Wednesday 28 October 2015

The Cuiseneros at Adobo Experience

By Angelo Tembreza


TFCC Leads with Adobo Experience Owners/Chefs
Since Adobo Experience opened in March,the restaurant has gained a momentum most restaurants would envy. The former Vietnamese dining room and kitchen is always full for lunch and dinner, and if one wanted a meal here, reservations are the best way to get seats.
Since Abel’s visit with Adobo he’s had nothing but praise for their food. I came along with him to chat with Jeff Angeles, Simone Monte, Ronald Nunag, and George Maliwat to pick their brains on business and food. Their infectious positive energy is the first thing I noticed, which was something considering they just finished another busy dinner service.
Adobo Experience first began as a joke between Jeff, George, and Ronald. They all met in Calgary after they emigrated from the Philippines. George and Ronald worked in professional restaurant kitchens and had dreamed of making Filipino food a more recognizable cuisine amongst Calgarians. When they shared this vision with Jeff, it was only a matter of time before Jeff spotted an opportunity that landed them a location in 17th Ave. With a limited budget, they managed to open Adobo experience. With an explosive spring and summer months, the folks at Adobo Experience are nothing but grateful for the restaurants growing patronage.
Now let’s consider the reality of the restaurant industry. We have seen enough TV shows, documentaries, articles and books to understand that there is a fine line between failure and success as a restauranteur.  While I’m not versed in the art of running a successful restaurant, being a foodie means knowing what makes a great dining experience. Adobo Experience understands the same principle every restaurant that strives to succeed, be it a 3 star Michelin world-class that charges a mortgage payment or a food truck selling pocket change cost street food. They operate and excel in the universal principle: customers and diners need to have great food and a great time eating it. 
The first thing one will notice walking into Adobo Experience is the homely charm of the dining room. It’s neatly decorated with pictures and little trinkets that remind every Filipino of home and give every new diner a perspective of Filipino culture. There are a few white boards hung around the room, customers leave messages of thanks, praise, and wishes of good luck. Regardless of who you are or how much you know, you’ll realize that in this place, you’re going to eat great rustic Filipino cuisine.
The menu and Adobo Experience is small but presents dishes that are carefully refined and adjusted over time. It allows them to remember how some of their regulars prefer certain dishes, in preparation for seasoning. In a way, this approach is how many “grandmother” home cooked family meals come to be. 
Adobo Experience currently features four styles of adobo on their menu (and they hope to feature more in the future). It only makes sense that a restaurant with the name Adobo would strongly and proudly offer their take on traditional Adobo recipes, an approach their patrons warmly received. Since opening, their adobo dishes has been a sought after items especially with non-Filipinos taking them one step towards their vision that adobo will be the most identifiable Filipino dish, just like how Fried Chicken is for southern U.S.A. country , Pho’ for Vietnamese, or Tikka Masala for Indian.
A small menu also says something about the attitude the partners of Adobo Experience has. They don’t believe in competition but believe in the abundance of opportunities for everyone. This means supporting Calgary’s Filipino restaurants and Filipino owned businesses. To them, Calgary is a vast landscape of filled with people hungry for Filipino food. There isn’t a need to have a menu that tries to represent all of the dishes of the Philippines but rather specializes in a specific style or dish. But supporting Filipino businesses also goes beyond this city, Adobo is currently looking into ways to source from Filipino food producers and farms. The banana leaves they use alone comes directly from the Philippines. It may cost a little bit more, but doing so means a lot for them.
With a second location ready to open soon, Adobo Experience’s partners are restless from all of the ideas that they enthusiastically discus. Like an Adobo Experience drive thru. Or an Adobo Experience cooking school…
“Someday we’re thinking ‘Adobo Experience Hotel’. We aren’t joking!” Jeff Laughed

About the Author
Angelo Tembreza with Adobo Experience Owners
Angelo Tembreza is a food blogger living in Calgary with a degree in Communications and a certificate in Business analysis. He currently works in the banking industry, daydreaming about dinner parties, picnics, tasting menus, 15 year barrels of scotch, and one day owning a 10-20 seat bistro serving rustic Filipino, French, Italian…and so on.

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