EIGHT of us siblings are extremely privileged to have been born and raised in a deeply Filipino way. Although the world is rapidly changing, there are traditions that will always be a part of us.
A stone’s throw away from my daughter, Peachy’s Salcedo Village condo is XO 46 Heritage Bistro on the ground floor of Le Grand Condominium along Valero Street. My elder daughter, Patricia, who has then flown back to New York after a short visit, highly recommended the place after enjoying the food with fashion director/producer Jackie Aquino and her model friends.
Stepping into the bistro transports one into Spanish-Filipino inspired room of yesteryears. Peachy with daughter, Sophie, and I were seated by food attendants in Filipino-inspired outfit—baro at saya for the ladies and barong-inspired linen shirt for the men. More importantly, only Filipino and not a word of English is spoken at all. A very polite and friendly food attendant whose sentences were punctuated with ”Po” presented the “Talaan” or menu. Impressed by his demeanor, I asked for his name and he replied “Hogan, po,” adding quickly, “Pwede rin pong Bogart.” His name, which broke the all-Filipino ambience, elicited laughter from us.
Instead of the usual bread and butter, a small platter of assorted “Puto” was served with a rolled paper with a “Bugtong” or Filipino riddle written on it and another platter of “Minatamisang Mantekilya” and “Aligue (crab fat) Mantekilya.” The “Talaan” or menu consisted of classic Filipino/Spanish cuisine. A simple vegetable dish caught my attention—Gising Gising consisting of finely sliced kangkong stems cooked in coconut milk with ground pork, achuete that imparts an orange color and finger chilies. Its origin is not clear but the use of coconut milk makes it Bicolano. Nueva Ecija and Pampanga, however have their versions, too. As the name implies, it perks up one’s appetite. Sophie chose Daing na Bangus—a plump choice belly cut with half an inch of delicious fat. I have never seen bangus belly with such thick fat! Sophie preferred the fleshy portion so I relished the thick fat belly. Peachy’s choice was Pinaasim na Tilapiang Malutong—XO’s take on sweet and sour fish topped with basil leaves, buko strips, togue and ground peanuts. Bangus Salpicao completed our entrees for dinner. Choice bangus belly cuts were fried to a delicate crisp in olive oil and fried garlic
Our food attendant, Hogan, tried to answer all my queries about the food and finally introduced their young chef, 27-year-old Tanya Dizon with an HRM degree major in Culinary Arts from Saint Benilde. She gave us a little background on XO 46—XO for extraordinary and number 46 to commemorate the year of Philippine Independence. From Tanya, we learned that Andrew Masigan, an economist, political analyst, businessman, restaurateur, columnist of The Manila Bulletin and photographer, owns the heritage bistro. He is no stranger to my daughter, Peachy, who has created marketing collaterals for one of his past food businesses.
At the end of our satisfying dinner, Hogan asked us, again in Filipino, for our “baraha” (card) for discount, if any and to settle our bill. Quite an experience, I must say, especially for Peachy and Sophie who are not as fluent in Filipino as I am.