Orange Whisk: A friendly neighborhood restaurant and patisserie

One of the perks of living in the suburbs is getting a regular dose of some peace and quiet—but that also means being far from the action in the city. For a foodie like me, the choices in surburbia are limited, but sometimes I come across unexpected discoveries that I like.

My most recent one is Orange Whisk, a cozy restaurant located in one of the side streets in the southern part of the metro.

I was on the road when I was attracted by the establishment’s bold colors. I wasn’t really looking for a place to eat, but my adventurous palate dictated otherwise. Upon entering, I thought the establishment was just a simple café with the usual coffee-and-pastries-fare. But it turned out to be so much more than that.

It was nice and quiet inside; I could hardly hear the vehicular noise from the street. I was entertained by the orange and gray color combination, the artworks on the wall, and the interesting interiors with orange-colored whisks as lighting fixtures.

First visit: Merienda munchies

It was time for merienda when I first visited Orange Whisk, so I sampled a couple of their baked goodies, including the Belgian Rose cupcake. The cupcake was too pretty to eat, as it was decorated with swirls of creamy frosting and an elegant dark chocolate disk. After a couple of bites, I was pleasantly surprised that it had an orange-colored filling inside, which had a 'floral' taste for me. I love chocolate, but I found this one a bit too sweet for my taste. Others seems to like it, as it was one of their bestselling cupcakes.

There were other nice pastries on display such as cake pops, bars and more, but I just had to try the so-called Chewy Bun, a simple-looking piece of bread that could pass as a sibling of the pandesal, but is actually more similar to the Korean QQ Bun. With one bite, I felt the contrasting textures of the bread—crunchy on the outside but chewy inside. The sensation was enjoyable, especially when the bun was served piping hot (diners may request the server to heat it). It paired well with my chosen beverage, hot chocolate.

Second visit: The adobo of my dreams

When I went back for a second visit, my hubby and I decided to eat lunch there and try the more savory stuff. The menu was a hodgepodge of various cuisines—there were pasta dishes, steaks, and Filipino favorites. I had to study the menu well before deciding on my order.

One of the chefs, Chef Isaiah “Seya” Ortega, is a regular at culinary competitions and his adobo recipe is the best my hubby and I have ever tasted (even better than my mother’s adobo). He calls it Pinausukang Liempo na Inadobo sa Langkawas, or smoked pork belly with garlic confit and blue ginger adobo sauce.

The dish was presented along with edible blue flowers and I must say that its look matched its taste. It was not the typical home-cooked adobo; there was a hint of ginger that added depth of flavor. My husband cleaned out the entire plate: from the meat chunks to the ginger bits, and even the flowers. I could eat it everyday, but it might put a hole through my pocket.

“If people really want to taste really good food, they have to spend. Sometimes good food is defined by the quality of the ingredients,” stated Chef Korinne Lirio. “We use premium ingredients. We were able to find a way to use premium ingredients, but [in] not as pricey [a manner].”

We also sampled the signature pasta dish called Buccatini Orange Pasta, which had straw-like noodles cooked in tomato sauce, cream sauce, ground beef, fresh and dried herbs, and Parmesan cheese. The noodles were hollow in the middle to better absorb the saucy goodness.

Regular crowds, culinary honors, and inspirations

While there, we had a chance to learn all about Orange Whisk from Chef Seya and Chef Korinne, as well as their passion for food.

As I guessed, orange was the favorite color of one of the chefs. The whisk, meanwhile, is a common tool in baking and in the hot kitchen, thus the establishment’s name. Orange Whisk opened just last June and it is still adjusting to the needs of the community.

“People find that it’s actually very quiet here. It’s a good environment,” according to Chef Korinne, who whips up the spectacular sweets on display—a skill she learned when she took up baking at Global Academy. She and the other chefs cook up familiar dishes with a twist. “This kind of standard of food has not been introduced here.”

Although the restaurant has yet to develop a regular lunch crowd, diners drop by  for afternoon snacks or dinner.

The cuisine can be defined as Filipino-International. I heard that Center for Culinary Arts Manila-trained Chef Seya can cook up a mean adobo, so my hubby and I just had to order that—even if steaks were his specialty, having been rigorously trained in luxury food.

“We are 20 to 30 percent cheaper among our competition regarding steaks. We’re putting it as low as we can,” Chef Seya said.

While there, I discovered that Orange Whisk earned two silver medals in the 2013 Philippine Culinary Cup. The chefs regularly join contests to hone their skills, but they also have their own sources of inspiration.

Chef Korinne said, “I have my idols like Chef Buddy Trinidad, one of the gods of pastry in the Philippines. He taught me half of what I know. The other half I learned in school.” She draws ideas from all sources—culinary idols, books, Internet, stock knowledge, school, work, and even cooking accidents.
 
Chef Seya recalls learning the kitchen ins and outs at a young age. “I’ve been cooking since I was six. I was cooking seriously already nung bata pa. I would go to the kitchen myself and cook.”

“My inspiration is bad food,” he added. “Out of bad food I wanted to learn how to cook it better. I try to learn it based on taste. Some recipes I discover for up to three years before I decode it. Then I do it and do a better version. Mistakes are the best teacher in cooking. It’s the best way to find new discoveries.” — VC, GMA News


Orange Whisk Restaurant and Patisserie is located at 35-B Michael Rua Street, Better Living Subdivision, Parañaque City; (02) 501-6454; Operating hours: Wednesday to Monday from 10am to 10pm (closed on Tuesdays).