Saturday, February 09, 2008 Philippines within reach By Lyra Fe Q. Serafin La Salle University, Osamiz, intern
THIS restaurant has been satisfying hungry taste buds since 1997 with its Filipino delights and some foreign treats.
After a decade in Tomas Morato St., Quezon City, Gerry’s Grill decided to bridge the “culinary gap.” It expanded business nationwide and even overseas to bring to Filipinos in the United States food they have missed so much. It’s the Philippines within reach.
Gerry’s Grill continues to invade the shores of food industry, this time with a new branch at the North Wing of SM City Cebu. The place offers mouth-watering dishes in a cozy, native-inspired dining area for those who crave for good food, or for people who are tired after a day of shopping and strolling
The grill has something to offer for individuals with different tastes, but what keeps them coming back are the specialties of the house.
Take a piece of the spicy sashimi (raw fish flavored with Japanese condiments), and end up wanting to gobble up everything. Taste the exquisite blend of sweet, sour and spicy flavors. You immediately imagine Japan within reach.
Or try their grilled squid soaked in a special marinade before being carefully grilled. It is tender and juicy, and goes well with rice, or as a pulutan (food to go with alcoholic drinks) or eaten alone.
Be enticed by Gerry’s best-selling, unique sisig: minced pork ears and cheeks with spices, and served on a hot plate. Ground pork chicharon (cracklings) is added into it for a flavorful surprise. This dish has made the restaurant popular as it keeps customers coming back for more.
Perhaps you are thirsty? You will need a glass of four seasons. With the healthy mix of real fruit juices and cooling ice, quench your thirst and burp with delight.
But wait, if you think everything ends there, you are mistaken. Here are other choices: beef kare-kare (stewed ox tail and tripe in peanut sauce), bulalo (boiled bone-in beef shank served with a variety of vegetables), crispy pata (deep fried pork knuckle) and lechon kawali (deep fried pork).
They also created new recipes worth trying. Taste their sugba kilaw (grilled pork belly and tanigue in vinegar sauce), tahong ala pobre (spicy mussels in half-shell, tossed with garlic oil), baked scallops (baked half-shell scallops with a special sauce, and topped with garlic and melted cheese), and steamed plapla (steamed tilapia with garlic and butter sauce topped with fresh leeks).
And if plain rice bores you, then here is a collection of rice selections: veggie rice (stir fried mixed vegetables and boiled plain rice); adobong puso rice (rice mixed with pork and chicken, cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf and black pepper), bagoong rice (boiled rice flavored with local fish paste and dried tiny shrimps), and crab rice (boiled rice flavored with fresh crab meat).
So, if you want to try something new, bring your family, friends, and loved ones to Gerry’s and feel the closeness of home
