WHEN one thinks of joy, one thinks of light, and fire, and sparks. Despite the dark and imposing interiors of BGC’s Alegria Manila (“alegria” means “joy” in both Spanish and Portuguese), the tasting menu takes one on a journey that makes one feel as if they’re walking through fire and light, moving towards joy.
We’re going to be honest, it was just the interpretation of Alegria co-founder and chef Charles Montanez of Okoy that first made us feel things on Oct. 20. Flax seed and baby prawn was formed to make a tostada (a sort of crispy taco), and that was topped with blue crab and smoked mussel creme. That was served in a little wooden box, like a little treasure. All the smokiness of all the flavors landed squarely on the tongue, tasting as if one were inhaling smoke, then the crunch of the tostada made it feel as if one were hearing the fire’s crackle. Now that’s a dish.
The tasting menu consisted of 16 courses, all of them served in small bites, of course. We skipped two dishes for constraints of time and personal aversion to some ingredients (sorry). The menu was called ¡Trancultural!, but if we’re being honest, going by what we experienced with the Okoy, that experience was transcendental, and we recommend a stop here if one needs to feel again. The menu is crafted with Latin American and Filipino influences, and we guess that sort of experience fits right in with those cultures’ reputations for passion.
The full course with 16 dishes costs P5,400 per person, with an additional P1,200 for a wine and cocktail pairing. A steep price, but can you really put a price on passion?
Some of our favorites from the 16 courses were the Dinuguan Sinuglaw (market fish, grilled pork, blood cup, aji amarillo (yellow pepper), ikura, and potato). There was a sudden burst of flavor and texture from the ikura (salmon roe) that pops and spreads flavor, blending with the tender chunks of pork and fish. Now imagine all that with the morbid (but crispy) shell made of blood.
The Inihaw na Talaba (Grilled Oyster; Aklan oyster, Yakult Leche Tigre, a Peruvian marinade) was fragrant with the smell of the sea, and explosive in flavor and felt like a wave washing over the tongue. The Elote (a corn snack) was made with a large baby corn from the Cordilleras, glazed with chipotle and smoked Baguio strawberries, and coated with puffed quinoa. This in turn was pleasantly mild. This was followed by another homage to corn, the Nicuatole with Grilled Maja Blanca, Corn Foam, Pop Corn, Corn Caviar, and Kesong Puti. It was creamy, and puts one in a pleasant mood.
A Squid-silog had a squid stuffed with forcemeat of aligue (crab fat), prawns and chives, rice sauteed in squid, then topped with dried squid powder and an egg yolk confit. We would have it every day if we could. A fancy kare-kare (Filipino peanut stew) was made with Kurobota pork, almond puree, flowers (including those of the squash), and served with a side of Salsa X.O. (made with fermented shrimp and chilies). Just with two slices, it was still over-the-top and verges on the caricature of what expensive food is like, but was much too good to make fun of — the sauce was velvety and the grilled pork an education in what kare-kare could be.
The meal ended with a Champorrado interpretation with Palitaw, Chocolate Foam, Pinipig (toasted rice), and a gold-dusted anchovy; as well as a rendition of Sundot Kulangot (a sugary treat from the Cordilleras with a pedestrian name evoking picking one’s nose), made with muscovado caramel and encased in a dark chocolate praline.
Mr. Montanez first opened Alegria as a bar in 2017, but when the chance to expand came along, they moved from BGC’s High Street to BGC’s Uptown Parade. Along with the move came the decision to reform the former sangria bar and change it to a restaurant with a sophisticated tasting menu. In the span of five years, Alegria (now Grupo Alegria, Inc.) has Cafe Alegria, Buena Vida by Alegria, Alegria in Singapore, and upcoming properties in Tagaytay and Boracay. Opening in Singapore in 2021 was a personal goal, since becoming head chef in two Latin American restaurants there was part of his training to open Alegria.
Pandemic notwithstanding, the group has expanded fiercely in the last five years.
“I think it’s self-fulfillment for us to be able to open up opportunities and give people jobs… we’ve always had faith that it was all going back to normal. I felt like it was the right time to strike.”
How they did it was another story.
“We figured that during the height of the pandemic that everything was negotiable,” he said, learning of desirable spaces that were being let go: “The price was [hard] to resist.”
The name, back in 2017, was the last thing that he thought of. “I found it in my football boots,” he said. “Ousadia e Alegria” was a motto of football player Neymar, roughly meaning “daring joy.”
“We’re very daring with what we’re doing. But we get a lot of fun with it.”
Alegria Manila is located in Uptown Parade BGC, Taguig. — Joseph L. Garcia
