There are two schools of thought in putting up a Filipino restaurant. The first one moves forward with a progressive take on the familiar. In their menus, you’ll find fused, deconstructed, or artfully-plated adobos, lechons, and kare-kares– ready to go head to head-to-head with other avant garde dishes from around the world. The other group takes a step back and explores the traditional, regional, and original. These restaurateurs explore answers to questions like “How did our great grandmothers prepare sinigang prior to powdered packets?” and “In which province did sisig originate?” More than anything, these folks treasure stories behind recipes and preserve slow-cooking techniques.
Dekada Historic Filipino Cuisine obviously belongs to the latter.
Located in Glorietta 3, just by the bridge way to Landmark, Dekada is a year-old restaurant that aims to refresh us with time-tested dishes that have pleased Filipinos throughout the decades.
Dekada’s food selection is far from inventive, which is okay since it wasn’t intended to be. The menu is a colorful listing of what Family Feud would’ve gotten when they survey a hundred people on the top most popular Pinoy dishes. To differentiate Dekada from all the other traditional Filipino restaurants, the marketing team baptized the items with names of iconic people from the Spanish era and personalities from the decades 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. It would’ve been quite a story if they were able to match, say, a hero with his favorite dish or his special recipe. Or maybe if the pages could provide more explanations especially for those who are clueless about Philippine history. Because as it is, the menu lists food names that just follow a chronological order of appearance in a history book.
Case in point: starters and soups got the names from the chapter that discusses Spanish colonization. There’s Cabot Gambas (P348), Magellan Beef Salpicao (P359), Loaisa Baby Squid Al Ajillo (P218), and King Phillip II Monggo con Chorizo (P238). For the benefit of those who snoozed through their history classes, King Phillip II commenced Spanish settlements in our country which is named after him. Magellan, of course, led the expedition that explored the Philippines. Cabot and Loaisa have been sent after Magellan but they failed to reach the shores. The Legazpi Pako Salad (P198) is named after Miguel Lopez de Legazpi who succeeded in colonizing the islands.
During our visit, we were able to try the Loaisa Baby Squid Al Ajillo and the Legazpi Pako Salad. The Al Ajillo is garlicky alright, but not “baby” enough. We’ve tasted younger and tenderer squids before Dekada's. On the other hand, the Pako salad had the right crunch; we have no qualms in ordering another of this in our next visit.
Legazpi Pako Salad
Loaisa Baby Squid Al Ajillo
After the explorers, come the friars. In the “Rice of Christianity” section (3 points for that punny name) we meet the Agustino Bagoong Rice (P328), Franciscano Dilis Rice (P268), and Dominicano Adobo Rice (P268). We recommend that you go with the Agustinians with this. Even sans the grilled liempo atop, the fried rice impresses with the just right mix of bagoong and garlic.
Agustino Bagoong Rice
The history continues with the Ilustrados’ main dishes. Cited as a best-seller in this category is the Rizal Lechon Manok (Whole: P578; Half: P298). The bird is plump, traditionally-seasoned, and juicy. We wish though that they saved this food for Bonifacio (not an Ilustrado, we know), a fan of lechon manok. Rizal should've been named after his own favorites. As his letters to his family and food scenes in Noli Me Tangere suggest, Pepe loved Laguna cheese, Anchovies or Dilis, Tinolang Manok, Ginisang Munggo, Sardinas secas (tuyo), rice, and hot chocolate, and pansit.
Rizal Lechon Manok
In Hijos dela Revolucion part, we got the Gomburza Ox Tail and Tripe Kare Kare (P348) and Sakay Bicol Express (P289), both of which are the highlights of our meal. We loved that the Kare-Kare was thick and grainy, evidently made the traditional way from ground peanuts instead of quick mixes. The Bicol Express was semi-deconstructed with the deep-fried belly served separately from the gata sauce. This style worked on its favor. The crunchiness was preserved ‘til they were reduced to nothing but crumbs.
Gomburza Ox Tail and Tripe Kare Kare
Sakay Bicol Express
Other best-selling main dishes can be found some pages forward: Murphy’s Crispy Pla-Pla (P289) from the Commonwealth era, Yamashita’s Sinigang na Sugpo sa Kamias (P389), and Kempeitai’s spicy Gising Gising (P168).
Murphy’s Crispy Pla-Pla
Yamashita’s Sinigang na Sugpo sa Kamias
Kempeitai’s spicy Gising Gising
Merienda, listed under the seventies decade, was spared from the names. Dekada offers a Haligi Family Fiesta Merienda (P999; serves 4 to 6) for families who come in mid-afternoon for a heavier than usual snack.
Haligi Family Fiesta Merienda
Desserts weirdly fall on the Martial Law chapter of the history book. Fortunately, the Oplan Sagittarius Leche Flan (P68) and Proclamation No. 1091 Buko Halo-Halo (P138) aren’t bitter as the category suggests. The Leche Flan is smooth and creamy and the Buko Halo-Halo is packed with the essentials and is good to be shared by three people.
Oplan Sagittarius Leche Flan
Proclamation No. 1091 Buko Halo-Halo
Dekada doesn’t put anything new to the table. Those with good cooks at home can even claim that Dekada’s food is a nicely plated version of what’s being served during weekend family lunches. But one would argue that it’s exactly the point of belonging to Filipino cuisine's second school of thought. If the goal is to re-introduce traditional, mid-priced and no-shortcut Filipino dishes in a homey set-up, then Dekada is doing it right.
