Smokin' Hot BarBQ serves up global Filipino favorites

MANILA, Philippines - Dishes such as kare-kare, inihaw na liempo, and sisig have been enjoyed for a long time by Filipino families here and even abroad. And adding their own distinctive take on these dishes and a whole lot more is The Bistro Group as it opens its new homegrown restaurant concept, Smokin’ Hot BarBQ.

A casual dining place which serves well-loved Filipino originals, the 140-seater restaurant is located at Level 3, Greenbelt 3 in Makati.

“Smokin’ Hot BarBQ is a new casual dining restaurant concept set to serve an all-Filipino cuisine but presented with Bistro’s creative take,” says Bistro Group of Restaurant’s corporate Chef Josh Boutwood. “Aside from our scrumptious barbeque and grilled items, which are our specialties, we took your favorite Filipino dishes and gave them an interesting tweak in terms of presentation. The taste, of course, remains traditionally Pinoy just the way you want it.”

The dishes may be familiar but as has been The Bistro Group’s practice, presenting them in their own way makes dining all the more enjoyable. Salads are made of salted eggs, pako (fern leaves), green mangoes and blanched leafy greens like kangkong and malunggay. There also other vegetarian fare like Ginataang Sigarilyas and Pinakbet plated in native wooden bowls similar to how they are served in many pastoral communities.

The fresh, vinegar-soaked Kilawin Na Tuna comes as a little surprise wrapped in banana leaf, a handy replacement for ceramic plates, but one that is said to enhance the flavor of the food. If you want to eat with your hands, order Kuhol sa Gata, spicy escargots in coconut cream and chilis usually eaten by sucking the meat inside the shell.

Then there’s the thinly-sliced and grilled Crispy Bacon Belly and Pork Sisig Wraps, the favorite sizzling pork sisig but served with tortilla bread instead of rice. They also have delicious beef shank and brisket of Bulalo, the steaming ginger-and-chicken stew goodness of Tinolang Manok and other simmering soups like Sinampalukang Manok and Sinigang na Baka. All these dishes are served in stone bowls.

Chef Boutwood personally recommends the Smokin’ BarBQ Chicken, while its name is an obvious give-away, is juicy and flavorful.

Desserts are culled from roadside favorites like Caramelized Banana and Biko. For a bit of whimsy, the ordinary Turon 2.0 comes adorned with homemade sugar snap cones and topped with banana ice cream with banana compote.

“What makes all these items smokin’ hot are the barbecue basting sauces that have been concocted specially for Bistro, making our skewers a notch apart, taste-wise.” Crustaceans and other seafoods are dipped in a blend of special soy sauce and lemongrass, while beef, pork and poultry are brushed with a tomato-based basting.

Part of the whole dining experience at Smokin’ Hot BarBQ is having your way when it comes to grilling. Guests may choose from a list of meats, poultry and seafood from the menu, have them grilled according to their preferred doneness.

For more info about Smokin' Hot BarBQ, watch the video below featuring The Bistro Group’s AVP for Marketing Lisa Ronquillo: