Lea Salonga's Food Trip in San Francisco

Backstory
One happy foodie

By Lea Salonga
Philippine Daily Inquirer

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.

October 2009
Inquirer.net
Photo by James Tecson Lim