Monday, July 25, 2011

#LA2Bay Dinner at ATTIC Restaurant: Pushing Traditional and New Filipino Cuisine

by @mrfredbriones
reposted from KapaMealya.org

2011 is almost over and done with...well at least it seems that way. This year has been a pretty exciting one, especially with my food journey. A couple of months ago, my #KapaMealya team took a road trip down to beautiful Socal to explore what the other half had to offer. But more importantly, we had the pleasure of finally meeting our Pinoy Twitter/blogger counterparts. We had such a great experience that a #LA2Bay trip had been planned. So in June a few adventurous foodies embarked on their own road trip to the Bay Area.

The KapaMealya team was short handed for the #LA2Bay trip and we were without our veteran foodie and founder Jo Boston-KwanHall ( @joanneisafoodie ) and her handsome husband @Phatpanda650, who we on their honeymoon in the Philippines. So this was my first attempt at hosting a foodie dinner for 30, help plan a menu, secure giveaways and everything else in between. With the help of @filipeanut (also from ShirtSilog and Filipino Food Tees)  and @leroid (also from Attic) the event was a definite success.

The mood is set
Attic is one of the few restaurants that I believe, makes Filipino food unique here in the Bay. Although Attic is not a Filipino Restaurant officially, Chef Tim Luym definitely introduces his diners to many of the flavors that the Philippines has to offer. The menu for the evening showcased some of Attic's popular items but also featured creations that hopefully someday make their way onto your plates. So for a few hours we did some serious eating, sneaked in a few raffle prizes, enjoyed good company, and overall...had a blast. So keep reading and prepare to get hungry!

Our Menu
Trying to play host
 So we started off the evening with sweet potato fries and banana ketchup. A simple "pulutan" that is a must have for you beer drinkers or perfect for the little foodies in your family.

Sweet Potato Fries with Banana Ketchup - photo courtesy of Ron Escopete
Next we were treated to Inihaw Kinilaw Surf & Turf which was prepared with a butterfish ceviche, coconut milk, thai chili, shallots, cilantro, grilled marinated pork belly and philippine hand harvested sea salt.

Inihaw Kinilaw Surf & Turf - photo courtesy of Ron Escopete
 For our palate cleanser, Chef Tim served one of my favorite simple dishes Raw Sinigang which is made from tomato water, heirloom tomato, radish, daikon sprout and long bean. This is perfect on hot summer days when your traditional sinigang is a bit to hot.

Raw Sinigang - photo courtesy of Ron Escopete
 The next dish was probably the star of the night and something that made me drool when Chef Tim showed me his menu. Crispy Bulalo - Bone marrow, crispy oxtail, Napa cabbage, reduction sauce and grilled toast. Attic regulars are probably familiar with their Beef and Bone served with Lengua and marrow butter. What chef Tim does with dish is take a classic filipino dish and add his own flair to create the perfect tapas style dish.

Crispy Bulalo
 If Attic has a must have dish, I believe it has to be their Adobo Lolipop Wings. A large order of these wings paired with your favorite beer or white wine will keep you going...until your ready for another order.

Adobo Lolipop Wings
 I love longanisa and most recently I have started adding kale to my diet. So when the next item on our tasting menu came, I was ecstatic. Long Cooked Kale and Longanisa Adobo made with organic lacinato kale, sweet pork longanisa, grilled cipollini onion.

Long cooked kale and longanisa adobo
 Once again chef Tim takes another simple dish and makes it amazing. His Bistek Taglish - grilled shortrib, crispy onion and green garlic, was quite tender and definitely a flavorful way to end the main part of our tasting experience.

Bistek Taglish - photo courtesy of Ron Escopete
 So when we thought we were all done, Leroid and the crew from Attic, brings us a surprise dish from one of chefs Tim's other ventures. The #LA2Bay diners each had a taste of @TheWowTruck with their Spicy Corned Beef Silog taco. Who can say no to corned beef, fried egg and garlic fried rice....in a taco!

Spicy Corned beef silog taco from The Wow Truck
 For dessert, we enjoyed a serving of Bread  pudding with ube tapioca and baby mango. 

Bread pudding with ube tapioca and baby mango
 It was a great night for dining, tweeting, networking, re-connecting and above all, helping the Filipino food community grow. We had people from all over the Bay, LA, and even as far as Las Vegas. From foodies, insurance brokers, graphic designers, restaurant owners, Chefs ...you name it and they were there, appreciating what Chef Tim and Attic have to offer the Bay Area. Hopefully we showed our #KapaMealya from Socal a great time because it was so good to see them. Abby (of pleasurepalate.blogspot.com), Nerissa, Geri ( Princess Gourmet )and the rest who couldn't make the trip... you guys are always welcome. And to our new #KapaMealya, we look forward to dining with you again. Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat! Till our next dinner. Your friend @mrfredbriones

Thanking the Chef himself
Princess Gourmet and Chef Tim
Toasting another successful dinner
#LA2Bay Diners with Chef Tim Luym

Contacts
ATTIC Restaurant
Address:
234 South B Street, San Mateo, CA 94401
Phone: 650.342.4506
E-mail: info@atticrestaurant.com
Twitter: @AtticRestaurant
Attic (Dinner) Hours: Tues- Sat. 5:30pm-10:00pm
Under Attic (Bar) Hours: Tues- Sat. 4:00pm- last call

The WOW Truck
Phone:
(408) 644-2817
Web
: www.thewowtruck.com
Twitter: @thewowtruck


You can find The Wow Truck at Off The Grid Fort Mason every other Friday evenings. For more locations, follow them on Twitter.

KapaMEALya
Web: www.kapamealya.org
Twitter: @kapaMealya

Attic on Urbanspoon