FOOD Park Finds is a series of articles that feature some of the best grub we’ve tried at food parks. Sprouting up throughout Metro Manila in the past couple of years, food parks have been known to provide would be restaurateurs a venue to try their hand at the business without having to spend millions. For diners, food parks are a fun and novel way of getting to try different cuisines in one place and at a relatively inexpensive way.
Bringing Some Southern Kick North of the Metro
OUR area of Banawe in the Northern Part of Quezon City is known mostly for car parts. But through the decades, restaurants, more specifically Chinese restaurants have opened literally left and right to cater to the predominantly Chinoy business owners and residents of the area. Proof of this are the Chinese arches guarding the entrances of Banawe along Quezon Avenue. While clearly dominated by Chinese restaurants, there are of course other choices in and around the area. From American to Greek to Vietnamese to Japanese and Korean cuisines, we’re pretty spoilt for choice nowadays. Of course, close by is La Loma where rows of lechon vendors line Calavite and Amoranto Streets as well as the famous Original Pares which is packed 24/7.
A welcome addition to our neighborhood food scene is District 89, a brand new food park along M. Cuenco St., just off Banawe. Like most other food parks, the range of food is pretty varied, with Mexican, Filipino, Korean, a Sizzling Steak place, a fish (Bangus) specialty outlet, a hotdog sandwich outlet, a specialty drinks (bubble tea) outlet and a dessert (ice cream) outlet. There is also an enclosed bar for those who’d like some air-conditioning while enjoying their booze.
As with everything new, people get curious and start to come in trickles then in droves. With friends in tow, we decided to check District 89 out one weeknight. In order to get to try as much of the food on sale as possible, we split up and tried to order from different outlets. Among those with a bit of a queue, was Southern Grind, a Cajun and barbecue place with what seemed to be, at least to me, a focused theme food-wise and a nicely designed store too. Browsing through the menu, I decided on two items that weren’t very common to rib joints – Country Fried Beef and Shrimp Po’boy. While most rib “shacks” stop at ribs, Southern Grind serves some of the American South’s greatest hits. Seeing Po’boys and Jambalayas on their menu means they mean business and have at the very least, an appreciation of the food of Louisiana and other southern states.
The very hands-on owner of Southern Grind, Chef Ton Tallon graciously answered my questions and promptly took my orders. With very limited space in the kitchen and with orders steadily coming, Chef Ton and his team remained calm and were sending food out like clockwork. My orders, the Country Fried Beef and Deep Fried Sticky Ribs got to me fresh and fast. The Country Fried Beef, a piece of steak breaded and deep fried like chicken was served over buttery mashed potatoes and a milk mushroom gravy. The Deep Fried Sticky Ribs came as advertised, fall-off-the-bone tender, lightly battered and fried to a crisp then glazed with a sweet and mildly spicy sauce. I enjoyed the food so much and was amazed at the reasonable pricing that I decided to introduce myself to Chef Ton and told him that his food deserved a feature. Ever humble and unassuming, Chef Ton agreed and after giving him my card and a copy of Cook, we decided on a date for my feature on Southern Grind.
More than just ribs
TO most of us, Southern United States isn’t as familiar as say L.A. or New York or even Chicago. While California, Texas and New Mexico have cuisines all their own and have proven to be hits worldwide with steakhouses, Tex-Mex restaurants and the like dotting the globe. Among the cuisines of the South though, none may be as revered as Cajun cooking. A mixture of French, African, Native American, Italian and Portuguese influences, Cajun cuisine typically has bold flavors and uses everyday ingredients found in the Louisiana countryside, swamps, waterways and being a coastal state, the Gulf of Mexico. Aside from a heavy dose of pork and pork products, Cajun cooking typically makes use of game, fresh and saltwater seafood.
On our shoot day, Chef Ton and his team prepared the most popular items in their menu. And after taking pics and enjoying all the sumptuous food, I got to sit down with Southern Grind’s main man to talk shop.
Cook Magazine: What made you decide on the name Southern Grind?
Chef Ton: Even before my professional career as a chef, I was already an ultimate fan of Creole cooking and Cajun flavors. When I finally had the chance to work in Fernandina Beach in Southern Florida, and I got to travel to Miami, Georgia and South Carolina, that’s where the real southern experience started. I used the “Grind”, which also means hustle, because I pretty much loved the way the southern and country folks prepare their food. It was just like a busy, old fashioned, rustic and fun kind of cooking experience. I loved how they put details and layers of Cajun flavors in their dishes and also, it was really like a brotherhood. They like to cook, drink and party with their folks at the same time and made everybody happy and they preserved their roots. That’s what made me decide on the name, SOUTHERN GRIND BISTRO
Cook: Your food seems to be southern US/Cajun inspired. How and why did you decide on that specific cuisine?
Chef Ton: I like the southern spices, no doubt about that. The mix of sweet, spicy, salty and smoky flavors just makes my day. Everyday. I decided on this cuisine because I was pretty hooked on it when I was in Fernandina beach. This is what I always felt like doing and cooking for myself, my family and friends. I was very intrigued by the way Cajun food is cooked, the way they are balanced by these strong aromatic spices, rich flavors, and of course, it’s all about the smokiness. I love smoking meats. I just love it. I can smoke any kind of meat all day. The smoky burnt smell and aroma feels like home to me.
Cook: What are your bestsellers at Southern Grind? Which dishes would you like first timers to try first?
Chef Ton: First on the list of our best sellers is our signature, my personal take on the southern American favorite, the St. Louis Smoked Pork BBQ Ribs. It cooks for many hours until it’s meltingly perfect. My secret signature BBQ sauce will make you come back for more. Guaranteed. Second on that list is of course, our selection of Po-Boys, which is a staple in almost every southern city in the USA and is a rustic kind of sandwich. I use a buttered brioche roll for these rather than the good old French baguette to make a sweet twist which Filipinos love. The top player in the Po-boy list is our signature Cajun-spiced and deep fried shrimps. Tossed in our sweet and spicy chili sauce, mixed with our home made coleslaw and tucked in a fresh baked sweet buttered brioche bun, it is what I think a proper Po-boy is. Another favorite is our Country Fried Sirloin Steak. We only use high-grade beef for this one, dusted with spiced flour and deep-fried. We offer this with a creamy mashed potato and drizzled with our Southern Grind signature milk gravy.
Cook: What is your background? What did you do before getting into food parks?
Chef Ton: Our Family was already in the food business even before. My mom loves to cook and started out a small family restaurant back in my hometown in Calbayog, Samar. I believe I was just a 2nd grader when she started out. Growing up with my mom in the restaurant opened my interest in cooking and it all began from there. I then enrolled in Global Culinary Academy back in 2009 which is one the respected culinary schools in Manila, to get the proper education. I was really into it. Even before I graduated from cooking school, I was hired by an Italian fine dining restaurant. It was my first actual job as a cook trainee. I hustled my way everyday, prepping for the chefs, and I even did some hours on the dish pit but it was all fine. It was all part of being a cook, dreaming to be a chef someday and I had no trouble with that. I then managed to land job offer in Florida so I flew out without hesitation. I worked hard and I traveled to explore what the southern states of America had to offer. I also worked for a 5 star hotel in Macau, China and when I got back to the Philippines, had an amazing opportunity to work as a Chef De Partie in Two Seasons Resorts in Coron Palawan. Before I decided to open up Southern Grind Bistro, I also had the chance to work with the finest chefs of Marriott Manila.
Cook: Do you think food parks are here to stay? Do you plan on having a full restaurant in the future?
Chef Ton: Food Parks are the best choice for aspiring restaurateurs and I think, as long as people make new innovations on food, those food parks will stay. It is my dream as a Chef and a future restaurateur to have my own full-scale restaurant of course. I will be opening up my third Southern Grind Bistro food park branch this January 2018 to further allow my joint to be discovered for a year or two and if God allows, I will surely be opening up my first full-scale SOUTHERN GRIND BISTRO.
Southern Grind Bistro is located at District 89 Food Park, 78 M. Cuenco St., Quezon City. You may reach them at 09178152773