Pop-ups and collabs are a thing nowadays for chefs, both the young ones and the old-timers. Pop-ups in famous food halls or collabs in restaurants. In this edition of EATSplorations, we will be sharing about a dinner collaboration that we recently EATSperienced. A collab between two young chefs who are very talented in their own right. The two chefs are Chef Patrick Go, used to be Black Sheep’s main man, and Chef Charles Montañez, Alegria’s very own. These two chefs worked together and used their culinary prowess in coming up with a dinner dedicated to one of their most favorite Mexican food ever, the TACO! Join us and find out how our 5-course taco dinner at Alegria Cozinha Moderna & Sangria Bar was. Enjoy!
Alegria Cozinha Moderna & Sangria Bar!
We have known these 2 chefs from different occasions and we learned how hardworking and good they are in this craft. So even before arriving, we were already looking forward to that taco night, and yes, our date night. Just imagine how excited we were, especially that it was our first time to actually try Chef Patrick’s food. And to have a collab with Chef Charles, we knew that we were in for something memorable!
“What the hell is a taco?” by Chef Patrick Go and Chef Charles Montañez!
Turning the good ol’ humble taco into something more complex and flexible, that’s what this night was all about for the two young chefs. It was really very exciting to see them working their magic in turning a simple taco into five very special creations.
Taco No. 1: Tuna Tostada
Saku Fish, Soy Pearls, Tenkasu Nero, Charred Leeks, Dehydrated Raw Corn Tortilla – Each component really complemented each other. An amazing symphony of flavors in every bite! Crunchy, silky, smoky, salty, and so much more. Great start to a night of tacos at Alegria!
Taco No. 2: Taco con Pollo
Grilled Chicken, Hainanese Chimichurri, Togarashi, Chicken Skin, Raw Corn Tortilla – Never thought we would EATSperience a Hainanese-inspired taco ever, but knowing the backgrounds of both chefs, we sort of expected it. However, what we didn’t expect was how AWESOME it was going to be! We both ended up shaking our heads in disbelief after our first bite. It was too damn good. It was a shot that they took and it worked BIG TIME! Well done, chefs!
Taco No. 3: Tostada de Seta Ahumada
Wild Mushrooms, Hickory Smoke, Nori, Crispy Garlic, Pickled Onion, Dehydrated Raw Corn Tortilla – This is probably one of the surprises of the night. Why? Well, we didn’t really think that they would make a veggie taco but they did. The good part was it was pretty good, too. Maybe too good. We were really happy with this taco because we both love mushrooms and how anything smoky makes its earthy flavor even bolder and better. Awesome stuff, chefs!
Taco No. 4: Char Siu Carnitas Taco
10-hr Pork, Char Siu Sauce, Burnt Corn, Sesame Slaw, Purple Yam Tortilla – As the tacos kept coming, it just kept getting tastier and better. Purple yam tortilla is one of the newest trends when elevating a taco to another level. And that night, we had one of the best tasting purple yam tortillas, thanks to perfectly cooked pork and char siu combination! All the ingredients just worked so well.
Taco No. 5: Kaya Napoleones Tostada
Kaya Jam, Salted Vanilla Sorvete, Lime, Raw Corn Tostada – Tacos for dessert? If it is this Kaya Napoleones Tostada, yes please! The combination of the salted vanilla sorvete and kaya jam was nothing but a genius! Sweet with a hint of citrus flavor from the lime. And the crisp raw corn tostada that softened from the filling, gave us a melt-in-your-mouth kind of EATSperience. One taco to remember!
We definitely had a great and interesting taco night at Alegria. Witnessing and EATSperiencing the creations of the two very talented chefs was really something spec-TACO-lar! You heard it first from us, the Go and Montañez worked so well and their first (hopefully, not the last) collaboration was a sure fire hit! We had a different kind of love for tacos that night and we surely want a round two. If you come across an upcoming collab from these two chefs, don’t think twice, go for it and let them take you on a culinary adventure of a lifetime. That’s it for this edition of EATSplorations, ’till next time!
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Alegria – Cozinha Moderna & Sangria Bar
4/F C3 Annex (Uniqlo Building), 7th Ave cor 30th St, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
+63945 264 7828
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