100
Fresh and fiery
Cebu Pacific flies to Manila
from across the network.
Passiononaplate
Smile
sits down with Patrick and Pia Roa, whose mission
is to share their endless love for kinilaw with the rest of the
country, and yes, even the world
Howdid it all start?
Pia:
Patrick grew up in
Cagayan de Oro so he had
the honor of enjoying the
flavors of the oldest kinilaw.
He left after high school and
found he craved the tastes of
home. Kinilawwas one of the
dishes that he’d overlooked
growing up — even if it was
unique — simply because
it was always there. When
he started flying around the
country for work, he would
order kinilaw at every stop,
hoping to relive everything
about the experience. To his
surprise, each province served
something different! We
started serving his discoveries
to our guests when we’d host
dinners inManila. And when
— on a dare — I decided to
start a business, Patrick didn’t
think it would last longer
than six months. But we rose
to the challenge and people
kept coming back for more. So
we turned our little take-out
stand into a proper restaurant,
Patricio’s Cevicheria.
What exactly is kinilaw?
Patrick:
First of all, it’s
not the Philippine ceviche.
Ceviche is made with the juice
of citrus fruits and takes a
long while to cook. Kinilaw is
made with cane vinegar, the
authentic
sukang tuba
. When the
vinegar is combined with fish
fillets that are cubed and mixed
with other chopped ingredients,
it cooks in five minutes. It’s a full
meal in itself, with vegetables and
sauce. It’s not just an appetizer or
pulutan
. In the provinces, people
pour the kinilaw sauce over rice.
It’s also a fresh and delicious
meal that’s unique to our culture,
one we can proudly own. It’s the
kinilaw of the Philippines.
What are your tips for
preparing kinilaw?
Pia:
To keep everything fresh,
never prep your ingredients in
a hot area. Always use local
sukang tuba, not commercial
vinegars. Chop your ingredients
evenly so they cook evenly. For
those who are new to making
kinilaw, it’s best to prepare
all the ingredients first, then
bring out the fish and add the
vinegar last. Kinilaw is best
eaten five minutes after adding
the vinegar so that the fish is
still tender. In the northern
provinces, the suka used is very
strong. In the southern parts of
the country, the suka tends to
be weaker. The intensity level
really depends on your taste
or spice tolerance. You can go
anywhere from spicy to painful.
What’s next for Patricio’s
Cevicheria?
Patrick:
We want to keep
exploring and finding out even
more about kinilaw. Our next
destination is Batanes. Our
dream is to have chefs from
other restaurants try our food.
Hopefully they’ll be inspired
to serve their own versions so
that our passion for kinilaw
will spread. But we’ll leave all
the fancy fusion stuff to them.
We’re really purists at heart.
Patricio’s Cevicheria, 28 Bayani Rd, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City; tel: +63 2 998 7274
