Eat what the bishops eat in this religion-themed resto

In the country’s only Catholic–themed restaurant, Sister Evangeline Paras aims to enrich the soul as much as excite the palate.

As head chef, the Theresian nun oversees operations at Ristorante de la Mitre (Restaurant of the Miter) on Calle Real in front of San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila.

The restaurant’s distinctive feature is a menu made in honor of local Catholic bishops but priced to suit all members of the flock.

The restaurant, which opened last year, aims to bring the Church closer to the people in Asia’s bastion of Catholicism at a time when controversies such as sexual abuse scandals have alienated many believers.

“We want to show the positive side of the Church . . . I consider this another ministry of the Church,” Paras told Agence France Presse amid frenzied cooking by her five assistants in the well-lit kitchen.

“It also gives you a glimpse of how the priests and bishops live, what they do and how they eat,” she said.

In the dining area, waiters move quickly between tables, explaining the story behind each dish on the menu to an eclectic crowd—from laborers and unionists in casual clothes to smartly dressed bankers.

Several hearing- and speech-impaired workers under the restaurant’s equal opportunities program also engage diners with animated hand gestures.

Hanging on the walls are photographs in sepia of the Church’s past and present bishops and cardinals, as well as memorabilia celebrating Catholicism in the Philippines.

A pianist playing “Amazing Grace” provides soothing music that envelopes the restaurant in a religious ambiance occasionally broken by the clanking of utensils and the muffled voices of orders being barked in the kitchen.

A blessed place

The name of the restaurant is derived from the hats that symbolize the authority of bishops.

The glass–encased miters of three late Filipino prelates nominated for beatification are displayed in a corner, while a bookcase filled with religious tomes offers diners a history of the Catholic Church in the Philippines.

A life–size mannequin in a cardinal’s vestments stares from another corner, towering over an altar with statues of the Infant Jesus and the Virgin Mary.

“There is a certain charm to the idea that you are eating in a blessed place,” said Marissa Castro, 28, an Australia-based banker who was paying her third visit since coming back home for a holiday.

“It certainly is a unique restaurant,” Castro said.

Businesswoman Elvira Go, who collaborated with the Church to put up the restaurant, said the place was conceptualized when she and some bishop friends went on a pilgrimage to the Vatican several years ago.

They frequented a small cafe where the clergy went, and the idea of putting up a similar place in Manila stuck.

Go’s intention was to put up a small canteen in the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) building inside Intramuros, the old Spanish fortress in Manila.

But the plan soon got the endorsement of the CBCP’s 120 members, some of whom asked friends to donate their time and services to the project.

Interesting menu

With no previous experience running a restaurant, Go said the biggest challenge was the menu—the bishops stated that the food must be affordable to the common laborer without sacrificing quality.

“But one night when the bishops were having dinner, the Holy Spirit suddenly gave me inspiration,” Go said. “So I went around the table and asked everyone what their favorite dishes were, and I was struck at how simple and doable they were.”

The result is an interesting mix of dishes with diverse influences, from Italian pasta to a fusion of Asian, Western and Filipino food.

Among the favorites are salmon in tamarind stew, crispy pork legs deep fried to a golden brown and other Filipino fare with prices ranging from P100-P500.

A P35–budget meal set is also offered, which gives one two dishes plus rice and a drink.

But there are also pricey set meals which include a selection of soups, salads, steaks, pasta and seafoods from prawns to lobsters. Ice cream, breads, pizzas and pastries are also freshly made in a backroom bakery.

Cooking for God’s people

Overseeing all the food is Paras, formerly the personal cook of Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal, one of the country’s most senior spiritual leaders, who agreed to place her on loan to the restaurant.

The 37-year-old nun with an easy-going manner came from a small family in the impoverished island province of Marinduque, where she earned a degree in home economics from a local college.

Paras became a nun in 1991, and a decade later, she was asked to manage a religious retreat house, where her impressive cooking skills caught the attention of the cardinal.

“Cooking for God’s people has always been my calling,” she said.

The portly nun hones her craft by poring over cookbooks and experimenting on a fusion of local and international dishes.

“You just have to cook with passion, with your whole heart and prepare every dish as you would for your loved ones,” Paras said. AFP