Lasa Bistro is definitely tasty

A few years back I had a very heated argument about Filipino food with my husband and another expat friend. Being Filipino it was hard for me accept defeat, but I know in  my heart that they were absolutely right. You see, foreigners often regard Filipino food as the least exciting and least inviting of Asian cuisines. Expats and visitors alike often complain about how difficult it is to get good food (especially in the provinces) and even more so about how difficult it is to find really good local food.

I didn’t think that was true. I didn’t want to believe it was true until extensive travel around the continent proved me wrong. In every street corner of Hanoi, or the hawker centers of Singapore, night markets of Bangkok and noodle shops of Hong Kong, great local food was accessible, cheap, safe and truly delicious.

Now, hear me out. I’m not saying that Filipino food is bad. It’s amazing, just like everything else, when it’s done properly. And more often than not, most of us will agree that the best of our favorite Pinoy dishes are made at home. Yes, there are a multitude of restaurants that serve Filipino food that is fair and decent, but there is only a tiny handful that, for some reason, I would take a foreigner to. And I have often wondered, why is that? Why is it that something I think is pretty good I wouldn’t dare use as an example to showcase the best of our cuisine? Maybe because I know for a fact that it’s good because it’s familiar, linked to memory and nostalgia. Like fast-food sweet spaghetti, I know it’s bad, but sometimes it’s good because it reminds me of my childhood. In an age where powders, premade sauces and instant ginisa mixes have replaced good old garlic, onions and, in fact, regular ingredients, most of the public has slowly forgotten what real food tastes like. And this is what is important: our ability to really taste the difference. To remember what freshly made, cooked-from-the-heart food really tastes like.

In comes Lasa (how apt!), a wonderful little bistro tucked away in Alabang, a passion project between Amy Alvarez, Miguel Fernandez and chef CK Kalaw. It’s good, straightforward, hearty Filipino food, made with great ingredients. I know the chef from a while back, when he was at the helm of XO 46, and even then I found his cooking to be really tasty and, most importantly, balanced. It’s never one-dimensional, and unlike many Filipino chefs, he doesn’t shy away from veggies and greens, creating his version of Filipino cuisine that is bright, fresh, textural and exciting to the palate.

“As a chef trained in French-based techniques, we wanted to see the outcome of Filipino food if the method used is that of western cuisine,” explains chef Kalaw.  “It came out great! So we saw the potential in putting up a Filipino restaurant that will surely stand out.”

Lasa’s menu is simple and rather pared-down, which is smart. They offer a good selection of classic-with-a-twist Pinoy dishes and some that are downright Asian-inspired. Their appetizers alone are really worth the trip. Although not served traditionally on a sizzling platter, their sisigs are really great. They offer a liempo sisig that is excellent, a squid sisig, and get this: a tofu sisig. In fact, I scrunched my nose at the idea of tofu sisig but they forced me to try it and I immediately ordered a second.

Their soups are clean and flavorful, as well as all their mains. My family practically ate the entire menu.

My personal favorites? The really tasty Tanigue Salpicao, even better than the regular. The Ensaladang Bagnet, which I ate too hurriedly to photograph, with grilled eggplants, fresh greens, ripe tomatoes, crispy bagnet and a delightfully tangy sauce. And their Thai-inspired crispy tilapia — the crunch, the fresh herbed salad and that chili lime dressing… My food-snobby hubby enjoyed practically everything. Their selection of fried rice (garlic, chorizo, bagoong, tinapa) are sinangag with love and very generous. Plus, I appreciate the pretty large selection of veggies, gising-gising, laing, and sigarilyas sa gata.

It’s rare to find a good Filipino joint that you can also bring pescatarians and vegetarians to and not have them miss out on the fun and flavor. The clean, contemporary interiors, a nice, breezy large terrace and beer below zero also make it also a good place for happy hour and pulutan. Price points are pretty affordable, too, and well, to be honest, worth the weekend drive. Overall they live up to their name. Definitely malasa.

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Lasa Bistro is at 103 The Commerce Center, East Asia Drive corner Commerce Avenue, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa.

For information, call 551-4866.

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Try chef CK Kalaw’s Tanigue Salpicao at home:

Recipe File: LASA’S TANIGUE SALPICAO

160g tanigue, cut into cubes

Seasoned flour

30g paella spice

30g all-purpose flour

30g cornstarch

2g salt

Mix all dry ingredients together to make a seasoned flour.

Oil mixture

30g paella spice

4 green chilies or siling sinigang

20g garlic

3g salt

50ml olive oil

Coat tanigue in the seasoned flour mixture and deep-fry. Sauté garlic and chilies in the olive oil with the paella spice and some salt. Add the fish and lightly toss. Serve garnished with spring onions, crispy garlic and a lemon wedge.