Tags: Food Establishments, Seafood
By Anna Valmero
MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA – He may not have reached eternal glory and fame like Mao of the Cooking Master Boy series, but Hernani Sarat says he is having the time of his life cooking and serving seafood dishes just across the Manila-Beijing Friendship Bridge (formerly Ongpin North Bridge) in Binondo.
Mang Nani, who now serves as chief cook at Estero LGA Fastfood since 1983, says cooking Chinese and Filipino exotic dishes is just like breathing for him.
“Mahigit 20 taon na akong nagluluto dito. Kung hindi naman ako masaya sa ginagawa ko siguro hindi ako tatagal ng ganito dito. Saka masaya ako na nagluluto para sa mga tao kasi napapasaya ko sila at sumasaya ako kapag alam kong nabusog sila sa niluto ko (I’ve been working here for over 20 years and I don’t think I will last that long if I’m not happy with my job. And it has been a personal satisfaction for me seeing that I can make people happy when they eat the dishes I cooked),” Mang Nani tells me in between cooking.
Located just after the bridge of one of Ongpin’s canals, don’t let Estero LGA Fastfood’s hole-in-the-wall look put you off because it offers authentic and tasty exotic food on a budget. The rows of carinderia offer you a closer feel to experience eating in China, minus the airfare.
I was able to was able to witness first-hand how Mang Nani prepared the savory dishes. The yang chow fried rice and oyster cake promptly disappeared from sight after it was served on our table.
Mang Nani says he did not set out to be a cook when he started as a dishwasher boy in the restaurant back in 1980 to help his family; he was barely 18 then.
“Ang chief cook noon dito ay Intsik, si Tony Tan. Sa tatlong taon nang panonood sa kanya ako natutong magluto (The chief cook before here was a Chinese, his name is Tony Tan. I learned to cook Chinese food by watching him for three years).”
Mang Nani says he is very thankful to Tan for showing him the ropes on how to capture that authentic Chinese taste in preparing the dishes.
“Pinoy naman ako at hindi ako maalam magluto ng ganito dati. Kapag nagluluto siya sinasabi niya sa akin paano ang ingredients at sa tagal, natutunan ko yung mga ginagawa niya (I am a Filipino and I only learned Chinese cooking from Tony. When Tony is in the kitchen, he would let me watch how he cooks each dish and he’d tell me the steps and the recipe. Over time, I learned how he cooks Chinese food).”
Owing to fresh sea food catch from Nueva Ecija and its clean kitchen, the restaurant has cemented its reputation as one of the best spots to savor Chinese cooking among Binondo locals and tourists.
Each day, kilos of oysters, frog legs, lapu-lapu, bamboo clams, chicken, and pork are delivered to their stock room for cooking. Although they are located beside a murky river, Mang Nani says they are keen to keep the kitchen clean and their food tasty and fresh.
And yes, if you are wondering if there is a “secret ingredient” to Chinese dishes that they serve here, Mang Nani says there is. Up to this day, it shall remain a secret until he retires and sees it fit to hand the knowledge to his successor.
“Yung secret (ingredient), yun ang pinaka-pinamana sa akin ni Tony. Nang malaman ko yun, sabi niya bago siya umalis kaya ko na daw tauhan yung kusina dito (The secret ingredient is the knowledge I inherited from Tony. Before he left, he said I could run the kitchen with that knowledge),” he adds.
Reminiscing about the past, Mang Nani hopes he would see again Estero’s heyday when the chains of carinderia were teeming with people in the 1980s.
“Noong panahong iyon ang haba talaga ng pila dito at lumalaban to sa The President sa dami ng customers. Kasi nga, pareho naman ang luto pero mas mura yung sa amin (Back then, there are long lines of customers here waiting to be serve and the place is a strong competitor of big restaurants such as The President before they moved to another area. We serve the same food at a much lower price).”
With food stalls sprouting everywhere, competition has been fierce and profits were not as high as it used to in the 1980s. Still, Mang Nani is optimistic that Estero’s legacy in exotic food fares will continue to give smiles to satisfied tummies of customers “because great food does not have to be very expensive,” he says.
Estero LGA Fastfood is located at 847-G Ongpin Gandara St. (near the Manila-Beijing Friendship Bridge), Sta. Cruz, Manila. You can contact them at (02) 734-3279.
Alcoholic Beverages Bars Beverages Coffee Cottage Industries Entrepreneurship Establishments Exotic Food Food Establishments Food Fare and Dishes Food Industry News and Concerns Food Preparation Food Products Healthy Food and Drinks Seafood Street Food Truly Pinoy Food and Drinks Vegetarian and Organic Food
WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck and Luke Morton requires Flash Player 9 or better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
