BBQ Haus

There are some things, like pork bar-b-que, that people in Manila take for granted. There is no such thing as (our version of) pork bar-b-que anywhere in the world. That is a fact. It exists only in the Philippines. And I think that's a good thing.

Maybe it's the combination of the bad meat, the pollution in the air, the worn paint brushes that are used to coat the pork in a strange but delicious orange glaze, but there's something about Philippine pork bar-b-que (or just plain bar-b-que) that is so special, so delightful, so unquestionably Filipino.

I'm going back to Hong Kong today, after two weeks in Manila (the longest I've been back since I left in September). And if there is one thing I have enjoyed during my stay here, it has been the food. The familiar scents and textures, the patis, calamansi, toyo and local suka.

So while I still had a couple of hours, I decided to go and get myself some bar-b-que. The place I used to go along E. Rodriguez was no longer there, so I decided to drive towards Tomas Morato and see what I could find.

What I found, near the corner of E. Rodriguez and Morato, was BBQ Haus. It's right in front of Dallas, the auto shop, where Big Bowl (the dimsum cum rice topping place) used to be. As far as I was concerned, a bar-b-que place open at 10:45 a.m. (I realized how early it was only after I set out for my quest for carcinogenic delights.) was a godsend. And there was parking. So I stepped out and ordered six sticks of fatty goodness (Had a guest over for lunch. Anong kala ninyo sa akin, patay gutom?)

This post, although already considerably long and all about food is really about BBQ Haus. And more specifically, BBQ Haus' menu. I had to wait about 15 minutes for the BBQ, so I decided to kill time by going over the menu.

Below are exerpts from the rather interesting BBQ Haus menu:

Appetizers

Baked talaba (steamed/inihaw) 100

Ala carte

Fried chicken (1 whole) 250
(1/2 half) 130

(isn't 1/2 of one half actually 1/4?)

From the Grill

Inihaw na salmon head (grilled/pinaputok) 45/100 gms
Chiicken (petso) 75
(paa) 75

(I thought perhaps this was a typo when I read..)

Chiicken (inasal) 75

(Which actually confused me more since I thought the whole paa/petso reference referred to inasal.)


All Day Breakfast

Tapsilog 75
Longsilog 75
Longalog 75
Cornsilog 75 (malamang corned beef ito)
Adsilog 75 (addidas? adobo?)


Mami

Beef mami 75
Chicken mami 75

(so I guess "chiiken" was a typo)

Wanton mami 75
Combination 90
Siomai 42
Siopao Asado 28

(Because siomai and siopao are in fact mami variants)