A dining place where ‘East meets West’

Here’s to the brave entrepreneurs, who have the courage to start new businesses during the pandemic! Case in point, the four friends who co-ventured to give us Super Sam, the newest restaurant along Sct. Tobias in Quezon City.

Weeks ago, I was driving along Sct. Tobias to buy pandesal from my favorite bakery when an imposing glass structure caught my eye. The signage said “Super Sam,” and since the building’s facade was made primarily of glass, it was easy to see the tables, chairs and the bar inside. As I drove by, I saw another sign that said the place was open for take-out and delivery. I then made a mental note to visit and try their food as soon as in-house dining was allowed.

Thanks to Google, I learned that Super Sam was a restaurant that had opened in July 2021. I also found out later that it was the brainchild of two enterprising couples, Gerry and Jinky Sy and Arnold and Sharon Carlos.

Last Sept. 27, my eating buddies and I decided to give Super Sam a try, and boy, were we pleased. The menu is so extensive that it’s difficult to make up your mind about what to order. Good thing that co-owners Gerry and Sharon were there to help us choose.

Here are the highlights of my brief interview with Gerry:

What made you decide to open a restaurant in the middle of the pandemic?

“We were approached by Chef Egay Barcial and a few displaced restaurant workers who lost their jobs. Since there was a demand for food deliveries, we saw the opportunity and immediately went to work and got our commissary into operations. It was our small way of helping out. Currently, we have 30 employees.”

Why Super Sam?

“Super Sam stands for ‘super samahan.’ It is founded on the innate Filipino value of pakikisama or samahan.”

The edifice is quite impressive. Did you build this restaurant from the ground up?

“When we were looking for a place, our real estate agent showed us a couple of properties in the area. When she showed us this property, it was an old house that was meant to be converted to be a branch of one of the fast-food joints but was rejected by the franchise holder. The place was idle for many years. When we spoke to the owners and told them our plans to turn it into a restaurant, they were so happy. We kept the structural posts but tore down the walls and the second floor to give an airy, spacious feeling. We hired Peter Ong of Archion Architects to do the interiors and we are very pleased with the results. The lot area is 700 square meters while the floor area is 300 square meters. We can sit 180 customers but currently we only allow 30-percent capacity. The place has many Instagrammable spots and our murals are a hit with our customers. The murals were done by Nell del Rosario. Though there is a lot of glass, we added a lot of greens as well to make the interiors homey and warm. All the plants you see are also for sale.

How did you come up with the menu? What are the house favorites?

“It’s like an ‘East meets West’ menu. We have burgers, pasta, fried chicken, sandwiches, Filipino dishes and milkshakes. Our chorizo burger, angus salpicao, crispy pork binagoongan and ube milkshake are our best sellers. Everything on the menu is comfort food and we have huge servings as well. We also have a craft bar that serves assorted coffee, liquor, draft beer and wine.”

And so, dear readers, the next time you’re in Quezon City’s “scouts” area, head on to Super Sam for a richly rewarding dining experience that’s comfortingly Filipino and endlessly Instagrammable.