A nostalgic culinary tour

Nostalgia is written all over it. The recently published “Celebrations – A Culinary Feast from the Roces-Reyes Table” brings readers and foodies through a culinary tour spanning many, many years of kitchen delight and beautiful family gatherings. The dishes range from the simplest daing na bangus to the festive (and somehow complicated) paella de rabo. Truly a labor of love (of food, yes, and family), which took three years to complete. 

Roces is a name associated with arts and education, also politics, with roots tracing back to the 1800s when a Spanish alferez came to the Philippines. One of his heirs married a Reyes, thus beginning the dynasty of the learned and the epicureans. The clan is big and always prepares good food for their regular and frequent family gatherings. Six of the younger generation Roces-Reyeses hatched the idea of documenting their meals and sharing precious family moments. They are Karla Prieto Delgado, Gianna Reyes Montinola, Cristina (Tina) Reyes Garcia, Ginny Roces de Guzman, Sylvia Roces Montilla and Vicky Veloso Barrera, all accomplished in their respective fields.

Vickys mother, Malou (Antonio), has hosted some of our most memorable meals, the most recent in her ancestral home in Pasay. The Antonio ladies are known for their fine work as fashion designers. Malou’s brother, Chito, an architect, can whip up a fabulous stuffed roast turkey with the same ease and artistry as he would wield his pens on his drawing board. Many also know him as a dress designer of note. Vicky herself was in the fashion industry until she concentrated on writing cookbooks and managing her Tiny Kitchen cooking school for kids.

Get the book and join their Celebrations, explore their Memory Kitchen, experience their Family Traditions. Choose which Roces-Reyes recipes most appeal to you, cook them and enjoy a family meal in your own home.

Speaking of home, there are places which feel like home with a welcoming ambiance – places where one can rest tired feet, leisurely sip one’s favorite beverage and see the world go by amid a silence absent in bigger restaurants. One such refuge is the Echostore at Serendra. Recently we discovered their tofu-chorizo sandwich on malunggay pan de sal, served with salad and iced tea (P195). Echostore’s big sister, Le Bistro Vert in Salcedo Village, has added a deli. Chef Sau’s sauces are available at P310 per bottle. Choose from dulong in olive oil, eggplant and tomato, and smoked fish in olive oil. They also sell chicken longganisa at P250 a kilo (about 20 pieces). It is here where you can have a sustainable, healthy meal.  

 The Landmark supermarket/department store is one place we have not visited in a long time, mainly because heavy Makati traffic always gives us a headache. One weekday, we had enough time to spare, so we decided to have a look-see. The main entrance was full of shoppers going through plates, cups, saucers, glasses and pitchers at bargain prices. They are good items to replace old sets or store as gifts. One line of dinner plates is decorated with a Christmas tree, each for P69.75.

At the supermarket are the usual stalls of goodies – pasalubong/kakanin from Dolor’s and Tita Puring. The place has become cleaner, brighter and better organized. We tasted Nescafe’s latest brew. It is good. We went through the bread row before going to the grocery area. We checked the much-advertised Goldilock’s cake-bread. It is a tiny slice at P20 per.

From the fresh produce section, we noted Dizon lakatan at P48 a kilo; chico also for P48; small atis at P82.75; asparagus, P43 a bunch; bitter gourd for P43.75; big green and red bell peppers at P206 and P275; Korean pears at P97.50 a pack. Goolai salad greens go for P154. There is an extensive selection of Australian imports: wine chocolates, Café Adore biscuits, bottled vegetables, Swiss style coffee creamer, wafers in different flavors, organic milk including lactose-free rice milk, jellied cranberry sauce.

In the meat section, JS and Jupiter brands offer sirloin at P440, batok at P295, among others. Chicken is more expensive at P115 a kilo.

Enjoy your Sunday!

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