Chibog offers a taste of the Philippines in West Footscray
Most Melburnians would struggle to name one dish from this southeast Asian country — but a new restaurant hopes to change that.
Food
Don't miss out on the headlines from Food. Followed categories will be added to My News.
On February 20, Janine Barican opened the doors to Chibog, her West Footscray restaurant that offered a taste of the dishes she grew up on in the Philippines.
Exactly one month later, she closed them. There was a brief three-week window when the grills fired again, but all told Chibog has been closed for far longer than open.
Quite the year to quit a nursing career and roll the dice on a long-held dream.
But Barican – and Chibog – are back in action.
Even though Australia is home to almost a quarter of a million people of Filipino heritage, most people would struggle to name one Filipino dish. And that’s what Barican hopes to change.
Why not? There’s lots to like about a cuisine that’s big on flavours that hit the salty-sour-sweet spot, with a love of tang and an (un)healthy obsession with crisp-crackled pork, it’s food that’s unapologetically unvegan for people who rarely meet a bit of meat they won’t eat.
Meaning “to eat” there’s lots you’ll want to do just that to at Chibog.
It’s a simple room that’s light-and-bright by the streetside windows, with a central bar and open kitchen at the back. The monochromatic scheme is brightened by hot pink neon, a spray-painted jeepney – the Philippines’ iconic elongated minibus – on the wall adds the right touch of on-theme seasoning.
There’s a pile of The Philippine Times newspapers on the bar pointing to Chibog’s embrace of and by its community, but on this Sunday lunch tables are filled with a snapshot of West Footscray – Filipino families and food tourists, young couples and old friends alike.
Even though it’s just gone midday, the heady, dizzy giddiness of Melbourne’s newfound freedom fills the room and the bar is already shaking up a storm of calamansi smashes and ube coladas – calamansi is a Philippine lime; ube the beloved lurid purple yam used in sweets, cakes and here, cocktails.
San Miguel is to the Philippines as Carlton Draught is to Victoria and it’s served by the ice-cold bottle here, along with an IPA and Pale Ale on tap from Two Birds down the road and a short, serviceable three-of-each wine list.
With Barican keeping the room humming along with easy humour, co-owner Alex Yin is in the kitchen serving up a menu filled with words I hadn’t come across before: tortang talong and kare kare, atchara and ukoy among them.
Atchara, for instance, is pickle made from green/unripe papaya and here provides sharp tangy counter to a baby squid, stuffed with a mildly spiced pork mince and grilled tender ($11). It also turns up and is put to excellent use alongside a fantastically generous “crispy pata”, or fried pork knuckle. The boiled with aromats then finished in the fryer meat falls from the bone and is terrifically sweet and tender underneath its gloriously super-crunchy outer. There’s a traditional dipping sauce of soy, onion, chilli and vinegar alongside that cuts through the sticky delicious fatty bits, the atchara brightening the lot. For $30, it’s a meaty meal for at least two.
To start, there’s great ukoy – shredded sweet potato fritters studded with tiny school prawns ($9) – that come with a deliciously spiced vinegar called pinakurat (one of the many vinegars found in a Filipino pantry).
Kinilaw is the Filipino version of a Peruvian ceviche, where thickly sliced raw tuna is cured in calamansi and coconut vinegar and is served with a fine dice of cucumber and red onion. Bright and fresh ($14). The torta talong – eggplant omelette – is a simple opener that needed more salt to shine ($8).
Some will doubtless find the cartilage-y, fatty, all-round gnarly meatiness of the beef shank in the kansi confronting, but what it loses in looks it more than makes up for in personality, its broth’s brilliant tamarind sharpness provides a burst of puckering freshness that is go-back-for-more alluring. Jackfruit triangles add interesting texture while taking on the broth’s flavours ($19).
Bagoong, a fermented fish condiment, is a searingly salty counter to the sweetness of an oxtail and peanut butter stew. And if that sounds bonkers, it is. But it’s also rather brilliant ($19). A side of orange-hued rice cooked in crab fat is also a must ($8), as is a scoop of ube ice cream with little parcels of fried flan (custard) to end ($9).
Offering a unique and welcome taste of the Philippines that’s casual yet smart, generous and fun and keenly priced, if you’re looking for something interesting “to eat”, Chibog has you covered.
The top five spots for fish ‘n’ chips in Melbourne
From the best humble take-out shops to fine dining dens, here are the top five places to reel in delicious fish ‘n’ chips in Melbourne.
Would you pay $30 for meat on a stick?
The views from the city’s hottest new hotel rooftop are unmatched, the drinks top-tier — but how much are you willing to spend on the city’s fanciest skewer?