The aristocrats

From a friendly session of the Philconsa committee where  the discussion revolved around responding positively to the challenges of the newly-signed Bangsamoro peace agreement, the hubby and I hied off to The Aristocrat, a block away, for an early dinner.  Surprise, surprise, who would we see wending his way through a maze of diners (the Aristocrat is always full of diners) to greet us but Nandy Pacheco,, the man behind the Kapatiran political party and Gunless Society. He led us to a just vacated table, and helped us place our orders – my hubby and I the famous Aristocrat chicken barbecue and pancit luglug, and Nandy, a bowl of dinuguan and puto.  From her newly-installed office on the ground floor emerged Nandy’s wife, Priscilla, the restaurant’s president. Both husband and wife and their daughter Victoria were recently  featured in Tony Lopez’s and Elizabeth Lee’s  television program, and Priscilla was on the cover of Tony’s BizNews magazine, half of whose contents was devoted to  the  restaurant along  Roxas boulevard.

The Aristocrat needs no media hype, as customers have been flocking to it for nearly seven decades â€” for its distinctly good Philippine cuisine. Unsolicited publicity doesn’t hurt, but rather  enhances its image as a remarkable entrepreneurial model,  starting  as an eatery catering to students of an exclusive girls’ school (St.Theresa’s College) next door to their house in Ermita, moving  on  as a rolling store (an old Ford van selling cooked food)  at the Luneta, establishing itself as the most popular local restaurant along the boulevard, and, just last year,  receiving an unprecedented award — the first in the culinary field — in the form of a historical marker  from the National Historical Commission – installed just  across the restaurant along the boulevard.

The restaurant’s story is worth retelling, and the listener doesn’t tire of hearing it from Priscilla’s mouth. It’s the story of a woman forced by circumstances to go into the cooking and selling of food — which she loved to do — and that of the man she loved, a Supreme Court associate justice who was well-respected, whose integrity was beyond question.  Engracia, a.k.a. Aling Asiang, was a grade school graduate, and her husband, Justice Alex Reyes, produced 13 children. Admiring her husband’s strict principles, Asiang, an excellent cook, made use of her talent to be the main support for her children’s needs.    

Practically every Philippine dish is served at Aristocrat. Diners’ favorites include the chicken barbecue, pancit canton,  lumpiang Shanghai,  lumpiang ubod,, dinuguan at puto,  sotanghon,  mechado, arroz caldo,  and  crispy pata.

The restaurant became a Mecca for food-hunters — from members of high society to government executives, even Americanos, to the  hoi poloi who spent some of their savings to be able to treat the family there once in a while.  Justice Alex played a very important part in making the business succeed. He brought friends to eat there, and the food and ambience was spread by word of mouth. Corporate  and business meetings, and private parties were held there.  Pictures of guests tacked to the walls of the restaurant today include those of members of the judiciary, Ferdinand Marcos (before he became president).  First Ladies Eva Macapagal and Imelda Marcos,  Luchi Lacson, Mrs. Amang Rodriguez,  and movie stars.

Aling  Asiang  left a legacy so cherished by her family, some of whose members  have embarked on their own culinary ventures. One of the children started a chain called Reyes Barbecue.  A  grandson started Alex III, and another, Serye. Then a granddaughter, Clarita Lapuz, started Mama Sita (in honor of her own mother, Teresita who was the eldest daughter among  Aling  Asian’s 13 children. ), which consists of sauces that are like “lifesavers”  for millions of Filipino housewives who use pre-mixed ingredients for kare-kare, mitsado, menudo, kaldereta, sinigang and adobo. Granddaughter Vicky Rose Pacheco, who trained abroad, runs the high-class 1771 restaurant in Greenbelt, Makati and Café 1771 in Ortigas, Mandaluyong,   and two Sentro outlets.

Another trait that Aling  Asiang  made sure her children would have,  was industry. For lack of household help, her children did the  house work. Each one was given an assignment — one polished  their narra floor to a magical shine, another scrubbed the bathrooms. Even before their chins could touch the dinner table, the kids were made to peel onions and mash garlic. When the eateries were opened, they helped serve food, and wash dishes.

Priscilla is a good cook, Nandy told me. A holder of a BS degree from the University  of the Philippines, she had her own small food businesses, like selling pop corn and sandwiches at movie houses, and was the first to have the Sno-cone machines. It was to Aristocrat that Nandy and his friends went after  working with then Vice President Emmanuel Pelaez during his political campaign, then during his stints at the United Nations Information Center, and as information officer of the Asian Development Bank. One will recall that he was the person who worked for the changing of the name of Isaac Peral street in Ermita to United Nations Avenue.  

Aside from Vicky Rose, another Pacheco child is in  business — Junjun, who is producing and exporting virgin coconut oil.  Priscilla had retired from her own businesses  when she was asked to take over the running of Aristocrat in 2009 when her uncle Victor (the youngest child of Aling  Asiang), who was CEO for a long time, decided to retire at age 72.

The restaurant is operated under Roxas Food Ventures, Inc. It has a total of 12 restaurants, including the main — SM Manila, SM San Lazaro, SM North EDSA, SM MOA, SM Dasmarinas in Cavite, Robinsons’ in Ermita, SNR, Banaue, and San Pablo.

The first concerns of the new CEO were to increase the restaurant floor space and install big ballroom-size halls for big parties and smaller conference rooms for private parties ad meetings. According to Priscilla, Aristocrat (along Roxas Bouelvard ), which is open 24 hours,  serves a bout 5,000 customers a day on weekends,  at an average  consumption of P300 a day.

Aside from seeing that the quality of food served is of uniform, good quality, improvements on the physical looks of Aristocrat on Roxas boulevard are constantly being made. When we were at the place last Tuesday, Eco-roofs  were being installed to keep away the noise when the place is full of people. She wants to  have more stand-alone restaurants as those in malls do not have space for big parties.

Priscilla admits that since she took over management, revenues during weekends  have increased. Aristocrat restaurants draw a lot of Balikbayans. “ They fill up  the tables when they arrive, and before they leave, they come here again and again. Some of them take home orders.”

Nandy, at 81, drives Priscilla to work from their house in Antipolo.  Founder of the Kapatiran political party and  Gunless Society, he  is passionately espousing non-violence and spirituality.  He laments politicians’ and voters’ low moral standards.  He preaches about the need for people to love Jesus. Belief, and practicing the teachings of Jesus, result in peace, he says. Right now, he is involved in the planning of the celebration  of  the 500th year of the founding of Christianity in the country, which is seven years from now.

Because of their drive and determination  to keep Aling Asiang’s vision of leaving a rich legacy with her descendants, Priscilla and her siblings, husbands and children,  are  the real aristocrats.

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 My email:dominitorrevillas