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It is commonly known that the best Filipino food can be had in the Filipino home. Because apart from the attention to detail and quality that goes much into the food preparation, it is also when one is amidst a rowdy bunch of companions in a laidback home environment over exquisite delicacies that the true Filipino hospitality can be experienced. This esoteric way of valuing good Filipino food has, in some way, been tagged as the reason why Filipino dishes do not figure just as prominently as the sushi, phad thai, samosa and kebab in the international culinary cuisine. For the most part, Filipino restaurants, no matter how fancy, just don’t cut it above the ambiance and good old traditional home-cooked food of the households.
 Championing his heritage, Chef Rolando Laudico shares that his restaurant Bistro Filipino seeks to “change that notion” and let everybody in that “good Filipino food can also be found in a nice restaurant as well.” “I want people to enjoy Filipino food with a higher appreciation for it, in an elevated style, because it has a great potential to be regarded just as highly as other cuisines,” he quips. Thus explains his bistro-type restaurant at the Net 2 Building along Third Avenue in Fort Bonifacio that settles on the middle ground between a formal and casual dining setup.
Family Effort
If it were, he also wanted everything “to be as Filipino as possible”, bringing in the best of service and decors to complement his Filipino theme. “Everything here is pretty much a family effort,” he enthuses, pointing to the capiz (local shell) lanterns and abaca canopies designed by his mother Yolanda Tiongson, the antique armor greeting the guests upon entrance, the general architecture planned out by his sister Popi Laudico and the mango wood tables and kamagong posts which were their collaborations with his wife Jackie.
Abaca curtains separate the center
dining area into an exclusive function space
Filipino Fusion
Chef Laudico’s claim to fame was his much-talked about private caterings held in the garden of his Urdaneta Village residence which he had started six years ago. Although he is soon to close down on those private house functions and concentrate on his restaurant, Chef Laudico’s trademark dishes will remain mainstays. His style of cooking has been termed as Filipino fusion with his innovative ways of preparing and presenting traditional Filipino fares. But he clarifies that Filipino cuisine by itself is already a fusion of different influences such as American, Spanish, Japanese and Chinese. Thus, he explains that his masterpieces are better termed as Filipino food with a global touch.
Whatever he calls it, the menu options at Bistro Filipino reflect his distinct regard for the local cuisine with an added touch of refinement to it. Think: the simple Beef Consomme (Beef stock garnished with fresh corn, carrots and a potato croquette stuffed with beef and cabbage), the elaborate Bistro Pochero (Angus beef and chicken stew served with chorizo garbanzo puree stuffed with cabbage, fried plantains and sweet potato crisps), the contrasting textures and flavors of the Milk Fish Souffle (Smoked milk fish and keso de bola soufflé in whole tomato served with salad greens in paksiw vinaigrette topped with fried milk fish belly), the sweet-tangy Mango Dayap Sans Rival (Layers of dayap meringue and pastry crème on chilled mango soup splashed with grand marnier orange liquer) and the sour-sweet cooler Tamarind Shake.
Predisposed Preferences
He relates that one of the hurdles in putting up a restaurant that serves local cuisine is the fact that each person has “predisposed preferences of what a Filipino dish should be like”, having first tasted them in their homes.
So he is quick to say, “I’m not here to change Filipino cuisine, nor replace the home-setup.” His is more of an artistic expression of what he thinks a Filipino dish would be at its best. “It’s difficult to standardize Filipino dishes because each dish is in itself an interpretation of the one who cooks it,” he says, trying to verbalize the art of cooking.
 A Cook by Heart
At 33, Chef Laudico has been hailed as one of the contemporary culinary stalwarts to watch out for. A tourism student undergraduate, he went on to pursue a three-year course at the Culinary Institute of America and in 1999 managed to bag a degree. After which, he moved around Europe and Australia working first as a cook until he mustered up the courage to carve his own culinary career in the Philippines. First putting up his catering business in 2000, he is now an established restaurateur with a successful bistro under his belt. “I’m doing this because I just love to cook,” he shares, advising the young people who have the similar passion yet find it daunting to pursue a career in it to “not let fear stop you, don’t be afraid to do what you want because if you really like what you’re doing, you’ll eventually succeed.” He also encourages them to promote Filipino food at its maximum potential, adding how he looks up to culinary greats such as Myrna Seguismundo of Restaurant 9501, Glenda Barretto of Via Mare, Chef Ariel of Lolo Dad’s, Fernando Aracama of Uva and Tony Boy Escalante of Antonio’s as those who’ve paved the way for Filipino food appreciation.
Chef Rolando Laudico
Chef Laudico is no doubt as unassuming as a chef could get. With deserving confidence sans any air of boasting, he quips that he’d rather choose to be called a “great cook” than a “good chef”. The latter, he explains, only means managing a kitchen well while the former is what any professing restaurateur should be. “I’m a cook by heart,” he enthuses, and that explains why he finds it most enjoyable “cooking for my family” which he does on Sundays when the Bistro closes.
For reservations, call (02) 856-0634.
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Coffee has always been associated with a certain kind of romance. Its fragrance alone is poetically alluded to by some of the greatest literary figures. A boost it may be for some but for many it has already become a veritable addiction. Ironically enough, when coffee was first introduced and appreciated in Europe ( where it became the most sought after drink of choice for centuries) it was originally referred to as “Bevande del Diablo” or drink of the devil and in Italy (where coffee appeared in 1570) Pope Clemente the 7th even forbade the “faithful” from partaking in this devilishly dark and delicious liquid temptress. It was only when it was finally “blessed” that coffee was deemed a commercial entity to be enjoyed by all…at least in the Christian World.
 Interesting trivia such as this were part of a brief coffee lesson given by visiting Grand Chief Barista for Asia, Segafredo Zanetti Worldwide, Ilija Naumovski. Ilija, who is a graduate of the Gastronomy and Tourism College in Slovenia worked for 10 years under Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Shops in Europe as chief barista. In 1998 he was then invited by the Segafredo in Japan to be their Grand Chief Barista and the supervisor of barista training. He was accompanied by General Director for Japan Yoshiyuki Nemoto for an Asian Tour of their branches and in fact, had been to Bangkok right before coming to Manila. Neophytes and diehard coffee lovers alike took away with them some important “facts” about the art of espresso which were summarized in a little fact sheet.
Espresso owes its name to the speed with which the machine prepares the coffee (about 30 seconds) to be served quickly to the customer. It is a concentrated brew prepared with the flow of hot water under pressure, while passing through the layer of roasted ground coffee. With the right preparation, all the flavor and aroma are drowned into the cup forming the “crema” (a reddish brown layer of fine foam topping the espresso) A perfect “ crema” is the signature of perfect preparation.To test, sugar should stay 5-10 seconds on the crema.
Ilijah Naumokvski, grand chef barista
for Segafredo Worldwide.
More than 50 million cups of espresso are consumed every day in the world
Key factors in serving quality espresso
• water quality and storage of beans
• the grinder and grinding process
• espresso machine
• skill of the “barista”
Four key points for quality espresso
• La Crema :should be fine and long lasting, color of hazelnuts, with a fine button hole
• L’ Aroma : Intensive, chocolate or cocoa presence
• The taste : smooth and elegant, delicate and rich, full bodied, with the perfect balance between acidity and bitterness
Another helpful fact for those concerned with their health is that espresso contains less than a third caffeine than brewed coffee :
Segafredo Zanetti serves fine authentic espresso at its Greenbelt 2, The Podium and Greenhills branch.
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