Food writing with the Hundred-Pound Foodie
Ah food, glorious food! Who is his/her right mind would not seize the opportunity to sample some of the most delectable dishes and be asked to write about the whole experience? I am no fool. Thus when I got the chance to join the food writing workshop with no other than Ms. Christine Nunag, I had no second thoughts. My schedule would be free for this event, come hell or high water. And I was not at all disappointed.
If you’re wondering who Ms. Nunag is, she’s the pretty and slim lady in white (see top picture) and is an authority on food writing and even has a Doreen Fernandez award to prove it. I have Mr. Jayvee Fernandez to thank for organizing the food writing workshop at Serye. Techie as he may be, Jayvee seems to have put in a ton of work in putting it all together. Kudos to you, Jayvee!
If you are drooling over the dishes seen in the pictures, believe me when I say the dishes are better experienced than seen. I used my cell phone’s camera to take the pictures. Though the quality is not so good, I figured really good pictures will not capture the reality of the moment. Magazine quality pictures always give me the impression of being done over with photoshop, it kinda looks fake. This I learned from the Gretchen-John fiasco when reporters said the pictures where taken with a phone camera, which makes it all credible.
One of the activities involved was tasting the dishes while blindfolded. Hah! I actually got most of them right. They served us sisig, kare-kare, sinigang na bangus, the famous Serye Iced Tea, pinakbet and miki-bihon. Actually these are the ones I got right.
It’s always the ones you get wrong that are hard to forget. Just when I thought I was so darn sure it was pork barbeque, I was shocked to learn that it was actually boneless chicken barbeque ( as seen on the pictures). I was thoroughly deceived by its wonderful texture, rich flavor and the sauce that seemed to have a hint of peanuts. The last one they served tasted like some exotic turon but it had a sauce and turon never goes with sauce, thus I was confused anew. They finally showed the dish in full parade uniform, it’s Philippine fondue, Serye style. Little rolls dressed up to look like lumpiang shanghai, some with bananas, some with jackfruit strips then coupled with a tiny battered ensaymada with a rich chocolate sauce. Not exactly euthanasia for the diabetic, this dish is surprisingly NOT very sweet. It’s just right as the sweetness can be controlled by how much chocolate sauce you add.
According to the owner, the name of the restaurant “Serye” was a play of letters on the surname of the owner, the Reyes family. Same family that owns Aristocrat Restaurant (remember the chicken? Now think Aristocrat’s honey chicken barbeque with a fusion twist minus the bones. Ah, heavenly sinful!). I wonder if they are also behind Reyes Barbeque, the one found in most mall food courts that sell their barbeque sauces by the bottle. Bottomline, Serye has good food at great prices. It’s good enough to take your friends and family for special occasions like graduations, birthdays, or if you just want good food. The prices are for everyone who appreciate good food. Two to three people can enjoy great food at P500.00 or maybe less.
I will probably take my wife to Serye in Eastwood, as I told the owner. I’m a lover of good food and this restaurant will probably bear witness to some of my special moments and celebrations in the future. To Christine, I must say you have been very successful in making the Philippine food and beverage industry more vibrant, dynamic, fun, progressive and robust, one food blogger at a time.
If you’re wondering who Ms. Nunag is, she’s the pretty and slim lady in white (see top picture) and is an authority on food writing and even has a Doreen Fernandez award to prove it. I have Mr. Jayvee Fernandez to thank for organizing the food writing workshop at Serye. Techie as he may be, Jayvee seems to have put in a ton of work in putting it all together. Kudos to you, Jayvee!
If you are drooling over the dishes seen in the pictures, believe me when I say the dishes are better experienced than seen. I used my cell phone’s camera to take the pictures. Though the quality is not so good, I figured really good pictures will not capture the reality of the moment. Magazine quality pictures always give me the impression of being done over with photoshop, it kinda looks fake. This I learned from the Gretchen-John fiasco when reporters said the pictures where taken with a phone camera, which makes it all credible.
One of the activities involved was tasting the dishes while blindfolded. Hah! I actually got most of them right. They served us sisig, kare-kare, sinigang na bangus, the famous Serye Iced Tea, pinakbet and miki-bihon. Actually these are the ones I got right.
It’s always the ones you get wrong that are hard to forget. Just when I thought I was so darn sure it was pork barbeque, I was shocked to learn that it was actually boneless chicken barbeque ( as seen on the pictures). I was thoroughly deceived by its wonderful texture, rich flavor and the sauce that seemed to have a hint of peanuts. The last one they served tasted like some exotic turon but it had a sauce and turon never goes with sauce, thus I was confused anew. They finally showed the dish in full parade uniform, it’s Philippine fondue, Serye style. Little rolls dressed up to look like lumpiang shanghai, some with bananas, some with jackfruit strips then coupled with a tiny battered ensaymada with a rich chocolate sauce. Not exactly euthanasia for the diabetic, this dish is surprisingly NOT very sweet. It’s just right as the sweetness can be controlled by how much chocolate sauce you add.
According to the owner, the name of the restaurant “Serye” was a play of letters on the surname of the owner, the Reyes family. Same family that owns Aristocrat Restaurant (remember the chicken? Now think Aristocrat’s honey chicken barbeque with a fusion twist minus the bones. Ah, heavenly sinful!). I wonder if they are also behind Reyes Barbeque, the one found in most mall food courts that sell their barbeque sauces by the bottle. Bottomline, Serye has good food at great prices. It’s good enough to take your friends and family for special occasions like graduations, birthdays, or if you just want good food. The prices are for everyone who appreciate good food. Two to three people can enjoy great food at P500.00 or maybe less.
I will probably take my wife to Serye in Eastwood, as I told the owner. I’m a lover of good food and this restaurant will probably bear witness to some of my special moments and celebrations in the future. To Christine, I must say you have been very successful in making the Philippine food and beverage industry more vibrant, dynamic, fun, progressive and robust, one food blogger at a time.
