Cuckoo over Kookabar ‘N’ Grill

Paraguay-born restaurateur Carlos Lopez feels right at home in the Philippines where he runs Kookabar "N" Grill with his wife, Asia’s Queen of Song, Pilita Corrales. Here, he says, he feels "closer to my roots because like us, Filipinos are very happy and musical." Not to mention, Carlos adds, that Filipinos enjoy having a good meal and a good drink, too.

Growing up in their family-run hotel/restaurant in Paraguay, Carlos says he learned about the trade "from the moment I could walk." Besides Kookabar (which opened in April last year in San Juan’s Greenhills Theatre Mall, Greenhills Commerical Center), Carlo also runs an Italian restaurant in Sydney, Australia.

Like Australia’s most popular (and laughing) bird for which it was named, Kookabar’s menu and ambience conjures the spirit of Australia. "Australia is a casual country," explains Carlos, "and here customers will find a place that is not only casual but affordable." The interiors have been done in blue and earth tones–the colors of Australia–and Australian beef is a staple of the menu. "It has universal appeal," says Carlos.

He adds, "Customers can even see our dishes prepared right before their eyes. As for our bar, even women will not intimidated to take a drink here."

Kookabar’s cozy ambience owes a lot to Carlos himself, whose jovial presence and warm, personal way of attending to customers set the mood for relaxation. Helping him out and standing out as striking figures themselves are Carlos’ handsome, 6’4" tall son Edgar who assists as a bartender and waiter, and the lovely Lotlot de Leon (the wife of Pilita’s son Ramoncito) who helps as the cashier. So it’s all in the family at Kookabar which, appropriately, offers food for all members of the family in its menu.

There are pica-pica, pizzas, paninis, liquer coffee, hot/cold beverages and beer here. Ditto with wines and cocktails that include Kooka’s Cocktails, influenced by Australia’s world-renowned cocktail master, "mixologist" and author Eddie Tirado, a personal friend of Carlos, and the wicked Coca Loca, a concoction Carlos whipped up using lambanog topped with coca-cola, lime, and lemon juice.

Main dishes include Grilled Pork Chops (marinated in olive oil, garlic and black sauce); Chicken Fillet Parmigiana (breast fillet, eggplant, cheese and a "salsa" reduced with white wine and a dash of cream); and Scallopine Funghi (veal fillets pan fried in a creamy mushroom and port wine sauce). Aussie Beef choices include Kooka Burger; Kooka Spicy Beef Salad; Jackaroo Steak (grain fed sirloin served with rice); Mix Grill "Don Rafael" Grill Combination (steak pork, chicken breast fillet served with salad or chips and separate chips and ketchup and Kooka Churri Sauce); Kooka’s Special, a choice among Grilled Lamb chops, Prawn Salad (cooked prawns over a bed of lettuce and Kooka’s seafood sauce); and Kooka’s Fish n’ Chips (lapu-lapu fillets in light beer batter, crispy fried and served with tartar sauce, lemon and garden greens).

The sweet-toothed can choose from blueberry cheesecake; carrot cake; and apple turnover.

"Where can you find a place like this on this planet?" asks Carlos with a wide smile. After sipping Carlos’ special Coca Loca, one agrees: Where indeed?

(Kookabar is open from 12 noon to 12 midnight, all days of the week and is available for bookings and special events. For inquiries, call 722-55-66.)