Publiquo Grillery’s World Collective Grill: Inspired by the Culinary Traveler

The vibe. The food. The experience. — These words sum up what Publiquo Grillery is all about.

Publiquo’s passion for taking the oldest culinary techniques to elevated levels while staying true to how global culinary favorites are cooked is nothing short of admirable. Day in and day out, you’d see flame-loving chefs and cooks do their thing in a fully-equipped open kitchen, taking the grill-centric approach to cooking to higher levels with everything on their world’s collective succulent grill menu. From their mouthwatering steaks, always-perfect grilled dishes, to the heady highland craft bear, Publiquo Grillery takes dining and culinary experiences seriously.

Publiquo Grillery Serves Up Both Local and International Grill Classics

True blue Pinoys will get a kick over Dos Tres, Classic Pork BBQ, and Publiquo Pork BBQ. The local street food Dos Tres is called that way as a reference to the price of the parts of meat that are skewered and grilled. Back in the day, it was two pesos for the bopis (pork lung) and three pesos for the litid (tendon). In Publiquo, this famed Filipino street food favorite is also made with marinated and fried lungs and tendons on bamboo skewers and served with cucumber vinaigrette and some crispy tortilla triangles. One bite of this will make you miss the streets just before dusk after the day’s work and play.

Next up, Classic Pork BBQ and Publiquo Pork BBQ. These are about a foot long and is always as good as it gets. Although there are slight differences to the marination process, as Sir Ray says, both are equally succulent, full of flavor, and satisfying. Their Classic Pork BBQ highlights the Pinoy garlic and sour-salty playful flavors from kalamansi and toyo, while Publiquo Pork BBQ leans more to the sweet side – hamonado.

Inspired by the Indonesian Grill, Publiquo serves the popular Indonesian skewered street food: Sate Ayam (chicken), Sate Sapi (beef), and Sate Babi (pork).  Sate Ayam, one of the most common Malay street food dishes,  has a distinct texture and flavor. It is made of tender, marinated chicken pieces that are grilled and served with a rich, bold, spicy, and flavorful peanut sauce, made light with citrus notes.

Another exceptional dish Publiquo has available is Chicken Peri Peri – an important culinary classic from South Africa that has its roots in both Africa and Portugal. The dish was created by Portuguese settlers in Angola and Mozambique. They brought chile peppers, otherwise known as “Piri-Piri” in Swahili. Chicken Peri Peri is a flavorful dish made out of chicken that’s marinated with a homemade Peri-peri sauce (South African hot pepper sauce) that is commonly made with a combination of crushed chiles, garlic, onion, lemon, pepper, salt, and onion. Publiquo, of course, has its own take on the iconic sauce.

Sir Ray explains that this dish takes more than two days to prepare. On day one, the meat is brined, then on day two, the marination process takes place. On the third day, the meat is smoked before it’s grilled.  Because its cooked this way, their Chicken Peri Peri is always tender and juicy, with an outer crust that seals the deal. This dish is also available as a meal and will be served with some Java Rice,  Yorkshire Pudding, and Peri-Peri sauce.

Another grilled chicken dish is Publiquo Chicken. Now this one combines smokiness and sweetness perfectly. Preparing this dish begins with cold smoking where a distinctive smoky flavor is infused into the meat using minimal heat. Then, the chicken is cooked sous-vide style to ensure that the chicken is cooked evenly but remains tender. After that, the chicken is marinated and then finally grilled to perfection.

Publiquo Chicken is served with Java Rice, mango and eggplant ensalada, salted duck egg, and its special cucumber vinaigrette.

Heading South is one of Publiquo’s Chef’s Specials, Going Texas. Warning! This is not for the faint of heart. You can enjoy this mammoth meal all by yourself or bring your barkada to help get the job done.  It’s a carnivore’s dream come true, and then some.

Ordering this means you get a Smoked Beef Brisket, Maple BBQ Ribs, Burnt End Candies (smoked pork cubes braised in an apple chipotle sauce), Coleslaw, a Smoked Mac & Cheese Sausage, Japanese Sweet Corn Cobs, some Yorkshire Puddings, and Java Rice. With this dish, you get all their three awesome sauces: Texas Barbecue Sauce, Chimichurri, and Vinaigrette. Each element in this dish is carefully prepared, of course.

Sir Ray mentioned that the beef brisket, in particular, takes 13 hours to make. And the ribs? 6 hours. Within those hours, anything grilled at Publiquo gets what is called a smoke ring. It’s that pink color in the meat in the outermost layer of smoked meats. This is how you know that smoking is done right. That pink layer, then, definitely does not mean the meat is raw. That’s for sure.

Say hello to the Publiquo Smoked Chicken. This dish is epic! It’s a must-try and a must-see! The perfectly smoked chicken (whole) is served hooked-and-hanged style over a bed of Yorkshire puddings. The Smoked Chicken is also served with the Publiquo’s trio of sauces that’ll always complement and never overpower the dishes here. It’s that tender, smokey, and crusty bite that you won’t get enough of.

Publiquo’s Craft Beverages Perfect Match to the World’s Collective Grill Menu

Truth be told, epic meals deserve epic drinks and Publiquo does right by that any day. There’s something for everyone here beginning with the subtle House Blend Iced Tea that’s naturally brewed and refreshing. A notch higher, you can get the playful Tamarindgarita and Tamarindo — certified crowd-pleasers. This drink is famously sweet, sour, and salty all at once. It’ll always be a winning contrast.

Next is Publiquo’s Premium Craft Beers. All seven of them are sourced from a native brewery. They’re freshly brewed with no preservatives at all and can last up to 6 months.

Finally, although not categorized as a beverage (technically), but is definitely a Pinoy favorite dessert, is Publiquo’s Ice Scramble. For any 90’s kid, this recess, lunch, or after-school drink comes to life here and it’s just such a delight! You get shaved ice with banana extract and milk, which is then topped with powdered milk (Bear Brand?), marshmallows, some chocolate syrup, and a strawberry stick-o. It’ll make any so-called adult feel like a kid again just like that. Thanks for this, Publiquo! I mean, really…

Publiquo in Baguio City: The Food, The Vibe, The Experience

Sir Ray Costa, the owner and head chef of Publiquo, pushes boundaries as he created the grillery’s menu that’s inspired by the food he personally loves as a Filipino and as a culinary traveler. In everything he does, he says that he’s more for authenticity than fusion. This is absolutely felt in everything Publiquo offers, from the food, the vibe, and the experience.