Lea Salonga 'Backstory' 10/28/2009
Mich
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view/20091028-232770/One-happy-foodie
BACKSTORY
Backstory : One happy foodie
By Lea Salonga
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Posted date: October 28, 2009
LOS ANGELES—My little family and I have just returned from a road
trip. We were all up in Monterey for the wedding of Rob’s cousin. It
was a fabulous and fun occasion, at times touching and emotional. Lots
of friends and family from all over came to attend, which made my
husband extremely happy.
We wish Adrian and Renee Flores a wonderful life together.
Rob, Nicole, and her Yaya Maricar arrived at the San Francisco Airport
on Oct. 24, the evening before the wedding. I had driven up to
Monterey the day before, so it wouldn’t be too difficult to come and
get them.
Yes, of course
The morning of the 24th, I attended the wedding rehearsal, and then
got ready to head up to South San Francisco to pick up my family.
Since I was heading up early, I thought to call a couple of friends,
James and Cay Lim, to get together for dinner. I inquired about a
restaurant close to the airport; they came back with Intramuros. Ah,
Pinoy food! Of course I said yes.
I had no idea what to expect from yet another Pinoy eatery in North
America. My experiences with Filipino restaurants in the United States
have ranged from the sublime to the questionable. I didn’t go online
beforehand to check reviews by previous customers (be they pleased or
dissatisfied), so I went into the realm of the unknown. I asked James
how the food was, but he didn’t really say. He wanted me to judge the
food objectively, and to allow the cuisine to speak for itself.
Familiar names
At 5 p.m. on this perfect Saturday afternoon, we walked into
Intramuros. The décor was not ostentatious, thank heavens. The walls
were of warm wood, with Filipino mirrors hung on them. There were
large pots and long leather seats, as well as prints of old maps of
select areas of the Philippines. I have to laud whoever took care of
decorating the place. The design is understated, easy on the eyes, and
it never pulled the focus away from the food.
Oh, the food, my favorite part!
We checked out the menu, and saw many familiar items. According to
James, one of the specialties is the crispy binagoongan. We didn’t
order that; instead, we zeroed in on four items: camaron rebosado, the
crab and aligue rice, beef caldereta, and laing. I hadn’t had laing in
a very long time, and I was homesick for it. James and Cay were all
right with that… they had ordered the binagoongan on their previous
visits, so something new (new to them, anyway) was a good idea.
The food didn’t take long at all to arrive.
Our meal began with camaron rebosado. The last time I remember having
this dish was about 20 or so years ago at Alex III Restaurant in the
midst of a movie promotional tour, so I was eager for this first
dish’s arrival.
New twist
I was not at all disappointed. The shrimps were nicely spiced and very
flavorful, very different from the camaron that I remember, but not in
a bad way. This was a new twist on a classic dish, and one that put a
smile on my face.
Next came the aligue rice (my eyes danced at the sight of this orange-
colored creation… and my heart was filled with joy), the laing (which
looked exactly as I remember laing to be) and the beef caldereta (lots
of short ribs in a stew filled with the more familiar accompaniments).
James took photos of the dishes (thank goodness, I have something to
show for the meal!).
The dinner was nothing short of absolutely delicious! It was a full-
bodied reminder of what I love about Filipino food, as well as a
modern twist on dishes well-loved and frequently served.
We ordered bibingka soufflé and buko con seta for dessert… ah, the
perfect ending to an already perfect meal.
Thank you, Barry Picazo and Mark de Leon, for your warm hospitality
and the great food! I shall definitely return on my next visit to the
Bay Area. Bravo! This is one Filipino restaurant I am most definitely
proud of.
Intramuros is located at 101 Brentwood Drive, South San Francisco, CA
94080. For more information, visit www.theintramuros.com.
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