Vamos a Santiago!

CEBU, Philippines - The whole South American continent  can now be served and tasted on a  Cebuano platter via the opening of Santiago Restaurant of South America, probably the Philippines' only restaurant dedicated to Latin American cuisine.

Breaking ground first in the Cebu food scene through Days Hotel in Mactan, Santiago is set to treat diners to a real food trip with the awesome food diversity of Latin American countries.

The South American adventure of the palate jumps off in Brazil, arrives at Argentina, but connects otherwise to other interesting stops like Chile, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador; indulges in must-see side trips to Uruguay and Venezuela; and a stopover in Bolivia and Guyana - all achieved through a cornucopia of entradas, causas, ceviches, anticuchos, as well as corn flat breads. Yum!

Our gracious hosts - Food and Beverage director Mario Benitez and Cluster F&B manager/events manager Ronald Peril - initiated a pre-launch dinner party which featured samplers of South American dishes, highlighting the staple of the Incas.

I know for a fact that the Incas were among the ancient world's most beautiful civilizations wiped out by colonization because the tribe had been self-sustaining. Such state of independence proved a detriment, in the end, because it was tough for them to connect to the "outside world", an oppressive one, at that!

So, it's amazing to have finally tasted an important item in South American cultural and culinary scene. It felt like sharing a part of how it was to live and survive with the Incas of Peru who not only built pyramids in the Andes, they compiled cookbooks possibly 6,000 years ago. 

The night of July 2 saw members of the print media and a number of food bloggers tasting samples of the food listed on the "La Gaceta" (an essential in the event marketing strategy) and throwing questions at chef de partie Romeo D'Great Olando (yes that's his full name) and Sir Mario.

I raised to Chef Romeo how the pupuza tastes a lot better than the chicama. The pupuza is corn flat bread that's grilled, not baked. It was presented with lettuce dip. It's thinner than the chicama and a lot creamier, with a more tamed texture as compared to the thick and rubbery taste of the chicama. In defense, Chef Romeo said that since they would want to single it out from the pupuza, it was presented a bit thicker like that of the hot cake we have grown up to.

I voted a two thumbs up or in Facebook lingo, a big "Like" to the Boronia dish because it brings the diner to a roller coaster of tastes. Like most of SouthAm dishes wherein the Philippines shares some commonality utilizing ingredients like fresh seafood, pork, potatoes, corn, okra, rice and tropical fruits, the eggplant is the star of this main dish.

The berenjenas (Spanish for eggplants - from which a maternal grandmother of mine reads as "belinghinas") comes in spicy, sweet, salty and tangy taste because of the mix of bananas (saging sab-a), sweet paprika, and spices.

Other dishes featured:

• Feijoada. This main dish speaks well of Brazil culinary culture with Afro influence. In fact, it is Brazil's national dish of black beans (caroatas negras) and various types of meat favored by the black population but eventually enriched with fancy ingredients like bacon and smoked meats like ham and sausages; pork knuckles, pork tongue, ox tongue, pig's cheeks and ears, as well as beef by the western population.

• Arroz con Carne. Argentina's specialty rice with diced beef, black olives, chorizo and paprika.

• Coco Flan. This postre (dessert) is no new stuff to Filipinos who grew up to eating "leche flan."

• Tres Leches. A cake mixture made from condensed and evaporated milk and heavy cream.

• Ceviche de Atun con Gengibre, Soy y Sesame. This cold appetizer is our equivalent of the "kilawin" or "kinilaw" sans the vinegar. Instead, the lime is used to temper the fishy smell of tuna, mixed with ginger and soy and then topped with sesame seeds and crumbled bacon.

A casual surf of Santiago's menu that is broad enough to cover a table for two boggles the mind and is likely to make the reader go hungry. Appetizers alone number some 62, rice varieties come in 62 options, and entrees count some 40 items.

However, on the question if Santiago could guarantee the authenticity of the SouthAm identity of its dishes, Sir Mario was quick to answer he would rather stay safe by issuing diners the "license to verify."

I am in the opinion, though, that modifications have already been made to most of the food preparations and presentations, sourcing some common ingredients locally. The question would be more on how to achieve consistency in serving a continent of crossroad cuisines and "manjares sudamericanos" (SouthAm delicacies) - from sopas caliente to sopas frio, estofada, parillada, tallarines, torta, arroz, bocadillo, postre, ceviche, anticucho, causa, and chicharrones.

Vino 101

This is in reference, particularly, to the Boronia and Pupuza which I truly enjoyed that night: White wine like the sparkling Piuquenes Chardonnay of Argentina goes best with the latter while red wine is perfect for the former.

Sir Ronald and Chef Romeo agree to the pairing of red wine with Boronia. To this, Sir Ronald singled out Gato Negro (Carmeneré) of Chile with its fruity and fresh aroma suggestive of premium grapes, spices and mild green pepper.

What's in a name?

There is a Santiago in every country in South America. Now there is one in Cebu.

In Chile, it's its capital. In Britain, Santiago is James; in most of Spain, Jaime; in Iberia, Iago; in Galicia, Tiago to which San is prefixed creating Santiago, or St. James. Galicia in Spain is home to the city of Santiago de Compostela where St. James' body rests and has been a pilgrimage site for 1,200 years. The unmistakable stamp of identity truly espouses the work put in the conceptualization of each recipe in the menu - the size of a continent.