After settling into their new home in Rockwell last year, the chefs behind Hapag once again flex their culinary prowess with a new testing menu inspired by the flavors of Western Visayas.
If there’s one thing you can expect when dining at Hapag, it’s that new perspectives on familiar flavors are sure to come. So, hearing of their new tasting menu inspired by the flavors of Western Visayas, specifically ingredients and dishes from across Guimaras, Panay, and Negros, I was elated to taste it for myself.
Entering their new home in Rockwell, there’s a sense of synergy you can feel in the tall space. From the servers and waiters leading you to your table, to the chefs prepping away at their open kitchen, Hapag is a well-oiled machine that gets any diner eager to taste their new creations just by seeing them at work.
In developing the new tasting menu, chefs Thirdy Dolarte and Kevin “Nav” Navoa traveled across the Western Visayas region, immersing themselves in local eateries and kitchens to truly grasp the locals’ approach to their food. Like a sponge, they sought to absorb and learn every dish and ingredient they could. “There is so much,” Dolarte shares on their learnings from the trip. “From iconic local dishes to the work of passionate purveyors and farmers, terroir-driven specialty ingredients, and preserving heritage and culture — the foundation of our Western Visayas menu — these are the elements we aim to celebrate and bring to life.”
“There were so many inspirations behind this menu from our recent trip,” Navoa continues. “We planned a very hectic itinerary to ensure that we visited the right places in the short time we had. We also made sure to bring a cook who was a local to Bacolod that would be able to help us maneuver our way around towns and places we knew nothing about.”
Upon their return, bringing with them an abundance of knowledge and flavors to play with, Hapag’s resident sommelier Erin Ganuelas-Recto also got to work amplifying these diverse flavors with wine pairings that enrich each dish. Fortifying the new tasting menu with a vino pairing that’s just as exciting as the dishes to come. “My approach was to ensure that the wine pairing complemented the dish’s taste without altering it,” Ganuelas-Recto teases on her pairing process.
A celebration of flavors
After being seated, the menu starts off strong with a regional classic, batchoy. From their trip, the chefs learned that locals enjoyed their batchoy with a side of puto, which acts as a sponge for the rich broth. They recreate this tradition with their strong opener, with a deeply savory pork bone broth that just coats the tongue with its richness.
The dish’s creation is also part of chef Dolarte’s personal mission to try the many varieties of noodle soup in the region. “It’s like Japan’s ramen culture. Each version has its character,” he shares.
Next served was another staple of the region, inasal. With their rendition, Hapag serves three skewers of chicken, each of a different part: the gizzard, butt, and skin. Each skewer provided a rich grilled warmth that paired well with Ganuelas-Recto’s choice of chardonnay. The Champagne Delmotte’s crisp sweetness cuts through the chicken’s oil and juices, especially the butts with their tasty fat.
“This pairing is something I often do myself when ordering inasal, and I wanted to share this magical experience with everyone,” Ganuelas-Recto shares her excitement for the inasal-chardonnay pairing. “It is also extra special for me because we had the pleasure of having the winemaker Edouard Duval visit Hapag and try the pairing, which he thoroughly enjoyed.”
Another highlight dish was the kinilaw, the first seafood course of the new tasting menu—definitely one to look forward to. Three different fish (mahi-mahi, tanigue, and yellowfin tuna) are served, drenched in a calamansi and ginger mixture to “cook.” Each fish is garnished with various pickles that bring out their flavor. The fish’s gentle “cooking” gives a tender chew, and its flavors are even more enhanced by the sharp sawsawan of Negros Criollo cacao vinegar.
The bright meaty fish is beautifully paired with a rich sweet Riesling. The lush coat of the wine contrasts well with the vibrant kinilaw. “Filipino food is best paired with Champagnes and Rieslings,” Ganuelas-Recto elaborates. “Which is evident in how the wine pairing is curated.”
One interesting curveball course was their piaya, the usual sweet and flaky pastry is switched up with a savory and crisp potato miso sourdough. Cooked on the plancha and served with a cold shrimp salad with herbs and Kaviari caviar, this twist on piaya acts as their bread course. A deeply savory take on the usually sweet regional treat.
After a serving of their batuan sorbetes as a palate cleanser, we were finally served the salu-salo course with a variety of entrées. First to catch your eye is the adobadong sinugpa, a whole grilled red snapper topped with local herbs and garlic chips, all drenched in a rich adobado sauce. Next to it is the KBL, a Hiligaynon stew, the name of which is an initialism of its three main ingredients: kadyos (pigeon peas), baboy (pork, typically pata, but belly in this dish), and langka (jackfruit). The earthy taste of the stew blends well with the richness of pork, while the kadyos and jackfruit add some texture to every bite.
Along with the entrées are a side salad of Chinese lettuce and pako (fiddlehead fern) with a mango vinaigrette; and, of course, a heaping bowl of fried rice topped with dried baby shrimp, adding a touch of saltiness and crunch to the rice. The salu-salo feast was definitely a highlight, with flavors of the earth and sea coming together by the mouthful, showcasing the rich flavors of the Western Visayas region. To accompany the feast, Ganuelas-Recto poured a Silver Heights Jiayuan Pinot Noir from Ningxia, China. The wine gave a peppery, almost spicy, note, which went well with the deeper flavors that the pork and fish dishes offered.
After the feast and downing the wine, dessert came as a trio of treats. Covering all the signature sweets of the region, we were simultaneously served a delightful serving of napoleones, pili nut butterscotch, and Criollo cacao ice cream. It’s in the little details where Hapag makes these familiar sweets just a bit more decadent — the ripe sweet mangoes in the napoleones, the rich chocolate ice cream made with local cacao from Negros and topped with asin tultul (a rare salt from Guimaras) — it all just makes the flavors sweeter.
Passion and finesse
Overall, the passion that Dolarte and Navoa have for the region truly shows with finesse in the final lineup. Each course was meticulously made and with respect to its source, along with adding their signature Hapag flair. And to highlight the flavors all the more, Ganuelas-Recto’s pairings add further depth and complexity to each dish, masterfully matching vinos to the rich regional flavors.
Much has been said online on Hapag’s take on these regional dishes, the batchoy specifically, but what many fail to see is that any one dish can’t be pulled out from the menu in isolation. It’s part of a tasting menu that requires to be experienced in full, just as much as these dishes can’t be removed from the culture they originate from. After dining there myself, the intent that the chefs had was precisely that — to showcase a culture through flavors and ingredients that delighted them, and aimed to share that delight with their diners back home.
