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Back in the late 80s, catering company Old Fashion Bibingka At Iba Pa fed many people well with their Spanish-Filipino fare. Its dinuguan, zarzuela de mariscos and popular bibingka made loyal patrons out of people, thanks to cookbook author Mary Ann de Leon and her siblings. After successful years in the business though, the owners ventured into other interests like real estate, leaving the company to bite the dust.
Fortunately, Brian Hagedorn thought of joining the weekend Legazpi market and sharing one of the most loved dishes in her mom Mary Ann’s repertoire. As an ode to her relatives’ company and their grandmother, he named his stall Old Fashion Tapa. At only 3 weeks old, it has already been showing much promise.
While Brian admits to not being such a great cook, he is quick to acknowledge their kusinera, Ate Fely, who was taught his grandparents’ recipes and has helped him make the tapa he grew up loving. “Tapa is one of the catering company’s dishes and it’s the only one that you can sell frozen,” he says. “I grew up knowing that kind of tapa. That has been my standard and idea of tapa. I like it to be classic and so I kept it as is.” He produces and packs 80-100 kilos a week and so far, he gets to sell everything he brings to the market. Brian also supplies tapa to a number of restaurants in the metro.
A good tapa to start the day with
The Old Fashion Tapa is tender as the meat is sliced along the grain and has a certain cut and thickness Brian strictly abides to. It’s subtly sweet and has a taste that pairs well with vinegar, the way we typically eat the beloved cured meat. The beef has really absorbed much of the savory flavor, unlike others where the marinade/sauce covers up for the meat’s blandness. And as a mark of really good tapa, it does make you eat more than your fair share of rice.
For now, Brian would like to focus on his thriving tapa business. Hopefully though, he sells more of the good food his family has been indulging on all these years.
Old Fashion Tapa, +63 917 8470714. PHP300 per ½ kilo
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