If you want to discover Filipino food in Melbourne, and the culture behind it, start with Raine Cabral Laysico. I first saw her speak at Musings & Merienda at Halaya during MFWF, then found myself at ILUSTRADA, CMD Supper Club’s Bulacan Cuisine night at Bar Thyme, learning about a Philippine province that was completely foreign to me before that night. So I did what I always do. I asked her everything I was curious about: Raine herself, the Philippines, Filipino food and culture. Also, hopefully this will law of attraction my way into a trip to the Philippines.
🛬 The Manila of your early twenties no longer exists. What do you miss about that version of it, and what do you go looking for every time you land?
I miss the simplicity of life. Before AI, things were a bit more analog and there was no digital instant gratification. People were more present. And that’s why we started doing our supper clubs – to bring back the connection in a world that continues to be so fast-paced.
Every time I land? First stop is Jollibee. I love the one-piece chickenjoy meal and the peach mango pie. In Naga (my home town) Aling Cely’s kinalas and raisin pie from Naga Garden and of course balaw (tiny shrimp/krill) that is sauteed in garlic, onion, tomato and chilli, pair that with rice and calamansi and I am in food heaven.
☕ The first time I saw you speak was at Musings & Merienda during MFWF, which felt like the most chic way to learn about a culture. What does a proper merienda look like in your family home, and who taught you to do it that way?
Merienda is the meal in between the main meals.
Growing up, one of the meriendas my mama used to put together was pancit (Filipino noodles) inside a pan de sal (salt bread). It wasn’t anything fancy but it was filling and hearty.
Other meriendas included kakanin, like ibos, kalamay and bibingka. All rice based desserts. Ibos is a steamed rice cake wrapped in coconut leaves, kalamay is a sticky rice cake in a bilao (traditional round woven bamboo tray), and bibingka – rice cake in banana leaf.
🙏 What is one Filipino tradition you are especially fond of and still uphold today, even in the middle of Melbourne life?
The tradition of Mano po, which is taking the hand of the elder and pressing the back of their palms into your forehead as a gesture of respect.
It is one of the most Filipino gesture of respect for elders that I teach my boys.
And the merienda, of course, my sons know what that means and are always excited for it. Together with all the Filipino dishes I make at home.
🤔 There is always a myth you get tired of correcting. What do Australians most often get wrong about Filipino food, people or culture?
That it is just sinigang and adobo, Filipino food is actually very complex. Different regions in the Philippines have their own specialty, Mindanaoan cuisine is particularly different because of our neighbours Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei.
There is a whole history behind a cuisine and because of the diaspora – there are now more ways for this to be enjoyed.
🚐 CMD Supper Club moves. Different venue, different neighbourhood, every time. Why the roving format instead of one home base, and which suburb has surprised you most with how it showed up?
I can’t take credit for this one. This is the brainchild of Chef Morris. Back in Italy, he would close down his own restaurant and fly himself to different regions in Italy to showcase Filipino food. When he arrived in Melbourne, the same concept was applied. To bring Filipino food and culture to new audiences as a way to share our culture.
South Melbourne surprised us the most. People queued up to try Filipino food. That one was special. And gave us the drive to continue what we were doing. Food truly connects everyone.
🗺️ Before ILUSTRADA, I could not have told you what made Bulacan food Bulacan food. Which province is criminally underrepresented outside the Philippines, and if you gave it a supper club tomorrow, what is the one dish you would open the night with?
As a Bicolana, I would say Bicol cuisine is still criminally underrepresented. And for a supper club – balaw or laing (natong) of course. Natong is dried taro leaves in coconut milk. It is one of the famous dishes from my region.
👩🍳 Filipinas in Food brings together many women’s stories in one place. Whose story surprised you most, and what did it change about how you see your own?
It was Chef Ricci Carmona’s story, she is the founder and owner of Dirty Ice cream. Before becoming friends, I knew of her because of the work she is doing for the culture. Getting to know her, getting to know her migrant journey made me admire her more. She suffered bullying in the workplace when she first started and she showed up for herself and stood her ground.
This particularly resonated with me because as a migrant, you have to start from scratch but Ricci didnt let her circumstances define her. And in a way it served as fuel to continue to champion Filipino food and culture.
She continues to inspire me to this day.
📝 A question with an entirely personal agenda. Where in Melbourne should I send someone for proper Filipino food, and what exactly should I order when I get there? Please be specific. I will treat this as a shopping list.
Ok, where do I begin haha, the list is long.
Lutong Pinoy – footscray market – this one is close to you.
For Filipinas in food – Halaya, Dröm, Dirty Ice Cream, Akasya Kape (found in Panaderia Serai), Margita (by Kristina Naray).
Serai, Askal and Palay of course.
Mada, Papa Bear, Masarap, Manila Bread, Elie Cafe.
Inasal express, Busog, Enelssie, Kalye Marinas, St Burgs, Inuman, Busog, Kumbira, Cebu Lechon, Happy Hut, Mrs Parks Kitchen, No 93 Bbq House, Chadz, Jolly Bake, Banqueta, Kaldero, SoulFood and Mama Lor and many more…
📦 Balikbayan boxes, in both directions. What goes into the one you send back to Manila, and who is waiting for it? And on the return leg, what is always in your suitcase coming into Melbourne?
I always bring timtams and honey – not necessarily a balikbayan box anymore, I take it with me when I go back home to the Philippines. Dried fish is what I bring back if I have time.
🎤 You interview people for a living, so let me turn it around. What is your favourite question to ask someone, and what is your own answer to it?
If someone was listening to this right now, an aspiring (insert role) what would be your message to them – what are the three things you would tell them?
My answer:
My Dad’s my hero, I am unapologetically a Daddy’s girl. During school he would always ask me
Anak are you better today than yesterday?
For anyone growing up wanting to make something of themselves. It gave me that sense that you only need to compete with yourself. That even by small increments, you can grow.
Number 2, we had Sunday lunch after church and we always ate out.
During these times, I was curious about what the other tables are ordering. My Dad would gently remind me
Focus on your plate, meaning look at the menu and decide what you want for yourself not because that is what others are doing.
It helped me to just focus on what I have or what I am doing. So you won’t waste your energy.
And number 3 – this is what I learned from my mum.
Never give up. My mama is a fighter. She never took no for an answer. So always look at solutions. Keep going even when things get hard.
🚀 And to send us off, if we are allowed to know: what is next? Either the thing you have been building, or the one you would do tomorrow if nothing were standing in the way.
There is a LOT.
The things I can talk about is continuing the work of championing Filipino food and culture globally. Masterplan Global is working strategically with government partners, communities and institutions to push the culture forward. And the heart of it, my why are my sons, Kaizen and Kyrian. I want them to grow up knowing what it means to be Filipino AND Australian. It’s not an OR.
I sent Raine my questions expecting to learn more about Filipino food, among other things, but I came away with new words (Merienda still is my favourite) and the urge to call my dad. Raine’s answers kept circling back to the same thing: food is how you carry home with you, and how you share it with everyone around you. Merienda after school. Mano po for the elders. A supper club that moves suburbs so more people get a seat at the table.
“Focus on your plate” is now my extra reminder, right after I say my gratitude for the food.
As for Filipino food in Melbourne, I am starting with Lutong Pinoy at Footscray Market, since Raine says it’s close to me (no excuses). The rest of her list is coming with me one weekend at a time. And the Philippines? Consider this my manifestation, in writing. Salamat, Raine.
Follow Raine on Instagram (@rainewritesdaily) and keep an eye out for CMD Supper Club’s next pop up. Wherever it lands, go hungry, go early and go ready to leave feeling like family. Your merienda era starts now, and I promise it tastes like home, even if home is somewhere else.
Follow me on Instagram @KultureKween for more recent updates.
[…] I left Singapore, I knew I’d miss Filipino food, which has yet to spread in Indonesia. And I carried a similar assumption when I moved to Melbourne […]