Tag: Filipino food
Connie’s Other Kitchen
There are three things that will make me go back to Soloviento—the sweet escape, the dog, and the food. We were fortunate to meet the owners of Soloviento during our stay last month. One of them is Connie of the famous Connie’s Kitchen. I grew up seeing her bottled fish and pasta sauces in groceries […]
I Can’t Believe It’s Vegan!
It looks like empanada. It smells like empanada. It sure tastes like the meaty beef and chicken empanadas I would eat as a child in the Philippines. “But it’s vegan,” said Sandy Famy, a full-time cook and food specialist at La Petit Academy, California. Of Filipino descent, she was raised in the Bay Area with […]
Old World Dining
In the 19th century, a wealthy couple living in the San Miguel District of Manila was known for throwing unforgettable dinners. Dr. Alejandro Legarda (a.k.a. Don Alejandro) and Doña Ramona Legarda (a.k.a. Tita Moning)’s sumptuous cooking and luxurious dining rooms made their home a memorable place for friends and relatives who were lucky enough to […]
That Ball of Christmas Cheese
Ask any Filipino about what he loves most about Christmas, and I guarantee that the Noche Buena will make his top three list. In the late Doreen Fernandez’s book, Tikim: Essays on Philippine Food and Culture, published in 1994, she gives this homegrown description of our Christmas feast: “The Noche Buena, night of goodness, is […]
Tootsie’s Family Recipes
Restaurants that remind me of eating in my Lola Belen (my late grandmother)’s house earn instant points in my book. Tootsie’s Home-Cooked Specialties in Tagaytay has that vibe—where you sit in a cozy wooden chair surrounded by country-style decorations as you wait for your home-cooked meals and refreshments. I remember meeting the owner, Tootsie Eduque-Marco, […]
Cavite’s Hidden Tapsihan
Like carinderias (cafeterias), barbeque joints and fishball carts, you’ll find a tapsihan everywhere in the Philippines. A tapsihan is a small-scale eatery, usually in a sidestreet location that sells the tapsi variety. For foreign tourists, here’s a quick lesson in Filipino food vernacular. Tapsi leads a group of savory breakfast meals that combine fried rice […]