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July 12, 2011
BY ANNA PATRICIA G. VALERIO Special Features Writer
A taste of Russia
The smorgasbord of food choices popping up in Metro Manila could easily confound local gastronomes, but the capital’s restaurant scene, which has long been saturated with homogeneous franchises, may have stumbled upon new territory as it begins to sink its teeth into Eurasian cuisine.
The smorgasbord of food choices popping up in Metro Manila could easily confound local gastronomes, but the capital’s restaurant scene, which has long been saturated with homogeneous franchises, may have stumbled upon new territory as it begins to sink its teeth into Eurasian cuisine.
Kalinka, a business run by Aksana Kalinich and Lord Ancheta, aims to whet Filipinos’ appetite for home-cooked Russian food. “I just noticed that the Philippines didn’t have Russian restaurants,” says Ms. Kalinich. “[So I thought,] ‘Why not share the culture of my country?’”
Now a Legazpi Sunday Market staple, Kalinka first set up shop in June last year to adventurous taste buds. To keep the prices affordable, the business continues to source most of its ingredients locally. “I guess you can’t really provide the full, authentic Russian flavor,” says Mr. Ancheta. “Even the sour cream in the Philippines is different from the variety of sour cream available in Russia.”
But Kalinka’s food has nevertheless impressed even those native to the country. The business has since grown a catering arm, and has found regular patrons in the Russian embassy’s employees, for whom it regularly cooks lunch.
Given that most Filipinos are largely unfamiliar with Russian fare, Ms. Kalinich recommends that first-timers start with pelmeni, stuffed boiled dumplings popular in her home country. “Everybody in Russia likes them a lot,” she says.Another is their beef stroganov, a dish that has sautéed beef strips, onions, and mushrooms in a sour cream- and tomato-based sauce topped over noodles.
But Ms. Kalinich is also quick to point out that Kalinka’s menu isn’t limited to Russian fare. “I cannot say that everything we cook is purely Russian,” she adds. One Kalinka favorite, Gorbachev’s goulash, for example, is a Hungarian dish . “We always stew it for three hours to make all the flavors come out,” says Mr. Ancheta.
There’s also chicken à la kiev, or breaded boneless chicken breast marinated in garlic, and named for Ukraine’s capital. “I’ve always liked chicken à la kiev as a kid,” says Mr. Ancheta.
A recent addition to Kalinka’s menu—an aspect of the business that Ms. Kalinich says is “never finished”—is its vodka- and beer-battered fish and chips, a dish that involves a bit of molecular gastronomy, a modern culinary practice that considers the chemical processes that occur when certain ingredients are combined in a recipe.
“We use a special kitchen equipment [that] infuses carbon dioxide into the batter,” says Mr. Ancheta. “The batter becomes very crispy – it’s not like anything [anyone has] tried before.”
Most of Kalinka’s customers are Filipinos, who either surprise their Russian husbands with the latter’s childhood meals or savor the food themselves. “It takes a little bit of sophistication, I think, to try new cuisines,” says Mr. Ancheta. “Some people would just walk by, go, ‘Oh, Russian food!’ and walk away. Some people would look at the menu [and] buy something.”
The recently held AdobOlympics 2011, an event organized by the Legazpi Sunday Market to celebrate the Philippines’ Independence Day this year, proved just how much Filipinos are eager to have a go at foreign fare.
Mr. Ancheta’s lamb adobo à la Malacañang, which was infused with rosemary and honey, topped with pan-seared foie gras, and served with mushroom risotto, put a European twist on the Filipino favorite – and won the People’s Choice Award.
The accolade has pushed Kalinka’s momentum further for the second half of the year. “I think we’re just starting to streamline our operations and hire some people,” says Mr. Ancheta. Ms. Kalinich is a little more forward-looking. “We hope to someday open a place, maybe a simple place where Russian food will always be available,” she says.
The small venture’s name attests to its willpower: Kalinka is the title of a popular Russian folk song, and is also the Russian name for snowberry, a shrub that, according to Ms. Kalinich, can survive even in cold temperatures. “It can be alive even in wintertime,” she says.
To know more about Kalinka’s home-cooked Russian food, visit the Legazpi Sunday Market; call/SMS Aksana Kalinich or Lord Ancheta at 0917-8564883 or 0927-6630386; email kalinkamanila@gmail.com; or visit www.hourphilippines.com
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