The young chefs at forefront of a Philippine food revolution, and why you’ll be hearing a lot more about country’s cuisine
Josh Boutwood, Miko Aspiras, Jordy Navarra and Bruce Ricketts are four among the many innovative chefs who, working with organic farmers, are building on country’s varied regional cuisine with new techniques and flavours
Laing (pronounced la-ing) has to be one of Asia’s most underrated dishes. The creamy vegetable dish with a hint of funk hails from Bicol in the southern Philippines, and melds pork with chilli, coconut milk, shrimp paste (known as bagoong) and dried taro leaves to brilliant effect.
It’s everything you want in a bowl: a wave of umami, textural contrast, a creamy decadence and lift of chilli. It’s a surprise then that it isn’t better known to regional and global gourmands – but the same could be said of the country’s cuisine as a whole.
That’s something which seems to be rapidly changing, however, thanks in no small part to a new wave of talented, ambitious and proud young Filipinos championing produce, techniques and dishes from across the country’s more than 7,000 islands. It may have been a long time coming, but it seems that the time to shine is now.
You only have to look at how it has become one of the hottest “new” cuisines in the bohemian centres of London, New York and elsewhere. The BBC named Philippine cuisine as one of its top food trends to look out for in 2017, while American food magazine Bon Appétit chose Bad Saint in Washington as its second best restaurant in the country. On the menu? Adobong dilaw, lambanog, ukoy and other plates that would probably be unfamiliar to most of its readers. No wonder the magazine said of the no-reservations restaurant: “Ever crave Filipino food? You will now.”
Global success and renown is one thing, but the real work started thousands of kilometres away and hundreds of years ago back in the Philippines. Its melting pot of cultures and influences, both regional and global, made for a unique mix of flavours and ingredients. Today, scores of culinary young guns are leading the charge domestically, making it one of the most interesting and innovative dining destinations anywhere in Asia.
