Serving stories through taste
Whether it’s bringing coastal Spanish flavors on a plate, two well-loved Filipino brands teaming up for a limited-time menu, family-friendly food and drink pairings that go beyond the usual bar experience, or a taste of the Philippines in a cookie, these brands tell a story that makes the experience worth savoring.
Cantabria debuts limited-time Los Chicucos Verano menu
Michelin Guide Select Spanish restaurant Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez welcomes a new season with the launch of a limited-time menu series that hits close to home. Taking inspiration from their hometowns, Cantabria’s creative culinary director Chele Gonzalez and chef de cuisine Álvaro Romero-abreu Raya put Cantabria and Cádiz on a plate in the restaurant’s new Los Chicucos Verano menu.
The five-course menu starts with a trifecta of tapas. Starting off is the ensaladilla—a Canelón Crujiente de Ensaladilla de Salmón Ahumado, Ikura y Eneldo (crunchy roll stuffed with smoked salmon, potato salad, ikura, and dill)—followed by a one-bite puff inspired by Spanish cheeseboards: the Buñuelo de Queso Idiazabal al Pimentón y Gel de Membrillo con Pistachos (paprika-smoked cheese puff, quince, and pistachios). Then comes a light and airy Cádiz delicacy called the Tortillita de Camarones (baby prawn fritters, pickled onions, and parsley emulsion).
Kicking of the seafood-forward momentum are the mains. The Atún, Gazpacho, Piriñaca y Aliño—a tuna sashimi, gazpacho, pickled Spanish peppers with frozen salad—awakens the palate with an icy base, coupled with the clean taste of raw tuna, whose brininess is masked by the vibrance of fresh vegetables. Then comes a traditional northern Spanish dish, the Pimientos de Piquillo, Cangrejo, Suero de Hinojo y Majao. Think piquillo pepper stuffed with crab, where the stuffed pepper is roasted over an open flame for that char and smokiness that enhances the natural sweetness of the crab, served on a bed of vegetal majao, fennel dressing, and cream.
The Bacalao al Pilpil, Cuajada de Apio y Meloso de Choco y Vieiras—a codfish with pilpil, cuajada, and celery—ends the seafood medley, served with black rice cooked with cuttlefish and scallops that echoes Cantabria’s former bestselling paella negra. Meanwhile, the hearty Solomillo de Vaca, Salsa Cafe de Paris, Pavé y Berenjena Asada (beef tenderloin, Café de Paris sauce, roasted eggplant purée, and potato pavé) nods to Spanish home cooking, served with light Café de Paris-inspired sauce, enriched with Cantabrian anchovies to add depth and umami.
Dessert reawakens the palate with an icy cold mix of melon gelée, lime-lemon granita, and Macedonia skewers (strawberry, melon, and grape). It reimagines citrusy ice pops, topped with cubes of Cantabrian sponge cake because what is summer without something cold to end it?
The Los Chicucos Verano Menú is offered at P2,900+ per person, available for lunch and dinner until Oct. 31. Advance reservation is required via https://qrco.de/LOSCHICUCOSVeranoMenu
Grace Park and Abub’s Lechon write a new chapter for lechon
Keeping the legacy of chef Margarita Forés alive, Grace Park debuts a limited-time collaboration with Cebu-style, Manila-based brand Abub’s Lechon (the late chef’s favorite), which features five original dishes that center on the latter’s charcoal-roasted spicy lechon. Dubbed the Lechon Remix, it features a creative spin on a Filipino classic (with Abub’s signature spice) in true Grace Park fashion.
Spotlighting Forés’ legacy and passion for Filipino techniques and ingredients in a retelling of Filipino dishes, the limited-time menu includes a Pritchon “Salad,” which features a bed of romaine lettuce, topped with Abub’s spicy lechon, ripe mango, portobello mushroom, and housemade atchara—finished off with a tart dalandan vinaigrette and crispy bites of fried lechon skin.
And of course, a classic—lechon sisig, made with Abub’s spicy lechon, flavored with aromatic lemongrass oil and onions. It’s meatier and softer than the classic sisig (almost reminiscent of dinakdakan), but features the same creaminess, heartiness, and runny egg yolk.
There’s even an interactive option to go with the sisig—DIY Lechon Sisig Tacos, which adds soft corn tortilla and a quartet of toppings: burrata, Capiz Bihod, fried garlic and lemongrass, and atchara.
As for something comforting (timely for the rainy season), the Lechon Paksiw Palayok Rice features a deconstructed paksiw that showcases lechon, onions, and crispy tutong rice in a claypot. A creamy, toned-down paksiw sauce is then poured over to complete the dish. Because what is lechon paksiw without sauce?
Finally, the collective crowd favorite, lechon binagoongan—a punchy dish that takes Abub’s spicy lechon, eggplant, and green chili and slow cooks it in bagoong until oily and punctuated by fresh elements of cherry tomatoes.
Available exclusively from Aug. 13 to Sept. 15, “Lechon Remix: Grace Park x Abub’s Lechon” can be enjoyed at Grace Park One Rockwell and Grace Park Araneta City
The Penthouse QC proves there’s more to a bar than booze
If The Penthouse 8747 embraces Makati nightlife with cocktails, spirits, and elevated bites of bar chow to go around, its Quezon City counterpart leads a double life: family-friendly restaurant during the early hours of the evening before transforming into a late night partying spot.
The common denominator? Both branches see reason to celebrate and gather—at least, on top.
Signatures from its Makati counterpart make a return appearance in Quezon City, which include the watermelon-forward Night in the Plaza, and the Jimmy Gatz, a rum and mango juice mix, and the Dragonfruit Mojito. As for bestselling bites, there are the Penthouse Crab Cakes (crispy bites made with real crab meat and no extenders) and the Wagyu Aburi with Foie Gras, a layered sushi that’s carefully seared to preserve its flavors.
New menu items made for sharing include a squid ink pasta in a creamy tomato sauce, loaded with clams, scallops, and shrimp—aptly called the black pasta—and a braised beef short rib featuring charred, glazed slices of beef served alongside mashed potatoes and buttered vegetables.
The Penthouse Quezon City is located at 31/F, South Insula Condominium, Timog Avenue, Quezon City. It is open on Tuesdays to Sundays from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m. For inquiries or reservations, please contact +63 917 711 1836
Mo’ Cookies drops new Philippine-inspired cookie flavor
Mo’ Cookies wants to tell the story of its roots, turning literally to the root that is deeply woven into Filipino food culture: ube.
Enter the Ube Fudge Cookie. More than a celebration of Filipino flavors, it tests the mettle of the brand—challenging it to create something different with the humble root crop amid the surge of Filipino-style and Filipino-inspired ube desserts.
The result? A cookie made with vibrant ube cookie dough filled with a gooey mix of ube halaya and macapuno—topped with white chocolate coins and toasty mallows for that melt-in-your-mouth finish. It’s part nostalgic and indulgent made large in signature palm-sized cookie fashion that many have come to associate with Mo’ Cookies.
The Ube Fudge Cookie is available from Aug. 1 to Sept. 15 at all Mo’ Cookies shops. It is also available via delivery through mo.momentfood.com, GrabFood, Foodpanda, and GCash Food Hub
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