More treats for the foodies
You have met quite a few Pinoy entrepreneurs who have successfully built their empire from scratch in this column. They have made us proud of our fellow Pinoys who have made their mark not only in their sector but, for some, in foreign lands as well.
This column will continue to feature such enterprises and the hardworking people behind them. This new awakening to the benefits of entrepreneurship as the vehicle for economic progress has inspired many of our countrymen to dream and reach new heights they never imagined in their wildest dreams. The efforts of such programs as Go Negosyo and the franchise organizations in the country have contributed greatly to this awareness, and we are happy to share the good news to many.
But perhaps this week it’s a good time to take a break and indulge our leisure side. When was the last time we featured our latest discoveries in the food front?
One of these is Cow and Chicken and, yes, like many of the new food joints in the metropolis, it is situated at 16 United
St., Bo Kapitolyo in Pasig. Bo. Kapitolyo was the earliest property development of the Ortigas family, even before the nearby Valle Verde subdivisions came to be, so you can imagine how long it has been there. Many old families who reside there have empty nests already, the children having gone their separate ways, and if the houses have not been sold before, these property owners have succumbed to offers to sell out to restaurant owners and move to smaller condominiums which have proliferated in the general area.
Cow and Chicken is of a different mold than others in the area, though. The owners, Junco Flores and Sam Beltran, share a passion for coffee that has found expression in their restaurant. They source their coffee from Benguet but will soon tap
Batangas for the famous barako blend. They offer the basics now: latte, espresso, cappuccino, americano, but when our B&L staff dropped by they served a blend unique to them: the
panocha macchiato where the distinct flavor of the panocha is extracted to blend with the coffee. They also have choc nut coffee and popcorn latte to add to their unique menu.
Thats for their extensive coffee menu. For their food offering, the concept revolves around fusion of brunch ideas. Hence, they have champorado with local wagyu tapa; lemon cream cheese pancakes with dulce de leche and served with lemon curds; adobo glazed ribs; local wagyu tapa cheese steak sandwich; white champorado with crispy kapak (dried fish from Bataan) served with carabao’s milk with dulce de
leche on top; and waffle smores (baked marshmallows). And because no one else seems to be open in the dead of night, Cow and Chicken remains open, which is good news to the staff of the nearby hospitals, call center workers or
barkadas out for a late night get together. Besides, their coffee will certainly keep you up!
*** Another discovery is the No Reservation restaurant and, you guessed it, it is also in Barrio Kapitolyo, the latest foodie haven in the metro. Opened only in November 2015, the owners chose to give it this name because there are no inhibitions, no reservations.
One of the co-owners, Jay Angeles, worked for a few years here and abroad but decided to come home because he wanted to give expression to his creativity.
Brainstorming with some friends, they decided to open a restaurant with their own twist. The co-owners have one thing in common – they all love Asian cuisine. What they offer here, though, is modern Asian cuisine, not the traditional, very familiar dishes that you and I grew up with. Many of the dishes are Japanese- inspired, some are Korean, some Thai. We asked Jay why he never considered tweaking our own native cuisine. It turns out that Jay’s mother and grandmother are great Filipino food cooks, so he is leaving that to the experts because he feels he simply cannot modernize Filipino food.
Jay laid out some of their best sellers at No Reservation and you can see how they have tweaked the common dishes to come up with dishes unique to them.
The simple nachos are served as appetizers with nori strips, the sea weeds lending a Korean taste to this modern dish.
They serve chicken wings here like many contemporary restaurants, but their wings are served together with waffles. The wings are glazed with a sprinkling of black and white sesame seeds, another Korean- inspired dish.
One of their most popular dishes here is their tender baby back ribs, also glazed and served with rice and with a mound of mongo sprouts on top of the ribs for that touch of Thai.
They have Japanese corn served on a platter, grilled, not boiled. What’s interesting here is they serve this with lots of bonito flakes for that distinctly Japanese taste.
The dishes range from P150-P300 per, so they also guarantee affordability, but what Jay guarantees more than that is the uniqueness of their dishes. He is vouching for that, saying his dishes cannot be found in any other restaurant. Only at No Reservation.
For now, they offer unlimited wine and scotch for a flat fee, so this should perk up the teetotallers out there.
Mabuhay!!! Be proud to be a Filipino. For questions and comments (email)