Filipino Food redefined

CEBU, Philippines – Here is a new restaurant in town that has reinvented many of the Filipino dishes that Cebuanos have grown to love and patronize.

The  Golden Cowrie Native Filipino Restaurant along Salinas Drive, in Lahug, has changed ownership from Tina Ebrada to the Kokseng family. This change of ownership has spawned the new restaurant, Salinas, at the frontage of Golden Cowrie.

One of the Kokseng brothers, Earl, is my classmate in grade and high schools. He is an original foodie/entrepreneur. He opened Orange Brutus, excuse me, 35 years ago and though competition is fierce in the fast food industry, Orange Brutus has since opened 24 outlets, no franchising - which feat is quite phenomenal.

Food tasting at the new Salinas began with the Crispig's Ears and the Smoked Bangus Croquettes. The former are strips of crispy deep fried pig's ears and the latter are crunchy smoked milkfish and keso made into rolls, paired with mild chili sauce. Such wonderful appetizers since these were crunchy but not greasy.

The next six dishes came in rapid succession: Pinaupong Manok, Miki Negra, Chicharon Breaded Fish, Pako Salad with Calamari, Potcherong Katag and Sinugba sa Salinas. The last three dishes attracted my attention and my taste buds were on red alert.

"Pako" is a kind of fern, fiddlehead variety, which used to be plentiful in the 60s in the mountain sides of Cebu. These have now grown scarce though, as subdivisions have sprouted. Precooking is required to deactivate an enzyme, thiaminase (which destroys Vitamin B1), and it is a challenge for the chef to keep the pako crisp after heating it.

Potcherong Katag is pochero disassembled into its elements: soup, meat and bone, plus toasted bread and onion jam on the side. The soup had the usual corn, meat and some vegetables. The bone was neatly cut open by a meat-and-bone bandsaw machine, exposing the bone marrow and then the whole thing was baked. Very nice presentation and the taste of the marrow was similar to all cholesterol-rich dishes - sinfully delicious!

Sinugba sa Salinas is pork cooked the traditional way using only salt and pepper as marinade. It is pork from a freshly slaughtered pig, seasoned only with salt and grilled over hardwood charcoal. This, by the way, brings to mind a question my friends have asked me about my basis for judging a dish to be delicious after tasting 8,000 dishes as a food writer. In my case, I think experience has sharpened - not dulled - my taste buds.

Chef Kristin Kokseng also introduced two dishes that would satisfy any vegetarian's palate, Bloodless Dinuguan and Vegetarian Sizzling Sisig. Dessert was Chilled Taho with Choco Sides, the presentation of which was simple and neat.

In the next ten days, there is expected to be an influx of tourists and religious devotees to the city, to celebrate the Sinulog. It is an opportunity for many to also taste these Filipino dishes that has been redefined at the Salinas Restaurant. Pit Señor!