THE SMORGASBORD of food choices popping up in Metro Manila could easily confound local gastronomers, but the capital’s restaurant scene, which has long been saturated with homogenous franchises may have stumbled upon new territory as it begins to sink its teeth into Eurasian cuisine.

Kalinka, a business run by Aksana Kalinich and Lord Ancheta, aims to whet Filipinos’ apetite for home-cooked Russian food. “I just noticed that the Philippines didn’t have Russian restaurants,” says Ms. Kalinich. “(So I thought,) ‘Why not share the culture of my country?’”

Now a Legazpi Sunday Market staple, Kalinka started to set up shop in June last year to adventurous taste buds. To keep the prices affordable the business continues to source most of its ingredients locally.

“I guess you can’t really provide the full, authentic Russian flavor,” says Mr. Ancheta. “Even the sour cream in the Philippines is different from the variety of sour cream available in Russia.”

But Kalinka’s food has nevertheless impressed even those native to the country. The business has since grown a catering arm, and has found regular patrons in the Russian embassy’s employees, for whom it regularly cooks lunch.

Pelmeni Russian Dumplings by Kalinka

Given that most Filipinos are largely unfamiliar with Russian food, Ms. Kalinich recommends that first-timers start with pelmeni, stuffed boiled dumplings popular in her home country. “Everybody in Russia likes them a lot,” she says. Another is their beef stroganov, a dish that has sauteed beef strips, onions, and mushrooms in a sour cream- and tomato-based sauce topped over noodles.

Gorbachev’s Goulash by Kalinka

But Ms. Kalinich is also quick to point out that Kalinka’s menu isn’t limited to Russian fare. “I cannot say that everything we cook is purely Russian,” she says. One Kalinka favorite, Gorbachev’s goulash, for example, is a Hungarian dish. “We always stew it for three hours to make all the flavors come out,” says Mr. Ancheta.

There’s also Chicken a La Kiev, or breaded boneless chicken breast marinated in garlic, and named for Ukraine’s capital. “I’ve always liked chicken a la Kiev as a kid,” says Mr. Ancheta.

A recent addition to Kalinka’s menu – an aspect of the business that Ms. Kalinch says is “never finished” – is its vodka and beer battered fish and chips, a dish that involves a bit of molecular gastronomy, a modern culinary practice that considers the chemical process that occur when certain ingredients are combined in a recipe.

“We use a special kitchen equipment (that) infuses carbon dioxide into the batter,” says Mr. Ancheta. “The batter becomes very crispy – it’s not like anything (anyone has) tried before.”

Most of Kalinka’s customers are Filipinos, who either surprise their Russian husbands with the latter’s childhood meals or savor the food themselves. “It takes a little bit of sophistication, I think to try new cuisines,” says Mr. Ancheta. “Some people would just walk by, go ‘Oh Russian food!’ and walk away. Some people would look at the menu (and) buy something.”

The recently held AdobOlympics 2011, an event organized by the Legazpi Sunday Market to celebrate the Philippines’ Independence Day this year, proved just how much Filipinos are eager to have a go at foreign cuisine.

Mr. Ancheta’s lamb adobo a la Malacañang, which was infused with rosemary and honey, topped with pan-seared foie gras, and served with mushroom risotto, put a European twist on Filipino favorite – and won the People’s Choice Award.

The accolade has pushed Kalinka’s momentum further for the second half of the year. “I think we’re just starting to streamline our operations and hire some people,” says Mr. Ancheta. Ms. Kalinich is a little more forward-looking. “We hope to someday open a place, maybe a simple place where Russian food will always be available,” she says.

The small venture’s name attests to its willpower. Kalinka is the title of a popular Russian folk song, and is also the Russian name for snowberry, a shrub that, according to Ms. Kalinich, can survive even in cold temperatures. “It can be alive even in wintertime,” she says.

To know more about Kalinka’s home cooked Russian food, visit the Legazpi Sunday Market; call/SMS Aksana Kalinich or Lord Ancheta at 0927-663-0386; email kalinkamanila@gmail.com; or visit hourphilippines.com.

Republished with the permission of Anna Patricia G. Valerio, Businessworld
Link to the Online Version:
http://bit.ly/qEcHmR
http://entreprenews.com.ph/inside.php?url_link=1310400000&id=47&article_type=section

The Award Winning Recipe of Lamb Adobo A La Malacanang has been featured on Yummy.ph and can be accessed here.

For the full story of the Adobolympics 2011 as featured by Yummy.ph, please click here!

Kalinka has also been featured in ABS CBN Umaga Kay Ganda on July 22, 2011 and ANC Shoptalk.

Embassy / Encore

In our next post we attend the birthday of our friend Natasha Chystsiakova at Encore / Embassy, at The Fort, Taguig. Please click here!

Remember life is way too short, don’t let it pass you by. Enjoy Hour Philippines!

Sincerely,

Lord and Aksana
HOURPHILIPPINES.COM
FOOD | TRAVEL | LIFESTYLE
All content is the sole property of HourPhilippines.com, any reproduction in whole or in part shall be subject to prosecution.

Thank you everybody for making the launch of Kalinka a success. This upcoming Sunday at the Legazpi Market on V.A. Ruffino corner Legazpi Street will be our 6th week and we have managed to provide our clients with an authentic Russian food experience. Read on to find a testimonial about Kalinka.

Sunday, June 6, 2010 at 1:15pm (Note on Facebook)

What comes to my mind when encountering the term Russian Delicacies? Caviar served with chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped white onion, capers on top, and a squeeze of lemon on top followed by a shot of ice cold unflavored Russian Vodka. Well, tell you frankly, I’m just as naive as the other fellow. What I have discovered are home cooked Russian delicacies that would even satisfy Ivan The Terrible in his worst day of his life.

This Sunday, June 6, 2010, intrigued by the facebook posting of Aksana, I decided to visit her stall at the Legaspi Village Sunday Market. Little did I know I would be gorging on two very tasty Russian home cooked meals, Cabbage roll and Goulash with mashed potatoes. The cabbage roll in itself is yummy treat, topped with a special white sauce, which I failed to ask what’s it made of (silly me), inside of which is a little rice some minced meat, rice, and vegetables covered over a leaf of cabbage. The goulash itself is a thick minced meat soup and combined with minced vegetables and served over the top of mashed potatoes.

Nobody told me this was quite filling. I can really say the best P300.00 I’ve ever spent. For every cut from the cabbage roll to the thick tasty goulash served to me was well worth every centavo spent. As I relished the cabbage with the white sauce, I can only relish the taste as the sauce mixes with the contents of the roll. There was a little taste of black pepper that went every spoonful of cabbage. The goulash on the other hand gave me unique taste that went so much with the cabbage roll. The combination of the 2 meals I have ordered gave me that distinct satisfaction and taste you would normally get from a good home cooked meal, Russian style. The goulash itself is very filling, as I told Lord and Aksana, that now I can’t eat dinner.

My advice to Aksana, continue preparing good quality food from your part of the world and not corrupting it with western taste and you’ll have a good following of local and foreign clients very satisfied from the meals you prepare.

My best wishes and congratulations.

Пока мы не встретимся снова мои товарищи, До свидания пока.

Thank you to Mr. Edmundo Jose for allowing us to publish his heart felt testimonial. We look forward to seeing you again this coming Sunday!

Our Menu is as follows: