enough to buy into the hype, Manzke is a four-time semifinalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Pastry Chef award, has been named best pastry chef by LA Weekly and has appeared on the cover of Los Angeles magazine for the “Best Desserts in LA” issue.
So, after all these successes and accolades, whatever does one do next? Why, publish a dessert cookbook, of course!
In collaboration with Betty Hallock, a former staff writer and editor at the
LosAngelesTimes and WallStreet Journal, Manzke pieced together her magnum opus comprising chapters dedicated to key dough and baseline batter-making, with 100 recipes that put the lessons to work, and more than 125 drool-worthy images by Kristin Teig to inspire your inner Martha Stewart.
Published by Penguin Random House, this gorgeous hardbound showpiece is perfect for the aspiring home cook or pastry chef. Manzke’s knack for bringing out flavour combined with her easy-to-follow albeit clever techniques for creating bakery-quality results in a home kitchen is hard to beat. From her chocolate chip cookies to her halo-halo, you’ll find it hard to resist recreating the wizardry that unfolds at République.
KainNa! (Let’s Eat!—a term very much a part of the vernacular, because, well, Filipinos love to eat) is a comprehensive guide and a beautiful way of celebrating the rich and vibrant diversity of Philippine cuisine. The gist of the book, released by independent local firm, RPD Publications, is to present dishes
(both the more familiar and the unsung) in how they are prepared and consumed throughout the archipelago, kindling an awareness of as well as an appreciation for our country’s unique flavour profiles, aromas, and textures.
The Philippines is a melting pot of both Eastern and Western cultures, and through KainNa!, one will also recognise the impact of colonisation as seen in the featured Chinese- and Spanish-inspired fare.
For those who have yet to get acquainted with what Filipino cuisine is all about, KainNa! takes you through key cities and far-flung provinces as a scrumptious introduction to Filipino food. Thoroughly researched and penned by Felice Prudente Sta. Maria, one of the country’s foremost food writers and historians, in collaboration with Singaporean baker and author, Bryan Koh, the work of art is divided into twelve chapters. Over and above the
educational aspect, each page is lavishly illustrated with Mariel Ylagan Garcia’s tantalising watercolour illustrations, rendering the guide a visual feast.
From delicious start to finish, each highly entertaining chapter tells of a specific culinary aspect of Filipino culture: almusal (breakfast), lutongbahay (home-cooking), meryenda (snacks), lutongkalsada (street food), panghimagas (dessert), pulutan (bar chow), pang-pista (food for festive occasions), inumin (drinks), sapanaderya (baked goods from local bakeries), kakanin (native rice cakes), mgasawswan (sauces and condiments), andmgasangkap (ingredients).
Then, for easy digestion, each identified dish comes with its phonetic pronunciation, a paragraph describing the food, and, at times, with a brief explanation of its origins or the etymology of its name. Let's eat!