Invented by Mama Chit and her son Rod;
now, a National Filipino Dish!
A History Lesson
from my friends Alvin, Jay, and Mervin:
Sixta Evangelista Ongpauco, fondly known as "Mama Chit",
had a love of family, and a love of cooking that was legendary.
The popularity of her food among loved ones grew and grew,
until she finally was convinced to open, in Caloocan City,
way back in 1958, on that road formerly known as Highway 54,
her home to the public, as the very first "Barrio Fiesta".
Thanks to her and her restaurant, the pairing of Kare-Kare
and her invention, the Crispy Pata, became a Pinoy Perennial.
But somehow, we forgot about this restaurant past decade or so;
there were so many new Pinoy restaurants with newer names
and hip culinary concepts such as fusion and the like...
but I'm pleased to say, the One and Only Original is back,
and in a big way. Welcome Home, Barrio Fiesta Greenhills!!!
Mama Chit's grandchildren are now on a mission
to regain and reclaim Barrio Fiesta's reputation
as the true paragon of Pinoy cuisine!
And now, in addition to the classic combination
of Pork and Peanut known as Crispy Pata and Kare-Kare,
Barrio Fiesta now offers insanely good dishes such as this one:
Sizzling Sisig topped with Pure Crabfat.
It's sheer genius.
It's pure love,
but it's...
NOT your parents' BARRIO FIESTA anymore!
No more RATTAN chairs.
No more RONDALLA music.
NOW more Bistro than Barrio:
it's time to rediscover
the birthplace of Crispy Pata,
and come meet your new BFF...
Barrio Fiesta Forever!!!!
Fret not, ardent runners and yoga enthusiasts!
There are Healthy Dishes in Barrio Fiesta:
I even gave Fresh Lumpia a try...
... as well as the creamy Bouillabaisse.
Yes, I actually ordered a seafood dish.
And yes, I actually liked it!
I know, I know. I can't believe it myself.
And how can one resist Kuhol cooked in Gata?
But inevitably, every group dining in Barrio Fiesta Greenhills
will gravitate towards the healthier "heritage" dishes, such as:
Chicharon Bulaklak
and their world-famous
CRISPY PATA:
no frills,
no fusion,
just pure pork perfection.
An after awhile,
this will start calling your name:
KARE-KARE!!!
Barrio Fiesta's Kare-Kare, made from scratch,
(they grind their own peanuts), reminds me of
the Kare-Kares I grew up with: my Lola Sally's,
my Tita Veds', our beloved cook Apo Cion's.
It is thick, rich, decadent.
It's like having Reese's on Rice.
As a proud Kapampangan Foodie,
that's the Supreme Compliment I can give.
A very pleasant surprise?
The cool new interiors of BFG!
Blending the Barrio...
...with the Bistro!!!
Cozy Designer Seating and
Colorful Pinoy Art everywhere.
Barrio Fiesta is now a Date Place!
And no Date Place would be complete without
Chocolate.
"Vin's Chocolate Ganache",
one of the new Barrio Fiesta Greenhills treats
that goes beyond Gulaman & Sago!
And my new favorite:
if Sentro 1771 has a signature Coffee Pie,
Barrio Fiesta has this unforgettable
Dulce (de leche) Corazon!
For staunch nationalists:
Halo-Halo!
styled not unlike that of the Manila Pen's
famous version, and every bit as good!
And finally,
The New Menu:
there are "Personal Meals" now,
including a perfect-for-one "Crispy Patita",
when you just have to have your fix and everyone else is busy;
or if you're feeling really hungry,
there's nothing stopping you from just
ordering the original hefty size all for yourself!
With or Without You(r)
friends, it's time to come home!
Barrio Fiesta Greenhills is located at:
Florida St., between Connecticut and Rochester,
right at the back of the original site along EDSA.
For additional directions and reservations,
you may call any of the following numbers:
5719842 / 7889482 / 5141000
interesting. I never knew that Barrio Fiesta invented crispy pata. I wonder how Mama Chit came about inventing it. Do you have any details or stories? I suspect she just used another part of the pig rather than liempo for a lechon kawili. The Germans have a similar dish, I wonder if Mama Chit was influenced by that.
ReplyDeleteDuring my much younger days, I remember how good Barrio Fiesta was, and yes it was forgotten but there should be an underlying reason why. Nevertheless, this post convinced me to try it again. Thanks for the history lesson on the crispy pig's legs and feet.
chef,
ReplyDeleteit was the late mama chit
and her son, the still very
creative rod ongpauco,
who jointly thought of
and mastered:
1. using the then useless pata
2. the boiling/frying method
rod had 7 other brothers
and sisters, and the family
decided to divide MetroManila
into territories among them.
the odd thing is,
there's no central kitchen
for all the branches.
that's why some BF restaurants
look better than the rest,
and some seem to be stuck
in the 1970s.
ditto for the food.
BF Greenhills would be the
safest bet, since the master
cooks trained by mama chit,
and their proteges, all ended
up in that particular branch,
(which used to be the largest)
and to this day, this branch
wins the friendly "taste tests"
among the different territories.
the crispy pata's
really worth the journey : )
What I remember from my parent's stories is that Tito Rod used to use the Pata of leftover lechons. That was the first crispy pata. When the prices of the lechon pata went up, he thought of a way to minimize cost thus the crispy pata we know now was invented.
ReplyDeleteActually, Barrio Fiesta was created so that my lola, Mama Chit could compensate for their living expenses that time. She had 7 children and was a single mom back then. So, BF which was first opened in caloocan was the ground floor of their house back then. Therefore at a young age, my titos and titas learned how to manage/own a restaurant and eventually when they saved enough money, they put up their own.. hehehe..
hi alvin!
ReplyDelete"iFoodTrip" is
Chef Adrian Cuenca of
Elbert's Steak Room...
you should try his
Chef's Burger with
truffles and bone marrow.
OMG!
Till this day, my mom buys the leg and knuckle part of the lechon... She marinates it with some "patis" for 1 hour, then deep fry it until crispy..try it! sarap!!! make sure to fry 2 to 3 fresh tomatoes in the oil wherein the lechon was fried. saran ng combination..with sinangag rin dapat and suka!!! hehehe
ReplyDeleteWOOOWWW!! CGE!!!!! THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS CHEF AND SPANX!!!
ReplyDeleteADDENDUM: Sorry, 8 pala silang magkakapatid! lagot ako.. hahaha...
ReplyDelete