- When it comes to stews,
Filipinos are the ones
who are good at it.
- Why is it noisy there?
- [Martin] I'm doing my spiels
for my outdoor shoot.
- Me too.
Why are you doing it here?
Go to some other place.
- [Martin] Who came here first?
- I don't have a rebuttal
for that.
Let's leave here.
- Just kidding.
We love each other.
(laughs)
(grunts)
There.
(grunts)
Go ahead.
You don't have anything
beside you. Just continue.
You got anything for me?
There's still some stuff
in this.
So today we're going
around the metro
to find out which kare-kare
is the best.
In my opinion, anyway.
All right. So today
we're going around the metro.
Maybe we'll go
to three establishments
that serve kare-kare,
but then different personalities.
Like the first one
we're going to go to
would be an establishment
that made it as far
as London.
Imagine, our stew
has become international.
The second one
is homegrown.
It's a small home business.
The last one, they've been
around for a very long time.
So yeah. I'm very excited.
So we're going
to Romulo Cafe.
Now it has three branches here
in the Philippines—
QC, Alabang, and I think
in Makati.
But did you know
that they also have
a branch
in Kensington High Street
over at London?
Classy!
So Romulo Cafe actually
is run by third generation already.
If I had to describe
kare-kare to you,
I'd say that
it's a rich and creamy stew
that has a very prominent
peanut flavor
and that strong broth
that we used
to tenderize,
our ox tails, our tripe,
and whatever beef part
you put it into.
And of course,
there's the steamed vegetables
and bagoong,
'cause that really compliments
the savory
and peanuty flavor.
And usually, kare-kare
is eaten with rice
since it's already packed
with meat, veggies,
and a thick soup.
As you can see,
it's not as smooth
as your usual kare-kare,
and that's
because they actually grind
their own rice
and that's what they use
as thickeners,
which is what we use
traditionally anyway.
And so at first,
I saw the prices on the menu,
you'd think it's a bit much,
but then
when they served the food,
it was packed with tripe
and ox tail.
This is what a family serving
really means.
Standard beans, cabbage,
and eggplant.
Wow.
This is their bagoong.
So let's taste it first
without bagoong.
That's usually what I do
whenever I eat kare-kare outside.
To be honest,
the fact that it's not smooth
actually reminds me
of the more traditional kare-kare.
Well, obviously my preference
is a smoother sauce
or smoother soup.
Some people would really
love this.
I think it's time to move on
to another place
that serves an heirloom
kare-kare recipe.
This business was started
by two couples
during the pandemic.
And they are called
Iya's Kare-Kare.
Let's go.
Oh my, my back.
We're on our way
to Iya's Kare-Kare.
They are an online business,
but they're nice enough
to let me in.
- [Iya] It was April 2020,
my husband and I
just kind of craved kare-kare.
And then at that time,
I asked my grandmother
to teach me how to cook it.
- [Martin] So it's really
an heirloom recipe.
- Yes.
Then, I cooked one
and she said
that it's good.
I even posted in Facebook
without having any idea.
My caption was like,
"It's my first time cooking it
and it tasted good."
So I posted it.
We were living then
at a condo.
At that time,
marketplace is common
in condos.
- [Martin] Oh, yeah.
The Viber groups.
- [Iya] Exactly, right?
So I offered it
without thinking
of anything.
I was surprised
that someone ordered.
Never in my wildest dream
did I imagine
that this would evolve
into something
like up until now,
two years have passed...
It's still small,
but now there's more people
who knows this.
- We're not saying
that we're already there.
But hopefully one day
we can reach it.
- Actually, this guy
over here,
he's one main critic
when it comes to kare-kare.
That's automatic.
When he says that it's good,
it's really good.
For me, this is the perfect
tenderization of meat,
when it still keeps its form.
- [Iya] Chef, bagoong.
- They also make the bagoong.
How many times
do you have to make
your bagoong,
since you make it by batch?
- [Iya] Maybe I do it
once a week.
Honest feedback, okay?
- It's so worth it.
(laughs)
It's really good, man.
That's without bagoong yet.
- [Iya] Thank you!
That's how I usually eat.
- You know what,
I don't believe
that you've just started
cooking in 2019.
- Oh, you!
(laughs)
- But it's really true.
There will be nothing left
for you, Julius.
I'm sorry.
It's so good.
So you guys can order
from Iya's Kare-Kare.
We'll just put that
in the description somewhere.
It would be weird
if we mention
any Facebook or number.
So we'll do it later.
So I'm not going to wait
until we get back
to the office.
This is really one
of the best kare-kare
that I've had.
Trust. Trust.
Even though this is not bread,
trust me.
It's beautiful.
So we are here at our last stop.
This space is called
Cafe Juanita.
It's full of trinkets.
The place is very interesting.
And you know,
this place is actually described
by Time Magazine
as a place where the food
is as close to home cooking
as it can get.
And also, another thing,
it's proudly Filipino,
naturally home cooked,
but made contemporary.
I'm very excited
to try the kare-kare,
especially since it was mentioned
to me that they have
the main focus on the trinity,
where I also feel like
it should also be the main focus
of all hospitality business
which is service, food,
and the ambiance.
Wow, it's so soft.
It's so tender.
Of course, we have
different favorites,
but of course,
it's perfect when there's
a balance of vegetables,
ox tail, tripe. Right?
And of course, this bagoong.
And what's great
with their bagoong here
is that, like the others
we've went to today,
they actually process it
themselves.
They cook it here,
they get the raw materials,
and have their own formulation
or like own recipe for it.
Let's taste it as is.
This is how tender it is.
Now this is what
you call fork tender.
It didn't separate
into pieces,
its mass or shape
is still intact.
But you can use
the back of a spoon
or even just your fork.
It's so solid.
It's so delicious.
This is the food
that you can bring
to any potluck
and it'll be a winner.
The ox tail is so soft.
The flavor of the sauce
is delicious,
there's a bit of sweetness
and savoriness to it.
Its seasoning gets completed
when you eat it
with their bagoong.
I won't share this,
this is all mine.
So we've gone through three
of the best kare-kares here
in Metro Manila
according to our sources.
And I'm about to give
my verdict.
But before that...
Don't get mad at me,
Erwan.
Julius and I
are really just like this.
Iya's Kare-Kare
is the best one.
Kare-kare will always be
one of our go-to
Filipino dishes,
and I can definitely see why.
Savory, comforting,
loaded with meat
and vegetables.
And best of all,
it will always remind us
of our mom's
or our grandmother's cooking.
Iya's Kare-Kare wins
this one for me,
but do give the others
a try as well
and let us know
whose kare-kare
is the best for you.