Serye: Not just your ordinary noon time sensation

Have you been to SERYE lately? No, it’s not the “kalye-serye” of Eat Bulaga that everyone is raving about. The Serye I’m talking about is the place where you can find one of the best Boneless Crispy Pata and Kare-kare in town.

If there is one person who can live by just eating Kare-kare, then that is me. It's one of my favorite dishes where too much kare-kare is nonsense. That is why when I visited Serye to dine with the owner of the restaurant who mentioned that Serye serves the best kare-kare, I told him that I needed to try it first before I agree with him. But, before we went to the house's specialty, Chef Alvin Lim, the owner, served other mouth-watering Filipino dishes that also made the place popular among foodies.

Our food line up…

POMELO SALAD. A very refreshing start of the course is a bowl of green salad to set the tummy. It was not just any salad, however, but a Pomelo Salad that is quite different from the usual vegetable salads we usually eat to start a meal. Here, the lettuce leaves are very fresh and crisp and the chunks of pomelo are very sweet. You can pour some vinaigrette, but I preferred to eat it as is, because the vinaigrette blocks the sweetness of the Pomelo.

LAING CON CAMARON REOBSADO. Being raised by Bicolano parents, the Laing is one dish that everyone in my family knows how to cook. As a self-proclaimed expert on this dish, I could tell if the coconut milk is authentic or powdered. I can attest that this one is made from the real thing. As an added feature, Serye included extra-large crunchy shrimp with ground pork and shrimp paste. Loved it! Just like the one my grandmother used to cook in Albay. 

 

BANGUS BELLY ALA BISTEK. Best suited for people who are health conscious and wishes to lay off the pork meat, the belly part is always the best part of Bangus most especially if its boneless. Slightly fried then sauteed in a beef steak style flavor, this one is best enjoyed with a native vegetables side dish like Pakbet.

BAGNET at PINAKBET. Two of Ilocos' famous dishes, the Bagnet and Pinakbet fused in one serving is the perfect way to bring these two together, making it a great combination. Bagnet is fried pork belly, deep-fried in varied temperatures to get the best crispiness of the skin part. The Pakbet is a mixture of native vegetables sauteed in shrimp paste. 

BONELESS CRISPY PATA. One of the two dishes that made Serye very popular among foodies is their Boneless Crispy Pata. Honestly, I don't know how they take out all the bones without damaging the meat! Thus, this dish is simply amazing because even people with dentures can still enjoy eating this, without the embarrassing scene of nibbling the bone inside the restaurant. 

CLASSIC KARE-KARE. Now, whoever invented this dish is just pure genius. And the kare-kare of Serye is just one of the best I ever tasted. The consistency of the sauce is just right and the tenderness of the Ox tail is superb. As a personal preference, I normally mix lemon / calamansi with bagoong (fish paste) as dip. Apparently, Chef Alvin never tried mixing it, so I encouraged him to try and he liked it. At least, I had a small piece of contribution in perfecting his kare-kare even more. 

BANANA LANGKA TURON. A great dessert to wrap-up the course is the banana langka turon, further made special by a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. The creaminess of the ice cream definitely complements the crispiness of the turon. 

Our dining experience was really gastronomical and Serye's Classic Kare-Kare ranks outstanding in this food review. What makes the dishes here special is the long family tradition of the Reyes family (Chef' Alvin's maternal name) which can be traced back to the ARISTOCRAT days. Yup, Chef Alvin Reyes Lim is the third generation of the Reyes clan who owns the country's iconic Aristocrat Restaurant at Malate, Manila.  

That explains why the food at Serye has also become close to many Filipino's hearts because every dish served is painstakingly crafted from scratch without shortcuts. Serving diners the best Filipino cuisine is one family value that continues to survive as it was passed on through generations, . 

Go and drop by one of their branches soon to make your palate and tummy happy! Serye is located at the Quezon City Circle with a new branch that was opened recently in Santana Grove, Sucat, Paranaque.