IT’S been well over a century since the Spanish last held authority in the Philippines, but 300 years of Spanish influence is so deeply rooted in our culture that it’s impossible to separate. From borrowed words to cultural attitudes, the similarities remain—even in how we eat. As Filipinos have inuman and pulutan, so the Spanish have bebidas and tapas.
Que Pasa Tapas Bar, which opened on Veterans Drive, Nivel Hills a couple of months ago, offers the well-loved pairing of a cocktail or alcoholic drink with a heavy snack or appetizer. The typical beer and sisig combo are available, but why not try something a little different, like a gin and tonic with gambas con aligue, or any of the varieties of sangria, paired with beef salpicao?
A crowd favorite is the crispy chicken skin with truffle honey—I was warned by fellow diners that this is dangerously addictive. I said I would have only one piece, but somehow it multiplied to three.
Que Pasa is the brainchild of Kyle and Billy Wong, and is owned by the Wong and Leano families with chefs Paul Marco Samson and David Cruz heading the culinary team. Kyle and Billy were so enamored by the food and drink on a trip to Spain that they were determined to bring their own concept of a tapas bar to Cebu, deciding to call it Que Pasa; the Spanish equivalent of the Bisaya “Unsa’y ayo?” It’s the new twists on familiar tapas that make it easy to while away the cocktail hour and beyond in Que Pasa.