Amano: Tomas Morato’s Upcoming Contemporary Bistro

Amidst the bustling street of Tomas Morato, will soon rise a new bistro that will give Southern Luzon cuisines a new flavor. They named it Amano, an old Filipino term rich with cultural allusions.

Amano promises a restaurant of distinctly Filipino dishes during the day and a hip metro bar by night.

Some of the dishes it will offer on its opening by the end of July would be the Amano Pandesal Trio Spread, Cavite Monggo Soup, Palawan Tilapia, and Amano Halo-Halo.

In addition to the aforementioned menu, Sago recommends Torta de Patata, Laing ala Pinangat, and Amano’s very own version of Bicol Express.

Torta de Patata

Torta de Patata is your common Filipino torta (omelette) tossed in a totally new light.

The eggplant is baked with ground pork and egg. The short and thick torta is then laid on a bed of potato cubes with garlic and coriander powder spices.

After a slice, the cheese filling may come as an unusual but welcome surprise for such a dish. A contemporary torta indeed.

Laing ala Pinangat

Redundant as it may sound, this is Bicol‘s version of Laing fused with Quezon’s own Pinangat combined.

Laing are taro (gabi) leaves cooked in coconut milk while Pinangat is a similar Quezon vegetable delicacy.

Cooked with dried fish wrapped in taro leaves and long-simmered in coconut cream, the dish is both soft and flavorful.

Bicol Express

A southern luzon restaurant would not be complete without the famous Bicol Express of Naga.

An all-time favorite among Filipino lovers of spicy food, Amano’s Bicol Express (cooked in coconut milk) is placed in a crispy, bowl-shaped, seemingly fried lumpia wrappers.

And of course, the red and green chilies for the sting.

However, due to Sago‘s low tolerance for spicy foods, I had to remove the red and green chilies. I’m glad to say that the remaining spices from the mixture and cooking was just right for Sago.

I believe it would be a true spicy-lover’s delight. It is also served with rice and a sweet side dish for balance.

Amano will open in about two week’s time by the end of July and have it’s formal grand launch towards the end of August. Business hours would be from 11am to 3pm for late breakfast and lunch, 6-10pm for dinner, and 10pm onwards for the bar scene.

Amano is located across Mang Inasal in Tomas Morato, Timog of Quezon CIty. For inquiries, you can reach Amano at their telephone number 232.7784.