Living in the Philippines, its inevitable everyone has come across Filipino food at one point or another but we usually take this for granted and put little importance on.
Sooo Pinoy, an advocacy project of Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) aims to change all that. They aim to feed the national pride through the appreciation of Filipino cuisine and help Filipinos discover where to find the best Filipino dishes.
I was one of the bloggers invited to join a food trip to sample some of the influences of Filipino cuisine that make it rich and diverse. The first stop for the day was lunch at Adarna Food & Culture, in Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City. I admit I had never heard of the place before but upon setting foot outside and seeing the signage, I knew it was going to be a blast from the past. The place gets its name from the magical bird Adarna of Philippine lore.
Our lunch started off with Seafood Special (P485). Seafood consisting of shrimp, small scallops and fish simmered in tomato and olive oil sauce topped with fried onion. The sauce was very flavorful, I think I had a little too much rice. I love the crunchy bell peppers and fried onions but as usual removed the green peas, I can't really explain why I dislike them so much.
Bicol Express (P298). This dish looked so interesting I forgot it was chili I was eating. Having cut off the end part and stuffing it into my mouth, I was dragged back to reality by the spiciness probably due to some of the seeds not being thoroughly removed. Rice and some of the coconut milk sauce saved by taste buds. The middle part had more stuffing (pork and shrimp) and no more chili seeds that I was able to finish the whole thing.
Adobong Batangas ala Adarna (P240). The adobo dish was good but I think the piece I had was a little burnt leading to it being a little tough. The sauce was ok but not the adobo taste I wanted, since everyone has their own way of doing it.
For dessert, Kesong Puti and Langka Fry(P95). I love langka and this dessert has it in spades from the sauce to the filling. A different take on classic "turon" (banana fritter), with the "kesong puti" (white cheese) replacing bananas in this iteration. Some people may find the langka taste too overpowering but langka lover that I am, I was in heaven. The kesong puti played a nice salty and crumbly foil to the sweet langka, producing a nice balanced dessert.
After dessert, we were taken on a tour of the restaurant to burn off some of the calories we consumed before we continued to our next stop on the food tour.
Adarna Food and Culture
119 Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City
926.8712
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