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COCONUTS HOT SPOT — We’re only too happy to report that after six months of being “away” from the restaurant scene, Chef Tatung is back — in Quezon City, where it all started, with a new restaurant that serves straightforward back-to-basics Filipino food.
It’s called Alab and as promised, Chef Tatung dishes out what he’d like to call “unpretentious, heart-warming, and unapologetically Filipino food.”
Alab is a spacious two-storey restaurant on the corner of Scout Rallos and Tomas Morato. The interiors, done by Liza Crespo, are modern, elegant and with subtle references to Filipino culture and design — check out that giant pair of fork and spoon!
It says a lot about the kind of Filipino food that Chef Tatung serves: through and through Filipino but elevated and forward-thinking. Not fusion, mind you, but one that tries to reflect what Filipino food is today.
The menu is comprised of two main sections, made up of Filipino food that Chef Tatung himself carefully chose. These, he believes, are what best represents Filipino food today.
There’s the “Hinahanap-hanap Kita,” where diners can find a dozen of Filipino food classics — Adobong Pula, Kare-Kare and Crispy Pata just to name a few.
And then there’s the “O Lumapit Ka,” where the good chef puts together regional favorites. Here diners will find items like the Tausug’s grilled chicken (aka Piyangang), Tinumok and Kalderetang Kanding.
The best part? Alab has a little Filipino deli at the corner where, yes! Chef Tatung’s pichi-pichi is available for take out. Lord knows how much we’ve thought about his pichi-pichi in those six months.
67 Scout Rallos St cor Tomas Morato Ave, Bgy Laging Handa, Quezon City; +63 2 3649631. Daily 11am-11pm.
Alab’s Bringhe. An order is comprised of 3 nuggets, which in turn features deboned chicken sitting atop sticky rice drenched in coconut milk and tumeric. (PHP245)
Gising-Gising. Mixed local seafood and vegetable in a spicy coconut sauce. (PHP270)
Honey Lechon. Pork belly that’s been roasted for 6 hours, on a bed of garlic and lemon grass. (PHP390)
Tinumok. Inside these taro leaves are coconuts noodles and chopped shrimps. It’s stewed in coconut cream and flavored with bagoong alamang. (PHP170)
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