Pinoy Food & Other Cuisine :: Food PhotoBlog and Events |

by Butch

The taking in of nourishment is a central experience of all living beings. For humans, apart from the obvious biological need to survive, food meets many psychological, emotional and even spiritual needs. When distressed, we often turn to comfort food. Food has brings out many emotional responses from us, from delight to disgust. For Christians, spiritual communion includes rituals for symbolically partaking of the body and blood of Christ.

How then do we communicate the nuances of this universal, yet very personal, occurrence to others ? This was the objective of the recent First Blogger Food Writing Class organized by writer and new media practitioner Jayvee Fernandez.

Saturday morning found an interesting mix of foodies, bloggers and sundry denizens of cyberspace at the Serye Restaurant inside the Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC) in Diliman, Q.C. In college, two decades or so ago, this was a run-down and seedy park where we enjoyed cheap beer and pulutan from the numerous kiosks which dotted the area. I’m happy to note that things have changed for the better, with the park now looking cleaner and better maintained. Well-known restaurants have branches inside QMC, one of which is Serye, another noteworthy dining establishment put up by the renowned Reyes clan of Aristocrat Restaurant fame.

The workshop was given by writer, food critic and celebrity blogger Christine Nunag (hundredpoundfoodie.com). Ms. Nunag drew from her vast store of experience in the food and beverage industry and her undeniable passion for fine chow (plus the fact that she’s from Pampanga-the cradle of great cookery) to give us some intellectual nourishment. Towards noon we had the real thing, with a fine twist.

First, the food for thought. As Ms. Bunag sees it, bloggers have more freedom and a more focused sphere of influence than traditional communications media. As a rule, bloggers are not tied down to media organizations or beholden to institutional sponsors or advertisers. Bloggers form a broad and well-informed (and generally affluent) social network. Hence, the effectivity of viral marketing in the blogosphere.

With this freedom comes great responsibility: to be honest, truthful and critical, but also to be fair, discerning and, at times ,kind. The rules which food bloggers should observe can be summarized thus:

1.Be informed; do your homework.
2.Be honest.
3.Check facts.
4.Analyze, then give an opinion.
5.Be adventurous.

Come to think of it, these are not just applicable to food blogging, but are good rules to live by .

After about two hours of informed discourse and spirited discussion, we were asked to put on our blindfolds. We had been told beforehand to bring hankies or whatever could be used as a blindfold. Then we were served dishes which, without our eyesight, would have to be savored by the remaining senses. The conventional wisdom is that when one is deprived of one faculty, all the other senses became sharpened more acute, to compensate. We therefore expected a sensual experience, which it certainly was.

The first serving I identified immediately : the classic Pampango dish, Pork Sisig. Without the sizzle, as it would have been dangerous to serve sightless diners any dish on a hot plate. But years of chomping on sisig in all its variations, washed down with cold beer, gave me instant recognition. The Serye sisig was flavorful and crunchy, although I would have preferred it spicier, with chopped siling labuyo.

The second dish was just as familiar: Sinigang na fish , which I guessed was bangus. It was sour but not too sharp, its contrasting saltiness coming from what I supposed was a generous dollop of patis. I like my sinigang bitingly sour, the better to play it against the general saltiness of other accompanying dishes.

The third dish was grilled chicken with a sweet peanut-based sauce. The Boneless Chicken Barbeque is what made Aristocrat famous, and its only fitting that it now has pride of place in the Seryemenu.

The fourth dish was another classic: Miki-Bihon Guisado, redolent of sesame oil. The noodles were firm yet tender, and the ingredients, consisting of pork slivers and Kikiam, were savory.

Next came the a veggie and meat dish which I knew instantly was made with gata, which I love. My dad is Bicolano, and all throughout my growing years we had rich coconut cream-based dishes at home, spiked by siling labuyo to taste. It turns out that the Serye Express was a cross between the classic Ilocano Pinakbet, a vegetable dish and meat (or fish) dish flavored with bagoong, and Bicol Express. The gata contrasted perfectly with the salty veggies, like amplaya and talong, which usually go into pinakbet. The Serye Express is an outstanding dish, the perfect fusion of two regional staples .

The fifth entree was Kare-Kare, easily identifiable by its bland, peanut- based sauce. Ox-tail Kare-Kare is a traditional favorite which I like served with plenty of veggies, specially puso ng saging, cooked separately so they don’t turn soggy and added just before serving.

We then had Serye iced tea, with a hint of lemon (or was it dalandan?) to refresh our palates.

Then came desert, which had us happily stumped. The dish itself was familiar, which was small turons (turrones ?) fried in brown sugar, but we couldn’t put our finger on the fillings. I was definite about the banana and langka , but I wasn’t sure if I also tasted pineapple and chocolate. I was also sure I tasted cheese, lots of it, but what was it exactly ? It was delightful nonetheless, more so while blindfolded. I thought ”Hmmm, so this is what sensual means…”. It turns out that the Serye Filipino Fondue is a combination of bite-size turrones and small ensaymadas, which was supposed to be dipped in melted chocolate .This was sinful and, like all guilty pleasures, tasted wonderful.

We then removed our blindfolds and were formally introduced to the dishes by the owners and managers of the restaurant, the siblings Minia and Alvin Reyes-Lim. A sumptuous lunch followed in which we got stuffed, sans blindfold, with other Serye specialities like Ho To Tay soup and Boneless Crispy Pata. It was truly a most satisfying meal for the mind, body and soul.
One word about our generous hosts. It is gratifying to see the fourth generation of the Reyes clan leading the charge into the new millennium. In my younger days, we used to drive to Cubao or all the way to Roxas Boulevard after a night carousing to partake of an early morning meal in Aristocrat to take the edge of the hangover that was sure to follow . But that’s another story.

Serye is a play on the family name but also denotes continuity, like a long-running tele-serye . Thus, Serye is “a passing of the torch from generation to generation, from the first generation of restaurateurs to the restaurant-and-café concept of the fourth generation”. This is one serye which deserves not to end.

View more photos of the Food Writing Class

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Foodie and aspiring foodie bloggers present were

1. Betty Tianco
2. Denise Mallabo
3. Juned of Dalanghita.com
4. Noemi Dado of pinoyfood.nimrodel.net/
5. Lori Baltazar
6. Dine Racoma
7. Kitchen Cow
8. Chris Haravata
9. Apples H
10. Gold Quetulio
11. Lennie Reyes
12. Wyatt Belmonte
13. Iron Chef Jabes
14. Jennifer Baradas
15. Arpee

Participant’s Entries
The Kitchen Cow’s discernings
One delicious TeleSERYE
Snaps from Serye
Arpee Lazaro’s food adventure at Serye

Serye Restaurant Contact Numbers:
Quezon Circle branch 924-34-11 / 426-26-93 / 927-46-68
Sucat Parañaque branch 825-46-91 / 826-93-17
Festival Supermall branch 850-37-59 / 850-37-34
Catering Office 927-46-69 / 926-10-48 / 426-71-82

Serye is an anagram for Reyes, the family behind some of the best loved brands in Philippine cuisine. The family matriach Engracia Reyes, fondly remembered as Aling Asiang, founded the first Aristocrat Restaurant along Roxas Boulevard in 1936. Her daughter, Teresita Reyes, also known as Mama Sita, lends her nickname to the popular brand of instant food mixes and sauces. Sérye is the creation of fourth generation of Reyeses, led by Alvin Reyes Lim.