Manila in Manhattan

New York is one of the few cities where menus know no ethnic bounds. Yet Filipino food remains foreign to many New Yorkers, an unfamiliar fare that I’ve discovered is delicious. As I stepped into Maharlika, an inviting 40-seat East Village eatery that could easily get lost in the shuffle of buildings in lower Manhattan, I noted portraits of Filipinos lining the wall with a profile of Tupac Shakur among them. With that, I knew this would be a fine meal.

Maharlika loosely translates to “nobility” in Tagalog, the first language of many Filipinos, and there is speculation that indigenous tribes used this term to describe the country before it was renamed by King Philip II of Spain. I wouldn’t exactly say that the décor of the restaurant is of noble DNA, but more suggestive of a rustic sanctuary with a fashionable edge. Natural woodwork sets the tone with appropriate greenery throughout; lighting is dim, and background music wavers between R&B and pop. HINT: This is a good first date spot if only to prove that your palette is skilled and you’re out for a good time.

The restaurant touts that it serves a modern reinterpretation of old-fashioned Filipino cooking. “We envisioned our grandmothers going to a high-end culinary school,” general manager Topher Chung relates, and we combined that sense with head chef Miguel Trinidad’s formal French training. He likes to integrate wine into his braises, blanches vegetables, and prepares some of the meats confit a la Julia Child. These are decidedly non-Filipino techniques, yet the dinner menu retains a measure of authenticity. Broken into Pulutan (appetizers), Ulam (entrees) and a Breakfast section, the options are expansive. We arrived in time for a reasonably priced Happy Hour and ordered $5 glasses of sangria which were liberally topped off with tequila, a nice touch. These accompanied a complimentary Chicharron de Pollo with a spicy Calamansi sauce, a tasty mouthful.

Following more sangria, the two of us settled on five dishes to share. Portions are substantial though that didn’t stop us from creating a makeshift buffet. After devouring the Chicharron (because fried chicken skins are how every meal should begin), we ordered Lumpiang Barquillos and Pampangan style Sizzling Sisig to start. Barquillos are crisp wafer rolls that are sometimes served with coffee in the Philippines; here, the Maharlikans use rice paper and fill them with pork and beef. This was explained to us by our affable server who gleaned that as non-Filipinos, we might require some schooling. The Sizzling Sisig is arguably more adventurous as it’s a hash comprised of pig ears, snout, cheek, and belly. If you’re deterred by these components, ask yourself if you’ve ever had a bologna sandwich. The heady aroma of this dish is what pervades the restaurant when you enter; its flavor is equal parts delectable and comforting.

Tocino was our next dish, a breakfast selection consisting of pork tenderloin cured in 7-Up. We added garlic rice and two sunny-side up eggs to the mix which is otherwise known as “silog” (whenever you see the suffix “silog” added to a Filipino dish, this denotes rice and eggs). This was one of our favorite dishes and a filling one. Just as we were finishing our breakfast, the entrees arrived. We split Kare Kare, an oxtail stew braised in a peanut butter sauce, along with fried chicken and ube-flavored waffles. The Kare Kare was exceptional; sweet and savory is a difficult balance to strike but Maharlika’s kitchen achieves it deftly. The dish is rounded out with grilled bok choy, eggplant, and long beans, all of which complement the sauce nicely and give your cholesterol a break. Our final excess, fried chicken and waffles, was a perfect way to conclude the meal. The chicken is batterless making it lighter, whereas the purple yam waffle is topped with an incongruent yet delicious combination of anchovy butter and macapuno syrup. We found it fitting that our experience ended with a bit of breakfast, the meal that Filipinos emphasize most in their everyday lives.

There was one delicacy on the menu we shied away from trying – Balut, a fertilized duck egg that is often peddled by beach vendors in the motherland. Perhaps we’ll test our bravery next time on a much anticipated return visit. We may not speak Tagalog, but Maharlika’s fare was never lost in translation.