Adela’s Carinderia London
Filipino food was uncharted territory for me. It’s there if you look, but it’s a cuisine with less buzz around it here in London. But there are plenty of Filipino communities occupying pockets of the city. And according to owner of Adela’s Carinderia, Adela, there is usually a restaurant within each pocket acting as a cultural hub.
Adela’s Carinderia started off in Shepherds Bush market, alongside Adela’s Filipino bakery, and a stones throw away from a Filipino supermarket. For fellow Filipinos living nearby, it was the perfect spot for acquiring home comforts. With the help of social media and other food bloggers, the business blew up and is now a fully fledged restaurant on Uxbridge Road.
Filipino cuisine has had a lot of colonial influence. Spain, The US, Japan and China have all had input into the cuisine’s make up. What has resulted, is a multifaceted cuisine that mixes colonial repercussions with indigenous produce and local flavours from ethnic- linguistic groups. The Philipines have taken what they wanted, and disregarded the rest. The ultimate fusion food.
But what’s beautiful, is that the staff working in Adela’s Carinderia seem like they couldn’t be any prouder of their cuisine. And rightfully so. The Filipino ladies working here seem to flow between front of house and the kitchen, charming you with their smiles, sense of humour and warm hospitality. It’s like being served by 4 grandmothers. You can imagine how this raw community feeling plays a big part in ethnic minorities feeling at home in a foreign city.
The menu is simple and comprises of Filipino classics. Rustic, flavourful and nutritionally balanced plates of food. The general consensus is sticky, sweet and tender pieces of either pork, chicken or beef alongside garlic rice. Served with vegetables and Itlog. The Filipino word for fried egg. The spices and herbs used to marinade the choices of meat are the star here. And the top sellers are Longsilog (pork), Tapsilog (beef) and Tocilog (chicken). Unless you’re a veggie, choose one of them as your main. But the dish that I couldn’t take my eyes off was the chicken Abodo. Considered the unofficial national dish of the Philippines. A rich, salty dark broth with delicate chunks of chicken that melt in your mouth. The Eastern, more fragrant Beef bourguignon. Served in a small white bowl, its a dish that compliments Winter in London, and combats the depressive feeling Londoners are so familiar with when the sun sets before five.
The food doesn’t over extend it’s hand to vegetarians or vegans, but there is a rice noodle dish which can be served with only veg, as well as a ‘Fresh Lumpia’, a fresh spring role filled with vegetables and topped with peanut sauce. And for the opposite side of the spectrum. You’re more than welcome to try their Balut. A chicken fetus, traditional and common in consumption amongst young Filipino people. Supposedly, it improves health and strength. But for most Westerners, this is a big no no. But it’s a real sign of authenticity and a pleasure to see it over here and available.
There are also traditional Filipino desserts. My favourite was the Ube cake. A fluorescent purple coconut sponge cake looking like something out of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. But the colouring isn’t artificial, it comes from boiled and mashed purple yam. A root vegetable frequently used in Filipino cooking, and clearly one you can find somewhere around England’s capital.
Adela and Charlene originate from the Filipino provence Pampagna, which is known as the “culinary capital of the Philippines”. I don’t doubt that now, because the family have done a wonderful job of illuminating a minority cuisine in a city full of competition. But this restaurant is so much more. It provides a safe space for Filipinos to come together, form bonds and maintain cultural identity in an Urban environment that breeds exclusivity and marginalisation.
200 Uxbridge Rd, London W12 7JP
