November 2016 Volume 11 | Issue 03
NIGHT WATCH
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CONT ENTS 16 COVER STORY Frank Callaghan captures light after dark
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FEATURE Cocktails going local
Cover photo by Czar Kristoff 32 EATS Craft beer and dishes from the regions
NOVEMBER 2016 04 HEALTH Reading the message behind nightmares
34 RECIPE Creamy frozen cocktail
06 SOUTHERNER From farm to glass
36 THE GET Sharpening your kitchen skills
24 FEATURE The lives of chefs after service
EDITOR’S NOTE Twilight zone It was a quiet Thursday night. We were driving to the lesser-known streets of Makati (even Waze was also unfamiliar) trying to find the exact spot where night photographer Frank Callaghan took his last photograph over three years ago. The van slowed down and finally stopped behind tenement buildings by the PNR train tracks. “Maybe only two should go down to avoid much attention,” I suggested, as if Czar Kristoff’s strong flash wouldn’t be conspicuous. Beyond the wire fences and into the tenement’s property they went. Graphic artist (also videographer) Danica Condez broke the silence
and asked Callaghan, “Do you get afraid at night?” He said no and asked, “Do you?” “Yes.” “Are you afraid now?” “Yes.” Being afraid of the dark is one thing, but being afraid of the uncertainty that the night brings is another. Today, we dread the night because of the traffic. Once the clock strikes six, you’re faced with a perplexing decision: whether to stay put or brave the slow crawl home. But what really happens after the rush dies down and the streets come to a hushed hum? Who are the characters who come alive at night? Where do they go? What do they do? Read more in our After Hours issue.
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Southern Living is published by Hinge Inquirer Publications. 4F Media Resource Plaza, Mola corner Pasong Tirad Streets, Barangay La Paz, Makati City. Visit www.facebook.com/ southernlivingmagazine now. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter at @slivingph. We’d love to hear from you. Email us at sliving@hip.ph. For advertising, email sales@hip.ph. This magazine was printed responsibly using recycled paper with biodegradable ink.
C ALENDAR
LAST STRETCH
SOUTHERN living
Events to look forward to this holiday season Nov. 12, 2016 | 3-8 p.m. Southern Discoveries Good food, live entertainment, and activities for all ages
East Bay Clubhouse, KM21 East Service Rd., Sucat, Muntinlupa City
Nov. 19 2016 | 5-9 p.m. Zacarias 1925
Rita Nazareno launches a new collection of local bags Aphro Living, The Alley at Karrivin, 2316 Chino Roces Ext., Makati City
Nov. 17 2016 | 3 p.m. Lingering Nous An artist talk by Korean arist Haegue Yang
SDA Cinema, De La SalleCollege of St. Benilde, 950 P. Ocampo St., Manila
Nov. 19, 2016 | 4 p.m.
Backyard Grill At The Park Food and fair
Park 3 Football Field, Bel-Air Village, Makati City
Nov. 26, 2016 | 12 noon Hay Day Hay Design’s furniture launch
3/F Uptown Mall, 36th Street cor. 9th Ave., Bonifacio Global City
Nov. 7 to Dec. 3, 2016 “In The Fullness of Time”
An exhibit by Julie Lluch Finale Art File, La Fuerza Plaza, Makati City
GROUP PUBLISHER BEA J. LEDESMA MANAGING EDITOR DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA ASSOCIATE EDITOR PRISTINE L. DE LEON EDITORIAL ASSISTANT OLIVER EMOCLING CREATIVE DIRECTOR NIMU MUALLAM GRAPHIC ARTIST DANICA CONDEZ STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER PATRICK SEGOVIA INTERN IANNE VILLANUEVA CONTRIBUTORS WRITERS CHARLIE CARBUNGCO, JOSEPH PASCUAL PHOTOGRAPHERS CRU CAMARA, RICHARD GUEVARRA, CZAR KRISTOFF, SAM LIM, JILSON SECKLER TIU STYLISTS CHARLIE CARBUNGCO COPY EDITOR PATRICIA ROMUALDEZ PROOFREADER PAM BROOKE CASIN EDITORIAL CONSULTANT RIA FRANCISCO-PRIETO BOARD CHAIRPERSON ALEXANDRA PRIETO-ROMUALDEZ FINANCE ADVISOR AND TREASURER J. FERDINAND DE LUZURIAGA LEGAL ADVISOR ATTY. RUDYARD ARBOLADO HR STRATEGY HEAD RAYMUND SOBERANO VP AND CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER IMELDA ALCANTARA SVP AND GROUP SALES HEAD FELIPE R. OLARTE AVP FOR SALES MA. KATRINA MAE GARCIA-DALUSONG SALES SUPERVISOR JOY SANTOS-PILAR KEY ACCOUNTS SPECIALIST ANGELITA TAN-IBAÑEZ SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ABBY GINAGA, THEA ORDIALES, ERNEST EMMANUEL SY ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES ANDIE ZUÑIGA, CHARM BANZUELO, LIZA JISON, HIROMI JURADO SALES SUPPORT ASSISTANTS RECHELLE ENDOZO, MANILYN ILUMIN MANAGING EDITOR ANGELA VELASCO ASSOCIATE MANAGING EDITOR PAM BROOKE CASIN SENIOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT PAULINE MIRANDA EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS KHEENA ALELOJO, CHRISTELLE TOLISORA, KRYZETTE PAPAGAYO SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES SHANNA MALING, SARAH CABALATUNGAN, MICHELLE REGINA MAPA ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE INA MATEO GRAPHIC ARTISTS CHEE FLORES, KATRICE MONTES, YAYIE MOTOS, NICO ORTIGOZA, JAYCELINE SORIANO PRODUCTION MANAGER JAN CARIQUITAN PRODUCTION ASSISTANT MARICEL GAVINO FINAL ART SUPERVISOR DENNIS CRUZ FA ARTIST KRISTINE MAY PAZ MARKETING AND EVENTS MANAGER JELLIC TAPIA EVENTS SUPERVISOR BIANCA DALUMPINES EVENTS ASSISTANTS KIM MARIANO, MERJORIE YOUNG GRAPHIC ARTISTS JANINE DELA CUESTA, ROI DE CASTRO
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FIND SOUTHERN LIVING AT STARBUCKS COFFEE, THE MANILA PENINSULA, ALABANG COUNTRY CLUB, HEIMA, DUSIT THANI HOTEL, AYALA MUSEUM, AND FULLY BOOKED.
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HEALT H
IN A FRIGHT
Sleep problems may have a thing or two to say about our waking life TEXT PRISTINE L. DE LEON ILLUSTRATION DANICA CONDEZ
Nighttime terrors are usually the stuff of childhood— as are improbable horror stories told around the campfire and babies suddenly waking in a fright. Sleep problems can extend to adult life, however, triggered by factors possibly just as chilling—think loss or trauma, increased stress levels, or prescribed drugs. While some medications that trigger nightmares are also notorious for altering mental states (malaria medicines increasing anxiety or antidepressants inducing lucid dreaming), sleep problems may also indicate a need to examine habits in our waking life. Hallucinations and sleep paralysis Often linked with narcolepsy, sleep paralysis involves waking up entirely immobile, or for chronic sufferers thrown into the limbo between sleeping and waking, it conjures ominous visual and auditory hallucinations. While ancient lore would relate it to the nightly visits of the incubus, Sydney-based sleep physician Dr. Dev Banerjee states, “The main [solution is simply] to avoid sleep deprivation, or an erratic sleep schedule.” The problem occurs when the normal muscular paralysis of the REM state extends beyond sleep. Plaguing those with irregular sleeping patterns, sleep paralysis is symptomatic of younger adults’ erratic lifestyles: workaholics up until 4 a.m., yuppies shifting careers and taking on night shifts, and high-rolling travelers consistently undergoing jet lag.
because of a bad night’s sleep. Sunday night insomnia was coined as a sleep problem caused by a lifestyle plagued with work-related stress and anxiety, worrying over work not done over the weekend. As another study suggests, 10 percent of Sunday night insomnia cases also arise from worrying about the next day’s commute. Like psychophysiological insomnia, it may also occur when, ironically, fretting over not being able to sleep is in itself preventing you from sleeping. Physicians recommend following a fitness routine or engaging in aerobic exercise to make the body feel re-energized and to allow the mind to make way for pleasant dreams.
Lucid nightmares Studies have long hinted at coffee being the main culprit, being a psychoactive drug conjuring dreams à la David Lynch. Studies show, however, that staying up late consuming carbo-loaded snacks also plays a part in how we remember nightmares. Night lurkers eating away their after-hour revelries can experience gastrointestinal problems, causing them to wake up in the middle of the night, and remember lucid dreams right after they occur. According to Medical Daily, consuming meals or snacks that are high in carbohydrates can increase brain activity and body metabolism, leading the body to sweat as heat is generated, which in turn causes the sleep to become fragmented. Sunday night insomnia While science can explain away the correlation According to a study commissioned by Travelodge, 60 between bad lifestyle habits and unpleasant dreams, percent of the people surveyed have their worst night’s we can also consider nightmares as cautionary tales sleep on Sunday, and 3,500 call in sick on Monday from one imagined sandman.
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FEAT URE
Kalel Demetrio uses an alternative source of lambanog, the sasa or nipa palm’s fruit, for manufacturing his own brand of local alcohol.
SOUT HERNER
JOURNEY TO LIQUID GOLD
Kalel Demetrio finds inspiration in local produce and ancient distillation techniques TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA PHOTOGRAPHY RICHARD GUEVARRA
Along the streets, outside a sari-sari store, or even by a curb, Filipinos, generally, are not so picky about where or what they drink. Drinking has always been a communal activity that serves as the main thrust to get together with friends and strangers. No colorful and elaborate ceremonies needed, just a guitar and some pulutan. But a clamor for local spirits and ingredients in liquid concoctions has sparked a renaissance in Manila’s night scene and drinking culture. The rise in consciousness about what goes in our food has similarly brought about a demand for good drinks. “Not long ago, everyone raised their eyebrows when I presented my plans to local entrepreneurs,” says Kalel Demetrio, popularly known as Liquido Maestro. At Morals and Malice, a bar in Cebu, where he is a consultant, he talks ceaselessly and passionately about how he uses different local ingredients in every drink. His curiosity started when he finally got his break as part of Green Pastures’ kitchen staff in Manila a little over 10 years ago. Traveling became part of his
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SOUT HERNER job to search for more local produce and to meet new suppliers, which spurred him to further support local farmers and create demand for the products they offer. This, then, led him to experiment further and transform local produce into liquid form. “It’s my style to use the whole kitchen in liquefying ingredients. I roast, grill, infuse, bake, ferment, sous vide, and more to bring out maximum flavor from every ingredient and make it a catalyst to create a good beverage. I challenge myself to liquefy virtually everything and anything edible,” he answers as to why he prefers to be called a “liquid chef.” He lights up as he begins sharing his adventures from his recent visit to Cebu’s famous Tabo-an market, where he found a local chili with a very distinct level of hotness and spicy flavor that he is now using for a new drink at the said bar in the Queen City. “Every place has its own unique produce
and every foreign produce has a counterpart in our land. You just have to source untiringly and trust your palate,” says Demetrio. Moreover, through his foraging and continuous experimentation to find use for his discoveries, he also came across generations-old fermentation and distillation techniques, which brought him to relearn the art of distilling our local coconut wine, lambanog. The prevalence of flavored lambanog in convenience stores and some groceries in the metro is actually some local suppliers’ attempt and strategy to penetrate the mainstream market and appeal to the youth. Demetrio strongly opposes this kind of disregard for the art of creating and drinking the clear liquid gold, so he manufactured his own lambanog brand Barik using traditional methods. “That time, I felt that, as a liquid artist, I had the duty to resurrect those traditions to its glory days.”
“Every place has its own unique produce and every foreign produce has a counterpart in our land. You just have to source untiringly and trust your palate.”
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FEAT URE
SPEAK EASY
Rare fruits and wildcrafted produce invade Manila’s bar scene TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA PHOTOGRAPHY CRU CAMARA
Katmon A fruit endemic to the Philippines yet little known by locals, katmon is also commonly referred to as elephant apple. With flavors similar to that of a sour apple, this fruit is not sold in the market but only wildcrafted. It’s also used for jams and medicinal purposes like curing cough. Ian Serdick Libang of Bitters Bar returns to his roots in Laguna and finds the fruit a good complement to a 12-yearold single malt Scotch.
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Coconut Vodka This clear spirit with a smooth taste and sweet endnotes is the base of one of 20:20’s cocktails, Gayuma. Lambanog is a drink often compared to moonshine because of its potency. Often 80 to 90 proof after first distillation, it can reach as high as 166 proof after the second. Kalel Demetrio manufactures Barik Lambanog, a product of his continuous research on local distillation techniques.
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FEAT URE
Pomelo Commonly known as suha, the pomelo fruit is Southeast Asia’s version of the West’s grapefruit. The sweet citrus is one of the major exports of the “Fruit Basket of the Philippines,” Davao, which claims to cultivate the sweetest and juiciest variety. The use of pomelo offers a deceiving saccharine counterpoint to 20:20’s gin-based cocktail.
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FEAT URE
Snake Fruit These small, round fruits with a snakeskin-like outer layer are the fruit of rattan. Glenn Talavera of Bitters Bar scoured the local market to find this uniquelooking fruit with a sweet yet sour tang. He turns it into a liqueur and mixes it with Botanist gin and pickled green mango soda.
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SPECIAL FEAT URE
IT MEANS HOME
A structure built in the service of guests, residents, and its growing environment Bonifacio Global City is a far cry from what we formerly know as Fort Bonifacio. From sprawling greeneries, it has been transformed into one of Metro Manila’s fastest emerging cities in less than a decade. Towering buildings are being constructed left and right, instantly changing the landscape of a fastgrowing community. Ascott BGC lies in the heart of this bustling city, easily recognizable with its all-glass facade. With the building done in low-E glass, this effectively lessens the structure’s internal temperature and reduces power consumption. The first international serviced residence in the city promises low carbon footprint with its sustainable design. The property likewise received the Green Mark Certificate from Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority, for its environment-friendly practices. Its strategic location lets more and more BGC residents to lessen their carbon footprint. Ease of access to prime destinations like office and commercial spaces is their top priority. No need to bring out the car, ride a bike or even walk to your next errand. But, it also means home. All of its residences are equipped with amenities to make it feel just like it, but it takes it a step further by providing the guests with a pool offering a view of the neighboring skyscrapers, and a sauna ready to take them in after a tiring day.
Ascott Bonifacio Global City Manila is located at 5th Ave. cor. 28th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City. For inquiries and bookings, send an email to enquiry.manila@the-ascott.com or contact 550-3200.
COV ER STORY
NIGHT VISIONS After a three-year break, photographer Frank Callaghan picks up his camera and retraces his footsteps under the moonlight TEXT JOSEPH PASCUAL PHOTOGRAPHY CZAR KRISTOFF
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COV ER STORY
Frank Callaghan, an economics graduate from the Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, started taking photographs at the age of 16.
“I take pictures in a very specific way which is to go out in the middle of the night by myself and shoot just black walls over and over and over again until it starts to make sense.” Frank Callaghan sets the timer on his camera and walks away. We huddle under a hulking blank wall of a tenement on the PNR railroad and the sliver of overgrowth it slices between Osmeña Highway and the dimming crowdedness of San Andres, and it’s dark, very dark, as it always is. “Night shooting is what I do because the light’s not changing at all. It’s dark and quiet and nothing changes,” he mutters, in a voice just above a whisper. “Time kind of stops, and you can really take your time with things.” And so we take our time, watching the orange haze above us stay the same. The camera clicks, and he wanders back. Best known for his spacious urban nighttime images, tonight Frank is doing what comes best to him, which is keeping quiet, waiting, and, possibly, seeing what many do not. “I think of form, of shape, color, light, time,” he explains. “The way they’re all interacting, the way they factor into a photograph. “It’s also the process, how it develops, what you’re being drawn to, what you’re shooting, what you’re thinking, and how all those things become part of the picture.” At this point, the question of what it all means
inevitably comes up, and Frank, with his camera, his tripod, and his possibly superhuman night vision, answers. “I’m interested in how photography has the ability to express things which you can’t put into words and [how] it can kind of transcend boundaries. There are more nuanced and subtle things which you can’t really talk about and express in a different way, there are ways to access that through this process, and through the use of a photograph, and the photographic process. “It’s precise and completely imprecise at the same time. If you ask me what a particular picture is about, I have no idea.” The idea forms after, when he gets home, and the blank walls make sense. Frank sees a world very similar to ours quieted by night, eroded by time, littered by the evidence of other people. Deserted cityscapes dominate his work, as if these photos were an exercise in what it could feel like to be the last person left alive (at night) (with the electrical grid still functional) (this is important). In one of his earliest shows, “Stranger,” he approaches unfinished office towers, and cracks of blue fluorescent light glowing from doorways and windows. Silvery roofs of corrugated galvanized iron roofs (and the tenements we currently huddle under) cluster in his photographs in “Dwelling” and “Quadriptych.” His last series, “Deadends,” resulted from his frustration with getting lost in London.
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COV ER STORY
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COV ER STORY
“It felt like time to begin. I don’t know why. I never start out knowing why. Meaning emerges afterwards.”
But the frustration is always worth it. “It comes together in that—” he snaps his fingers, eyes sharpening. “That moment where a photograph actually works after trying for so long where it doesn’t work at all. This one moment where you’re like, ‘That’s it, that’s it, that’s it, I can feel it.’ Things start tingling and everything’s like, ‘That’s it.’ “There’s meaning that emerges in a picture. When you look at all the pictures, another meaning emerges when you put them side by side.” At this point, he pauses, searching for words. “You can’t exactly express why, but it just doesn’t feel right.” He pauses again. “You keep on going, and you’re on a trail, and you add another one and another one, and at a certain point the series is complete, and you know it’s done.” An element of quiet pursuit is present in Frank’s images, as if he were a modern-day, solitary, sleepless Hansel, leaving modern-day breadcrumbs in his modern-day woods. Spaced apart only by the hundreds of nights he’s stayed awake, and the thousands of steps he’s taken, Frank’s work comes together possibly as a wordless journal, a love letter to blank walls, to moonlit horizons, to alleyways that end, to always being slightly lost. Perhaps this is the reason that he hasn’t taken a photo in a while. “Three years,” he laughs, “because my life has actually made a lot of sense.” These days (or nights) Frank Callaghan wakes up before noon, and sleeps the next day at 3 a.m. He is married now, does “several other things,” and possibly takes fewer walks. But three years after the last photo he took, Frank Callaghan is here again. “It felt like time to begin. I don’t know why. I never start out knowing why. Meaning emerges afterwards.” It’s dark, very dark, as it always is, but Frank gathers his things and shakes his head. “You’re never in complete darkness,” he says, and above us, the sky glows orange, the windows glow blue, and it’s never been brighter.
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SPECIAL FEAT URE
A SENSIBILITY FOR SPACE Open air and sweeping nature views find a rare convergence with exclusivity and accessibility in The Enclave Alabang TEXT PAULINE MIRANDA PHOTOGRAPHY ARTU NEPOMUCENO
Artist’s Perspective
City living has become an ideal nowadays. It comes with the image of progress: being surrounded by modern architecture, thriving businesses, established institutions, and easy access to the finer things. Great emphasis is placed on accessibility and the connectivity one has with the various places that set the backdrop of the goings-on of everyday life. The bright lights of the city life, however, seem to drown out other important things. Proximity to booming establishments come at the cost of clean air and privacy, and the desire for greater digital connectedness causes many to lose sight of the importance of space and peace. Building a home now often means having to choose between accessibility and space. It is a difficult choice, especially because it affects one for the long-term. But it is not entirely impossible to find a place where accessibility and exclusivity converge. Set at one of South Metro Manila’s most prestigious locations, The Enclave Alabang offers an address that is
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exclusive, while still retaining its accessibility to the city. “This is a unique opportunity,” Catherine Ilagan, Filinvest Alabang Inc. EVP says of the project. “As a developer, you can’t develop a subdivision that’s very near the urban centers, [but here] we feel that we’re still very much part of the urban community.” Located just minutes away from Filinvest City and easily accessible from major roads like SLEX, Skyway, Daang Hari, and MCX, The Enclave Alabang provides that private respite characteristic of a subdivision, while keeping the city within close reach. Despite being surrounded by developments with foreign influences, especially in this deeply connected metro, The Enclave Alabang strives to understand and reflect the Filipino sensibility. A result of the collaborative efforts of renowned design firms AECOM, H1 Architecture, and Budji+Royal Architecture+Design, the property and especially its homes feature a tropical modern design, apt for the climate and environment in the country. Each of the limited-edition designer homes feature clean
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SPECIAL FEAT URE
The Enclave Alabang’s design features sleek lines and glass, highlighting open space.
TROPICAL MODERN DESIGN
Masterplanned by H1 Architecture lines, wide spaces, and large windows: a contemporary re-imagining of the traditional Filipino hut of our roots, where air and light freely flow, and nature is within reach. These homes, though modern, still elicit a feeling of calm as they maximize their surroundings. Each home’s large windows also allow for light and nature views to enter in abundance, which in turn not only lift moods, but also help in supporting a more sustainable lifestyle. In the midst of the metro’s scarcity of open spaces, the property offers its own repose. At the heart of the 10.5 hectare development is the Central Park, an all-natural open space where residents can come together. The park and man-made lagoon serve as a scenic backdrop for the community’s gatherings, both formal and informal. A 1500 sqm clubhouse also houses various amenities for every resident, with its kiddie and lap pools, gym, function rooms, and gaming room. With a little less than half of the entire development dedicated to open spaces and landscaped areas, The Enclave Alabang, with its 169 lot offerings, takes pride in being
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an exclusive, close-knit village that doesn’t scrimp on any of its features. “It is very, very exclusive. . . but what makes this property unique is that even though the density is very controlled, it has generous amenities everybody can enjoy,” Ilagan says. “You won’t have to worry about how many people are using the facilities. [Here, because of the low density of residents, you can fully enjoy the lifestyle.]” The Enclave Alabang is Filinvest Group’s newest development. Located along the Daang Hari Road at the heart of the progressive new segment of the Metro South, The Enclave Alabang offers masterfully designed homes and spaces that value exclusivity and space—now considered luxuries in modern city living.
Landscaped areas and open spaces comprise 40% of the property, designed by AECOM
Clubhouse and Model House interior design by Budji Layug and Royal Pineda For more information, visit www.enclavealabang.com or contact 09778080832.
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FEAT URE
Where chefs go after service TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA PHOTOGRAPHY JILSON SECKLER TIU
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FEAT URE
A Family Affair It’s 11 p.m., and the doors of Toyo Eatery are already closed. No more pans sizzling from the kitchen, no more orders being called out, and no more boisterous laughter and chatter from guests. But the restaurant stays alive as the kitchen staff clean their stations, the service folk laugh while sweeping floors, and those who are done play volleyball and football outside the restaurant. The Toyo family has a deeper history that resulted in a strong bond. Almost 90 percent of chef Jordy Navarra’s current staff is from his former restaurant in BGC, Black Sheep. So, when any one invites for an after-service unwinding, almost everyone goes. “We often hang out at Big Mama in Poblacion because of their cheap draft beer,” says Navarra. It’s apparent that they are very comfortable with each other. The conversation flows smoothly, one inside joke after another. Recently, some of his staff are also planning other alternative activities. One involves commissioning a yoga teacher for a session after service.
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FEAT URE Young and Bold Two creatives, Gab Bustos and Thea de Rivera, own 12/10, an izakaya-inspired restaurant along Guijo street. Currently juggling work for the re-opening of their first restaurant Girl and the Bull before and sometimes during 12/10’s service, they still make it a point to return during closing time. Clad in black shirts with their iconic geometric logo printed on the back, they glide through the space cleaning every nook and cranny with energy to spare for an afterwork session. “Ironically, we usually hang out after a busy night,” says de Rivera. “I think after the adrenaline rush of serving the many guests, it’s our way of slowing down,” adds Bustos. Their go-to drinking places are Blind Pig, Exit Bar, or sometimes even at Bustos and de Rivera’s place. During lazier nights, they prefer drinking right outside 12/10. Yes, not inside, because they don’t want the hassle of fixing their mess after. Open until 2 a.m., Nihonbashi Tei along Arnaiz Avenue is their safest choice for good food after a long night. Some of the team’s favorites: spicy toro, salmon head, katsu curry, and of course, sake.
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FEAT URE
Soft pastels to rival the dreary days of rain PHOTOGRAPHY JOSEPH PASCUAL STYLING EDLENE CABRAL
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Under the Fire Recently awarded the 39th spot in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants and Best Restaurant in the Philippines, Gallery Vask’s chef Chele Gonzalez and his team continue to explore Philippine culture through “anthropological cuisine.” Attention to detail is the highest priority. The kitchen is a complete mayhem after service. Everyone gets their own brush and sponge and starts scraping all equipment and tabletops until everything is spotlessly clean. No one goes home without doing this nightly routine. “If we’ll be going out after, everyone scrubs like machines to finish faster,” says sous chef Carlos Villaflor. Going out means looking for a place to drink (not eat) till the wee hours even if work starts at 11 a.m. the next day. The kitchen is dominated by guys who love to drink beer. The first round lasts for only 10 to 15 minutes with the usual banter and inside jokes. Their usual afterwork refuge is a bar around Poblacion like Tambai or Kite Kebab Bar or Whistlestop in the Fort Strip.
EATS Apart from their Handcrafted selection ofcream craft strawberry beer, Alamat Pub and raspberry & Deli also offers sodas; Sourdough Filipino-inspired bread with cocktails like homemade Gulaman Sago and peach jam and Sampalok. marmalade.
BACK ON TAP
Telling stories with a craft beer in one hand and pulutan in the other TEXT DENISE DANIELLE ALCANTARA PHOTOGRAPHY PATRICK SEGOVIA
Then, there were only two beer manufacturers in the market: San Miguel and Asia Brewery. With strong household names such as San Miguel Pale Pilsen or the newer Brew Kettle, who would dare compete? Now, brands such as Fat Pauly’s, Katipunan Craft, and Pedro are appearing on beer lists of bars across the capital. What are they and why are they so expensive? “Think gelato versus Selecta ice cream,” says Cassie Laus, part owner of Alamat Filipino Pub & Deli. Regular beer drinkers might find the price of craft beer a tad outrageous, from an average of 40 to 50 pesos a bottle against the per glass price that ranges from 150 to almost 300 pesos. It’s a far cry from your commercial beer bottle, but similar to gelato, craft beer undergoes a more meticulous process and hands-on quality control, ensuring a perfect pint every time. Admittedly a former San Mig Light drinker, Laus emphasizes the difference between beer served in bottles and on tap, “Once it’s tap or keg, that’s how the brewer intended the taste to be. Bottling means adding preservatives. Then, there are also other factors like oxygen and sunlight affecting bottled beers.” Alamat has a selection of 15 taps from different regions in the Philippines, the 15th reserved for home brewers. Home brewer beers will serve as specials for the week depending on how long supplies last.
Drinking beer will never be complete without the classic savory pulutan. Alamat’s food menu has three parts: Pulutan (Filipino tapas), Skewers, and Deli Selection. The best part is that everything on the menu celebrates dishes from the different islands of the Philippines. Of course, their menu includes the classic sisig, but their pulutan lineup also includes unique dishes like Papaitan sa Cacao, a dish hailing from the Ilocos region combined with cacao from Davao, and Piyanggang Chicken Wings, Alamat’s take on a Tausug food. Alamat’s version of a charcuterie platter involves not Spanish ham and cold cuts but longganisa, a delicacy with numerous permutations across regions. Think garlicky, small balls of sausage from Alaminos or the bigger but sweeter version from Calumpit. Chef Nino Laus, husband of Cassie and part owner, also gets more creative with his inventive take on usual Filipino fare like adobo and chicken inasal in sausage form. At Alamat, every element has a story to tell, from the craft brew to the food that they serve, and even to the music that they play. “We wanted to do an all-out Filipino restaurant. We wanted to educate the foreigners around this area. More importantly, we wanted to promote Filipino to Filipinos,” says Cassie.
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EATS Clockwise from leftmost: Sausages from Alaminos, Pangasinan and Calumpit, Bulacan; Alamat also offers a vinegar station to pair with any pulutan; Bacon Bagnet drizzled with honey and served with nilasing na mangga with bagoong, tomatoes, and onions.
Alamat Filipino Pub & Deli. 2F, 5666 Don Pedro Street, Poblacion, Makati City. 0926-0443906.
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RECIPE
COCO FREEZE
A favorite tropical cocktail in ice cream form TEXT AND STYLING CHARLIE CARBUNGCO PHOTOGRAPHY SAM LIM
COCONUT RUM ICE CREAM INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cup coconut cream 1/2 cup coconut milk 2 tbsp. glucose 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup rum
PREPARATION
1. In a medium pot, combine all ingredients except for the rum. 2. Under medium fire, heat the coconut cream mixture and whisk until temperature reaches 65 degrees Celsius. 3. Cool down with an ice bath. Once the mixture is cold, add the rum.
4. Place the coconut mixture in the freezer for around 12 to 14 hours. 5. When it’s already frozen, put in the chiller for around 5 to 6 hours. 6. Churn the ice cream using a mixer with paddle attachment until it softens. 7.Place it back in the freezer for around 3 to 4 hours. Result should be a smooth ice cream.
SHOT ON LOCATION ASCOTT BGC
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T HE GET
FINE CUT
A local handmade knife elevates your kitchen game TEXT OLIVER EMOCLING PHOTOGRAPHY PATRICK SEGOVIA
With the kitchen in mind, chef Chino Mempin of Restaurant Damaso continues the tradition of forging a collection of highcarbon steel knives made in Cagayan de Oro called Manghud, which when translated means “younger sibling.” For Mempin, the knife is the chef’s manghud. “[The knife] is an extension of your hand, so it’s like your assistant that’s always next to you.” Similar to Japanese knives, the Manghud knives must be cleaned and oiled thoroughly. But, this delicacy translates to the precision with which the Japanese wield their knives. With a firm grip on the Manghud’s mahogany handle, allow the sharp steel to cut through crisp carrots in staccato and through the fresh flesh of salmon in legato. Imagine when the act is captured in slow motion-it’s almost proper to play Mozart. After all, knife handling is not just a skill. It’s science and art combined. Available at Restaurant Damaso. 0917-6700225. www.facebook.com/restaurantdamaso.
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