For us, Alab restaurant set Philippine cuisine on fire with their unfamiliar regional dishes and specially concocted desserts. Their food that made our love for Filipino food ablaze were the following:
1) Okoy (P125) - It has sweet potato and shrimps deep-fried until crisp to perfection, and topped with fresh spring onions and carrots. Eating it with the served sugarcane vinegar dip truly stimulated our appetites.
2) The Tinumok (P195) - It is coconut noodles wrapped in taro leaves but soaked in coconut cream and shrimp mixture. The added heat of the chili pepper made the chewy dish more uniquely delicious.
3) Pianggang (P 290) - It is perfectly grilled coconut-infused chicken topped with a special Tausug paste. We didn't know we'd want it until we tried it and the fresh vegetables added variety on its taste.
4) Alab's Fried Rice (195) - This is good for sharing. It has turmeric which its peppery and warm flavors were balanced with the shrimp, eggs, and spring onions.
5) New York Cubao Bibingka Cheesecake (P140) - It is a Filipino traditional rice cake that is sweet because of the tart base and cream of the New York-style cheesecake. But it is also, at the same time, salty because of the salted egg. We get to make its taste sweeter with the drizzled muscovado syrup on the side, and the grated coconut and cherry on top.
6) Laing Ice Cream (P100) - It is certainly for those who have a penchant for Bicol's spicy taro and coconut milk dish or simply has an adventurous taste bud.
7) Kamote Q (P100) - It pleases those who have a sweet tooth with the texture of sweet potato felt and the taste of caramelized brown sugar tasted in each spoon.
Overall, Alab's passion for Filipino food tapped our unfamiliar fondness for Philippine culinary culture ablaze. read more