00:00 Kirsten and Sean, when you say Quezon Province, what comes to your mind first?
00:06 Bahiyas Festival!
00:08 Good one, good one.
00:09 Longganisa!
00:10 Longganisa! Of course, it's well-known and there are many more.
00:13 Food, culture, everything is complete in this province.
00:17 In fact, we have prepared some activities for you.
00:21 And the heirloom recipes, they call it "sinolbot", we'll make it later and we'll taste it.
00:28 But I think the most interesting thing here is that I'll let you experience what they call "tagayan".
00:35 Are you ready?
00:36 Yes! Game!
00:37 Let's go!
00:39 Jace, clap!
00:41 Tagayan is more delicious when we have a solid foot coating.
00:46 If we can see one reason why it's also called a rocket stove,
00:49 there, you can see the "lagablab" that it has.
00:53 So this is one step when we make French fries at home,
00:58 most of us don't do it anymore.
01:00 We parboil it.
01:02 So for our fish dish, we'll just make lambanog batter,
01:08 then we'll dip our fish directly in our deep fryer.
01:11 It's like when you drink it, you'll smell the cheese and coconut.
01:15 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
01:16 You won't expect that it's sweet when you drink it.
01:19 It's delicious!
01:22 [Music]
01:25 It started because it's part of our experience of the pandemic.
01:39 And then when we started it, I said, "We have a small property here in Quezon."
01:46 So we decided to build a house here, a farm-to-table house
01:52 where everything will be provided by the backyard.
01:56 And then eventually we decided to let our produce speak.
02:02 [Music]
02:05 Sir, do you have continuous grow lights?
02:08 Yes, we have them from morning to 10 p.m.
02:13 Because this is vertical, that's why we put grow lights.
02:18 We had a problem in the last two weeks because it was too cloudy.
02:25 [Music]
02:29 You saw earlier, one of the things you'll do here at the Manahaw View Deck & Cavern
02:33 is you'll harvest your vegetables and the ingredients you'll use.
02:37 So of course, one of the things you should do here is you'll make your own salad.
02:42 [Music]
02:45 How's our work?
03:02 Is it okay?
03:04 We should do that.
03:06 [Music]
03:10 [Birds chirping]
03:12 As a farm-to-table restaurant, we also wanted to create a certain cultural experience
03:17 because food is part of our culture.
03:20 We already have our small coffee shop and a few restaurants.
03:25 Then we cooked next to the restaurant.
03:28 And then we were surprised when we were cooking,
03:31 suddenly there were a lot of guests who, for our own family consumption,
03:35 bought our Sinulbot and mixed it.
03:40 And then eventually, they are requesting that every day,
03:46 there should be a menu like this.
03:51 Sir, what's that?
03:52 Coconut milk.
03:53 Coconut milk. Okay.
03:55 [Music]
04:04 What are you going to do?
04:05 Just read it.
04:06 I'll just read it.
04:07 I'm sorry, I have to go.
04:08 Hey, don't be so slow.
04:10 [Music]
04:14 [Music]
04:40 While we're finishing this, Sean and Kirsten are tasting the bestsellers
04:45 here at Mount Banahaw View Deck and Cabin.
04:47 [Music]
04:50 Hello, Food Explorers. Let's go on a food trip.
04:58 So, we'll start with the soup first.
05:00 Yes.
05:01 So, their soup is shrimp with lettuce.
05:05 Let's try it.
05:06 Mmm.
05:09 The lettuce is sour.
05:10 [Music]
05:13 Maybe they just add lettuce to the soup.
05:18 It's like, well, there's a crunchy green on the outside.
05:20 Yeah.
05:21 So, it adds a little bit of crunch.
05:22 And it's a little bit bitter.
05:24 So, it goes well with the soup.
05:28 Eggplant sisig, maybe.
05:31 Because when you think of sisig, you usually think of meat.
05:33 Yeah.
05:34 And sometimes, you see veggie sisig.
05:36 Yeah, it's my first time trying it.
05:37 Okay, let's go.
05:38 Let's go on a food trip.
05:39 [Music]
05:42 Mmm.
05:43 The skin of the eggplant is crunchy.
05:48 That's why I like it.
05:49 It's my first time trying sisig with eggplant.
05:52 Approved.
05:53 Mmm.
05:57 Kirsten is right.
05:58 There's a little crunch on the skin.
06:00 It's like a saucier version of lettuce.
06:02 Mmm.
06:03 A little mushroom.
06:04 Because there's mushroom.
06:05 Yeah.
06:06 A little bit of funk.
06:07 Really good.
06:08 This is the first time I've seen lettuce sisig in my life.
06:11 Let's try our next dish, guys.
06:13 [Music]
06:19 Mmm.
06:20 It's so good.
06:21 Okay, next.
06:23 This is salmon.
06:24 [Music]
06:27 Mmm.
06:28 That's delicious.
06:29 [Music]
06:58 [Music]
07:00 So, we have here what we call a rocket stove.
07:26 Actually, some people make this using steel.
07:31 But basically, the science of a rocket stove is
07:34 we have a hole here.
07:37 This is where we'll put our coconut.
07:40 And the most important thing in this setup is
07:43 there needs to be air flow.
07:46 We said that in order to make fire,
07:49 we need a burner,
07:51 a starter,
07:52 and oxygen.
07:53 Those are the most critical components
07:55 for making fire.
07:57 Another thing with a rocket stove,
08:00 it's low on wood.
08:02 Because of the science of its design,
08:06 we can maximize our cooking.
08:09 So, we don't need to use more cooking
08:13 to cook whatever dish we're going to use.
08:17 We can see one reason why it's also called a rocket stove.
08:21 You can see the flame that it has.
08:25 Again, because of this,
08:27 in this chamber or this hole,
08:30 where air enters,
08:32 it's the one that makes the fire.
08:34 So, it's very hot.
08:36 We only use a little wood.
08:38 Again, one of the things why this is famous
08:41 or a good technology to use
08:44 is that the wood we use is very worth it.
08:47 Another thing is,
08:49 when you use a rig like this on the ground,
08:52 it makes your cooking more efficient.
08:55 Because if you don't,
08:57 when you remove those stones,
08:59 it will die.
09:00 The airflow will be lost.
09:02 That's the most critical thing in this setup.
09:05 French fries is one of those foods
09:12 that you can eat anywhere in the world.
09:15 You can eat it anytime.
09:17 At home, we rarely buy it
09:20 because I believe I make the best French fries.
09:24 I'll just show you the techniques that we use,
09:27 which is the same ones that I applied
09:30 when I was still working in the industry.
09:33 So, there are very few key elements
09:36 that we need to do
09:38 whenever we're doing homemade French fries.
09:41 So, here, we have peeled potatoes.
09:44 We soak it in water
09:46 to remove the excess starch
09:48 or the white stuff.
09:50 That would actually make the end product lighter
09:53 and more fluffy.
09:55 Those are the characteristics for me
09:58 of the best French fries.
10:01 Of course, it's crispy, light, and fluffy.
10:04 Let's just spread it.
10:09 [Music]
10:16 While we soak the potatoes in normal water,
10:20 let's start our first step of cooking.
10:25 So, this is one step
10:29 that when we're making French fries at home,
10:33 most of us don't do it anymore.
10:36 This is actually the key
10:39 to get the perfect French fries.
10:42 We parboil it.
10:43 We'll boil it in water.
10:46 And this is also the perfect time
10:54 to season our potatoes.
10:57 So, we'll season it with salt.
10:59 If you want to add garlic or any other flavorings,
11:03 this is the perfect time.
11:04 And then, we'll boil it until the potatoes are soft.
11:08 So, our French fries
11:15 that we parboiled and seasoned
11:18 and then deep-fried,
11:21 typically,
11:22 this is it.
11:23 It's done. We can eat it.
11:24 But, like we said,
11:26 we want to make this the best French fries.
11:29 This is the secret.
11:30 We'll double-fry it.
11:32 This time, the oil should be hot
11:34 and make sure that it's cooled down a bit.
11:37 It's better if you chill it first
11:39 before you double-fry it.
11:41 So, here are our French fries.
11:45 Double-fried French fries.
11:47 Crispy.
11:52 The inside is fluffy.
11:53 The seasoning is just right.
11:56 [Music]
11:58 And for garnish,
12:03 we'll get some fresh herbs.
12:05 We have parsley here.
12:07 And we also have edible flowers
12:09 that we can add for color.
12:11 One of the things that I always have on my menu
12:23 is the fish and chips.
12:25 This is the battered fish
12:28 that's been fried with French fries.
12:30 What we use in our batter
12:32 is we want our fish
12:35 to be super crispy on the outside,
12:38 very light on the inside,
12:39 and of course, the fish should be cooked.
12:42 Typically, if you look in the internet
12:44 for a recipe,
12:46 beer is the liquid that's usually used
12:49 in our batter.
12:51 But then I discovered
12:53 that it's better if we use vodka.
12:56 And since we're here in Quezon,
12:58 instead of using vodka,
13:00 we'll just use fish.
13:01 We'll start off with all-purpose flour.
13:04 And then our cornstarch.
13:10 We'll just add salt and pepper.
13:12 And then baking powder.
13:15 And then for color and additional flavor,
13:18 turmeric powder.
13:19 And then we'll mix our dry ingredients
13:23 before we mix our wet.
13:25 Let's add in our lambanog.
13:27 And the reason why we use alcohol
13:32 in our mixture or in our batter
13:35 compared to water,
13:37 again, we said earlier
13:39 that we want the texture of our fish
13:41 to be light and crispy.
13:44 Now, if you use alcohol,
13:46 it will evaporate faster
13:48 compared to water.
13:50 So if you're really after that
13:52 crunchy, airy texture,
13:55 alcohol is better for you
13:57 because it will pop the most.
14:00 Whereas, if you use water,
14:02 you need to sustain the heat,
14:05 the evaporation process
14:07 before you get that kind of texture
14:10 versus alcohol.
14:12 The bitterness will go away,
14:13 at the end, you'll just have
14:16 the texture you're after.
14:18 So for our fish,
14:20 we'll just season it with salt,
14:22 dust it with a little flour,
14:25 and then we'll dip it in our batter.
14:30 (music)
14:34 (music)
14:38 (music)
15:06 (music)
15:09 Hi Food Explorers,
15:11 this is Mac from Mac Tales.
15:13 Mac Tales started 5 years ago.
15:16 Before, I was just thinking about it
15:18 when I was working at an exclusive club.
15:20 So I was just visualizing
15:22 delivering hand-grabbed beverage.
15:25 Interesting drink,
15:26 but at the same time, affordable.
15:28 Then my ultimate goal is
15:31 the freedom to create drinks
15:33 and then to express them in our market,
15:36 which is the students at UBEL.
15:38 So usually, Mac Tales
15:40 is associated with alcoholics,
15:42 but it's a non-alcoholic term for a cocktail.
15:46 So we guide or educate our guests,
15:50 especially students,
15:51 that the drink is non-alcoholic,
15:53 but the same approach and technique
15:56 that we use, like cocktails.
15:58 So our first drink,
16:00 Simbang Gabi,
16:03 the inspiration behind the drink
16:04 is our classic delicacy,
16:06 which is the purple rice cake,
16:09 which is the puto bumbong.
16:11 So we gave a different arrangement
16:13 to the puto bumbong.
16:14 It's just a different form.
16:15 It's usually a dessert-like after meal.
16:20 And this one, we'll put it in the drink,
16:21 but still refreshing.
16:23 We're going to start with coconut juice,
16:26 fresh coconut juice.
16:28 Basically, it's like the ingredients of puto bumbong,
16:30 but in liquid form.
16:31 Yes, exactly.
16:33 We're just going to add a little bit of sweetness
16:36 just to enhance the flavor.
16:38 So we're going to mix it well.
16:40 It's sweet.
16:42 So our mixture is ready.
16:44 Let's start the White Christmas.
16:46 We're going to pour it at the same time.
16:48 We're going to start with coffee.
16:50 So this one, cold brew Benguet blend,
16:53 one of our favorite blends.
16:57 Local brand.
16:58 I didn't expect that from a Mactailer.
17:00 It's coffee.
17:01 I haven't tried Mactailer yet.
17:04 Actually, our menu is not just Mactails.
17:08 We also have a tea-based drink and coffee-based drink.
17:11 Because students are not familiar with Mactails.
17:17 So this one, cold brew with biscuity cinnamon.
17:23 So let's pour our mixture.
17:25 There you go.
17:27 And this one as well.
17:29 Add some white chocolate cream.
17:33 So that's why White Christmas.
17:35 White chocolate cream.
17:37 Alright, so just squeeze it gently.
17:39 Perfect.
17:41 And then, yeah, go.
17:42 And then cut.
17:43 It's so hard.
17:45 Wow!
17:47 Wow!
17:48 So we're going to place some coconut here.
17:53 Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese.
17:56 Just to add a little umami.
17:59 We're generous when we're adding this because it gives a wow factor to the drink.
18:03 Yeah, this is another first for me.
18:06 So we're just going to torch this.
18:08 We want just the burnt, desiccated coconut.
18:11 And then, again, we're going to sprinkle this one here.
18:15 On our Simbang Gabi.
18:18 So Simbang Gabi, this drink's inspiration is from Puto Bumbong.
18:21 So, and White Christmas.
18:24 And then, when you drink it, you'll smell the cheese and the coconut.
18:30 Yeah, yeah, yeah.
18:31 You won't expect it to be too sweet.
18:35 Yeah.
18:36 These are the people who always order coffee from the students because they like coffee.
18:42 I love coffee.
18:43 Every day I make coffee, it's perfect.
18:49 Ang Pao, so it consists of hibiscus tea.
18:52 It also comes with our homemade cinnamon syrup.
18:56 So we'll just pour it here.
18:58 There you have it.
18:59 And then we're going to top it off with our fresh peach puree.
19:03 Ang Pao, the inspiration of this drink is our red envelope that the Ninong usually give to their children.
19:12 So that's the combination of colors.
19:14 But there's no money inside.
19:17 Actually, there is. That's a nice question.
19:20 It comes with apricot coin.
19:22 Oh, I remember that.
19:26 It's dried apricot that we sauteed with powdered sugar.
19:29 So, this is the usual decoration every Christmas season.
19:34 What's the ingredient?
19:35 It's like kiwi.
19:36 Yeah, yeah, perfect.
19:37 So, exactly, that's kiwi.
19:39 So, kiwi with some freshly squeezed lemon juice.
19:46 And then we're going to…
19:47 I thought it was lagondi.
19:49 Add some dilution.
19:50 Okay, okay.
19:51 Very refreshing.
19:56 I like sour.
19:59 It's a bit sour.
20:00 Very fruity.
20:04 The taste is very fruity.
20:06 Let's try this.
20:13 Yeah, it's okay to compare.
20:16 If you eat this together, it's like a moon.
20:21 Cheers!
20:25 Cheers!
20:36 Tagayan is more delicious when we have solid ingredients.
20:42 We're going to make a beef stir-fry for a snack or for a dish.
20:47 I'll just prepare our vegetables.
20:52 We have beef here.
21:02 Let's just cut it into strips.
21:05 If we want the beef to be more tender, it's better to add baking soda.
21:15 Let's just mix it.
21:18 Let's season it with a bit of salt, white pepper, and then cornstarch.
21:31 Let's just mix it a bit so that the meat of the ingredients will be coated.
21:37 Let's set this aside.
21:38 Let's make the sauce.
21:40 We have here water, cornstarch, and then let's add oyster sauce, and pepper again.
21:51 All the components of our dish are ready.
21:56 We can now start the fire.
21:58 We can now start the fire.
21:59 Let's add the vegetables.
22:24 Let's add the vegetables.
22:25 The reason why Tagayan is so popular is not just for drinking, but also for the deeper meaning of it.
22:49 That's why we're here together for Atagay.
22:51 I'll start, Chef. My first Atagay.
22:54 This is what we've been waiting for.
22:55 Drunk words are real words.
22:58 I'll do this. I'll hold it.
23:01 My Atagay.
23:03 Because he's allergic to alcohol.
23:05 I'm the second one. I'm the one who's holding it.
23:09 I'm the one who's holding it.
23:11 This is a cocktail.
23:19 Here, Chef.
23:21 J.Seph, you're the one who's holding it.
23:24 But you're drinking.
23:36 Yes.
23:37 Okay, you're not.
23:38 With conviction.
23:39 Yes.
23:40 Here.
23:45 Here, Chef. This is for you.
23:46 Thank you.
23:48 Thank you, sir.
23:49 But before we continue, we have prepared something for ourselves.
23:56 Actually, it's for our drinks, snacks, anything.
24:00 So, let's partake in our food.
24:03 With nothing.
24:04 Good.
24:09 Oh, yeah.
24:10 Mmm.
24:11 [music]
24:12 [music]
24:14 [music]
24:15 (upbeat music)
24:17 (upbeat music)
24:20 (upbeat music)
24:22 (upbeat music)
24:25 (upbeat music)
24:28 (upbeat music)
24:31 (upbeat music)
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