In vinegar he trusts
To hear a chef known for making desserts list vinegar as a favorite condiment can come as a surprise. One would think he’d choose coarse sugar made from coconut sap or something exotic like vanilla pods from Madagascar, but chef Wado Tan Siman declared his penchant for vinegar. “I really do, and you can taste it in the food I cook.”
The Filipino-Chinese chef behind the dessert shop Wadough’s in Maginhawa, Quezon City, is also behind Atina Café and Brutal, the latter a two-level restaurant a stone’s throw from his family home where he continues to reside. It’s been open less than a year, but has gained traction well beyond its radius for the chef’s take on global comfort food as well as its Brutalist-inspired facade and interiors.
“This used to be my mom’s place where she sold lutong bahay (home-cooked food) wrapped in banana leaves,” Siman told Lifestyle recently.
When he took over the space and opened Brutal last year, he wanted to take that concept further by offering familiar dishes and giving them his own spin.
A few examples include his Cesar Salad—not a typo—a localized version made with tinapa, calamansi, and fried pandesal croutons; Inasal Pork Ribs; and a handful of pastas. We tried and liked the Sausage alla Vodka that was creamy and came with a wedge of garlic bread.
He recently collaborated with Jeffrey Le Bon, a French American chef who plans on opening his own restaurant in BGC. The four-hands dinner at Brutal dubbed “Manille” is only until tonight, but last week we were given a preview of the eight-course menu—complete with a trio of cocktails—they both worked on.
Dessert
Le Bon opened with a spicy-savory gazpacho with nuggets of fresh salmon paired with the first of three cocktails. Spicy Batwan served in a martini glass combined Aperol, tequila, and chili with a candied batwan that mimicked a green olive. It was our favorite that evening.
Siman’s appetizer was Dinakdakan, the Ilocano bar chow made with pork head offal, red onions, and chilies. He served it like Panipuri, the Indian dish made of a crispy, hollowed-out shell. On the side was a shot glass of sinamak (spicy vinegar) that we were instructed to squirt into the shell using the provided pipette.
“I like to place a lot of suka before popping the whole thing in my mouth,” Siman said. For added crunch and color, he topped the savory app with a bright green edamame.
Le Bon swirled aligue (crab fat) into perfectly cooked risotto—“It’s my specialty”—topping it with scallops, while Siman made a lamb pares that had none of the gaminess associated with the meat. Instead of serving this with steamed or garlic rice, he wrapped rice around a quail egg to make onigiri (rice ball). He then drizzled a balsamic glaze over the dish because, as he quipped, “Adik ako sa suka.”
Not all the chefs’ dishes hit their marks, but those that did—like the gazpacho, dinakdakan, and risotto—were really good. It was in the dessert, however, that Siman really shone. His “Uling” sampler included charcoal meringue, brown butter pinipig, a scoop of chocolate ice cream, and marmalade sponge cake made pleasantly tart with calamansi curd. Does he eventually plan to serve this deliciousness at Wadough’s?
“No, probably not,” Siman said, but here’s hoping it might appear on the Brutal menu.
“Manille” at Brutal will have its last night tonight. The restaurant is located at Sto. Tomas corner Nicanor Ramirez, Quezon City, tel. 0954-3087638.
