Publication Date: Friday Feb 2, 2001

Restaurant Review: Philippine flavors

The first thing you'll be asked at Rene-Rose isn't "How many?" Rose Nepomuceno will ask instead, "Is this your first time?", sensing your unfamiliarity with Philippine food.

Not to worry. Nepomuceno will make up a plate of her daily meat dishes for you to try, scooping up a bit of each from the serving counter's steamer trays.

Nepomuceno is half of the husband-and-wife duo running this restaurant, which opened on Mountain View's Castro Street in November. Prior to that, the couple ran Rene-Rose in Sunnyvale, which made its debut in June 1992. Over time, their business outgrew its space, so they moved to a new location that had previously housed a Korean restaurant. They did a little remodeling, moving the steamer counter from the middle of the room to one side. The decor is basic--white tablecloths and fresh flowers, a few posters of Philippine scenes on the walls, nothing more.

At the urging of one of Rene's brothers, the couple moved to Northern California from the Philippines in 1979. And for the next 13 years, Rene worked in various positions in the high-tech industry. But the Nepomucenos saw a void in the South Bay, which lacked authentic, traditional Philippine food.

"I know my wife is a good cook. How about if we open a restaurant?" Rene recalls.

So opening Rene-Rose was a natural. And visitors instantly feel welcome here, as Rose and Rene personally provide the service--advising you on choices, bringing your food to the table, answering questions about ingredients, thanking you for trying their native cuisine.

Philippine food is a composite of many cultures, drawing from China, India, Japan, Spain and even the United States. The diversity is represented in the names: adobo and minudo--marinated meat dishes--reflect a Spanish influence; pansit--pan-fried noodle dishes--marks the Chinese influence; beefsteak is an American contribution.

The uninitiated, dining here for the first time, might be surprised to find that standard Philippine fare leans towards meat-based cuisine. Fish is also on the menu, and in short orders--mainly pansit or noodle-based selections--tofu and/or vegetables can replace meat or chicken.

Order cafeteria-style, pointing to what you want, once Nepomuceno finishes her explanations. You'll pay $4.50 for one entree plus rice or $5.50 for two plus rice--lunch or dinner. Cheap, since both meal plans come with soup.

At any given time, you might find kare kare being served. This traditional Philippine dish is a stew made with oxtail, tripe (cow stomach), eggplant and string beans, flavored with peanut sauce. If you try it, you'll pass muster with Nepomuceno, who says it's an acquired taste for many customers. It takes hours to prepare kare kare, cooking the oxtail and tripe separately for about an hour each, watching and stirring the stew constantly.

Large pieces of oxtail meat were attached to the bone, yet the meat fell off easily and was very rich and beefy-tasting (I'll admit we passed on the large pieces of honeycombed tripe, which we found too rubbery and foreign to try). This intensely flavored stew also had hints of peanut. It's customary to top kare kare off with dried shrimp--an extremely pungent and salty red paste, reminiscent of the fish sauce often used in Asian cooking.

Four dishes are served every day, which are all meat stews with a plate of rice--sort of like meat and potatoes. Two are pork and chicken adobos, stews in which the meat or fowl is marinated in a vinegar, garlic and peppercorn mixture. The adobos were tender and mildly sweet-tasting.

Beefsteak, another of the four main dishes, was incredibly good, marinated in lemon, soy sauce and pepper, then sauteed with onions. It was rich, yet tender, imbued with citrus, and the onions were cooked to a perfect softness.

Pork minudo was another member of the daily four at Rene-Rose. This minudo was, however, vastly different from menudo, a classic Latin dish made with tripe. The Philippine version featured potatoes cooked with tomato and onion. Although we found it rather oily in texture, it was a savory, full-bodied dish.

Soups were different each visit. One day, there was pork and vegetable soup, mildly flavored and chock full of vegetables. We preferred the piquant tamarind soup, a tart and sweet broth filled with vegetables and the tangy chicken soup, spiked with ginger.

We've found the stews run on the oily side, with fatty pieces of meat (which is probably why they taste so good). But the fish dishes were just the opposite. One night, Nepomuceno was down to one piece of fish that she was reluctant to sell, saying she wasn't proud of it. But the diners in line before us snagged it anyway. She then offered to cook us up a fish. About 15 minutes later, Nepomuceno presented a half milkfish (what Rene called the national fish of the Philippines) pan-fried in spices with onion, soy sauce and lemon. This white-fleshed fish was mild and so moist, tender and flaky--but it had a lot of little bones. The flavors enticed us, as we devoured every morsel.

Nepomuceno told us they import the milkfish from Philippine waters. Be sure to ask for it if you don't see it in the steamer trays.

If you hit it right, ginataan gulay, a savory curry dish with shrimp and crisp green beans, might be on the daily menu. This wasn't a spicy curry, but a mild, smooth, bright orange sauce. Unlike the fiery curries of India or Thailand, Philippine curries, as well as other dishes, are very mild and mouth-friendly.

Short-order dishes--meals made to order--took about 10 to 15 minutes to prepare. There are a variety of noodles in pansit dishes ($5 each) including wide, thin noodles or cooked with any combination of chicken, pork, shrimp or vegetables. We sampled pansit Canton, with yellow fried noodles, chicken, shrimp and veggies--a tasty and filling combination with fresh, crunchy carrots, cabbage and celery.

Pale green avocado ice cream was the star of dessert. It sounded unusual but tasted wonderful, almost like a green-tea ice cream. A scoop topped halo-halo ($4), a traditional dessert made of ice chips, milk, coconut shavings, jackfruit (a sweet combination of banana and pineapple flavors, with a firm and slightly fibrous texture), adzuki beans (small, red legumes) and chickpeas. This was refreshing and yummy, its sweetness nicely balanced by the beans' earthy flavor.

Nepomuceno likes to say that her menu changes every day. And with the exception of her four standard meat stews, you'll encounter something different every time you visit Rene-Rose.

Rene-Rose Philippine Cuisine, 87 Castro St. Mountain View, (650) 210-9393

Hours: Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Atmosphere: Cafeteria-style dining room. A serving counter filled with stainless steel steamer trays sits to one side, where you pick and choose your meal. Rene and Rose cater to your every need and make you feel at home.

Highlights: Pork minudo and pork or chicken adobo are delicious stews; pan-fried milkfish is a delight. Try the unusual tamarind soups and avocado ice cream. Curries are mild but bursting with flavor.

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