gourmet

TRAVELING THE
WORLD ONE
PLATE AT A TIME

In our travels, we find the words to describe

the welcome aimlessness of Day 1, while in our
gustatory adventures, we learn that the meaning
of delicious changes with latitude. Our attempt
to articulate is where food and travel intersect.
For these chefs and restaurateurs, the narrative
begins in their travels and ends in our plates
WRITTEN BY ANNABS SANCHEZ
PHOTOS COURTESY OF mon urbano, day salonga,
abba napa, marky buhain , audrey tanco-uy,
and la travel (eiffel tower)

Chef Mon Urbano and Chef Day Salonga || Tapeo

It was halfway through my
glass of mojito, when Chefs
Mon and Day asked me if I
danced. I said, I didn't. But
that I also didnt care that I
don't. So we happily agreed
to meet again and dance with
abandon in one of Tapeo's
Flamenco nights. At this
point, we've already talked
about the health benefits of
malunggay, the normalcy of
drinking sangria at high noon,
Tapeos possible new menu
offerings, their firm belief in
the slow food movement, the
80s, heirloom recipes, their
tapas all-you-can promo, and
the joys of binge watching
Game of Thrones.
This must be the same
restless energy created by the
conversations and interactions

during Tapeo, a longstanding

Spanish tradition of tapas
bar-hopping, which the two
chefs did a lot of during their
trips to Spain and effectively
captured in their vibrant space
at the Fort Strip. Culture
is food and food is culture.
You cant really separate the
two, says Chef Day The
ingredients used in making
tapas, for example, differ from
region to regiontruth be
told, bar to barso, eating
tapas is like making your way
around Spain.
Tapeo is located at The Fort
Strip, 7th corner 28th Avenue,
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.
For more information, phone
(+62 2) 556 2668,
tapeo.
manila@gmail.com, or follow
them on
Tapeo.ph

Abba Napa || 8 Cuts Burger Blends

When you first travel
to a new city, everything
is unknown. Immediately,
youre heady with the thrill
of discovery. But when
youve been to the same city
a few times, the city starts to
belong to you and you start to
belong to the city. Suddenly,
what was once peculiar is
now all too familiar.
But for Abba Napa, one
of the owners of 8 Cuts
Burger Blends (and whos
also behind Cue, Burgerbar,
and NamNam/Manam),
the real thrill of discovery
begins with embracing the
familiar. For her, its to go
from asking, What's out
there? to a more daring
What else is out there?
A passion that clearly
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Volume tHREE 2014 | TRAVELnow

shows in every aspect of 8

Cuts when it comes to serving
a US culinary iconthe
hamburger. By adding an
eighth cut (ox tail) into its
meat blends, 8 Cuts has
opened up the possibilities to
rediscover the classic burger.
So when I asked Abba
to describe 8 Cuts as a
destination, it's no wonder she
likened it to a favorite city. Its
that city you always keep going
back to, says Abba. And for
every traveler, an invitation to
discover and re-discover is just
too exciting to pass up.
8 Cuts Burger Blends branches
are located at UP Town Center,
Katipunan, SM Megamall Fashion
Hal, and Trinoma. For more
information, phone (+63 2) 955
2264 or (+63 917) 818 2139

Chef Marky Buhain || Cantina Sicilianita

Listening to Chef Marky
talk about his travels to
Sicily, anyone can tell that
he never really left. He was
still in that quaint restaurant
atop a mountain in Erice,
where he first gained
awareness of the culinary
promise of Sicily in his
discovery of cannoli.
When I first tasted
cannolithe crunchy shell,
the sweet ricotta cheese
inside, and the dried fruits
and pistachio nuts on the
sideI immediately knew
I wanted to bring that taste
back to the Philippines,
says Chef Marky, whose
passionate description of
the cannoli is no doubt an
exercise in remembering of
his stays in Sicily.
This exercise also extends
to the restaurants aesthetics,
as Cantina Sicilianita is a
virtual time capsule of his
Sicily: The enlarged photo
of Taormina on the wall, the
ubiquitous shutter window

on top of the bar,

the colorful tiles
on the tables, the
chandeliers, and the
Trinacria, Sicily's
national flag, are on
full display.
But just as it
was an exercise
in remembering,
it was also about
forgetting. Because
on my way out,
after a very satisfying
cup of espresso, Chef
Marky calls out Ciao!
just as Sicilian store
owners would. And for a
moment, Ive forgotten that
outside werent the idyllic
cobblestone streets of Erice,
but the bustling streets of
Shaw Boulevard.
Cantina Sicilianita is located at
548 Shaw Boulevard, Facilities
Center Building, Mandaluyong.
For more information, phone
(+63 2) 570 2905,
info@
cantinasicilianita.com, or visit
<cantinasicilianita.com/myblog/>

Audrey Tanco-Uy || BIZU PATISSERIE

In Pico Iyers Why We
Travel, he likened a journey
to a foreign country to
a true love affairwith
sleepless nights spent in
tireless recollection of
moments, between hastily
scribbled words in journals,
and behind the smiles in
photographs. An endless
loop that constantly replays
in ones mind.
And in this regard, Audrey
was in love. The Chief
Commercial Officer of Bizu
Patisserie talks about her
trips to Paris like a woman
clearly infatuated. Listing all
the places in their culinary
expeditionsFauchon,
Cojean, Cafe de Flore,
Au Pied de Cochon, and
Creperie Josselinwith a
school girls giddiness.
Our name, Bizu, was
coined from the French
word bisous which means

kiss, says Audrey I like

to think that to eat at
Bizu is to kiss life and
experience joie de
vivre (enjoyment of
life)thats Bizu.
As she recounts
all the Parisian
food that made
her heart and
taste buds
flutterPain
Perdu Truffle
Omelette
Saint Honor
Rose, Soupe de
Poisson, and Sole
MeuniereIyer's
metaphor seems
to prove true,
that like the best
love affairs, the
best trips, never really end.
For a complete list of store
locations and other information,
visit <bizupatisserie.com>
Volume tHREE 2014 | TRAVELnow

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