Lolo Mao’s sidewalk nirvana

It’s tucked away in an unpretentious section of the Crossroads Arcade at the Greenhills Commercial Center, just right across Music Museum. However, the simple façade belies the culinary delights that await the unsuspecting patron.

True to the name of the arcade it’s situated in, since opening its doors, Lolo Mao has seen a very curious cross section of clientele. On any given weekday night, there’ll be senators and congressmen having a hearty post-session dinner before proceeding home. You’ll spy National Book Store’s Virgie Ramos or talent manager Girlie Rodis enthusiastically breaking bread, or in this case, noodle and crab shells, at another table, as well as all the regulars who have made it a point to drop by on a weekly basis.

The badly kept secret is Lolo Mao-Singapore Sidewalk Cuisine. It is the brainchild of Mark Chua, a genuine native of Singapore, and partner-in-life of Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos. It took over two years for the perfectionist Mark to be finally satisfied with the concept that’s now known as Lolo Mao.

"I’d been coming here to Manila for years and, while there are some restaurants that offer some Singaporean dishes, they didn’t really satisfy me. Also, there was no eating establishment that offered Singaporean dishes exclusively," he says. "So, I felt it was an excellent opportunity. Besides, as a growing number of Filipinos have traveled to Singapore and enjoyed the food there, I felt the time was ripe for putting up Lolo Mao."

Years ago, most Filipinos saw Singaporean cuisine as one-dimensional, limited solely to the dish more popularly known as Hainanese Chicken Rice.

As Mark enthuses, "In fact, Singapore cooking is very multi-dimensional. Given the population of Singapore, there’s Indian, Malay, Baba and, primarily, Chinese influences. Traditionally, it’s spicy and only in this regard have we modified what’s offered here. We start with a mild version without distorting the taste, and let the customers know they can spice it up if they wish."

"It’s Singapore street hawker fare put into a more conducive setting. Remember, the essence of street hawker cuisine is in the preparation and the portions," he adds. "Here, one can order as an individual. In an upscale Singaporean restaurant, if you ordered a dish like steamed fish, you’d have to be at least a group of four to five persons to be able to consume the fish. Here, the portions are sized for even one diner. We’ve also tried to maintain the price points that are associated with this branch of Singaporean cuisine. A person could have a full lunch or dinner here for less than P250."

In line with the fare that’s available, the décor is very simple, yet fun.

Mark and Imee both found Andy Warhol’s paintings of Mao Tse-Tung and Marilyn Monroe extremely fun, a great point of departure for Lolo Mao’s décor. As for the name, Mark felt it would be the perfect blending of the Chinese roots of most of the dishes and its Philippine setting.

Mark readily credits Imee for the catchy moniker. Even Imee’s son, Borgy, helps out in the kitchen once in a while.

While there are plans to establish other Lolo Mao branches in Makati and Alabang, Mark feels there’s no rush now and is enjoying his newfound restaurateur tag. Within the Southeast Asian region, he is involved in several construction projects. This new venture takes up a substantial portion of his time.

"Between Singapore and the projects I have throughout the region, there’s only so much time I can be here in Manila. But, it’s been very enjoyable, so far. There are a lot of frustrations that come with a project like this: the standard of service, familiarizing the staff with the dishes, the consistency of what comes out of the kitchen and the sourcing of ingredients. But all that is part of what makes it so exciting."

The Pepper Crab and the Chili Crab are a must-try when you go to Lolo Mao. The genuine Hainanese Chicken Rice dish is also tops. If you’re into noodle dishes, order the Char Kway Teow and share with friends its creamy fried rice noodles with bean sprouts, Chinese sausages, prawns, calamares and the chef’s special sauce. For a fish course, try the Assam Fish, with its tamarind-flavored gravy that’s truly special. There’s also the crispy baby squid, and the tofu goreng, deep fried tofu, with peanut sauce, bean sprouts and cucumber. Even the rice is the genuine thing, bringing to our shores the peculiar flavor of Rice Singapore-style.

There are over 25 dishes to choose from, a feast for the senses of what Singapore has to offer in terms of food. While a good 50 percent of the ingredients are sourced locally, Mark wanted no compromises on offering genuine Singapore cuisine. Besides, the chef, who comes from Singapore, regularly imports certain ingredients and spices. Given the kind of response he’s been eliciting, it looks like it’s a successful formula.

Lolo Mao must be beaming somewhere in the great beyond.