It was like Rhaenyra scouring the warring lands for individuals with Targaryen blood to be dragon riders in House of the Dragon: executives from the Bistro Group held a sort of no-holds-barred cookout to see who among their resident chefs could come up with the best-tasting Filipino dishes. And the cooks were a-cookin’.
The Bistro Group has been primarily associated with American or Italian-American staples: TGI Friday’s, Italianni’s, Denny’s, Texas Roadhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, as well as a sampling of Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisine; but not with homegrown cuisine, so far. And it has been Bistro Group president Jean Paul Manuud’s white whale of sorts. It consumed him, even having sleepless nights thinking about how to present Pinoy fare in the best way possible.
“I felt this emptiness within me. I could not retire without venturing into Filipino food — to be successful at it, to make a difference,” he explains. The Bistro chief challenged everyone, across all brands, to bring their A game. “I told our eight corporate chefs, ‘Okay, try to come up with the best crispy pata in the world.’”
Manuud admits Bistro has been a really solid operator, but coming up with an original concept is an altogether different dish. “We’re excelling in a lot of things, but we don’t have our own Filipino restaurant. And I feel it’s about time.”
The Bistro Group’s Siklab+, which recently opened at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall, was two years in the making. Why did it take that long?
“We’re striving to be the best — that’s why we didn’t rush it,” Manuud informs us. “Filipino food concepts are tricky: you want everything to be authentic, but at the same time you want to create an entirely new experience for diners.” He emphasizes the importance of balancing authenticity with innovation in Filipino cuisine, considering pricing, portion size and quality of ingredients. “With Bistro, there is always a certain degree of expectation from the customers. We take pride in what we offer.”
When coming up with the Siklab+ crispy pata, pork sisig or bopis, Manuud and his team ordered variants from other restaurants, from the traditional to the popular. They narrowed it down to the top 10 and, later on, the top five. The point was to come up with, say, crispy pata that is better than the leader of the pack.
“Imagine doing that for 60 items on our menu,” shares Manuud. “We’d like to think we offer something better, different. I’m confident with our service, with the totality of the experience of our customers. But it ultimately comes down to how good the dishes are.”
In this case, the proof is in the gising-gising, as our country’s traditional, cultural kitchen staples get a modern touch and are tagged with witty monikers.
Cases in point are the Kuhol in Tanggol, OK na Okoy, Paboritong Sisig, Lumpiang Ubod ng Sarap, and other starters, along with the Pinalutong na Tawilis and Anak ng Tokwa’t Baboy.
The veggie brigade includes Gising-Gising Na!, Tortalong, GinisAmpalaya, and Bet Na Pinakbet.
Gray and rainy Manila days make us think of soup such as Siklab+’s sour sinigang with pork or milkfish, along with Batangas Bulalo Ala Eh!, and a lovely dish of Lola’s Ginisang Munggo with crunchy chicharon toppings.
When hankering for seafood, go for the Siniklabang Tuna belly or the Garlicky Squid Adobo. Meat lovers can opt for the KKK (Klasikong Kare-Kare), Pinalutong na Tadyang, Pinoy Bistek, Siniklabang Manok, Crispy Dinuguan, Bopis ni Ima, Panalong Pork BBQ, or the aforementioned Crispy Pata-rrific. The kaldereta is is given a new twist with the use of tender lamb as the starring meat (Kalderetang Kordero).
Siklab+’s rice variants are flavored with either bagoong or chorizo.
For merienda, Siklab+ offers the Special Lomi, PBG (Pancit Bihon Guisado), and Pancit Palabok. Sweet treats range from kakanin (Kalamay Sa Latik and Palitaw), to an innovative take on the turon (Turon Trio). Bonggang Bibingka and Puto Bumbong are available all year round, not just when Jose Mari Chan sees girls and boys selling lanterns on the streets.
To quaff everything down, diners’ choices include: Kamias Pineapple Slush, Tsokolate at Kalamansi, Siklab Gulaman, and with Filipino-themed cocktails such as Ube Kolada, Sierra Madre and Dalandan ng Ale.
Cyril Reyes, Siklab+/Bistro Group director for operations, points out how the sisig in other restaurants is either sour or sweet, but at Siklab+, there is a balance between sweetness and spiciness. Another dish that Reyes lauds is the Kuhol ni Tanggol. “Kuhol is not commonly served in Filipino restaurants. Aside from the usual gata, we’ve given it a bit of Thai flavoring.” Goes well with Dilis Rice.
Guia Abuel, Bistro Group chief operating officer, says the restaurant lives up to its name of igniting a renewed passion for local cuisine. “You also get to enjoy it in a modern, homey atmosphere. People can have Filipino food at home, but at Siklab+ we want to create a unique experience in terms of taste, plating, overall presentation.”
Lisa Ronquillo-Along, Bistro Group chief marketing officer, agrees. “And we cater to all age groups.” She adds how Siklab+ offers not the usual dishes we have at home; the Bistro restaurant presents Pinoy fare with bolder flavors. “We want to elevate what we consider our comfort food.” The idea is to transcend the usual way of partaking of homecooked favorites.
She adds that during the Bistro cookout, their chefs also showcased regional specialties from Batangas, Pampanga and Ilocos to get an idea as to what particular offerings could ignite and inflame gustatory passions.
With those words, the servers placed the dishes on the table: gothic pancit swimming in squid ink, fried chicken flavored with patis, snails dripping with coconut sauce, generous heaps of sisig, mounds of crispy pata, and a fleet of kamias and dalandan drinks.
Does the meal spark a remembrance of banquets past in your home, where there was always a happy riot in the kitchen as the emanating aroma foretold a concerto of flavors? Depends on your taste buds, dear readers.
But what’s clear is this: the Siklab+ dishes that took two years to get this good can disappear like David Copperfield in 40 minutes, tops.
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Siklab+ is open at the Fourth Level, East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong City. Visit @siklabph on Facebook and Instagram for information.