Hand-to-mouth gains new meaning in Pangasinan

By Yolanda Sotelo Inquirer Northern Luzon Most Read ROSALES, PANGASINAN—Families and friends who eat together strengthen the ties that bind them, and perhaps more so if they eat together from a single plate. Make that one big organic plate: A spread of fried rice (with a hint of fish or shrimp bagoong) and a choice of viands served on banana leaves. The food, referred to as “Kamayan feast,” is meant for customers who still love to eat with their bare hands. Bistro Garitoni, a restaurant beside SM City Rosales on MacArthur Highway here has been serving “Kamayan” for almost a year now. The owners, Ludwig Pescador and wife Marie Antonnette, drew their inspiration from “boodle fights.” The phrase is cadet slang with roots in the Philippine Military Academy. It refers to the academy tradition where everyone—regardless of rank—partake of food from a single spread. This tradition has been carried on by regular servicemen and police officers. But for the squeamish customers, plates, spoons, forks and table knives may be provided, Villar-Pescador says. The Kamayan feast has a couple of variants. There is the All-Shrimp Feast (buttered, garlic, crispy halabus shrimp, ensaladang mangga with shrimp rice), and the Classic Boodle feast (chicken pork adobo, fired tilapia, fried hito, boiled okra, itlog na pula, fried talong with bagoong rice). The bistro also serves the All-Inihaw feast (chicken barbeque, inihaw na liempo, ensaladang talong with bagoong rice, and the All-Seafood feast (kilawing pusit, garlic crab, buttered prawn, nilasing na hipon, ensaladang mangga with shrimp rice). Each spread costs up to P795. Each is good for four people. The bistro also charges up to P1,750 for a table that can accommodate up to 10 people. “Curious foreigners, usually travelers going to Baguio City, often try the dish at the prodding of their Filipino wives, and almost all of them say they love our unique eating style,” says Marie Antonnette, a hotel and restaurant management graduate. “We make sure that the dishes are delicious and filling, but affordable, as we live by the saying ‘hindi kailangang mahal basta masarap (it need not be expensive so long as it is delicious).’” The Bistro Garitoni was actually a gift Marie Antonnette received from her parents, Dangerous Drugs Board Chair Antonio Villar and Sto. Tomas Mayor Vivien Villar. Although an only daughter, Marie Antonnette refuses to live a leisurely life and often will engage in different kinds of enterprise. “Even in high school, I baked cakes which I gave to my friends during Christmas. I became a dealer of Avon, Dakki, mobile phones. I made and sold ice cubes, burgers, hotdogs and even arrozcaldo, and had [operated] a school and office supply store,” she says. Having seen her potential in business and given her educational background, the Villars decided to turn over the Bistro to their daughter last year. The storms and flood of October 2009 delayed the completion of the restaurant. Bistro Garitoni (coined from the names of the Villar-Pescador daughters, Gari and Toni) only opened in February this year, she says. It has been a busy year for the Villar-Pescador couple. Locating the establishment beside SM City Rosales has its advantages, says Marie Antonnette, because the mall closes early and many customers, including employees, go to the bistro for late night dinners or snacks, lured in by the different bands that play there on most nights. Since SM City management prohibited the holding of parties in the mall, people turned to Bistro Garitoni. The restaurant has since become the place to hold parties this Yuletide season. The Villar-Pescador couple had fun producing the menu, which included some peculiar dishes. “Marl-buro” is rice and fish concoction (buro) dreamed up by a friend Marlyn. “Talunan” on the other hand is a ginger-chicken dish. Its recipe came from Marie Antonnette’s mother who was born in Cavite. At night, a corner of the restaurant’s parking lot is turned into an ihawan (grill). “Even tricycle drivers can afford our inihaw,” says Marie Antonnette. The restaurant also features a bar and pastry corner. When in Cebu City, please visit gregmelep.com for your real estate and retirement needs.