John Kenrick Chua says that the spelling of Mannang is deliberate. "We wanted it to relate to Mann Hann," he says. Mannang is the Filipino restaurant of the Mann Hann group. And Mann Hann, of course, is the Chinese restaurant chain owned by the Chua family.
In more recent times, new incarnations of the word manang have surfaced. Manang may refer to a woman with an outmoded sense of style or old-fashioned values; and more commonly, it is what many young people call their caregivers – those dedicated and concerned women who care for them while their parents are away at work. Manang is the person who makes life easier by performing numerous domestic chores. As surrogate parent, manang is usually the person at home who prepares delicious meals for the family. And thus, it is only fitting that the menu at Mannang restaurant consists of Filipino favorites similar to what is meticulously and lovingly prepared in Filipino households.
The food at Mannang is modern Filipino. John Chua blanches at the suggestion that it is fusion food. He is quick to assert that it is not: "Our food is a reflection of modern Philippine society. It is culturally diverse in the sense that we have various foreign dishes that appear in the menu, just as much as Philippine culture has a lot of foreign influences. However, the base still remains the same – unmistakably Filipino."
We started off with a dish that could really be considered modern Filipino: Shanghai Sili. Surprisingly, this wasn’t fiery at all, and only a faint suggestion of the pepper’s heat remained. By inspecting the tasty morsels more closely, we discovered that seeds of the sili were carefully removed, replaced by a meat/shrimp stuffing that is more commonly used for lumpiang shanghai. The dish was certainly an effective, attractive, and innovative way to break the clichés about sili.
Equally surprising was that the chicken barbecue was actually native free-range chicken. The usual belief is that although free-range chicken is tastier, leaner and healthier, it is also very much tougher. The tender morsels of chicken barbecue belie this, proof that modern farming methods have made free-range chicken a delicious and appealing alternative.
Apart from the pork sisig, tofu sisig (P90) for cholesterol watchers was available. I was not too certain that tofu would compare favorably with the carnivorous choice, as the hot plate could easily overcook tofu to the consistency of cardboard. However, the first mouthful of tofu sisig convinced me that it was a tasty alternative indeed. The tofu cubes were soft without being mushy, and were flavored with a tangy, mildly spicy sauce.
Remember the popular party food called pigs in a blanket? Asparagus wrapped in beef (P140) reminded me of that party fare. The dish also resembled miniature yule logs. The tender stalks of asparagus were sweet, crisp, and perfect, and it was apparent that someone took extra effort to make the dish more attractive. More importantly, the quality of the vegetable was consistently good. I still haven’t met anyone who prefers either asparagus stalks cooked to a pulp, or mature, stringy fingers of asparagus.
It may be unconventional to have soup in the middle of a meal, but sinigang is considered ulam or viand for Filipinos. Spoonfuls of sour sinigang broth have the peculiar effect of cleansing and refreshing the palate. This was the effect of sinigang na corned beef (P210). Those unfamiliar with the dish should not be misled. Simply opening a can of corned beef and dumping it into a boiling pot of sinigang broth will taste strange. The corned beef used at Mannang is home-cured meat, and the curing serves to tenderize the cubes of beef.
Other dishes we tried that day were lengua (tender morsels of tongue cooked in a rich sauce), adobong pusit, fillets of fish cooked in coconut milk (ginataang isda), baked oysters, and a new dish of shiitake mushrooms faintly tasting of wine that still wasn’t listed in the menu.
The minatamis or dessert list of both new and old-fashioned favorites was a delight. Aside from the modern desserts like banana and mango cheesecake, there was taho, leche flan, mongo ice, buko/strawberry/buko-lychee sorbetes, guinumis, maja mais, biko macapuno, and others. I was happy with my red bean taho (P70), which was neither too sweet nor too bland.
As ginger tea or salabat was served to cap the meal, I remembered recently read lines by Regiman Sanitatis Salerno: "Hot ginger quenches thirst, revives, excites the brain/ And in old age awakens young love again." Ginger is prized in many cultures and the Koran says that the virtuous will be served "goblets of ginger-flavored water" in Paradise. The salabat was a soothing drink after the big meal.
With so many cuisines gaining popularity, I am always happy to find new restaurants that serve Filipino food. It is even more heartening to find restaurants that try to give regular Filipino fare a modern look without compromising on traditional flavors.
The writer Laura Esquivel of Like Water For Chocolate fame once said, "I am convinced… that we can impregnate food with emotion, just as we can every activity we engage in. When this affective charge is powerful, it is impossible for it to pass unnoticed." Indeed, it is apparent that tradition is important in Mannang, as reflected by the extra care taken to preserve the flavors of well-loved dishes.
John Kenrick Chua is correct in saying that the food is not Filipino fusion. It is simply, unabashedly, proudly Filipino.