‘Cue is bringing food back to its basics – the
cooking-over-a-fire kind of basic. And its grilled offerings are but a taste of
more culinary revelations to come.
THEY’RE AN INTERESTING, if highly unlikely trio, to say the
least.
Jon Syjuco sells flip flops as the Philippine distributor of
Havaianas. Abba Napa’s family feeds you upscale Italian food through her
family’s L’Opera. And Eliza Antonino, once in public service, now delves into
the Filipino end of the eating spectrum via Masas.
‘Cue Modern
Barbecue
Yet they came together, this motley crew, to form the Moment
Group, setting out to do soemthing a little different: not trendy, nor buzzy,
but something that would, by its mere existence, enhance the local culinary
scene, they went for a concept so ingrained in the Pinoy soul, creating a venue
that serves the most primal of treats – meat over fire. Yes, they
conceptualized a barbecue place, boldly called ‘Cue Modern Barbecue.
Now, before your eyes glaze over at lusty thoughts of smoked,
slow-roasted ribs, with fat dripping sensuously down your arm – snap out of it!
– it’s not entirely what you think. Sure there are ribs, but interestingly
enough, it’s not ‘Cue’s spotlit superstar. There is much more to this place
than baby-back.
No, the plan was to explore as many approaches to cooking
meat over fire as they could – not just the way our Yankee friends do it, but
everyone else, as well.
Inside of Cue
Modern Barbecue
From the dark recesses of their once-upon-a-time home
office, hours of deliberation were put in to figure out what kind of story they
wanted to tell. A trip spent noshing throught some of the best American food on
this side of the world inspired ideas to play on – a highly calorific way of
menu development, I would think, but, hey, it’s all in the name of research!
How’s that for dedication to the cause?
It took some time for them to wrap their heads around what
exactly “modern barbecue” entailed, but once they had their eureka
moment, it was full steam ahead from there. So, if you care for the little
nuances of what you’re eating, you’ll find some Middle Eastern touches, some
Oaxacan, some Latin American fire, some good ol’ Southern American glory, and
of course, riffs from Manila. Yup, their menu is more eclectic than a box of
crayons.
Alongside one of their most ordered, and dare I say most
“controversial” dishes, for example – an appetizer of smallish soft tacos,
which you fill with grilled beef and, oh yes, bone marrow – you can find
classic like mac and cheese, or a terrific Caesar salad. The super Filipino monggo
gets jazzed up into a base for chili. A giant rib eye might pique your
interest, or perhaps beef belly, lamb ribs, or a tender roast chicken. In the
sandwiches lia some great flavours too, like a house-cured corned beef, or an
unlikely, but still-delicious, grilled cheese.
An appetizer of
smallish soft tacos
Arguably one of their strongest dishes is something that all
three owners feel very strongly about: the house burger. Now, in a burger-crazy
town like Manil, where everyone gets fiercely passionate on the subject, coming
up with a burger with impact is no mean feat – it has to be special, not just
something to fill up space on the rest of their menu. And I can say that their
patty offering is good enough to merit its own separate restaurant: made with
locally sourced ans specially blended beef, served in a proprietary bun with a
side of sweet potato fries, it is a dish that makes a strong statement about
what they are trying to achieve with their restaurant – a very global yet
decidedly Filipino take on food.
After having speaks with this newly established restaurant
group, you can’t help but be caught up in their giddy enthusiasm. They are
clearly a group that loves good, uncomplicated, yet still sophisticated food,
and it shows in the dishes that they serve. Although by no means perfect, the
three are humble enough to embrace this and acknowledge that it’s a work in
progress, taking their baby steps into hopefully more forays into the local
food scene.
Young and driven, and armed with years of eclectic
experience, the ideas they have up their sleeve are, at least on paper, quite
spot on.
Jack in the Box is
unveiling a new grilled sandwich
A new sandwich concept – actually a restaurant within a
restaurant – is nearing completion, and promises to fill yet another space in
the restaurant landscape that needs filling.
It’s one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” type of
concepts, and it’s quite a doozy – the kind of food that will keep the social
networks busily buzzing about it.
It’s exciting times ahead in our local food scene, and
upstarts like these three comrades-in-arms will lead the cgarge forward, one
baby-back rib at a time.
Caught in the moment
The ‘Cue trio – Jon Syjuco, Eli Antonino, and Abba Napa –
talk prime cuts, cooking heritage, and fixing up the neighborhood
Any future restaurant ideas that the Moment Group is
cooking up?
We have a basketful of ideas and half-developed concepts.
Our imminent projects, however, have to do with the locations we [already]
occupy. We believe it’s important to make sense within the neighborhood we’re a
part of – complementing those aroung us and offering something, hopefully,
relevant to its diners.
What is the food philosophy behind ‘Cue?
‘Cue is our attempt to give barbecue some loving. We felt
that barbecue hadn’t yet transcended into the dining scene locally. Here it is
still referenced to Americam-style BBQ from foreign chains or the well-loved ihaw
on the beach, both fun in their own right. We wanted to showcase the diversity
of what barbecue can be. We’re going to do this through ‘Cue’s evolution,
slowly but surely. We didn’t just go to the American south but to many other
places with barbecue in their cooking heritage. Our islands house all the
heritage needed and we’re very happy to build from our roots. In the end we
wanted our first establishment to allow us to have a meal that we could all
enjoy on a personal level as well, and good hunks of grilled meat did that.
Any new dishes that will come out soon on the menu?
We’d like to pay homage to the local pig. We believe it
deserves to be represented.
What is the story behind the Moment Group?
We chanced upon this great lil’ spot. We had this
opportunity to work with some amazing people, and we looked around the
neighborhood, asking ourselves how we could add to the story. If we were going
to re-enter this [food] world and be consumed again, we wanted to hoptfully add
value to the landscape. And one day, when our country’s dining scene finally
gets recognized for its variety and charm, it would mean a lot if we played a
part, no matter how large or small, in that moment.
