Always surround yourself with people who loves to eat, cook and celebrate even without a particular reason. Have fun; life’s way too short to make it even shorter. Be a maverick and do things. Explore. You’d never end up regretting the things you’ve done, only of the things you did not do. And that’s how a pep talk should be whenever your tummy growls and everyone around you is on a diet. Yeah right.
Kusina sa Subli is one of my many favourite restos in the city. Not that I have a list, that is. Being that it is near my place, it’s also where Lokalista is — the store my friends and I conceptualised. And it won’t take a genius to know that we have fused the two together — with the use of local edible products in preparing the dishes at Kusina sa Subli.
On the menu are old faves tweaked to recreate a most delicious dish that’s not only sensically delicious but supports local products as well. Case in point, their buffalo wings. A personal fave, I’ve always been one to munch on a plate and eat with my bare hands. Now, Kusina has incorporated locally produced chili oil and Kinamayo chili paste to make it even tastier. The verdict? The spice makes it even more nakakatakam.
Honey glazed chicken has never tasted this sweet and savoury at once. The crunch on the chicken and the sweet glaze are just perfect for one another. The meat, on the other hand, is juicy and tender that you won’t need any condiments on the side. For this dish, we opted to use Davao’s very own, Renaissance honey — every bottle is guaranteed to give you 100% pure, wild honey. Now, that’s how you experiment inside the kitchen.
One of Kusina’s best seller is their crispy fried Crispy Pata. Enjoyed with bottles of beer or consumed with cups of freshly cooked rice, this dish is always a hit amongst diners. Kusina sa Subli chef opted to keep the flavours of this dish intact and instead, added a local touch for the sawsawan. As Filipinos, we love our sawsawans. For this, Yvonne’s Native Suka added more depth to the already rich dish.
Lumpia is certainly life. At Kusina, their lumpia is made with veggies hence perfect for the likes of me. Crunchy on the outside, the filling compliments the savoury cooked veggies on the inside without being umay. The addition of Seloy’s native suka to the dish is so Pinoy — to say the least. The spiced native suka, for me, is spicy, yes, but not overly spicy — it’s just pure bliss on every bite.
These are just some of the tweaked recipes on Kusina’s menu. Experimenting on the kitchen with local products that are proudly Mindanao not only enhances the taste and depth of any dish, it makes it even more personal. Lokalista products are also available at Kusina sa Subli.
For my latest food finds, follow me on Instagram @iamleebai and Facebook @theroyalchefeats. Happy munching, royalistas!
