Enjoying Wonderful World: Exotic

July 23, 2015

Restaurante Pia y Damaso, Subversive Filipino Cuisine

Enjoying an authentic dining experience is an important part of visiting restaurants especially unique ones and I think, tradition is everything.

Sometimes I pass by at the Greenbelt 5, seeing Restaurante Pia y Damaso and thinking it is a Spanish restaurant, so honestly, it looks sophisticated but I thought it's the most expensive.

I am one of the foodies invited to try food at Restaurante Pia y Damaso and fortunately, meeting the owner, Chef Bambi Sy-Gobio. Restaurante Pia Y Damaso was born when Greenbelt 5 opened in 2007.

Myrna Roman, Azrael Coladilla, Chef Bambi Sy-Gobio, Marco Dennis and Karen Tuazon

Restaurante Pia y Damaso is one of the premier Subversive Filipino Cuisines in the country. Offering one of the best and well known Filipino cuisines with their added twists and character.

Classic entrees and a vintage atmosphere present a feeling like you time traveled to Jose Rizal's days.

According to Bambi, Restaurante Pia y Damaso specializes on colonial Philippine cuisine inspired by Noli Me Tangere.

The restaurant is a Filipino cuisine, and is called "comido antigo." The restaurant's name and inspiration, history comes. Father Damaso is the kura paroko or parish priest of the fictional town of San Diego, the main setting of Noli Me Tangere. Father Damaso is the biological father of Maria Clara, Crisostomo's sweetheart. He secretly impregnated Dona Pia Alba, wife of San Diego town chief Santiago de los Santos (a.k.a.Kapitan Tiyago). Damaso is popularly described with notoriety, as being the villain of Noli Me Tangere because of his persistent antogonism with Ibarra, and his negative characteristics as being fat and arrogant. . . a subversive person, troublemaker, dissident, agitator, revolutionary, renegade, rebel. . . .

Restaurante Pia y Damaso, naming their food with the use of iconic names from Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Subversive Filipino Cuisine" probably what Damaso, also Maria Clara, Ibarra and others accused subversives were accustomed to have.

Here's the subversive treats: First served with the Starters/Appetizers, Salads and Sandwiches, Main Courses & Rice , Dessert & Pastries, Beverages - Coffee, Tea and Chocolate.

Starters/Appetizers

Almond Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon

Spanish Style Sardines with Toasted Pandesal

Filo Tarts with Pork Asado, Apple Relish

Filo Tarts with Pork Asado is enclosed in crispy filo tarts ...... I love this! Topped with apple relish to make every bite appealing.

Sisig

Salads

Nga Nga Beef Salad

Salty sweet chewy beef flakes , green mango pickle, red onions, haw flakes, cilantro, arugula and lettuce. Just wrap everything inside ! :)

Crisp Soft Shell Crab Salad with Mango Pepper and Cilantro Relish

Elias Salad
Elias Salad is seared marinated crocodile meat from Davao, mixed greens, tomato, caramelized pineapple, crisp shallots and mango, cilantro vinaigrette. This cost Php 450.

Main Courses & Rice

Ode to Heidelberg

German platter of brined pork leg, slab bacon, cervelat, kielbasa, wienerli, frankfurter, and Hungarian sausages.

Ostrich beef steak with guava butterThe ostrich is from an ostrich farm in Cagayan.

Pork Belly with Chorizo and Chickpeas

Kapitan Tiago's Kare Kare

Roast Chicken with Sherry and Pimiento
Roasted chicken quarter with garlic, sherry, spanish paprika, green olives, extra virgin oil, herbs and roasted peppers.

Smoked Tapang Usa
Smoke Tapang Usa is "salted deer meat from Nueva Ecija, green mango pickles, roasted pepper omelette on garlic rice"

Smoked BBQ Mango Pork

Smoked BBQ Mango Pork is "smoked bbq pork with a mango marinade, served with a spinach, apple, raisin, pinenut and garlic rice with scrambled eggs"

Dessert & Pastries

Toasted Yema ParfaitThis new frozen dessert has layers of a special vanilla creme topped with toasted Yema.

Tsokolate Eh and Toasted Ensaymada with Queso de bola
(Php 150)

Brazo ni Dona Vicki
(Php 100)
"Chewy meringue roulade with fresh butter curd"

Bibingka Waffle
(Php 150)
"with Malago's goat's cheese, quezo de bola, salted egg and coco jam"

De Espadana Quezo de Bola Cheesecake
(Php 220)
"Baked cheesecake with santol, prune and fig compote"

Sisa's Dementia
(Php 175)
"Truffle cake with white chocolate almond pastille, dark choco mousse and ganache"

Pepay the Dancer's Halo Halo
(Php 220)
" Red monggo, langka, garbanzaos, kaong, nata, jalea, goat's milk, leche flan, candied kamias, saba, guava, quezo de bola, fresh pastillas and ube purple yum ice cream"

The place - is small but cosy, the interiors are very charming, giving feeling of comfort, warmth, and relaxation.

The food - Restaurante Pia y Damaso manage to do the traditional way of cooking, and with a twist - an exotic ... and a different bland of ingredients. It was my 1st time to eat a crocodile meat, an Ostrich meat and deer meat! They taste like, chicken, or pork or beef meat. The meat is clean and don't have stinky smell. An exotic food that will make you forget what meat it is.

All the desert were not too sweet and seemed that the combination was perfect. <3

Everything taste is perfect which makes me craving until the last bite. :)

The food were served very quickly and the staff/waiters were very friendly. Thanks!