LaMesa: A Taste of the Exotic Filipino Feast
Despite the growing number of Filipino immigrants in Australia, Filipino cuisine remains enormously under-represented in the multicultural melange of the Sydney dining scene.
The reason for its curious absence has been debated by the Filipino community. One reason, perhaps, is that Filipinos are far from picky eaters and don’t particularly feel the need to open a dedicated Filipino restaurant just so they have a place to dine out.
Whatever the reason, it’s certainly not because Filipino food is somehow unworthy or not delicious. LaMesa, in the somewhat-unlikely location of Dee Why in Sydney’s northern beaches, is a case in point.
The restaurant is a small and homey space, full of seashell-framed mirrors, paintings of rural scenes and other tropical reminders of the 7,000-island nation. The menu is an appealing read, full of homestyle meat-and-seafood favourites, and in typical Filipino fashion, a conspicuous absence of vegetable dishes.
For starters, begin with the mixed entree, which includes a sweet and smoky pork barbecue skewer, a deep-fried quail egg, marinated beef strips, pork spring rolls and okoy, a deep-fried prawn-and-sweet-potato patty.
For main courses, try the classic adobo pork or chicken, slow cooked until tender in an incredibly flavourful sugar cane vinegar, soy and pepper gravy. The crispy pata is a monstrous dish of steamed-then-fried pork knuckle with exquisitely unhealthy chunks of perfectly crunchy crackling.
The Spanish influence on Philippine cuisine is evident in a tropical version of paella with coconut cream and loads of seafood; and mechado, a tasty braised beef stew. Other favourites include sinigang, a tangy tamarind soup with prawns or milkfish, and stuffed crab with minced pork, shallots and sweet chilli sauce.
Desserts are worth a whirl and include turon (a sweet spring roll stuffed with banana or jackfruit) and halo halo (a milkshake glass full of colourful squidgy jellies, fruit, shaved ice and ice cream). LaMesa is unlicensed so you’ll have to bring your own San Miguel beer, but you can try the refreshing calamansi lime soda and sweet young coconut juice.
Posted by Fiona Davies
