The people behind it? The location? The food? For Locavore, it is the combination of all that a fore- mentioned.
A locavore (the term is a neologism) is a person interested in eating food that is locally produced, not moved long distances to market. One common - but not universal - definition of "local" food is food grown within 100 miles of its point of purchase or consumption
-wikipedia
Located at the middle of Brixton St. in Barangay Kapitolyo, Pasig City, Locavore is the only food place on that street. Gutsy it may be, but it sure paid well for a business who is only 5 months old but has already gained its initial output and even more.
One thing I noticed with this establishment, in connection to food, is that they know what they are serving. The concept of dimension, texture and distinct flavor is clearly manifested on each dish served out. Thanks to The Big Difference Communication and our gracious host for giving me and my fellow bloggers a chance to have the Locavore experience!
For a Tuesday night, the place was packed with diners, not counting the people waiting to be seated or those who took a chance to be seated. Add the fact that we were a big group (24) and it was Tuesday Night Jam, saying that the place is busy is kind . . . .extremely busy is more like it!
Once seated, a staff will make sure that you get a copy of their food offerings and give you ample minutes to choose from the selection. You may ask if getting the attention of a staff is a challenge, something that is common with a full pack food establishment, then the answer is No. The staffs are attentive to their area and getting their attention is just a snap.
Now for the food part . . .
For you to truly enjoy your dining moment in Locavore, you need to know what you want. You need to match your viand to the type of rice that you will have. What if you have more than two types of viands in mind that calls for a different pairing? If you are part of a group, then you can have two types of rice serving. If you are alone, then choose a safe type of rice or what you want most since you can have steamed white or brown organic rice or garlic white or brown rice.
For starters, we were given a serving of what you would call street food - fish balls, squid balls and kwek-kwek/tokneneng, with three types of dipping sauces for you to enjoy - sweet, spicy, vinegar. Kwek-kwek/tokneneng is boiled and shelled quail eggs coated with a batter then fried. It is truly something that you see on the streets and enjoy. Like any street food dipping sauce, you can mix your own sauce based on your taste palate. Very Asian! Very Pinoy!
Another food offering worth trying is the Sisig Lechon & Oyster! This is something that you can have with rice (-garlic rice is the best for this, may it white or brown!) or with beer or both. It is your typical sisig with pieces of oyster meat mix in it. The meat, with the oyster is covered with a sauce that binds both perfectly! Eaten while still hot or cold, the rich flavor is still present and distinct despite the difference of meat involved. The softness of the oysters with the slight crunch coming from the lechon is an experience by itself in terms of texture. The sauce is not salty. The natural saltiness of the oyster is made to play in the flavoring of this dish.For me the following entrees are a must to have when you visit this place: Dinuguang Lechon, Sizzling Sinigang, Sugpo Con Mayonesa, Wings Kare-Kare and Mac's Boneless Fried Chicken.
Dinuguang Lechon
True to their concept of giving a new twist to known Filipino dishes, Locavore has created Dinuguang Lechon - a food marriage between roasted pork (lechon) and pork blood stew (dinuguan). Soft and tasty pork meat. Crunchy pork skin. Thick sauce made from pork's blood that is seasoned right. Best paired with steamed rice.
One liner description - Simply created to break all rules of diet!
This is your classic pork sinigang served differently. The stock has the right sour flavor that we all love in a good sinigang. If my taste buds are right, I would say the broth was made thick because of bone marrow blended with the stock.
What makes it different from other sinigang dishes is the way it was served. Using a partly deep hot dish, the broth was made even thicker; the flavors more defined. Besides the flavor, what is nice with this dish is the fact that the vegetables are simply cooked right, not over blanched - maintaining a light crunch. Think of the textures - crunch from the string beans to the softness of the pork, juicy cooked tomatoes to the onion slices. Now think of the flavors of the broth - that right level of sourness, that marrow richness that you taste and see in the broth. This is one delightfully rich dish!
Sugpo Con Mayonesa
It's 5 to 6 pieces of good size prawns, cooked perfectly! Served with a buttery - garlic sauce that has a light citrus touch. Besides the prawns, it also has aligue - that rich, fatty crab goodness that people love. It is delicious but at the same time dangerous to one's health when consumed in big amount. That buttery-garlic-citrus sauce is best combined with steamed rice.
When the rich sauce is mix with plain steamed rice, it coats the rice well that the richness is evenly distributed and not simply on the prawns - thus making it truly delicious! One thing is for sure, the people of Locavore do know how to handle their prawns right. I have an allergy with crustaceans but with this dish, I barely itch after taking the sauce. Kudos!
It's 6 pieces of chicken wings bathed in kare-kare glaze. It has a buttermilk ranch dressing that makes it more richer in terms of flavor. Served with green mangoes and jincama and sweet shrimp paste, this is a food wonder indeed! The chicken is soft and cooked right. The glaze is peanut-buttery good! It is both sweet and salty at the same time! Best paired with the brown garlic rice.
Since brown rice is naturally bland, when mixed with the sweet-salty taste of the sauce is then brought to a new level making the dish more enjoyable. Helping to cut the rich flavor (typical of a good kare-kare) but at the same time making it more enjoyable is the pieces of green mangoes and jincama.
Mac's Boneless Fried Chicken
This is a house special!
Crunchy chicken with a savory-sweet sauce. Best eaten with your favorite drink and if you can get away with it, use your hands. Let us face it, chicken is best eaten using your fingers.
You should also try the Ginataang Kalabasa and the Tortang Talaba. two of the entree dishes served that night that I wasn't able to taste. c")
After a hearty meal, what better way to close the dinner but with desserts, right? A must try are the following: Leche Flan, Turon con Leche and Tortang Manga.
Leche Flan
It is creamy and smooth! No air pockets - meaning it was not over beaten. Cooked using an oven and the classic water-bath technique giving it a firm form but maintaining that creamy, smooth goodness. They serve it with a separate homemade caramel sauce and slivers of mandarin oranges. The caramel sauce is thick and not overpoweringly sweet. Normally, it would be a simple sugar syrup that gets caramelized when cooked to give sweetness to this treat. They did apply that in this offering but on a small degree only; enough to give a brown top when served.
The flavor dimensions that this dish has to offer is so great! Eating the flan alone is already a treat. Mix a small amount of caramel to the flan, then what you have is a richer version of the traditional home dessert that everybody loves. Eat the flan with a sliver of the mandarin oranges and what you have is light acidity cutting through the creamy richness of the flan. When you combine the flan, caramel and mandarin oranges, what you have is one fabulous treat! Smooth creamy goodness, enhanced with the caramel and then you have that acidity cutting through it all because of the mandarin oranges! A treat and a palate cleanser all in one plate!
If you are familiar with apple pocket pies, then this is how this treat looks like. Square golden brown on the outside, dusted with sugar powder and a deliciously sweet treat inside. The difference? Instead of sweet apple filling, what is inside is a good size of flan. Yes, you read it right . . . flan.
The wrapper used was fried to a golden brown perfection! It's crunchy and flaky; a sign of a good cook keeping a good eye as this is being fried. The flan is wrapped and sealed properly, making sure that it remains solid as it is fried. When you cut into it, make sure that you drizzle the side serving of caramel sauce on top to fully enjoy this dessert.
What I am about to say may not be advisable to all but something that the people of Locavore may think about. This is best eaten after being placed inside the chiller. If they could find a way to remove the grease before made cold, then this is one heavenly treat!
Tortang Manga
aka Mango Torte.
Its creamy, soft, lightly sweet with different textures per layer.
And I wasn't able to taste this. I will be back for this one . . .I promise!
I have initially thanked The Big Difference Communications and the host, but I also would like to thank the team that served us that night. They were all cordial and good in delivering the service expected from them. A big THANK YOU to Dingdong, Kim C., Anjo Y. and Jinkee ! Yes, you read it right . . .the staffs are named after known local celebrities that they may have similarities with (looks wise that is). And whoever thought of the menu, you have one creative and playful mind! Chef Mikel (Kel), hands off to your French training! Your knowledge on food presentation, texture and dimension truly showed on each plate that came out of your kitchen.
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So if you are looking for a place to have good food; away from all the busy street and noise, then look no further! Locavore is the place for you! Located in Pasig City, at Barangay Kapitolyo, along Brixton Street, Locavore definitely has something to satisfy your discriminating taste. With capable staff, a good chef, consistently delicious food, it is no wonder that this is the hottest eating place right now.
Come and visit Locavore. Not only will you have good food but you are assured that you are supporting the local market too!
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(All photos used were personally taken by me during the blogger's event in Locavore)
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