Chez Genia: Paris, France

October 21, 2004
Filed under Food trips & events

The following is republished with the author’s kind permission.

“Sublime surroundings aside, Chez GeniaÕs main attraction is without doubt its phenomenal Philippine cuisine. Almost all of Chez GeniaÕs menu is derived from family recipes. Sample the restaurantÕs succulent starters to whet your appetite. I highly recommend its Davao specialty, kinilaw, fresh tuna cubes marinated and tossed in oil, lemon juice, spring onions, basil and other herbs and spices, then served with fish sauce. Or try its sariwang (fresh) lumpia, which features the del Fierro sistersÕ unique mix of finely sliced vegetables, lightly sautŽed with onions, and wrapped in homemade lumpia wrappers.

After starters, turn to Chez GeniaÕs delectable seafood entrŽes. You cannot go wrong with spicy mutyaka baleleng, a steamed tropical sole filet marinated in the del Fierro sistersÕ special ginger sauce and wrapped in banana leaves. A favorite of both local Parisians and Filipinos is agukoy, crab stuffed full with crabmeat, a divine coconut-based cream, red and green bell peppers, herbs and spices, and cashew nuts.

The del Fierro sisters have also invented an original seafood dish called salmon sa gata, which starts with fresh salmon that is then topped with coconut milk and lightly grilled, garnished with lemon grass and other herbs, then served with patis, a salty fish sauce.

Complementing its selection of seafood, Chez Genia offers tantalizing white and red meat dishes. Of course, it has chicken adobo and other Filipino standards. But be adventurous and try pinunuang manok, an aromatic and spicy sliced chicken filet marinated with chili peppers and a little rum, lightly browned in coconut milk, and served with a coconut-based sauce with spring onions and lemon grass. If you prefer red meat, then order spicy paka sa dahong saging, minced beef prepared with several fresh herbs, chili peppers, basil, spring onions and a coconut cream, and then wrapped in banana leaves and oven-baked to perfection.

But be sure to leave room for dessert because Chez Genia has some wonderful light treats to scintillate your sweet-tooth, such as pi–a ‡ la Genia, fresh pineapple lightly cooked in brown sugar and lemon syrup; bocayo ni peping, freshly grated coconut meat caramelized with lemon leaves; and fresh homemade banana pieÉ” [Robert Zarate]

Well done, Chez Genia. And well done, Robert, for seeing the significance of one restaurant in the context of Philippine cuisine in the international culinary arena.

UPDATE: An update in Robert Zarate‘s blog says Chez Genia closed in April 2005.

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