The heat has been unbearable and my food cravings have been greatly affected by it. I am constantly in search of what will cool me down.
Recently, I found myself at Nomama with chef Him Uy de Baron to sample his summer menu. His food is exactly what I needed—crisp and light, done with fresh ingredients and a light touch, with no heavy seasoning yet with a lot going on in terms of textures and contrasting flavors.
When chef Him served me his soft-shell crab sliders, I fell in love with the dish. Imagine soft-shell crab tempura (the chef’s execution made all the difference here—perfect batter, perfect temperature, perfect frying time) sandwiched in a soft, buttery brioche bun with watermelon salsa, kimchi mayo and lime-nori salt. Buttery, crunchy, a dash of salt, a hint of sweetness, a kick of spice, hot and cold—all at the same time! These sliders are what I consider to be the best flavors of summer in one bite.
I also liked Fresh Crab Roll Salad—blue swimmer crab meat in Japanese vinaigrette, miso butter corn, micro greens.
The quality of ingredients is what the chef pays much importance to. When one uses prime ingredients, it is the chef’s duty to put them together masterfully. The crab salad was such.
While I was feasting on the salad, my friend Vivian Go enjoyed the Onigiri Rice Crispies—sushi rice stuffed with slow-cooked pork, tossed in apple teriyaki sauce, umami salt and sambal aioli. Each time she took a bite, she kept saying “This is good!”
House ramen
No trip to Nomama would be complete without trying the house ramen. I like the bite of the noodles and the broth. Even on a hot summer day, I still enjoy a good bowl of ramen. According to chef Him, “I simmer organic pork and chicken bones for hours. We blend miso pastes, garlic and sesame. The ramen showcases how I want to do things—slow, no shortcuts, using the best local ingredients we can get. It’s also my daughter’s favorite ramen.”
Just when I thought we were done, the chef chose to serve the best for last—his take on the longsilog, called Breakfast Mezemen, consisting of hand-rolled and sliced ramen noodles tossed in tomato confit, Lucban longaniza and garlic, topped with pickled watermelon rind and an organic sunny-side-up. Again, a merry mix of flavors in one bite. This is definitely worth a try if you’re looking for something new.
“The Mezemen is a ramen that focuses on the noodles,” said chef Him. “We use the ramen dough that we hand-roll and cut just like pappardelle. We have two variations. The Nomama Mezemen is tossed in chicken fat, tare and umami salt and topped with aji tomago and pickled shimeji mushrooms. This tries to capture the full flavor of a bowl of ramen with greater emphasis on the noodles. But I also wanted to have an alternate ramen that is not too rich and without the soup.”
When it was time for dessert, I could not resist the Nutella-stuffed cookie with homemade vanilla bean ice cream and hazelnut crumbs. The cookie dough came with a rich and creamy vanilla ice cream with slivers of sweet strawberries. I haven’t stopped dreaming of it. In fact, I went back to Nomama the day after to have sliders and the cookie again.
I learned later on that Him’s wife Kirsten bakes the cookies, and she accepts orders. She calls her Nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookie with sea salt Suki. Mrs. Uy de Baron bakes only two things, the Suki and the Nala (malagos tablea cupcake brownie), both named after their two girls. (Call 0917-8266254 for orders.)
Passionate
Watching chef Him at work, I noticed how passionate he was, especially when talking about a favorite dish and its ingredients. How he goes out of his way to search for the sweetest mangoes, the perfect crabs, the freshest greens.
“In keeping with Nomama’s philosophies, we source mostly local and organic produce—crabs are fresh and local, the Saravia Blue Crab from Bacolod,” he said.
But he was quick to say that Nomama isn’t an authentic Japanese restaurant. It’s more like a personal interpretation of all that this chef loves about food—expressed and cooked his way.
“Nomama also borrows flavors from Southeast Asia, and we try not to be limited with just the Japanese profile. We use the base and foundation of Japanese cuisine in how we source our ingredients, and letting them shine by not complicating the layers of flavor,” he pointed out.
“I love the bold Asian flavors, but I try to present them in a more refined and contemporary way,” he added. “I’m constantly challenging myself to come up with new innovations, that’s why travel and reading are big on my list. I continue to learn and explore, and while traveling I curate and catalogue the experience and bring them to the kitchen for testing.”
What pleases me most about Nomama is how the chef and the food are intertwined. Chef Him is his food, and his food is the best expression of himself.
Nomama has two locations: Quezon City, tel. 9213941; and Capitol Commons Ortigas, tel. 6318159
For a copy of my new cooking class schedule, call 9289296, 4008496, 0908-2372346 and 0917-5543700