518591 Tue May 13 01:28:59 -0700 2008 2 48 Greater Asia 0 3681735 It's been ages since I last visited the Philippines & its fair capital, Manila. I've always had a fascination for Filipino cuisine, with its special blend of Malay, Hispanic & Chinese cooking styles. Filipino eateries in Lucky Plaza, Orchard Road, are more of the casual turo-turo food stall variety, whilst GP Restaurant was pretty inconsistent. So it was indeed a pleasure when 7107 Flavours opened in Marina Square last year - it was touted as the first fine-dining Filipino restaurant in town. I was there last week & had: - Sinigang ng isda (a delicious sourish fish soup); - Adobong manok (chicken in soy-vinegar stew); - Laing Bikolano (there are 2 versions of the rich coconutty yam leaves stew, but the Bikolano one has chillis added for more bite); - Dinakdakan (barbecued chicken pieces in a creamy sauce - it's the most delicious stuff I've eaten for quite a while); - Calderetta (a tomatoey beef stew); - Garlic fried rice (not very good here unfortunately). Dessert was halo-halo (so-so) and Brazo de Mercedes (fantastic!). Defintely have to bring a bigger dining party so we can perhaps order the whole lechon (suckling pig). Pity that there's such a strict control on use of pig's blood in Singapore, so we can't have dinuguan here. The cooking has an honest home-cooked flavour to it. I wished that they can offer a lavish buffet spread instead, along the lines of Kamayan or Barrio Fiesta in Manila. If not, then perhaps some lighter, modern interpretation of Filipino cuisine, like those offered by Fernando Aracama's Uva at Greenbelt 3 in Makati, or Ariel Manuel's Lolo Dad in Remedios Circle, Malate. But I guess, short of buying a ticket for a 3.5 hours flight to Manila, 7107 Flavours can pretty much satisfy one's craving for a good Filipino meal. Tue May 13 01:29:01 -0700 2008 143097 klyeoh 1 4434823 Just went back to 7107 Flavours Filipino restaurant this week, and the food's still just as great as I remembered from the last time I was there. We had: - Pinakbet (very rich, topped with thick slices of roast pork!); - Kare-kare (my fave dish to order in a Filipino restaurant whenever Laing is not available); - Rellenong bangus (delicious, but a bit dry); - Sinigang ng pusit; Loved the desserts: - Maja blanca; - Leche flan - Brazo de Mercedes I just came back from San Francisco last weekend & was wondering why SF, with its large Filipino community (in Daly City, San Bruno, etc) does not have any Filipino restaurant as posh & slick as 7107 Flavours in Singapore. Fri Feb 20 00:38:26 -0800 2009 3681735 143097 klyeoh 2 4435310 In spite of the large Filipino community in the Bay Area, most Filipinos still seek out their dishes in an environment that is not formal (or overly formal), where the dishes would appear to have been prepared as it would at home, and where quantity of the portions are what it would have been when one dines at home – i.e. lot’s of servings and variety of dishes all in one dinner. These traits are not one would associate with the “posh and slick” fine dining that you seem to seek out. This is more obvious when you see places like Red Ribbon, Barrio Fiesta, Aristocrat , all in the Daly City/Serramonte area, crammed with people chowing down on many dishes that looks and taste like true Filipino hiome-cooking. Even the places that you mentioned in the Philippines, i.e. Lolo Dad’s, actually do NOT offer purely indigenous dishes, as their style are really more westernized in order to simulate fine dining. It’s hard not to notice this as that their preparations, executions and ingredients (e.g. lot’s of foie gras on everything). While I’m never a fan of Lolo Dad’s as they over do their preparations by cramming many ingredients into their large-portioned dishes and eventually losing out the main theme that’s being presented in a dish, I don’t fault them for doing such preparations, because as I mentioned above, Filipinos seek out variety and quantity, all in one sitting. It is probably more profitable to do these offerings in the Philippines for the sake of variety, but it becomes harder to maintain this in, say, San Francisco where Filipinos are homesick and are clamoring for the real, traditional stuff. On the other hand, a Filipino-based fine dining establishment has met some success in New York City, but from what I gather the clienteles here have mostly been non-Filipinos. The difference with this place is that they truly advertised themselves as a fusion restaurant and it appeals to New Yorkers seeking ethnic foods that is a short subway ride away. I have first –hand knowledge from friends and business contacts that were in awe of the “Filipino” food that they had here. From what I gather, the dishes in this restaurant are actually a fusion with French nouvelle style thrown into the mix. BTW, I, myself, wouldn’t go to this restaurant unless somebody else pays for it as I, too, seek out the true traditional stuff for Filipino foods. eg Fri Feb 20 07:26:10 -0800 2009 4434823 267304 EGoldberg