Sticks ’em up

Two weeks ago Maryane and I were called to a delicious work by the Ocampo-Pangilinan family in their now opened Japanese restaurant called Sticks, located at the Robinsons Starmills in San Fernando, Pampanga. We were with the other chosen few to have the privilege to taste before they opened to the public. Guinea pigs in short. Maybe because they knew how much we love to pig out.

Their son, 25-year-old Gilbert, studied at the prestigious Culinary International of America (CIA) in New York and trained in the kitchen of the much talked about and sought after Nobu restaurant in New York, would be cooking and impressing our palettes. Gilbert, by the way, was on the team of Nobu-trained chefs that successfully prepared a P5,000 per plate dinner for the Asia Society and Bantay Bata Foundation. We’ve heard how good he is but we wanted to see and taste for ourselves. It was just too good to pass.

Sticks has a warm and subtle Japanese décor designed by architect Raymond Sarmiento. It can sit 60 people indoor, and weather permitting, 20 more outdoors. Perusing the menu, we couldn’t quite decide what to order. Aghhh, life is indeed difficult when there are so many choices. Mercifully, Gilbert must have read our minds. He did not wait for us to order, food just appeared on our table. Not the usual Japanese food of sushi, tempura and udon but new "faces." We had tender angus beef, grilled to perfection and then cut into strips with wasabe and mayo dipping, (everybody’s fave) peeled tiger prawns (Maryane’s fave) with a yummy dynamite orange colored sauce, (our niece Jean’s favorite) and salmon belly teriyaki (my fave).

We were enjoying a second helping of our favorites when Gilbert tempted us with sticks of bacon and asparagus, chicken skin, and the best of all for me is the pork belly. Thinly sliced, the marbled fat was grilled to crispy perfection. More food kept on coming while we sipped glasses and glasses of refreshingly unsweetened fresh grape juice.

Then came the "bill," looooong comment sheets each one of us had to complete. As their gracious mom, Auntie Grace, teasingly reminded us all, "There is no such thing as a free meal." Oooops, we were enjoying ourselves immensely and forgot we had hard work to do. The straightforward questionnaire reminded me of my eigh-year-old niece Alyssa. She would have been the perfect choice for the job. Once at her friend’s house, she commented (without being asked) that the tocino she was served was tough and dry. And then she looked at her friend’s mom and said, "Also, I think there is too much salt in your soup." Fortunately, the mother has a good sense of humor. Her remarks admittedly were kinda off, but she indeed has a discerning taste. (Taste, by the way is a very subjective thing. Like, for me the mayo-wasabe dipping was a bit too salty, but for Maryane it was perfect. But then her taste buds have always been on the salty side). I guess too many opinions is not also good. Oh well, too many critics can spoil even the best of cooks. Ah, I digress.

Back to the dinner. Just when we thought we had no more room left, came a dessert platter that made us dig in again. It had a slice of leche flan, a fried banana wanton served with Arce Mantecado ice cream, and a buko pandan gelatin with generous serving of pinipig. Something steamed, something fried and something cold in one. All deadly "calorific" but delicious nevertheless.

Sticks is located near the Arayat Gate of Robinsons Starmills in San Fernando, Pampanga. Open daily till 10 p.m. and weather permitting, diners can enjoy dining al fresco.

Cooking Lessons In Biodynamic Farm

Very good friend and talented designer Reimon Gutierrez was also called for the job. He is often seen in Pampanga get-togethers now as he has given up his concrete jungle living in Makati to serene farm living. When we first visited him on his farm in Prado, Lubao (along the Olongapo-Gapan road), he looked so much relaxed, in his element with his rubber gray clogs and buri hat.

It all started when his mom, complaining of not seeing enough of him, asked him to stay in the province and make a retreat house for her and her friends. With a free hand and no budget, he first built the chapel, then the huge high-ceilinged function hall that can easily accommodate 300 people and lastly the many bedrooms for stay-in retreats. While working on his mother’s orders, Reimon must have discovered his "calling." Soon after, he just found himself extending the work, building bridges, a tree house and Igorot huts and what seems to be a never-ending work and spending. Pretty soon my mom will pack my bags and shoo me back to Manila, he teases.

Proudly, he took us around his five-hectare biodynamic farm showing off his very healthy produce of kangkong, basil, pakô (fiddlehead fern) spinach and his wide variety of greens and chilies. What we found awesome was the kangkong. Its stems are as fat as the sago drink straws. His basil, which he originally got from our garden to propagate, has leaves triple the size of ours. It must be the magic hands of his consultant friend Jojo Cagarugan, the farmer or the tribal drumming they do regularly to call on the gods to fertilize the soil. Trust Reimon to try anything.

Recently he added another reason to bring people to his farm. Reimon invites chefs to do cooking lessons using his vegetable produce. So far the well attended delicious classes had Japanese cooking by Rex Soriano and Gilbert Pangilinan, both of the Nobu fame; Thai cooking by Al Puruganan; Oriental cooking by Claude Tayag; and the most recent one by Italian Giuseppe Troisi, who did wonderful Italian dishes for the 20 or so attendees. By the way, proceeds from the cooking classes support 10 indigent but deserving kids through high school on scholarship. Cooking classes will resume in September.

Those who are not into cooking but only wish to try the food can book just for lunch. They can have a Swedish massage up at the Igorot huts while the cook-wannabes sweat it out in the kitchen. And when the delectable dishes are finally served, either buffet or family style, everyone is called to the table to enjoy a memorable meal.

Together, Reimon and Gilbert bring people to our side of town. For information regarding cooking classes at Prado Farm, contact Paz at 899-92-01 or 0919-8310886.