Pigging Out

• By ebotpandayan
• Posted in Uncategorized
• On January 29, 2019
• 2 Comments.

“If you were to bring to Austria one food you had today in this place, what would it be and why? “That was a dear friend from my hometown, asking me the question after a big lunch she hosted a few days ago last week, for her family and a couple of friends. The place was Demlin’s Kitchen in San Fernando, Pampanga.

I thought I would be in stitches when I heard the question. The first thing that came to mind was the Q&A portion of beauty pageants. There I was, standing before a noisy cheering (or jeering) crowd, making it to the finals, and my answer would be crucial to my winning or losing the sash and crown. I was a finalist trying to hide the nervousness. Not knowing what to say, I flashed my biggest smile and began answering the question by saying, “Thank you for that beautiful question. Hello, Pampanga. ”

Yes, I was in Pampanga last week, not for a beauty pageant but another pigging out – a habit and a hobby you can quickly develop, without even trying, when home in the Philippines. Chinese one day at Tuan, Tuan, Spanish the next day at Dulcinea’s, Italian, another day at the Manila Hotel where an Italian chef wannabe can insult a whole nation if you ask him for a drizzle of olive oil over your parmesan chunk. I have since lodged my complaint to the hotel, but I have yet to hear from them. That was almost two weeks ago. It is most likely that they will never attend to the issue. It is The Manila Hotel, after all, their PR might remind you, so I guess I have to feel sorry for myself that it happened.

Dining at Denlim’s Kitchen in San Fernando made me soon forget, even if it was only for a fleeting moment, the ugly encounter that was the Italian Buffet. Writing about this dining place was like writing an unsolicited testimonial Ad, which was precisely the reason it took me some time to consider writing about it. I would like though to share with friends my beautiful dining experience, so here I go.

Denlim’s Kitchen is a charming private dining place, albeit busy, with its collection of everything here and there (which makes this place all the more interesting): from pots and pans hanging above the dining table to pantry and dash-boards holding large bottles of olive oil, vinegar, tsampoy even, and other ingredients on one side, books and other stuff on the other. The place reminds me of a friend’s small flat in Vienna with her flea-market finds. She has this extensive collection of old porcelain and ceramic jars, tea- coffee cups and saucers, silver coffee set, rugs, paintings she has on display like in a showroom– from the hallway to her kitchen, to her living room/bedroom. It is a busy layout, and yet her pad exudes good vibration and cozy ambiance. One feels very much relaxed, especially when having a glass (or a bottle even) of chilled Austrian Grüner Veltliner, nibbling chunks of parmesan cheese with a generous drizzle of virgin olive oil. Here I go again!

Denlim’s Kitchen is a giant replica of my friend’s flat in Vienna, which is comparatively small but big on good vibrations. Denlim’s runneth over with good vibrations; it is in every corner, making its guests feel very much at ease and comfortable from the moment they enter the place. The owner/cook and his team wear a sincere smile as they welcome you. Here, you are privileged to sit in front of the kitchen counter and get entertained watching how your dish is done, up close, and personal. It’s live entertainment all the way, from the time the show master prepares the food to the time served to you on a platter. Showmaster is none other than the kitchen’s owner/cook Dennis Lim who does not mind you asking him questions while he works. He listens and interacts with you while remaining focused on what he is doing, like finishing the artistic presentation of every house specialty you ordered. Of course, there’s always his cast of supporting actors near him – his kitchen staff, and his wife, most notably who, no doubt, plays a vital role in running the whole production. Everyone’s a star in the entire show, but Dennis is the one who takes center stage.

He is not a chef, Dennis confides. He has no formal culinary education, but “I love to eat, and therefore I love to cook, “he says. He is confident with what he does, so go and enjoy his food next time you are in town. It is a BYO place (bring-your-own bottle), by the way, no corkage fee, especially when you bring a bottle with a … screwcap. Just kidding! No corkage fee, honest! The only downside is you need to book months in advance. Dennis is also not big on desserts, he admits, so you might as well bring your own next time. No dessert, no closure, I say all the time. We each got a piece of cheesecake, though, for closure, but not from Demlin’s. The slice of cake we got was almost the size of my forefinger. It was so thin and tiny, which made me think that no one in the kitchen knew how to cut a cake. If someone knew, then I believe that dessert is not this kitchen’s strength. LOL!

And to the question of what one food I would bring with me to Austria, my answer would be the crunchy Pugon (oven) Liempo topped with a generous spread of fermented pork in a lettuce wrap. Not for my friend Abdul. He can have salmon in truffle cream sauce, though, or seafood spaghetti. It is perhaps safe to say that the grilled tomato slices in their spaghetti were the ordinary tomatoes found in the market, but the way they were prepared was magical. Walter, for once, had something good to say about our local tomatoes. Abdul can also have garlic prawns (bring your bread to mop up the last of the sauce left on your plate. The Kitchen can give you a slice, but it takes a while to bake because it’s frozen, and cook Dennis would instead advise you not to eat so much bread (lest you have no more room in your tummy for what has yet to come). There’s also the green oven-baked New Zealand green mussels covered with some cheese (Parmigiano?) and basil. The beef shank braised in 6 hours(?) is a sure winner, and so is their summer salad with apple slices, julienned singkamas (turnips), walnuts, raisins, cheese, in yogurt sauce. And there’s another absolute favorite – the bangus (milkfish) with capers and a dash of lemon juice. Lecker? Ganz sicher, Walter said!

Let me change my answer to that question of what one food I would bring back to Austria from Denlim’s. Difficult question. The salmon fish in truffle sauce? Maybe the beef shank, the garlic shrimps, the bangus dip with capers? I cannot make up my mind. It would be the whole experience then. And why? Check it out for yourself!