Señorita Sunae adds Latino spirit to Southeast Asian food
Argentinian chef Christina Sunae stayed in the Philippines during her formative years and assimilated not only love for our food and the knowledge of how to cook it, but also our palate.
Señorita Sunae Asian Kitchen continues to thrive, serving Manila with Southeast Asian favorites through the culinary hands and palate of famed Argentinian chef Christina Sunae.
Sunae is based in Buenos Aires, has a restaurant there (Apu Nena) and is half Korean and American.
Why is she cooking Southeast Asian food? Well, Sunae stayed in the Philippines during her formative years and assimilated not only love for our food and the knowledge of how to cook it, but also our palate. She cooks Asian food in Buenos Aires and has written a book called "Kusinera Filipina" (which sadly is not available in English or sold in the Philippines).
Señorita Sunae Asian Kitchen's al fresco area at One Bonifacio High Street Mall
What this author likes most about this restaurant besides the beautiful maximalist take on combining Latin flair and Filipino elements in its interiors, is that dishes in Sunae never taste like they shouldn’t. A laksa tastes like a laksa; a kinilaw tastes like a kinilaw; a carioca tastes like a carioca. That said though, the laksa, kinilaw, and carioca that you’ll have here – is something that you can’t taste anywhere else.
The Sunae "magic" comes in most successfully in the dishes that has her dancing on the boundaries of what a dish is — making something new and yet familiar, while being respectful to the identity of the dish. From adding tahure (fermented tofu) to a kinilaw, making a saucy coconut-based miki pansit, or adding aligue to a crab and prawn omelette, it’s these touches that make eating in this chef’s BGC kitchen a continued delight.
Kinilaw Tagure uses strawberries from Baguio as a souring element. I also like how she was able to take the kinilaw in a direction that I haven’t seen before, with tofu cream (tahure is fermented tofu) and crispy quinoa added into the mix — upping umami and adding a contrasting texture to the tuna. This was a dish that looked as beautiful as the chef who thought of it and was plate-licking delicious. Must-try.
This author’s favorite dish was the Miki Prawn with Coconut Cream, a luscious testament to how miki noodles can taste divine with coconut milk and prawns. While most of us might have had miki in noodle soups or in pansit, this version interestingly presents it like an overly sauced coconut pasta or a really saucy pansit but with coconut cream. It was just the right amount of coconut-seafood richness with vegetables adding crunch and texture — like eating comfort in a bowl.
Bangkok Style Crab and Prawn Omelette has rice with a seafood omelet on top. It’s exactly what you imagine but the omelet is enriched with crab fat.
Sunae's Seafood Laksa is moderately spicy, flavorful while not being overly heavy, but still loaded with laksa essentials. It’s the thick and chewy noodles that make it different.
Both best eaten with rice, Sunae's Korean-Style Fried Chicken and Chicken Inasal treat poultry right. Breaded and crispy, tossed in a sweet spicy sauce, and served with a cucumber slaw, the K-style chicken was juicy and had just the right amount of heat. Sunae’s chicken inasal was served boneless, marinated with lemongrass, ginger, lemon and turmeric. It didn’t have that annatto feel to it, but I still recognized it for what it was, and hit the spot with a spoonful of rice with a bit of atchara and a dousing of toyo-calamansi.
Not Your Ordinary Halo Halo has ices and ingredients dependent on the whatever’s fresh and in season, mixed in with ginger cookie shards (which reminded me of otap) and fresh orange slices. Think tropical halo halo.
How I now always want my carioca to be served. Carioca Pop is served crisp outside and chewy inside, alongside sweet potato ice cream, seasonal fruit, sesame, and coconut. Think of it like a Filipino version of a sticky rice with seasonal fruit (it was strawberry during our visit) and a little bit more crispy personality.
Enjoy Roti Canai with Curry as a quick snack or an appetizer. You’ve got flaky freshly made roti with three kinds of curry sauces: sweet peanut, pumpkin yellow, or braised pork red curry. Our table was partial to the last two.
Señorita Sunae Asian Kitchen is located at 2/F View Deck, One Bonifacio High Street Mall, Bonifacio Global City.
