IT started with a restaurant in the food haven of Kapitolyo, Pasig, which became an instant hit. Serving delicious Asian food whipped up by the same people behind the highly successful gourmet burger chain, Brothers Burger, Ninak Asian Cuisine now brings its brand of delightfully refreshing Asian cuisine to Pasong Tamo, Makati City, hidden in a corner of Don Bosco St.
Getting its name from the reversed Filipino term for rice, kanin, Ninak promises foodies in Makati the comfort of well-loved flavors combined with the adventure of new tastes and flavor experiences, thanks to Chef Quito Jose’s mastery of Asian cuisine.
Chef Quito Jose, who unloaded his personal takes on Asian dishes in Ninak, is one of the triumvirate (the others being his brothers Martin and DJ) behind the restaurant. Joining them is Chef Jose Miguel Gianan, who also created many of Ninak’s dishes.
Ninak’s strength lies in its main courses, with must-tries including Hainanese Chicken (Php315), served with a trio of sweet soy, ginger and chili sauces, and flavorful Chicken Rice; Fish in Mango Sauce (Php295), panko-coated crispy dory fillet with green mange and sweet chili sauce, garnished with red peppers and cilantro), Chicken Barbecue with Ninak Sauce (Php270), served with Ninak sauce and singkamas relish; Nilagang Angus Belly sa Mais (Php330), simmered black Angus belly, sweet corn, crispy garlic and shallot broth; Lamb Massaman Curry (Php345), tender lamb simmered in massaman curry with marble potato, pearl onions, toasted peanuts and topped with fried shallots; Beef Rendang (Php345), Indonesian beef curry cooked with chilies, aromatic roots, herbs and spices simmered in coconut milk; Thai Steak (Php420), Ninak’s version of the Weeping Tiger, which is all of 300 grams of grilled U.S. beef belly topped with Thai barbecue sauce; Crispy Beef Belly (Php345), spicy U.S. beef belly that’s crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, topped with chopped garlic and chilies; and Green Curry Mussels (Php315), sweet, tender mussels simmered in a spicy curry coconut broth.
Ninak carries a full range of appetizers, salads, vegetable dishes, snacks and desserts on its menu.
Even soups, noodles and rice selections are very exciting at Ninak. Among soup and noodle dishes served in the restaurant are Pha Ga (Php220), chicken broth with rice noodles and poached chicken served with fresh herbs and beansprouts; Phad Thai (Php230), Thai-style stir-fried rice noodles with tamarind sauce, sliced chicken bits garnished with fried egg, cilantro, peanuts and beansprouts; Laksa (Php320), traditional Malaysian coconut curry soup with squid balls, chicken fillet, shrimps, boiled egg, rice noodles and tofu, garnished with beansprouts and cilantro; Mi Goreng (Php220), Indonesian stir-fried noodles with chicken and shrimps; and Char Kway Teow (Php300), Singaporean fried rice noodles cooked with sweet soy, sambal patte, Chinese sausage, shrimps and mussels. Then there are the rice variants, all of which hold so much promise that you wouldn’t know what to choose, including Tinapa Rice, Nasi Goreng and Bagoong Rice.
To wash down these delicious Asian dishes, Ninak offers a number of Fruit Slush (Php120) selections, such as Berry Mango Slush, Green Grape Basil Slush, Red Grape Basil Slush, Ginger Lychee Slush and Watermelon Lychee Slush. Each is refreshing and satisfying at the same time, and goes perfectly with the Asian flavors served at Ninak.
“We are very happy to be bringing Ninak to Makati, the country’s biggest and most dynamic lifestyle, business and commercial hub. Our delicious and innovative Asian dishes aim to set people off on an exciting and rewarding culinary journey each time they visit the restaurant, and we can’t wait for Makati-based diners to experience this,” says Chef Quito.
(Ninak Asian Cuisine is located at G/F V&P Bldg., Don Bosco St., Pasong Tamo, Makati City; with telephone number 894-4367; and Unit 101, Seven East Capitol Bldg., East Capitol Drive cor. Sta. Rosa St., Kapitolyo, Pasig City; with telephone numbers 655-6902 and 857-6187.)
