Heart2Heart was so happy to be back at Bistro Filipino.  And no miss, Chef Laudico and Jackie are always there!  What a hard working couple! 

They prepared a degustation meal for us.  Chef Laudico and Jackie explained to us that they have changed their ingredients to focus on patronizing our local suppliers 

Of course pinoy bread – pandesal 

We call this “floating butter”  because it looked like it was floating 🙂  Jackie said that they use carabao’s milk for all their dairy requirements.  They get it from Pia Lim who distributes for the Philippine Carabao Center in Laguna 

My favorite among the three was the ubod lumpia with the vinegar granite.  As Chef Laudico described it, it’s a Filipino sushi cone 😉 

Love the soup! 

Even their plates are Philippine made by Glass Sculptor – Bobby Gastillo and they are engraved individually with the logo of the place 

Super delicious panga and even more with the sauce 

I was not able to stay for dessert but I am sure it was delicious!!  

Jackie showed me their new menu and I was able to take photos of the pages.  Please bear with me as I find it most difficult when it comes to taking photos of menus 🙂 

At the back pages they reveal their suppliers as they want you to also patronize them.  Chef Laudico and Jackie are good friends with my cousin, Hindy, which explains why they are very similar in their ways – organic and healthy 🙂 

In this day and age when the modern day Filipino have uprooted themselves from the traditional, moving up and into spaces so far away from home seem like the new norm.  There are countless Filipinos who have removed themselves from the comfort zone and getting a taste of what the world could offer, yet finding themselves empty if not seeking for satisfaction that ironically the familiar can suffice.

Amidst the growing metropolis that is Bonifacio Global City is Bistro Filipino. Situated at the ground floor of the modern Net 2 Building, part of the restaurant’s facade bears the name “Chef Laudico”. This in itself already gives it a stamp of approval for those who are familiar with the chef, or a boost of confidence to a first-timer that a known chef resides in the house. 

What welcomes you behind the glass building doors is an opulent interior using native materials.  The ornate center dining area is a burst of fine dining elegance complete with its meticulous table settings and mood lighting.  Initially it could be intimidating for a Filipino restaurant when the usual fare of local cuisine are set in a typical fast food or laid back ambience.

Owners and Chefs Jackie and Roland Laudico attest that the experience in their fine dining restaurant will give one a renewed respect for the local cuisine.    

Pritong Lumpia is a familiar pedestrian food fare that every Filipino is familiar with.  But an order of Ubod Lumpia is definitely an enjoyable experience here.  Freshly chopped vegetables are nestled in a cone-shaped wrapper which in itself is a conversation piece.  Add to more conversation is the frozen vinegar which you can generously toss in with so much ease to get that perfect lumpia taste.  It’s the same familiar lumpia taste in an ingenious presentation.   

The crispy Pigeon Salad looked divinely grand with its careful plating of fresh vegetables and pigeon flakes with just the right hint of vinaigrette on the side.  Pigeon on salad greens may not exactly be familiar to the average Filipino, but a forkful of this salad will hit you with that homegrown feeling because of the adobo vinaigrette which brings the whole dish together.   

The Prito Trio looks too beautiful to eat and doesn’t look anything familiar but makes you wonder what Filipino dish this is.    One big bite and you know that this is the local okoy but using succulent seafood which excites your palette because of the soft hint of crunch and the mix of the vinegar soy glaze.

 The Kare Kare served sans the clay pot (palayok) surprisingly tasted really well.  The tender wagyu beef and ox tripe sat magnificently on top of the whole dish.  Again, you eat this in forkfuls—-meat, veggies, hint of sauce, and you’re up for a different kare-kare experience.  Hands down, it was the Wagyu Bistek that topped all of the dishes.  This work of art has a grand kitayama flat iron steak on top of sweet potato croquette and organic vegetables.  The bistek sauce in the form of a calamansi butter glaze locked in round onion slices are both a delight to look at and a pleasure to dip the meat in.  

There is a nook called Patisserie Filipino and Chef Jackie is in charge of all the desserts and specialty chocolates.

Some of the dessert bestsellers are Calamansi Tart (calamansi curd in butter cookie crust served with meringue , vanilla ice cream, honey and cashew nuts) and Suman Panacotta (sticky rice cake topped with coconut cream panacotta served with latik glaze, toasted coconut and fresh mangoes). The chocolates are delectable in Philippine flavors like sili, calamansi and mango, among others. 

Everything served was what Filipino cuisine could be and more.  Chefs Jackie and Roland Laudico proudly use local produce and none of the shortcuts most restaurants have resorted to.  While Filipino cuisine takes a long and arduous process to prepare and cook, innovation has only helped the Laudicos in their cause of bringing the seemingly ordinary dishes from the house into the fine dining environment and thus, elevating the Filipino cuisine.  There is definitely no talk of fusion in this restaurant as every dish is distinctly Filipino.  It may be served differently, but each dish has an interesting story to back it up.

Bistro Filipino is definitely a validation that Filipino cuisine can be transformed using modern techniques while preserving its traditional flavors.  More than that, this food experience leaves one with renewed pride enough to make certain that this is proudly Filipino.

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