That’s hot! Metro Manila’s Masters of the Grill: Smokin’ from Marikina to Makati
Spanky and Stephanie’s “He Said, She Said” recap on one of our favorite episodes to shoot. Here’s Let’s Eat TV’s Guide to barbecue: Spanx: A lightning strike, setting fire to a copse where a primitive man had taken shelter to rest after the hunt. The trees caught fire, and so did the bloody carcass of the man’s wild boar. Once the fire had died down, the man, suddenly driven half mad by the scents wafting around him, tentatively tugged at the still smoking flesh and burned his hands. Instinctively, he put his fingers in his mouth, and smiled.
That’s my theory on how man first discovered the wonders of barbecue, and it was also how cooking began. I’m forever grateful to that bolt of lightning.
Ste ph: There is nothing sexier than the smoky, intoxicating smell of charred barbecue. Caramelizing juices, that tantalizing sizzle on a hot grill, that gorgeous intense flavor that only comes with managing the flames, low and slow for falling off the bones tenderness and turning up the heat for that perfect sear. Can you tell? I don’t just love barbecue, I loooove barbecue!
Even as a kid one of the things I would look forward to at birthday parties was always that sweetish Pinoy pork barbecue. And I didn’t want just any part, I would search for the most blackened pieces and eat the crispy burnt fat.
Spanx: Deep in Marikina is an unexpected delight. An absolutely authentic, Southern style BBQ joint, complete with a smoker, owned and operated by brothers Josh and Jasper Versoza. Their parents founded one of the country’s premiere catering companies, Josiah’s.
Steph: I can’t even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed Fat Daddy’s, sure everything was good, but those ribs, those damn ribs! I couldn’t stop myself and before I knew it there was a pile of licked clean bones on my plate. And when that crusty bark gives way to the softest meat ever, with absolute no effort it sexily slipped off the bone, And I slipped in and out of consciousness, just me and my barbecued ribs, nothing else mattered. Don’t even get me started on the sauce. I wish they would sell it by the bucket.
Spanx: My favorite new restaurant isn’t some fancy schmancy fine dining thing. It’s Frangos along Kamagong in Makati, a small, cozy establishment, a labor of love from Don and Pia Renato, and her brother Aldrin. They serve the best, by far, Piri- Piri Portugesestyle roasted chicken in town. The birds are spatchcocked and cooked on a unique grill that’s been patented by Don. I’ve been there a lot. It’s become a craving, an obsession.
Steph: Everytime I tape a show I tell myself I’ll just have one bite but most of the time things like this inasal of Chef JP at Kafe Batwan, are just too good for only one bite! I kept digging into that juicy piece of chicken, tearing off bit by bit till before I knew it, it was all gone!
Spanx: Believe it. Those bones were picked clean. You’d have thought the chicken fell into a tank where piranhas were kept. But hey, I understand. Jayps is one hell of chef, and his Sarsa was recently honored as “Best Restaurant of 2015” by Let’s Eat magazine!
Steph: Honestly I think this time around I really surprised Spanky again. I think he thought of me as a dainty eating, lettuce loving dieter but this oh no! When it comes to barbecue not even he can outrib me!
Spanx: I concede. Steph always eats more than me. Then again, she’s eating for two! Congratulations, partner! See you next week. Let’s Eat!
Let’s Eat airs on the Lifestyle Network every Wednesday at 8PM with a replay every Thursday at 11:30AM. The show is presented by The Philippine STAR and is hosted by Stephanie Zubiri-Crespi and Spanky Enriquez.
‘There is nothing sexier than the smoky, intoxicating smell of charred barbecue.’