Brian Chua's secret recipe to a good cafe

Along BF Road, Sucat, Parañaque that’s already bursting with assorted restaurants is a new cafe that’s been packing in yuppies since it opened only four months ago. It’s called Cafe Asia. Hmmm ... Being a Starbucks coffee lover, I went to check out the place to see what’s brewing. As I pulled open the glass door and let myself in, I was welcomed by the cozy yet sophisticated feel of the place. It’s exactly what the cafe’s owner Brian Chua, a 26-year-old yuppie, wanted to achieve, among other things.

Cafe Asia officially opened its doors to diners last Sept. 11 (the first anniversary of the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York), which Brian says makes the day even more memorable. A neophyte in business and a brand-new father, Brian is quick to admit that he couldn’t have done it without the support of his family who owns a string of businesses, including the famous Toby House of Nuts. For Asia Cafe, Brian specifically enlisted the help of his mother Alicia Chua, who was more than happy to lend her son a helping hand.

Actually, the idea of putting up a cafe came to Brian one day when he and his wife Maricris went to a Chinese restaurant to eat. As they walked in, Brian remarked how good the design of the place with its modern feel and industrial lamps was. Having taken up industrial design, his wife had a different opinion. She said the place lacked something and forthwith suggested to Brian: Why not put up a place of their own, where the interiors are ultra-modern and ultra-classy but the food is ultra-affordable? Brian immediately bought the idea and before anyone knew it, he and his mom were mapping out plans for the cafe, which took six months to put together.

Wishing to share his love for Chinese food with others, Brian thought of cooking up ways to serve really good Chinese food. According to Brian, the best of Chinese cuisine is actually found in Chinatown downtown, or what is more popularly known as the estero. However, it’s the last place you’d think of if you wanted to have a quiet meal. It can get truly crowded and rowdy in the estero. Brian envisioned a cafe that’s sophisticated but at the same time serves really good estero food. To transform his vision to reality, Brian invited a cook from the estero no less, to cook for his cafe.

Asia Cafe is a dream come true for Brian. The ambience at this cafe is certainly classy but not intimidating. In fact, it feels like home, you feel like sinking into one of those comfycouches that give the cafe a very relaxed feel. The interiors are a mix of brown and maroon colors.

Barely a year in the business, Cafe Asia has already attracted a loyal clientele (like TV celebrity Ryan Agoncillo) who enjoys hanging out here.

The cafe has a full seating capacity of 34, but with efficient service and fast turnover that’s typical of Chinese restaurants, diners need not wait a long time to be served.

While the main offering is Chinese food, Asia Cafe also serves Japanese and Western dishes. With his mom and chef Eduardo Toh, Brian racked his brains to come up with a menu that suits the Filipino palate. Which was what led him to include other dishes aside from the good old Chinese favorites whipped up by Macau-born chef Eduardo Toh, who grew up watching his father work in a Chinese panciteria. Now, he’s thinking of adding Vietnamese and Thai fare to the cafe’s ever expanding menu, or what his mom calls "food of Asia." Or what we call "woks of art." According to Alicia Chua, the secret of Chinese cooking lies in the wok and the fire.

The most delicious surprise, however, is that one can have a belly-full meal with one’s favorite drink for only P150. That’s certainly good news to the budget-conscious yuppie. The cafe even offers budget meals. What’s more, the serving sizes are usually good for two or more so friends or families can try out a lot of dishes without spending so much.

For health freaks, Brian recommends the lapu-lapu fish fillet with onion leeks and a slightly salty sauce. His personal favorite is the minced pork with hoisin sauce. Brian puts a spin on minced duck meat and uses pork instead to cater to Pinoy taste. This is served on a bed of crispy glass noodles with pieces of lettuce to wrap the minced pork in and hoisin sauce to top it all off. Personally, I enjoyed the chicken breast with cashew and peas. The chicken, cut in bite-size pieces, was truly tender. I would also recommend the chili garlic squid that’s lightly breaded and really crunchy to the last bite. Sprinkled with lots of chili, it’s a must-try for those who love hot food.

To wash it all down, the cafe serves tea the Chinese way. A tea tray with small teacups is put in front of you so you can help yourself to all the herbed tea your heart desires.

And what’s a cafe without coffee? Cafe Asia serves not just coffee but a great cup of coffee. Brian has come up with quite a coffee lineup. Brian claims that some of his customers say that his coffee is even better than Starbucks’. He says that the secret to a good brew lies in the medium roasting, which produces a relatively milder coffee and is preferred more by most Filipino coffee drinkers. In addition, he uses the siphon method which produces a milder and smoother coffee than an espresso machine can.

Brian is also promoting his smoothies which he says are a healthier alternative to coffee or even a milk shake. With more than three kinds of fruit blended in them, these smoothies are certainly packed with nutrients. There are 10 fruity smoothie flavors to choose from.

Cafe Asia also serves snacks. And the best snack pair, according to Brian, is tea with cake. The cafe’s cakes are ordered from a commissary which also supplies its pastries to a lot of hotels in the country. One can choose from an array of sweet treats that includes blueberry cheesecake, chocolate cake, black forest cake, sansrival, and carrot cake, among many others.

Not even a year old in the restaurant business, Brian Chua is already thinking of opening a branch of Cafe Asia in Makati. One never knows what else is brewing in the mind of this hardworking and innovative yuppie.

* * *

Cafe Asia is located at 23 Johver Bldg., Phase 1, President Ave., BF Homes, Parañaque.

* * *

E-mail me at ice_wave_42@yahoo.com.