Again, we don’t have to be reminded (especially by Caucasians) that our cuisine is basically thebomb.com. But here it is anyway because a little recognition still brings a feel-good feeling in the gut and we need it every now and then.
Filipino restaurant Ma’am Sir in Los Angeles, California—which by the way, was already on our radar as early as last year in part because of its genius name—is included in GQ Magazine’s Best New Restaurants in America for 2019.
(READ: Meet the new Filipino resto in LA called Ma’am Sir)
For their May 2019 issue, GQ correspondent Brett Martin scoured all 50 states to find the “most delicious dining establishments.
“I have been intrigued, but never quite swept away, by Filipino cuisine, as it has become more and more prominent around the country in recent years,” Martin writes. He credits his (albeit late) discovery of lumpia, which he described as “the deep-fried spring roll served here open, like a narrow marrow bone, and topped with a nub of sea urchin,” for his new-found appreciation for Pinoy food.
What else did he have, you ask? Of course, he had sisig, “a sizzling platter of Instagram-defeating browns: pigs’ cheeks, snout, and ears, blended with veal sweetbreads, onion, chile, calamansi, and more, in layer after layer of alternating flavor and texture that I’ve thought of nearly every time I’ve been hungry since.” His words.
Martin praises Kapampangan chef Charles Olalia who’s behind the concept along with Rice Bar in Downtown LA. Olalia opened Ma’am Sir June of last year and has since been attracting patrons—Filipinos and foreigners alike—with their pica-pica style food that’s good enough to share.
Photos courtesy of Ma’am Sir LA
Get more stories like this by subscribing to our weekly newsletter here.
Read more:
Toyo Eatery is the sole Filipino restaurant on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list
Filipino cookbook by Maharlika restaurateurs vies for top US food award
Erik Matti set to direct an HBO Asia episode on Asian cuisine
Read more by Christian San Jose:
Can you handle the heat on these Korean “fire” noodles?
A fine dining chef stages a comeback with a “carinderia” in Poblacion
We are not lying: There’s a longganisa stuffed with laing