Eat your heart out

The unassuming location may give it a stumbled-upon charm, but it’s the delectable feel-good food that’s taking things up to buzz-worthy heights. Standing out in a sea of Filipino inihaw joints in the rapidly gentrifying Ortigas Home Depot area, Kusina Teatro serves Spanish-accented dishes in a decidedly modern way.

“We came across this little space when we inquired at Home Depot,” says Richie Manapat, chef and co-owner. Kusina Teatro was the 21-year-old’s thesis at First Gourmet Academy and he chose to set up his own business instead of interning somewhere else. “The space we have now was available and it’s closest to the main entrance of Food Street so we took it.”

Rearticulated Iberian Cuisine

According to Richie, their menu rearticulates classic Iberian cuisine. “We interpret recipes and techniques that have made Spain the leading country for gastronomy culinary arts. Of course, our take is definitely more youthful.” He and three other preternaturally talented chefs — Myka Ibazeta, Donna Argañosa and Arwin Bartizo — have come up with a salvo of dishes that “maybe even some Spaniards would not recognize” but would certainly appeal to diners and drinkers of any nationality.

As the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand purred in the background, I started filling my tummy with Kusina Teatro’s Chorizo Flambe (chorizo de Salamanca cubes sautéed in olive oil and flambéed with French apple brandy) and Champiñones al Ajillo (sautéed fresh button mushrooms in olive oil, gralic and cream served with bread).

Since these treats go best with a little booze, Richie suggested I order either a glass of rioja or sangria. Most people eat their feelings but I tend to eat and drink mine, so I asked for both. Aside from toiling in the kitchen, Richie often doubles as a sommelier, proposing beverage ideas to customers who are only too happy to oblige. The four-month-old tapas restaurant serves Guinness and Rogue beers along with killer mojitos.

Cleansing My Palate

Being a visual person, I wanted to immortalize the next batch of plates that came my way: Gambas al Ajillo (spicy shrimps sautéed in olive oil and garlic, finished with a dash of paprika and a sprinkling of lime zest and juice); Pinchitos Morunos (Spanish-style chicken kebabs finished with lime juice); Chipirones Fritos (beer-battered squid rings deep-fried and served with aioli); and Queso Frito (fried Manchego cheese wrapped in a spring roll wrapper and served with aioli). I forgot my camera, however, so I relied on my senses to do the work. The shrimps were notably tender, a sign that they were cooked with care and integrity. When dishes are kept simple, the freshness of the ingredients becomes more crucial; the twentysomething chefs of this new establishment are obviously aware of this.  

After cleansing my palate with some Agua de Valencia — a citrusy cocktail reminiscent of a Bellini — I was ready for the big guns. Tracing its roots to the Iberian haute-barnyard specialty, Kusina Teatro’s pork belly confit is an elevated version of the humble sisig. Think liempo but Spanish and spoonable, thanks to a 10-hour marinating process. A wedge of lime is a nice foil to the fat, which, in this case, has a surprisingly subtle taste. Upon reading the description in the menu, I thought the confit would come close to the chicharrones I regularly ate while living in South America, but this interpretation is certainly more European and higher-minded than that.

A Food Coma

I’m proof that thin people often have the biggest appetites. After inhaling my last savory dish for the evening, stuffed squid (squid stuffed with cream, caramelized onions and bacopn, grilled and served with Romanesco sauce), it was time for dessert.

Mark San Diego, an up-and-coming furniture designer and co-owner, came by just in time to witness me demolish a Pastel de Queso Frito (deep-fried cheesecake served with classic vanilla ice cream and a signature chocolate sauce) and a few Tejeringos con Chocolate (deep-fried Spanish donuts served with chocolate tablea sauce). The latter has been an obsession of mine ever since I saw Gwyneth Paltrow and Mario Batali chomping on it on an episode of Spain: On The Road Again, and I’m stoked to note that I don’t have to go all the way to Málaga to try this churros-like delicacy.

Hunched over on one of the mosaic high tables Mark designed, I was distracted by a freezer of ice cream. Maybe I was already in the throes of a full-blown food coma, but I swear it was calling out to me.      

Liquer-Infused Gelato

“It’s gelato, not ice cream,” Richie informs me. “We actually started serving alcoholic gelato last week.” Insatiable and slightly suicidal, I decided to sample three flavors: vanilla bourbon, chocolate Baileys and amaretto. You know, for the road.

“Rather than having a huge menu with some good dishes and some bad ones, we opted for a smaller one but we made sure all dishes were of such quality becoming of those made by great chefs,” Richie says before I leave. “We let ingredients inspire how we design the menu each time we change it.”

As Kusina Teatro’s prices embody value for money — dishes range from P100 to P350, beer at P38 and a tab for a table for two hovers at P1,000 — a meal here is pretty reasonable. The laid-back setup also makes for a rather memorable experience: The place is a more intimate incarnation of the Iron Chef Kitchen Stadium. Truth be told, I can’t wait until I’m hungry again.  

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Kusina Teatro is located at Stall 113, Food Street, Ortigas Home Depot, Julia Vargas Avenue, Barangay Ugong, Pasig City. Operating hours: Monday to Saturday 12 nn-2:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. onwards. They also cater and accept arrangements for private parties. For inquiries, call contact 0917-7451161 or e-mail kusinateatro@gmail.com.

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