Once a week, A. and our long-time friend E. usually eat out. We share a new experience and E. dishes out the latest showbiz
chismis (gossip). A few weeks back, we made to it a small but cozy place along the booming Maginhawa street, Blacksoup Cafe + Artspace.
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| Black Soup Cafe |
As I already had dinner, I got myself one of the more intriguing dishes on the menu, Hot Balut. Although Balut has been featured in many shows as a curious (red: weird) Filipino food, it is quite common in other Southeast Asian countries. In Thailand it is called
Khai Luk,
Pong Tea Khon in Cambodia and
Trung Vit Ion in Vietnam.
The boiled duck egg is served, shelled chopped and sauteed. If you have a distaste for the unborn ugly duckling, then this dish will be a challenge for you to look at.
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| Hot Balut |
Spiced with
siling haba (green chili), garlic and onions, the balut remains tasty but after finishing it, I missed the experience of cracking the egg, drinking the hot salty liquid inside and putting salt before you open the egg fully and biting into the feathery flesh of the duck embryo.
As our friend dished out the latest story on a young actor turned away by a potential gay politician benefactor because of his scarred bum, we took turns tasting the different dishes we ordered.
The Blacksoup Greens was refreshing, a little bit on the sweet side which fits the Filipino palate.
The Lamb inasal was tender although the meat portion was too small and cut too thin. It was hard to really dig in to the dish. The Dalandan Salad on the side was absolutely refreshing, a perfect complement to the grilled meat.
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| Lamb Inasal with Dalandan Salad |
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We shared several pastas but the most memorable was the Vigan Longganisa, with the pasta strands coated in the orange oil of the Ilokano sausage and spiced just right. But again, the serving was too small.
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| Vigan Longganisa pasta |
Although our palates were satisfied, the portions in Blacksoup Cafe + Artspace left our bellies wanting more.
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