Enjoying the spice of life
October 27, 2005 | 12:00am
When I was a child, my gracious grandmother told me it was bad manners for a guest to criticize the host’s food. Whether the host could hear it or not, it did not matter. My mom said it was very wrong to say the food is not manyaman (delicious), while the other guests are still eating, because it will definitely spoil their appetite. And that is why until now, I kinda get uncomfortable when I hear guests, whether kids or adults, go against my grandma’s rule. Apo taught me to taste and "see" beyond the food on the plate. That is why I always enjoy all food served to me, whether I dine in other people’s houses or I am treated out in a restaurant.
I grew up and slept with my Apo in her house in Mabalacat, a small quiet town north of Pampanga. I learned so many things from her. I like to think I was her favorite grandchild. To many, she was Apung Pepang, who was very particular about her food. Her long-time aged and fermented burung isda, quarter-pounder sized biruyang okoy, pancit luglug, and six-year-old vinegar were famous in our town.
But Apo told me I must eat and appreciate any food I am served in other people’s homes. "It does not matter if it tastes different from what you like or from what you are accustomed to at home," she said. I was then five or six years old, and oftentimes ate lunch at the house of playmates, many of them the children of farmers.
"You must always see beyond the food, like how the poor farmer had to kill a chicken and the wife sweated, cooking her best, or maybe that was the most they could afford or know how to cook," she said. "Feel their sincerity in the food they offer you, and you will find it sweet and delicious." And to this day, I find that very true.
Apo said you can only criticize your own cooking, that of your hired kusinera, and if you were the one paying at a restaurant. That’s why when someone is treating me out, I sincerely enjoy the food and the kind gesture. But often, I notice those who don’t cook, host parties at home or even treat friends to restaurants are those who act like pompous critics. Maybe that is why they do not invite people to their homes or eat out. They are afraid to have guests like themselves. Admittedly, I sometimes criticize Claude’s cooking, and he does not seem to mind. I guess the wedding ring gives one the right to be ungrateful.
Today, I have added one more to Apo’s list of reasons: If you are invited or asked to comment on the food. Apo most probably did not realize I would one day find myself in such situation. But I am most certain apo would not say giving comments in this case is being ill-mannered but rather appropriate.
So, before I entered the privy kitchen of Spices at The Peninsula Manila, I looked up and silently asked permission from my Apo. Spices will have a new menu and has invited my husband Claude, Mickey Fenix, and I to be their guinea pigs before they give the dishes their final seals of approval. The hotel’s four chefs in their signature white uniforms and the hotel big shots in their black suits joined us. All together, we hurriedly tried the 35 Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, and Indian dishes, all neatly lined up along the long kitchen counter. Thank God, I wore my one and only loose pants.
We started with three kinds of soups, and Claude and I both liked best the Vietnamese rice noodle beef soup, which is called pho ba. Its stock was so flavorful that Claude asked for a whole cup all for himself. I teased him that we were just going to try a little of everything and were not there for dinner. Besides, it was only 4 p.m. and there were still 35 dishes waiting to be tasted.
"I am just whetting my appetite," he shot back with a bulging tummy.
Another nice Vietnamese dish was the chao tom, which is a dish of mildly spiced crispy fried prawns on sugar cane sticks.
Among the appetizers, I enjoyed most the Thai crispy kangkong salad with grilled prawns, while Claude liked the Indian shredded potatoes with cottage cheese and coriander called malai kofta. One main course that I am sure will be popular among Filipino children is the neau phad prik thai, a stir-fried beef dish with the subtle taste of pepper.
My favorite that afternoon was the methi seek kabab, which is a tandoori minced lamb kebab with fenugreek leaves. I do not normally like kebabs, because they are often dry, but I highly recommend this ground lamb kebab. It’s the best I’ve tried so far. It was very nice and tasty. "Moist inside and crisp outside," Claude said.
And if you are as lucky as we were, the Indian chef would pull the piping hot kebabs from the skewer for you like a sideshow.
The lamb stew with atchara pickles and chili powder was perfect to my taste. So were the lamb biryani and my favorite chicken biryani, both cooked with real basmati rice.
Vegetarians will have their fill with the Indian veggies of paneer in spinach gravy and Punjabi kadi, those flour dumplings with mixed vegetables. I normally dislike veggies per se, but when I tried the Punjabi kadi mixed with the chicken biryani, it was heaven. And if you like eggplants, try the terung belado, a mildly spicy Indonesian dish. They are all so wonderful with warm Indian naans and rotis.
For two hours, our taste buds were put to work. We praised and criticized as we went on, sometimes agreeing and sometimes varying in opinion. Even Claude and I, who share meals all the time, often found ourselves disagreeing at that dining table.
That afternoon, I said I liked the Thai grilled chicken, nicely flavored with lemon grass. "It was dry, and I like it dry as long as it is tender."
"No," Claude quickly disagreed. "It could be more moist and better."
With another Thai dish, I said I liked the taste of the Thai patis. And then, the executive assistant manager Matthias Al-Amiry who was standing next to me said he could detect bagoong, which he did not like.
Asian dishes are usually best eaten family style. And when all the dishes are properly combined, you have a memorable super- duper delicious meal, just like in a well-planned Chinese lauriat. Request for Indian chef Bairagi Sahani to come to your table and he will gladly assist you compose a meal – how he loves to chat! He’d even put up a show for you if you order the tandoori lamb kebab.
At first, I did not like the Punjabi kadi (flour dumplings) on their own, but they tasted so very well when I had them with the chicken biryani; just as Claude was not impressed with the tamarind-flavored duck, but instantly took a liking to it when he ate the duck with the Thai green vegetable curry in coconut milk. That is enough reason for us to go back to Spices for more duck and biryani.
At Spices, the dishes are cooked as you order. The chef will be more than glad to spice it up to your taste, what with all the fresh condiments available. You just have to tell him. I always request double chili for my Thai dishes, especially my favorite tom yam kung. And if you want ketchup in your curry, for heaven’s sake, simply say so. It is your order, and it should please no one else but you.
Tempt and please your taste buds with Spices’ 35 new dishes and experience food that is just spiced right to your taste. You would surely want to go back for more.
I grew up and slept with my Apo in her house in Mabalacat, a small quiet town north of Pampanga. I learned so many things from her. I like to think I was her favorite grandchild. To many, she was Apung Pepang, who was very particular about her food. Her long-time aged and fermented burung isda, quarter-pounder sized biruyang okoy, pancit luglug, and six-year-old vinegar were famous in our town.
But Apo told me I must eat and appreciate any food I am served in other people’s homes. "It does not matter if it tastes different from what you like or from what you are accustomed to at home," she said. I was then five or six years old, and oftentimes ate lunch at the house of playmates, many of them the children of farmers.
"You must always see beyond the food, like how the poor farmer had to kill a chicken and the wife sweated, cooking her best, or maybe that was the most they could afford or know how to cook," she said. "Feel their sincerity in the food they offer you, and you will find it sweet and delicious." And to this day, I find that very true.
Apo said you can only criticize your own cooking, that of your hired kusinera, and if you were the one paying at a restaurant. That’s why when someone is treating me out, I sincerely enjoy the food and the kind gesture. But often, I notice those who don’t cook, host parties at home or even treat friends to restaurants are those who act like pompous critics. Maybe that is why they do not invite people to their homes or eat out. They are afraid to have guests like themselves. Admittedly, I sometimes criticize Claude’s cooking, and he does not seem to mind. I guess the wedding ring gives one the right to be ungrateful.
Today, I have added one more to Apo’s list of reasons: If you are invited or asked to comment on the food. Apo most probably did not realize I would one day find myself in such situation. But I am most certain apo would not say giving comments in this case is being ill-mannered but rather appropriate.
So, before I entered the privy kitchen of Spices at The Peninsula Manila, I looked up and silently asked permission from my Apo. Spices will have a new menu and has invited my husband Claude, Mickey Fenix, and I to be their guinea pigs before they give the dishes their final seals of approval. The hotel’s four chefs in their signature white uniforms and the hotel big shots in their black suits joined us. All together, we hurriedly tried the 35 Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, and Indian dishes, all neatly lined up along the long kitchen counter. Thank God, I wore my one and only loose pants.
We started with three kinds of soups, and Claude and I both liked best the Vietnamese rice noodle beef soup, which is called pho ba. Its stock was so flavorful that Claude asked for a whole cup all for himself. I teased him that we were just going to try a little of everything and were not there for dinner. Besides, it was only 4 p.m. and there were still 35 dishes waiting to be tasted.
"I am just whetting my appetite," he shot back with a bulging tummy.
Another nice Vietnamese dish was the chao tom, which is a dish of mildly spiced crispy fried prawns on sugar cane sticks.
Among the appetizers, I enjoyed most the Thai crispy kangkong salad with grilled prawns, while Claude liked the Indian shredded potatoes with cottage cheese and coriander called malai kofta. One main course that I am sure will be popular among Filipino children is the neau phad prik thai, a stir-fried beef dish with the subtle taste of pepper.
My favorite that afternoon was the methi seek kabab, which is a tandoori minced lamb kebab with fenugreek leaves. I do not normally like kebabs, because they are often dry, but I highly recommend this ground lamb kebab. It’s the best I’ve tried so far. It was very nice and tasty. "Moist inside and crisp outside," Claude said.
And if you are as lucky as we were, the Indian chef would pull the piping hot kebabs from the skewer for you like a sideshow.
The lamb stew with atchara pickles and chili powder was perfect to my taste. So were the lamb biryani and my favorite chicken biryani, both cooked with real basmati rice.
Vegetarians will have their fill with the Indian veggies of paneer in spinach gravy and Punjabi kadi, those flour dumplings with mixed vegetables. I normally dislike veggies per se, but when I tried the Punjabi kadi mixed with the chicken biryani, it was heaven. And if you like eggplants, try the terung belado, a mildly spicy Indonesian dish. They are all so wonderful with warm Indian naans and rotis.
For two hours, our taste buds were put to work. We praised and criticized as we went on, sometimes agreeing and sometimes varying in opinion. Even Claude and I, who share meals all the time, often found ourselves disagreeing at that dining table.
That afternoon, I said I liked the Thai grilled chicken, nicely flavored with lemon grass. "It was dry, and I like it dry as long as it is tender."
"No," Claude quickly disagreed. "It could be more moist and better."
With another Thai dish, I said I liked the taste of the Thai patis. And then, the executive assistant manager Matthias Al-Amiry who was standing next to me said he could detect bagoong, which he did not like.
Asian dishes are usually best eaten family style. And when all the dishes are properly combined, you have a memorable super- duper delicious meal, just like in a well-planned Chinese lauriat. Request for Indian chef Bairagi Sahani to come to your table and he will gladly assist you compose a meal – how he loves to chat! He’d even put up a show for you if you order the tandoori lamb kebab.
At first, I did not like the Punjabi kadi (flour dumplings) on their own, but they tasted so very well when I had them with the chicken biryani; just as Claude was not impressed with the tamarind-flavored duck, but instantly took a liking to it when he ate the duck with the Thai green vegetable curry in coconut milk. That is enough reason for us to go back to Spices for more duck and biryani.
At Spices, the dishes are cooked as you order. The chef will be more than glad to spice it up to your taste, what with all the fresh condiments available. You just have to tell him. I always request double chili for my Thai dishes, especially my favorite tom yam kung. And if you want ketchup in your curry, for heaven’s sake, simply say so. It is your order, and it should please no one else but you.
Tempt and please your taste buds with Spices’ 35 new dishes and experience food that is just spiced right to your taste. You would surely want to go back for more.
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