Cabel Restaurant in San Miguel, Manila is a new culinary gem that celebrates the rich tapestry of Filipino flavors. Owned by JC Cabel Moreno, the Filipino heritage restaurant is a tribute to his family's roots in Ilocos and Southern Mindanao. Cabel offers a menu that highlights the diverse culinary traditions of the Philippines, from Luzon to Mindanao.
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00:00 [Music]
00:21 Hello, I'm King Cabel Moreno. I'm the operations manager of Cabel Restaurant.
00:27 Cabel is my family. So we have a beautiful story to tell.
00:32 It's a beautiful love story of my grandparents. My grandfather is from Ilocos and my grandmother is from Sulu.
00:40 So that's like a north to south love story.
00:43 So my grandfather was tasked to build the Sulu General Hospital.
00:48 He was the chief of the hospital around 1950s.
00:52 It's where eventually he met my grandmother who was an educator and a politician.
00:56 And in our old house in Sulu, we welcome dignitaries as well.
01:00 So local politicians, guests from outside the Philippines, and my grandmother cooks different food just to make sure we get the chance to cater to our guests.
01:09 It's where the idea came to life that for Cabel, it will be an ode for my grandfather that we'll be offering food not just from Mindanao, but from Luzon, Visayas, and Medan at the same time.
01:19 And of course, at the back of my mind, we want to highlight the food of southern Mindanao.
01:23 Because southern Mindanao food should have a place in the world as well.
01:28 We want to make sure that each major islands are equally represented.
01:31 So if you come to Cabel, you'll have a different experience. You'll taste different foods such as the Ampalaya salad in Luzon, the Kansi from Visayas, and of course the well-loved Piyanggang Monok in southern Mindanao.
01:43 We always make sure that there's love every time we cook, not just for our family, but for our guests as well.
01:49 So that's how we are as a Filipino.
01:52 Cabel is your go-to restaurant because it's situated in front of Malacanang Palace, the seat of power.
01:58 And given the fact that it's in Manila, it has its rich history at the same time.
02:03 The house was built around 1940s. We kept the structure as it is.
02:08 The flooring, the tiles, the staircase, the doors, we kept it as it is.
02:14 We just did a little minor touch-ups inside.
02:18 We also have our Cafe Clara. In Cafe Clara, we offer native cakes such as Biko Latik and Inuta.
02:26 So Cafe Clara is named after our first beautiful niece. Her name is Amelia Clara.
02:32 If you're into happy hours, we have the Kings Peak Easy Bar. Usually at 5 to 7.
02:38 People, after work, they come here. They bring their books or their newspaper. They order their local cocktail.
02:44 We make sure we use local ingredients such as our local gin, our tuba, and lambanog.
02:50 We have a space named after my beautiful sister. It's called Isabelle's Gallery.
02:57 In Isabelle's Gallery, it's an open space for our local artists.
03:00 As of the moment, we have paintings and sculptures by local Filipino artists.
03:05 And we also have one more corner in this house. It's called Miguel's Barter.
03:10 In Miguel's Barter, we offer different products from local suppliers.
03:14 From the barter in Zamboanga, from Sulu, we have Yakan Cloth from Basilan, we have the peas from Sulu.
03:21 And of course, we have dried mangoes available.
03:24 So this is our Pasalubong area.
03:27 So my favorite Southern Binanawan dish is the Piyangang Manok.
03:31 It's a special dish during the older times because if you get the chance to eat chicken, it's on top of the hierarchy.
03:41 Because Sulu is like a small island surrounded by water. So their main livelihood is fishing.
03:47 So seafood is just for everyone. So if you get the chance to raise chicken, cows, you're part of the upper class or the royalties.
03:56 And usually the Piyangang Manok is served on special occasions such as the Pagkawin, Paggunting.
04:02 This is like the Binag.
04:04 It's cooked for around an hour and 30 minutes in coconut milk.
04:09 And then we grill the chicken with the seven Asian spices.
04:12 So this is one of my favorite aside from the Chula Itum.
04:16 The Chula Itum is like the black bulalo from the South.
04:18 So it's made with turmeric, lemon grass, and other spices.
04:22 It's black because of the toasted coconut. But it has that refreshing taste, especially if you want it a bit mild.
04:29 So Cabel is a Filipino heritage restaurant.
04:33 So here in Cabel, we prepare the food traditionally.
04:37 The way it's being cooked way, way, way back, it's like handed down from maybe from my great grandmother to my grandmother to my mom.
04:46 And now to us, how it's being prepared.
04:48 So here at Cabel, we take pride in how we prepare the food because we want to make sure that we are different from other Filipino restaurants out there.
04:59 So it's a must for us.
05:01 The ingredients are locally sourced as well.
05:04 The way it's being prepared, we asked someone to really do the research for us when we created the menu just to make sure we don't shy away from the way it's being prepared by our great, great grandparents.
05:18 Good morning! Magandang umaga! Mayang buntag! Buenas! Assalamualaikum!
05:23 Please come and visit Cabel, your Filipino heritage restaurant.
05:28 Here in Cabel, we offer food from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
05:33 And this is an old house where you'll feel at home at the same time and we'll be more than happy to welcome you anytime.
05:41 So please come and visit. Thank you!
05:45 Maraming salamat! Muchisimas gracias! Magsukol!
05:49 [Music]