Alejandro's year twenty

One fine day in 1991, the Yap couple, Alejandro and Lourdes, opened a steak and seafood restaurant called Alejandro’s (Don Jose Avila St., Capitol Site, phone 253-7921) and that place became a sort of meeting place for friends and family. Though beef, and its most popular version, “steak”, is well-liked by a certain segment of the populace, Cebuanos and Filipinos in general still prefer pork. This is the reason why lechon is the centerpiece of many Filipino celebrations.

But lechon can be expensive and many chefs have set their targets on byproducts of pork in search of an appetizing dish affordable to the general public. In Pampanga, Lucia Cunanan has been credited for inventing sisig made with parts of the pig’s head and liver, and served “sizzling” style. Pig’s heads then were sold very cheap because the commissaries in Clark Air Base had no use for them.

Another cheap pork byproduct are pork legs and Filipinos have transformed it into a very popular and reasonably priced dish, the Crispy Pata. It involves a two-step cooking process: first, simmer it in a blend of spices and other ingredients and then deep fry it.

Any Filipino cookbook will have their recipe for this dish but the Yap couple, Al and Malou, have gone beyond the ordinary and this is the reason Alejandro’s has become, excuse me, the home of the best Crispy Pata in town. This dish became the main attraction of this restaurant, the rest of the Filipino dishes followed. Alejandro’s became a Filipino restaurant and after 20 years, it is time to celebrate its success.

Your favorite food columnist joined his media colleagues in a sumptuous lunch celebration with Al, Malou and son, Alexis, who has now taken an active part in managing the restaurant. We had Fried Onion Rings, Crispy Kangkong and Baked Scallops for appetizers.

Soup was Sinigang Pasayan and immediately it triggered memories to the late 60s when I had my first taste of this very sour concoction. Medyo na shock my palate because Cebuanos are more inclined to the sweet rather than the sour or bitter taste. And it took some time before I could start to appreciate this soup until I tried the ultimate sinigang, made with kanduli or catfish.

Souring agent was young tamarind leaves and fruit and the pregnant female fish had eggs as large as popcorn kernels and belly fat about half an inch thick. Even though this event happened some 40 years ago, the taste of this wonderful soup still lingers in my mouth. Alejandro’s version made with the freshest sea water shrimps (very sweet umani shrimp head contents) could easily be classified as second best sinigang dish I ever tasted.

Main dishes were the following: Relyenong Talong, Sizzling Squid, Native Spring Chicken with Banana and Chips and the old reliable Crispy Pata. There were other dishes served including dessert but my digestive system had been trained for breakfast and it is very difficult to coax it out of hibernation before 6p.m. and my beloved readers know that includes alcohol intake.

But I had to taste the native chicken and recognized immediately that this dish is going to be a winner and it will carry Alejandro’s through the next decade because competition in the restaurant business is intense. I hope and I pray that I will be able to join Al, Malou and Alexis Yap in their pearl anniversary celebration!