Fusion items stuff Burgoo’s new menu

Something new is cooking at Burgoo, Metro Manila’s American-style bar and restaurant. Just recently, it introduced new dishes, stuffing an already bursting list with more food items to provide its loyal clientele with – hold your breath now – 85 choices on an all-new 12-page menu.

Why all this fuss over choices?

Burgoo general manager Albert Alavera says it is the restaurant’s way of living up to its promise of "Anything Goes."

"After a year, some of our patrons have been asking for something new. While we have retired a number of items in our menu to make way for the new dishes, we were surprised at the number of favorite items we have kept. But we can’t do anything about it. It’s our way of keeping our patrons happy," he says.

The new Burgoo dishes explore further the ongoing rage for fusion cooking. Some of the items may not seem traditionally American, but they reflect the distinct cultural influences that are currently sweeping the United States.

The list of appetizers has four new items, including the intriguing Sta. Fe Spring Rolls. Alavera points out that while spring rolls are not American per se, the influence of Chinese culture has made them a popular staple.

"It may look like ordinary lumpia, but we have modified the recipe a bit so that it also has a distinct flavor that would differentiate it from ordinary spring rolls," he says.

The cilantro and Monterey Jack cheese in the spring roll give it a Latin flavor, while the ginger sesame dipping sauce throws in a hint of Japanese flavor, too.

The grilled squid a la pobre may seem just like another grilled item, but a sampling will tell you otherwise. Each order has two fat squids that have been grilled to tender perfection. It has not been overdone to the rubbery texture familiar to grill fanatics.

However, the secret is in the sauce, er, make that salsa. The grilled squid is served with a capers salsa, a piquant dressing that complements the sweetish marinade used on the squid. The capers add an Italian touch to the usual tomato-onion dressing of Mexican cooking.

Some of the new items are not fusion inspired but merely cram the menu with choices. The dessert list has been filled with three more items: crème brûlée, bread pudding a la mode and tiramisu.

The crème brûlée is light, creamy and extremely sinful, a perfect choice for those on an eating binge. It is uniquely untouched by fusion influence.

The introduction of the new Burgoo menu has been timed with the opening of its new outlet at the third level of the Power Plant Mall at Rockwell Center, Makati City. This new outlet is ideally situated before the mall’s cinema-plex, offering movie goers with great options before or after seeing a movie.

The new restaurant replicates the warm, cozy interiors at the main Tomas Morato Ext. branch. It retains the brick wall façade and tiled flooring that give it a down-home charm. And as in the Quezon City branch, the outlet retains the paper table top covering on which guests can doodle with crayons as they wait for their orders.

Burgoo is popular for its Oklahoma-style baby back ribs, grilled pork chop, Hamburgoo, lemon-peppered grilled chicken or lapu-lapu, and a lot more.

Alavera makes sure his staff lives up to Burgoo’s aim of turning the dining experience into a memorable event in terms of quality food, service, value for money and cleanliness.

Burgoo’s is at 310 Tomas Morato Ext., South Triangle, Quezon City. It is open daily from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. the next day. Call 927-73-96, 927-74-24 or 927-73-84 for inquiries. Burgoo’s Power Plant Mall outlet had its soft opening recently, and will have its grand opening and VIP night on May 28.