Sinful dishes for your cheat days
The Broken Oven doesn’t hide behind the sheepskin of healthy promises
The Broken Oven’s Marco Olives perfected his signature slow-roasted pork belly and roasted chicken stuffed with Chorizo Rice during the rush of last year’s holiday season. “The belly, [we got by] accident. We were parked in front of a meat shop and found the most affordable piece of meat we could buy, which was the pork belly, and then we cooked it at home,” says his sister Kyla.
It was also through another accident that the restaurant they now run found its name. Once people heard about Marco’s pork belly dish, orders started surging in. “Before Christmas Day, we were [cooking] so many orders that the oven broke,’’ Kyla says. ‘‘We chose The Broken Oven as our business’ name so we can look back on that experience.”
Why their slow-roasted pork belly became a hit was no surprise: Its crispy skin is usually something people used to have to fly to Cebu for. The Broken Oven also makes their own pork sisig, and their spaghetti is based on the same recipe they grew up with. Kyla admits, “We won’t pretend that we’re a healthy business because we’re not. Our food isn’t healthy at all.”
Indeed, the menu that Marco has created for The Broken Oven is full of indulgent plates. The finger food sisig kanin balls is an instant hit. Its medley of panko coating and herbs providing the necessary crunch before its meaty, savory filling bursts with flavor. Their signature roasted chicken is served shredded and loaded with cheese, and their dry-aged tapa fingers complement anything.
As sinful as their dishes are, The Broken Oven’s dishes appeal to both kids and adults because they aren’t intimidating. As their sign board says, “Nothing brings people together more than good food.” It’s a case of something broken getting fixed and making everything better.
We won’t pretend that we’re a healthy business because we’re not. Our food isn’t healthy at all.”