And this past Saturday, we at Wika Mag were also able to enjoy this simple treat… The joy of Brunch.
Now, when one thinks brunch, a Filipino meal would most likely be the least, if not at all included option to be thought of. But tucked away in the East Village is this small haven of various flavors known as Maharlika Filipino Moderno.
The brainchild of Nicole Ponseca 10 years in the making, Maharlika is the not-so-secret restaurant that has most assuredly taken on a tremendous challenge – to redefine Filipino cuisine, and to promote it in one of the more gastro-conscious melting pots in the world. New York has always had a set of traditional flavor profiles, but it has only been recently that Filipino food has spiked curiosity from the American pallet.
It makes sense as we are, after all, *the second largest immigrant group to call the US home after Mexican immigrants, at 1.7 million. In addition, about 1.4 of that number are native-born US citizens who are claiming Pinoy ancestry.
It was only inevitable that Uncle Sam meets Mama Sita.
And so that fateful Saturday, we wanted to visit Maharlika. We had been there about three times before, and when we heard about their take on Chicken and Waffles, it was imperative that we learn about this dish.
So I called in for a reservation (don’t forget to do so before coming – it’s one of the busiest kitchens in New York) and one of the hosts, Mike, put us down for a table at 1pm.
As soon as we get in, a charming lady by the name of Alex seated us and took our orders – Chicken and Ube Waffles all around.
The place is, by the way, well stocked with drinks. From original cocktails to Filipino beer favorites – San Miguel and Red Horse in particular, they have an arsenal to boast of behind that small bar. And their Kalamansi drink is the perfect thirst-quencher for a hot day, one that I enjoyed thoroughly.
While we waited, the lovely Nicole was gracious enough to give us some insight into how Maharlika came about.
“The idea surfaced in 1998,” explains Nicole. “When my clients and co-workers would ask for a Filipino restaurant, but there were none that could compete on the standards: Style, Ambiance, Cocktails, Preparation and Service. So I moonlighted for ten years; Advertising girl by day, and dishwasher, host, bartender by night.”
And, Voila! – Maharlika was born.
“It was hard to sell Filipino chefs on starting up a Filipino restaurant,” Nicole says. Filipino chefs that she reached out to either declined or “they didn’t see our food going mainstream.”
“It was hard to sell Filipino chefs on starting up a Filipino restaurant,” Nicole says. Filipino chefs that she reached out to either declined or “they didn’t see our food going mainstream.”
Miguel Trinidad, Executive Chef at Maharlika, deserves much praise for believing in the endeavor. Studying Filipino cuisine since 2007, including going on a backpacking trip in the Philippines with Nicole, he has immersed himself into a culture not his own – he is of Dominican Descent – by attempting to master the most fundamental aspect of a culture that you can tackle, which is food.
“I give our Head Chef (Miguel) all the credit in the world – we went on a 3-month backpacking trip, from Ilocos Norte all the way down the map, and we studied the cuisine and flavor profiles of different dishes.
“One thing that Miguel says,” Nicole adds, “Mario Batali is not Spanish, and Jean Georges is not Malaysian. Food is art.”
While other (Filipino) chefs rejected the notion of Filipino food finding its place in New York, perseverance, and that ‘Will of the Underdog‘ has propelled Maharlika from a pop-up curiosity into becoming one of the busiest kitchens in Manhattan. Period.
“We do implore French techniques,” Nicole explains. “We handle ingredients separately and with care.” And with this, she explains that this is where they elevate Filipino food to a more sophisticated display, as opposed to simply doing one-pot-cooking. We don’t just throw everything into one pot, which is really what Filipino cooking’s base is.”
“We don’t just throw everything into one pot, which is really what Filipino cooking’s base is.”
With ingredients handled in succinct detail, one can appreciate each element in a composed dish.
I asked her what inspired this endeavor.
Nicole’s response: “It was something that I had wanted to do for a long time. I was in advertising for years.” And this was a project she had just been waiting to execute. Right timing, the right personnel, and the perfect setting, and Maharlika has been reaping success.
How have you been able to redefine Filipino cuisine with Maharlika? I asked.
“It was important for us to address the following,” says Nicole. “Good service, good ambiance, good cocktails, careful handling of our product, and not compromising on style while still being 100% Filipino – these are the pillars which we go by.”
Authenticity, evidence by the menu and everything else, is such a huge thing. “We’re not fusion,” she adds. Sum all these details up, and, as Nicole would put it, “we now have a place here in Manhattan where, say if you have friends or in-laws that are ‘puti‘ or American, and you can come here and have a nice dinner with a nice setting, without having to go all the way to Queens to enjoy Filipino food.”
One of the greatest sayings I’ve ever heard came from Anthony Bourdain, who once said that “the Dinner Table is ‘the Great Leveler.'” It is through food that we can perhaps best communicate with one another, and sustenance, both physical and spiritual is made available.
(Plus, there’d be no communication impediment, since we would all be busy chewing, anyway.)
The dinner table is that communal equalizer. And unconsciously, when we share this simple activity of eating with someone, walls slowly come down, and it can be the most beautiful human experience. What Nicole and Maharlika have done is use this very concept to put a modernized look to our cuisine, and one that is a marketable formula not just in the US, but anywhere around the world.
As the day was about to close, I ask Nicole how she came up with the names – Maharlika, the cocktails, everything.
“More than anything,” she explains, “it wasn’t so much about the word Maharlika. It didn’t have anything to do with Marcos – that was a coincidence. But it reminded me of how a brand (ought to feel) like, and after being in advertising for so long, I thought it felt right with what we wanted to accomplish.
“The cocktails, I felt, should represent how I felt about food and movies. I was enamored with Nora Aunor, she was ‘Tan and Talented.’ And I thought she was the perfect (embodiment) of what a Filipino was about. She was so graceful and sophisticated. I believe that is what we have with Maharlika.”
“I guarantee that if you do the same thing now, you will be in the same place one year from now. MOVE.”
For all the aspiring restaurateurs out there, and to the Filipino youth, Nicole shares this message:
“I guarantee that if you do the same thing now, you will be in the same place one year from now. MOVE.”
0 comments