Midnight Express: Excite your palate with heirloom recipes at ancestral homes-turned-restaurants

Published October 10, 2014 8:48pm

It's a walk down memory lane this week on Saksi's Midnight Express. Host Mikael Daez visited ancestral houses which have been turned into restaurants and took a bite from some of their heirloom recipes.

Menudo de meya at Patio Vera in Marikina

Built in the 1800s, Patio Vera is the ancestral home of owner Dennis Caballes' family. Now, it is one of the food spots in Marikina. And one of its must-try dishes is menudo de meya.

Menudo de meya is the signature dish of Caballes' mother, Meya. What makes it different is its lack of tomato sauce.

It all started during the Spanish times, when tomatoes were still very expensive. Hence, some kitchen folks back in the day resorted to using alternatives such as annatto sauce, which is made of asuete and oil. The result is still as delicious as the menudo in tomato sauce. And this is how the Caballes family has enjoyed its menudo ever since.

So what does host Mikael Daez think about the dish? "Yung sarsa niya, malasa, kaya 'pag nilagay mo sa kanin, masarap siya kainin."

Callos and lengua at Casa Roces in Manila

The Roces family is one of the prominent last names in the history of the Philippines. The family were one of the forerunners of print media in the country, and one of its members, Alejandro "Anding" Roces, is a National Artist for Literature.

Filipinos today can experience what it's like to be part of the Roces table at the family's ancestral home turned restaurant-cafe, Casa Roces.

Two of the Roces heirloom recipes served at the restuarant are callos and lengua.

According to Casa Roces' senior restaurant manager Maria Elena Carlos, its callos is different from the others because it has Spanish chorizo made especially for the restaurant.

Daez seemed to agree and said, "This version of callos—excellent, I must say!"

The lengua, meanwhile, was always part of the menu whenever the Roces family has a celebration.

Casa Roces has also recently launched its special Holiday menu, which foodies might want to check out.

Cocido and upside down cake at My Mother's Garden in Pasay

My Mother's Garden in Pasay used to be the home of National Artist for Architecture Pablo Antonio, who designed Manila Polo Club and Far Eastern University. Today, his daughter Malou Antonio Veloso has transformed the family's abode into a restaurant featuring the matriarch's recipes.

When in My Mother's Garden, make sure to order cocido and upside down cake, which were recipes that Veloso inherited from her mother.

Cocido is a dish that originated in Spain. It's a stew of meat and vegetables with pochero sauce. In My Mother's Garden, cocido's meat, vegetables, and other ingredients are served separately from its sauce.

For dessert, take a bite of upside down cake, which is butter cake served upside down and topped with pineapple and cherries. — Trisha Macas/VC, GMA News

Catch Midnight Express with host Mikael Daez weeknights on GMA 7's Saksi.

Tags: midnightexpress, food, lenguaestofado, callos, ancestralhouses