The unofficial ambassador of Mindanao Palm Grill brings unfamiliar flavors to the capital
FOR MANY PEOPLE here up north, when they hear the word “Mindanao,” the southernmost island group in the Philippines, they hear gunshots. A restaurant in Quezon City — one with a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand recognition, by the way — is trying to change that, one dish at a time.
Earlier this month, we had dinner at Palm Grill, Miguel Cabel Moreno’s paean to Mindanaoan cuisine, with special attention given to Tausug cuisine (the indigenous people from the Sulu archipelago, from whom Mr. Cabel Moreno claims descent).
At Palm Grill, our party of four had the multi-dish Dulang Share (P2,499 for five). It’s a Tausug specialty with Pianggang Manuk, Tiyula Itum, Beef Kurma, Kaliya Puso, and Belachan Manuk.
Chicken Pianggang is chicken slow cooked in coconut milk, burnt coconut, and spices, then grilled and topped with the same sauce. That sauce is pamapa, a Tausug condiment made from burnt coconut, ginger, turmeric, galangal, and other spices. Tiyula Itum is a black beef soup with burnt coconut, ginger, galangal, and other aromatics. Chicken Belachan is chicken marinated in turmeric and lemon juice, then grilled with belachan shrimp paste. Kaliya Puso is banana heart cooked for a long period, then sautéed with aromatics and bubuk (dried coconut, dried fish, chilies, and spices). Beef Kurma, meanwhile, is a beef stew in coconut milk and spices.
No misses: all of it was good, and none of it familiar.
Imagine a platter of silver, with the colors of its dishes ranging from bright yellows to moody blacks. The chicken dishes were grilled and browned to perfection and had flavor down to the bone. The Tiyula Itum, which we encountered for the first time, was the moody-looking black soup we mentioned: on the palate, however, it’s full of depth and had a comparatively light flavor. We were definitely surprised by the Kaliya Puso, another dish new to us. While we don’t normally like banana hearts or anything else in it, this time the taste was delightfully complex despite its rather humble ingredients, and we found ourselves spooning more onto our plate.
BRINGING MINDANAO TO MANILA
In a speech given during the preview for IFEX last week, Mr. Cabel Moreno said that his first memories of the kitchen were at his grandmother’s house in Sulu, then moving to Zamboanga. After moving to Manila, “Dining in restaurants that served Filipino food never felt the same,” he said. “Not getting the opportunity to see Mindanaoan specialties on the menu is one of the reasons why I started Palm Grill. I wanted to really advocate for regional cuisines and Southern Mindanaoan specialties.”
The restaurant opened in 2017, and at the Michelin Guide ceremonies last October, the restaurant received a Bib Gourmand recognition (the chef received another such citation for another outlet, Cabel, near Malacañang). In a Viber message to Businessworld, he said, “It’s been seven months since the recognition, and I don’t think I could ever get used to the extra attention. Don’t get me wrong — I am so grateful to have been recognized for my work at Palm Grill and Cabel. I feel that the Lord blessed me in return for all the sacrifices, hard work, and roadblocks we had to endure.
“Remaining laser-focused and never giving up on the goal, despite not earning for many years, is just one part of the journey. But the Michelin Bib Gourmand is truly the validation we have been waiting for over the past eight years. It magnified our voices and it validated that our food is worth discovering and trying,” he said.
Their restaurants source their main ingredients from Zamboanga and Sulu, he explained. “This way, we are able to preserve authenticity while also helping local farmers and fisherfolk. This matters deeply to me because I know how it feels to go unseen and unheard. Giving back to the community means giving them importance and opportunities to grow.”
He talked about why he chose to open restaurants in the capital, rather than opening in their home base. It was “The lack of representation and the absence of Mindanaoan specialties in many Filipino restaurants are among the reasons why I established Palm Grill in Metro Manila. I have always felt that we are more than what we already know. As Filipinos, we need to be proud of our regional dishes — they are a part of who we are. I also wanted to change perspectives and narratives, especially when people talk about Mindanao or the Sulu Archipelago.”
He added, “I like to believe that through my restaurants and work I have finally broken down barriers and allowed people to discover Tausug culture through food. I always say that the best way to understand people is through their food. For the longest time the Tausug people have been seen stereotyped, and now more and more people are beginning to discover that these are peace-loving people with a vibrant history and culture.”
We go back to associating Mindanao with conflict. While the conflicts caused by regionalism, extremism, and other -isms don’t appear in the news quite as often as they used to, it’s a reputation that is still implanted in the nation’s memory — that the land, rich and bountiful as it is, is always looked at as a powder keg waiting to explode. Mr. Cabel Moreno has built a place where the memories of Mindanao are of home, and good times, and not what is on the news.
“There is conflict wherever you go in this world. But to label our land and generalize it as unsafe simply because it was once war-torn is where we fail as Filipinos. Mindanao is a beautiful place — vibrant, rich in history, and full of culture. To dismiss it as an afterthought is like saying we do not care about it,” he told BusinessWorld.
He is helping build this reputation through the uniqueness of his home’s food.
“The flavor profile of food in Mindanao takes a completely different direction. This is because of centuries of peaceful trade with Southeast Asian countries that heavily influenced its cuisine. Many people may not know that Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi were never colonized by Spain. The pre-colonial cooking methods that have been preserved are part of our identity. To me, they represent the true essence of who we are,” he said in a Viber message. “We, as Filipinos, should be proud of this,” he added.
“It’s through food that we get to understand people and culture. All these preconceived notions and ideas about Mindanao should be changed,” he said. “Conversations should be about flavor, and the stories of the cuisines from there.”
Palm Grill is located in 179 Tomas Morato Ave. corner Sct. Castor St. in Quezon City. It will also be opening a larger restaurant in Gateway Mall 2 in Cubao in August. — Joseph L. Garcia
