Food Ingenuity - SARSÁ Kitchen+Bar

Post-diet craziness brought me to a lot of questionable food choices. From gobbling down one pack of Choco Mallows the day after my Biggest Loser final weigh-in; to going on a sisig pursuit in Pampanga (soon on my blog ;)). Wasn't my proudest of moments but in my defense, I deserved it! Going on a diet (and successfully sticking to it for two months) is no picnic! During the diet, I was already contemplating this particular restaurant. Finally, after being freed from the shackles of winning-the-Biggest-Loser pressure, I finally get to re-visit SARSÁ Kitchen+Bar.

SARSÁ Kitchen+Bar

Ever since it was featured on ABS-CBN's Kris TV, I couldn't forget it.  I remember watching that episode and recognizing the owner and chef of Sarsa, Chef JP Anglo--notable from being one of the judges of that-show-that-makes-me-question-my-childhood-upbringing Junior Master Chef Philippines. (Seriously, though, how are those kids able to cook amazing dishes when I can barely fry hotdogs without shrinking them into vienna sausage sizes??) Anyway, as I was watching that episode, it got me thinking, "Eeh. Another exorbitant restaurant with pinch servings." And then they brought out the food. I had to bite my tongue. I cannot help but drool. And so, I had to taste Sarsa's offering.

"SARSÁ Kitchen+Bar features the best of traditional Filipino and Negrense dishes, done with a contemporary touch and using the best local ingredients. Bacolod-born chef JP Anglo has created a range of signature sauces to complement and provide a new take on these dishes."

SARSÁ only recently started last year. A few months after it opened, I dragged my boyfriend-slash-food-buddy to try it. Admittedly, our first SARSA experience was a bust. We were walk-in customers and the tables are all reserved. We agreed to settle at the bar which was awkward because our food had to take up the entire bar space. The bartender in-charge of the drinks are right in front of us. Like, we can reach out and touch him if we wanted to and so we had very little privacy. But then I thought, "It's okay. I'm there for the isaw." And then they informed me that the isaw was not available. So I was in a foul mood. My only consolation was I saw Chef Jayps in action. We had to wait for more than an hour for our food because, according to the manager, our order got punched in at the register but, it did not reflect on the orders queue in the kitchen. Basically, they didn't prepare the food. I was already close to tears by then. But the manager apologized and had us transferred to a table and gave us free Sarsa Batchoy soup.

You see, my experience with Sarsa was very disappointing. But I just had to get back. Why? Because the food is truly, undoubtedly, amazing and creative. My latest visit was after my Biggest Loser days and I just had to pig out. Learning from our past experience, we got a reservation and so it was hassle-free when we got there. The place is spacious and from your seat, you can see the very busy kitchen and they are definitely far from understaffed. During this visit, I can say that they've finally gotten hold of how famous they are and how sought after their food is by the mainstream crowd. They've been managing well and there is an improvement in the service. Unfortunately though, Chef Jayps was not there on our second visit. 

SARSÁ Kitchen+Bar

SARSÁ Kitchen+Bar

Their menu fits in a page and does not overwhelm you when you try to order. Since I'm not very familiar with all the sauces, the glossary at the bottom of the page provided a lot of help. They have pictures too for a visual guide. As you may have probably heard or read somewhere, Sarsa Kitchen+Bar was created due to Filipino's love for putting sauces ("sarsa") and condiments that add flavor to our traditional dishes. Combine these with the Negrense cuisine and you have a unique gustatory experience.

A glimpse of the Sarsa Menu

Sarsa Glossary :)

"Patiently" waiting for the food.

The dishes we've tried (and loved) so far are a few of their bestsellers.

The Sizzling Kansi (P335) is the crowd favorite. Kansi is also called bulalo. You can imagine how intrigued I am to taste this curious dish. Bulalo is a childhood favorite. Imagine sipping hot bulalo soup in the middle of a cold afternoon and beating and scooping the sh*t out of the bones for those delicious heart-attack inducing bone marrows. And yes, tasting Sarsa's Sizzling Kansi is reminiscent of that. Although much drier than the traditional bulalo, the taste of the soup is apparent at each bite of the tender meat. As you can see from the picture below, bone marrow lovers like me are treated with half a bone (approximately, one overflowing tablespoon) of bone marrow.

Sizzling Kansi (P335)

Sizzling Kansi (P335)

My next favorite is the Thin-Cut Liempo with Native Coffee and Burong Vinegar (P225) as the side-sarsa. :) I absolutely love grilled liempo. Sarsa's version was amplified because of their sauces. Particularly, the Native Coffee sauce. The bitter taste of the coffee-turned-sauce complimented the smoky-sweet Filipino-styled taste of the grilled meat. It was addictive.

Thin-Cut Liempo with Native Coffee and Burong Vinegar (P225)

The Lechon Kawali with Batwan Tsokolate Sauce and Pinakurat (P250) deluged my sense of taste. Although the meat was very crispy, the amount of fried pork fat overwhelmed what was left of my fried taste buds. The Tsokolate sauce is the saving grace for this dish. The taste of tablea chocolate numbed my fat-ridden sense of taste.

Lechon Kawali (P250)

The Tortang Talong with Crispy Sardines and Kesong Puti (with Pinakurat and Chili Banana Ketchup) (P165) was new to my taste and pleasantly relaxed. Borgy and I are both huge fans of this household dish. Although it was a little too salty for my usual tortang talong, the crispy sardines provided that "seafood taste" redolent of okoy. That same taste drove me to order this next mouthwatering delish: Crispy Dilis.

Tortang Talong with Crispy Sardines and Kesong Puti (P165)

The Crispy Dilis (P110) comes with a chili pineapple glaze and is served as a cute pile. I have been leering at this dish the moment I first saw it in television. As a child, I loved dilis.I still do. I remember how back in the province, if I saw packs of crispy dilis being sold in a store, I would immediately buy some, completely disregarding the fact that I had just brushed my teeth and will probably smell like fish for the remainder of the day, much to my mother's annoyance. Sarsa's dish is no exception. More than anything, the glaze gave this dish a zing satisfying the intense craving and reminding me of the childhood snack I've sorely missed.

Crispy Dilis (P110)

Crispy Dilis

Last but definitely not the least is their Grilled Sticks bestsellers: Panit (chicken skin) (P170) and Isaw (chicken intestine) (P155). We all know we love street foods. And this is why so many have been curious to try out Sarsa's version. As I've mentioned, during my first Sarsa visit, Isaw is not available so I had to settle for the Panit. That wasn't a bad idea at all. Although, it is packed with cholesterol and probably not a good idea for recovering hypertensive. But damn, this is as heavenly as it can get. Normally, they will serve this with minimum scorch as possible. But as always, I've requested it well-done. The isaw is as gloriously sinful as the panit and divinely chewy. There is not one hint of bitterness in the taste. Too bad they only have three sticks per serving. :(

Panit (P170)

Isaw (P155)

Isaw

You can probably guess by now that yes, I am definitely recommending this restaurant. Not only does it offer traditional Filipino cuisine but, it offers them with creative modernism. This is how I've been slowly discovering the talents of our Filipino chefs. No doubt our traditional cuisines are already notable but, with these talented and creative minds, our cuisine continues to be outstanding in the culinary world.

For more savory info about Sarsa, you can visit their Facebook page here! :)

SARSÁ Kitchen+Bar
Unit 1-7, Forum South Global,
7th Ave corner 25th Street, Fort Bonifacio
Mon - Sun: 11:00am - 11:00pm
09277060773