We’ve had several impromptu meetings, and tastings at Mercury Lounge before. We had a delightful brunch several months ago when several of of our friends from Los Angeles visited San Francisco, but this is our first official kapaMEALya dinner. Since Chef Dom, who is a Filipino American that grew up in the US and learned how to cook Filipino food by himself, takes certain liberties when preparing Filipino dishes, his reinterpretation of the dishes are fresh and very intriuiging to say the least.
One of the highlights from the 6 course meal was the bulalo dumplings, a dish traditionally prepared by stewing a bone-in beef shanks with some oninons, garlic, bay leaf and fish sauce (vegetables optional). A fairly light and simple soup usually eaten with white rice. Dom decided to add the carbohydrates right in the soup and made dumplings out of the beef and some bone marrow from the shank and served it with the soup that cooked the meat.
Juicy and beefy dumplings with beef stew flavor in one bite.
Chef Dom also reinterpreted the infamous fishballs, the king of streetfood in the the Philippines. Aside from the dirty icecream and taho vendor, the fishball vendor is like the watercooler of young adulthood. After school, kids will convene at their favorite fishball vendor (usually the guy with the best sauce, it’s always about the sauce right Barry?) and chew the fat talking about last nights episode of Slam Dunk or whatever kids are watching these days.
Fishballs in the Philippines are usually made out of flour, some bits and pieces of the fish grounded up then rolled into a ball, usually factory pressed in a factory. What makes this bland, usually tasteless greasy fried ball a joy to eat is actually the act of eating it. There is a whole ritual and rules that go with the whole thing. First, you tell the vendor how many fishballs you are getting, so you pay the man! Then you grab a small bamboo stick and just like playing a fisher price tabletop game, you try to get the prize, only here you try to score the biggest and puffiest fishball without burning yourself. Did I forget to mention that there’s an open fire involved with scalding hot frying oil involved? So after you have poked and lined up all your fishballs, next is the tough decision, the sauce. Growing up, there’s usually 3 different kinds of sauces, the original is made with vinegar and soysauce with some chopped up onions and garlic. The second and third one is usually similar but has various subtle differences. They will both be cornstarched based, with some sugar and soysauce and other extra ingredients, one will be spicier than the other for the more adventurous types. This fishball sauce is so popular amongst Filipinos that Mama Sita, a well know sauce and seasonings maker out of the Philippines make their own. So after you have picked your sauce and dipped your fishballs in there(double dipping not allowed!), you have to gear up for the stance, since the fishballs will be dripping all over, you have to make sure that you’re holding them away from your fancy shmancy shoes!
Back to our regularly scheduled program, Chef Dom’s fishballs are the grown up version made out of SeaBass and served with pickled green papaya noodles (acharra) with a light vinaigrette dipping sauce. Definitely the fishiest fishballs I’ve ever had.
Another highlight is the pressed pork belly with lechon sauce glaze served on top of banana hearts, paired with adobong snow pea sprouts.
This was a smart move by the Chef, anticipating the bold and richness of the pork belly, he decided to serve it with not one but two sides. The banana hearts sauted in the same sauce as the pork compliments the pork. The crisp snow pea sprouts sauted in adobo sauce (soy sauce, vinegar, pepper) also compliments the pork, by again cutting the richness of the dish. The Manny Pacquiao of the evening, pound for pound people’s champ is the pork belly. TKO! The crowd was asking for a Round2.
For my money though, a dessert person that I am, my vote goes to the Halo-halo panna cotta for the belt . Usually served with shaved ice and evaporated milk and various boiled sweet beans and fruits. Dom’s reinterpretation is more refined. A delicate purple yam panna cotta with beans and jelly at the bottom. I’m pretty sure there was more, but I could only taste a couple of bites since my Fiancee finished the treat before I can properly examine the dessert 
Delicious.
Love, Peace and Pork Belly Grease!
A heart-felt Thank You goes out to Chef Dom and his crew, everyone that came out, and the rest of the kapaMEALya crew. It was our pleasure hosting this dinner for you. You keep coming, we’ll keep hosting!
Credits:
words by @angcolette
pictures by jeremiah ysip (ysipj(AT)yahoo(dot)com)
fishball vendor pic by (pinayflyhigh)
