Months after its soft opening and test run, Bistro Lokal is finally ready to make things official at their grand opening on February 22 as a farm-to-plate restaurant that gives a modern twist to Filipino cuisine. Basing the menu on the seasons, owner and head chef, Chef Miko Dy, will highlight the essence of spring and family through his creations that stay true to the slow food philosophy using premier ingredients of local organic farmers in the Cordillera and Ilocandia. The opening will launch a whole new menu that exemplifies the vibrance of springtime making fresh and organic produce the star.
Everyone coming beginning on the 22nd will be welcomed by Bistro Lokal’s signature dining experience with Filipino classics like Ginataang Kalabasa, Sinigang sa Kawayan, Palabok, Whole Fried Chicken with Three Side Dishes, Caramelized Cauliflower, X.O. Pancit, and Chef Miko’s award-winning Bibingka. As these dishes are served family-style, the restaurant shows a more sentimental side that celebrates the value of bringing people together at the hapag-kainan where traditional Filipino comfort food is served.
Bistro Lokal Makes Dining Exciting with Traditional Cooking Methods
If having your food prepared tableside is something you have not experienced yet then you are in for a treat. This, among other things, will surely whet your appetite and tickle your fancy as a foodie simply because tableside service can be quite delightful. As you sit there watching how your food is prepared, you become more appreciative of the ingredients, the cooking method, and the skill involved with will be served on your plate. So, to see the bigger picture of what to expect, let’s get to know more about Bistro Lokal’s Spring Menu.
As a starter, a complimentary salad will be served instead of the complimentary bread that most diners are used to. This salad highlights the harvest of local farmers. A variety of greens, red onion, sourdough bread croutons, and cherry tomatoes are all tossed together in a patis-mansi vinaigrette.
Next is the delectable Caramelized Cauliflower with Chili Garlic (Php 290, serves 2-3). The warmth and subtle bitterness of garlic and the sweetness of cauliflower creates a playful flavor profile.
Another vegetable dish is Ginataang Kalabasa (Php260, serves 2 to 3). It is made special with a kinuday-based sauce and smoked coconut. The dish combines the everyday ingredients from the Ilocano region (string beans and squash), the Montanosa (kinuday – smoked meat), and coconut milk that is widely used in the Tagalog and Visayan regions. “Creamy” and “ malinamnam” would be the best two words used to describe.
For the main courses, Sinigang sa Kawayan is the Spring Menu’s show stopper (Php 480, serves 3. to 4). This course lets you experience a special Gerridon service that demonstrates a combination of the modern and traditional method of cooking seafood inspired by the indigenous people of Taiwan. Traditionally, Taiwanese use hot river rocks to cook their hot pot, combining key ingredients: the broth, seafood, and vegetables. Bistro Lokal’s Gerridon service shows exactly this.
The rocks used are first heated over a flame for eight hours. When it is time to cook the seafood, scorching rocks are placed into the bamboo cooking pot with the broth. The moment these rocks touch the broth, you’ll hear a lot of sizzling, which means that the broth is now beginning to warm up. Once the broth starts to bubble and boil, the ingredients we usually put in sinigang (seafood and grean leafy lowland vegetables) can now be put into the broth while it continues to simmer. After some time, you will have cooked the perfect seafood sinigang.
Cooking this way will never overcook the seafood. The modern twist to this traditional method comes in the sour element. Instead of using tamarind, Bistro uses kombucha — fermented tea that is tart and packed with so much flavor. It is also a probiotic that is rich in vitamins and antioxidants. You get the good stuff right there!
Inspired by neighborhood restaurant Kanto Fried Chicken (KFC) along Military Cut Off that’s always full of local diners, Bistro Lokal’s Whole Fried Chicken with Three Side Dishes is for the books (Php 950, serves 5). If you know someone who absolutely loves crispy pata, then this is a must-try! Free-range whole chicken is deep fried to crisp in pork fat — oil used to fry crispy pata. What more can you ask for, right? I mean, what’s not to love about it? The dish gets better with three sides: kale with kalamansi vinegraite, cucumber with mango vinegar and mascuvado, and long string beans cooked in fried chili and dried shrimps. Bistro’s Whole Fried Chicken is best enjoyed with their house ketchup that is made with saba and then mixed with soy sauce and dayap (key lime). A platter of this comes with five cups of steamed Kalinga red rice.
Bistro Lokal’s Spring Menu also includes a merienda classics. A personal fave is their Palabok (Php 280, good for 2-3). The sauce is a luxurious shrimp and pork ragù that got its richness by simmering it for eight hours. If that isn’t enough to convince you of how good it is, then you will be pleased to know that their palabok is topped with tinapa powder and deep-fried light and crisp shrimp. One forkful of this will leave you smitten, begging for more! Nuff said.
Another noodle dish is their X.O. Pancit, the Bistro’s version of Batil Patong. The sauce is based on the XO sauce of Cantonese origin that has a distinct umami flavor. The wonders of this dish is that the sauce is a mixture of tinapa, bagoong, dried shrimps, bagnet, dried dilis, kinuday, chorizo, and Vigan longanisa. The elements of the dish is definitely an ode to Filipino cuisine.
And of course, lest we forget, we head on to dessert — Bistro Lokal’s Bibingka. This award-winning treat is indulgent food. You eat it when you’re craving for a hug that only your favorite food can give. These little delights are light and fluffy, and they melt in your mouth almost instantly. The bibingka is served on a small grill that is set on top of a clay pot with hot coal in it. Once it reaches your table, the servers will spread Bistro’s homemade butter and sprinkle some sugar on top that will then be blowtorched that mimics the hardened caramelized sugar on creme brûlée. A perfect match to this heavenly dessert is the house iced tea that is made with kombucha, vanilla, honey, and pineapple juice. Are you craving yet? This is a certified must-try!
Bistro Lokal’s Grand Opening will feature the dining experience of the whole family. Prices are more affordable and the dishes are made and served for sharing with the people who matter to you. So if you want to take your family somewhere special for the weekend or to celebrate special events, visit Bistro Lokal. They are located at 307 Upper Magsaysay Avenue, 2600 Baguio City. For inquiries, contact them via 0945 716 5150.