The Philippines is a country of over 7,000 islands, so it makes sense that it has a lot of fantastic seafood. My culinary guide to the Philippines was Bobby Rufino. Bobby was a true gourmand and when it came to restaurants in Manila, he was an expert.
The tradition in the Philippines is that when a Filipino returns to Manila, a crowd of family and friends meets them at the airport. In 1985, I was living in the San Francisco Bay area when I first travelled to the Philippines. I thought that there couldn’t be any Filipinos left in the Philippines because so many lived in Daly City California. Consequently, I was shocked when I came through customs and was greeted by a huge crowd. They had grandstands set up to accommodate what seemed like thousands of people. A devious Bobby Rufino, had hired two beautiful girls to greet my travelling companion Vince Cuile with flower lei. When the girls approached Vince, The crowd starting chanting: “Give her a kiss, Give her a kiss”. I can still see Bobby Rufino watching the scene unfold and laughing his devious laugh. Bobby’s laugh has always reminded me of the cartoon character Muttley. That first experience was the first of the many laughs I shared with my friend Bobby.
Click to hear Muttley’s imitation of Bobby’s laugh
Bobby introduced me to the Philippines culinary world. Early on, he took me to a Chinese restaurant. He explained to me that in the Philippines, you could get Chinese-Chinese food. Not the American-Chinese food we get in the states. Chinese-Chinese food is fantastic and so different from what we know in the States. Sushi is also great in Manila. I can remember enjoying Nigiri (Raw fish) in a Makati restaurant and Bobby casually asking me: “You have had your hepatitis shots, haven’t you?” As you can imagine, that took some of the enjoyment out of that meal because, while the Chinese food is different in the Philippines, so is the bacteria and it can be dangerous. I got hepatitis shots before my next trip.
Where Bobby’s expertise came to the forefront was at seafood restaurants. The Philippines is famous for restaurants that offer a wide array of live fish ( in tanks), amazingly fresh fish on ice and a cornucopia of fresh produce. You roll through the market side with a shopping cart selecting what you want, then bringing it to your personal cook who prepares your fish to order. Picture this, a diminutive clerk wrestling a 3 pound spiny lobster that you selected. I actually worried that the poor guy would lose the wrestling match and fall into the tank. Bobby would pick out a variety of fish and other ingredients and then direct the cook. I can still remember a marlin in black bean sauce, a grilled lobster with a toasted garlic butter and a crab dish with lobster sauce. The combination of fresh ingredients, great cooks and Bobby’s masterful instruction was magical.
Click here to take a video tour of a seafood restaurant like Bobby’s favorites
Bobby was an amazing guy. He is one of those people that would not respond immediately to a question. He would pause to think, and then explain with insightful logic. In the late 1980’s during the coup that ended the Marcos era, Bobby lived off of Makati Avenue a main thoroughfare in Manila. One night he called telling me that the night before he woke up to a rat-tat-tat noise. He thought his air condition was on the blink. Come to find out that it was machine gun fire from tanks in the military coup. I pleaded with Bobby to leave Manila and get to the safety of the housing compound at our San Pablo plant 60 miles away. Bobby said not to worry, the tanks are firing in the opposite direction and that his wife didn’t want to leave Manila. The next morning he left for San Pablo.
Another time, Bobby was in the hospital recovering from a heart attack during one of my visits. In his hospital bed, Bobby penned out lengthy instructions for that night’s meal at the seafood restaurant. He detailed what to buy and how to have it cooked. The meal was great, but it wasn’t the same without Bobby.
When Bobby came to the States, it was all about the beef. Bobby had lived in Texas for a few years early in his career and he had a passion for his red meat. For Bobby, the seafood was great in the Philippines, but when he came to the U.S. he loved his steak. I once took him to Smith and Wollensky’s in Manhattan and then to see the play Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. We had seats up near the Orchestra and when the Phantom threw the flames in the final scene, a jet lagged, well fed and startled Bobby, literally jumped into my lap. Machine gun fire didn’t phase him, but the combination of steak and the Phantom got to him.
Bobby was my guide to the Manila Culinary world and many life lessons. He is no longer with us, but the memories of him live with many. If you ever get to the Philippines, enjoy the seafood.
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Note: The featured photo is of Bobby in 1985 with my daughter Jennifer, then 14 months old. Below is a recent picture of Jenn with her boys Max (5) and Dylan (2) at a maple syrup sugar shack near Ottawa Canada
This is a classic!!! Well written and highly commendable Paul! I hope you remember me as Bobby’s son Bubbles aka Raphael with the slight afro hairdo and quiet demeanour. While reading this tonight made me teary eyed as it brought back wonderful memories of my Papa and how he loved food! Literally he was on a “see-food” diet until his last breath. Mama (Baby) is still in good health but is very frail and much slower now.
I hope you are doing well healthwise and also are living a more relaxed lifestyle nowadays.
All the best!