Bangus Republic: A dynasty like no other

Many restaurants start as a hobby. Someone in the family just loves to cook, and friends who love his or her cooking keep saying, “Open a restaurant, it will be a hit.” The repeated challenge is picked up; a restaurant is opened, and becomes a success.

In the case of the owners of Bangus Restaurant, cooking is a  family tradition that is handed down from Lolo to Lola, to daughters and granddaughters. The passion for cooking is accompanied by a passion for eating.

As one knows, Bangus Restaurant specializes in all kinds of bangus dishes — from paksiw to sinigang, prime-cut specialties, fillet, bangus skin chicharon, rellenong bangus, sisig in a bed of Asian vegetables, bola-bola with misua and bangus molo soup, among others. They are all boneless, and prepared the good, old Capampangan way, that is, keeping diners’ taste buds hooked for life.

Love for cooking was handed down from the De Mesa patriarch Wenceslao T. de Mesa, and his wife Teodora Uyguanco-de Mesa, of Guagua, Pampanga. Mamang Islo loved to eat, bringing all sorts of delicacies from wherever he went, and school teacher Imang Dorang made sure that the De Mesa girls spent their weekends and holidays going with their aunt Beatriz Uyguanco to the public market — very early every morning and helping  chop and grind and mince herbs, spices, meats and vegetables in the kitchen. From their other aunt Gregoria de Mesa or “Dada” who lived in the family compound, dishes and kakanin were brought down from her kitchen on the second floor to Islo’s family on the ground floor by a pulley. Another aunt specialized in unforgettably good ensaymada.

Two of the De Mesa sisters — Erlinda and Diana — didn’t realize their being tied to the kitchen (while girls of their age were having fun and games) would serve them in good stead — many years later.

The two were studying in Manila during weekdays — Erlinda at St. Scholastica’s College for her degree in Music, major in Piano, and Diana at the Holy Ghost College for Fine Arts. After graduation, they took their master’s degrees in New York. “We stayed in a residence for girls, and since Diana and I were always busy, we did not have time to cook, so we ordered food, or ate in campus and neighborhood restaurants,” recalls Erlinda.

The sisters married their boyfriends upon their return home. After several kids, Erlinda (now a Yap) and Diana (who became a Santamaria), opened a merchandising store, 1850 Trading Post, the first to sell Levi’s jeans in the country. They later ventured into the food business with Takayama (one of the first places offering Japanese food), Crabs and Ribs, Capers, then Bangus Restaurant, whose two outlets are at the Greenhills Shopping Center and the Mall of Asia.

The restaurant is currently managed by Erlinda and her son Martin, and niece, Nina Santamaria, under the name Bangus Republic Inc.

Like their mothers, Martin and Nina specialized in non-food fields, Martin in European Languages (he teaches at the Ateneo and University of Asia and the Pacific) and Nina in architecture. Nina worked for a long time with a famous architectural company and is now heading a design firm with colleagues.  

Martin says that he and his cousin Nina joined the family business “because our mothers saw the need for us to continue the legacy that they have established. We saw the potential of our restaurant to expand and to offer more delicacies. We look forward to propelling the restaurants to higher standards in the coming years.”

Says Nina, “Although I did not finish with a degree in culinary arts, I can ouido my way around the kitchen. I can make something out of the available ingredients in the pantry, I experiment with different tastes, and most of all, I love to eat.”

She recalls her Lolo Islo as being adventurous with food. “Lolo and I would snack on freshly-cooked kilawing babi and pandesal that he’d bring home. Or we would have crushed Guagua chicharon bits mixed into hot rice with suka or atsara. He introduced me to the crispy adobong camaro (crickets).”

Nina adds, “Now that I am involved in the R&D of the company, I am enjoying my assignment of coming up with new products with the help of our staff. It is such a joy to be working with them. When we are developing dishes, it is like cooking at home with family. Some of them have been with the company for 10, 15, 20, 35 years, we try to criticize the dishes and suggest improvements before we launch them in the outlets.”

Nina, the architect, says, “There is something ‘architectural’ or some ‘designing’ involved when planning a menu for a gathering, or when preparing new dishes or when setting a table in general. Like in architecture, one should take into account the right elements when coming up with a good menu. Aside from considering what dishes would complement the others, one can also think of contrasts. When you plan a menu for a meal or gathering, you cannot just include dishes that are all ‘ma-sarsa’. By contrast, I mean, add some variation. Not all your dishes should be sweet, or your guests will be bored or get ‘suya.’ Add a surprise — some spice or a side dish that is sour. Like in architecture, there should be balance.”

Some recently launched products that became “hits” that Nina and Martin have introduced are the bangus bola-bola with misua and the bangus molo soup. “We used bangus instead of pork as the filling in the molo. When you taste it, you cannot tell that it’s fish, but it is.”

Bangus Restaurant also offers non-bangus dishes, like crispy pata, kare-kare and rellenong manok. Says Nina: “Many of our customers grew up eating in our restaurant. They dined with their parents in the 1980s and 1990s and now they come with their spouses and kids and of course their parents who introduced them to Bangus. Our customers who have migrated, or who work abroad as OFWs, would always come and visit us once they arrive, already knowing what to order because they have been craving for our food. I could say that the taste and quality of food we serve create great memories for those who dine with us. I hope that this tradition of dining with us continues to the next generations.”

Erlinda, quiet, smiling, listens as Nina talked to her heart’s content. Of course, Erlinda Yap is the head of Bangus Republic. “I oversee what’s going on, I make sure that everything — the vegetables and meats cooked, and served before our diners, are tasteful and of the highest standards,” she says. “It’s hard work, but very enjoyable and challenging.”

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