Lunes Everyday Dining
G/F 6060 R Palma, Poblacion, Makati City
Contact: 0945-593-5147
Facebook: www.facebook.com/luneseverydaydining-105828255508484
Open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Sunday
(SPOT.ph) In our younger, more naive years, the word “elevated” was used to describe things we found pleasantly unusual. At the time, we thought—and you might still think it now, understandably—it just meant “better.” But since then, we’ve been forced to reexamine our language around food, especially when we talk about Filipino cuisine. What is there to elevate? By whose standard of “better” are we determining these changes? Who the hell are we trying to impress?
Along the sleepy street of R. Palma, Poblacion, Lunes Everyday Dining fully rejects those questions, as should we all. And yet, this is not your mom’s kare-kare; the hearty plate you get here, simply dubbed Kare-Kare (P720), is a tender, nose-to-tail, tempura-fried-vegetable feast that doesn’t skimp on anything. Brightened with malunggay oil, the just-shy-of-rich peanut sauce is served on the side to leave the vegetables maximum crunch as you dig in. And if you’re worried about them going soggy… well, we aren’t. There will not be enough time for that with how fast this gets wolfed down.
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We haven’t even gotten to the interiors, that’s how exciting the mains get—but the deep terracottas and allusions to rattan give a strange, familiar sense of your chic, wine-drinking ninang’s living and dining rooms, and if that isn’t respect for the culture, we don’t know what is. Even the typography of the sign and the menus is as delightfully straightforward as that godmother is. Like, we can almost hear the letters say, “Ay, hija, dump him na.” And the gorgeous light the floor-to-almost-ceiling windows let in could be reminiscent of the heavens that open up when you do move on, but we digress.
With that excellent morning sunshine, have a Breakfast Bowl. It’s a short but strong list, including the crowd favorite Chicken Tocino (P320). There’s not a trace of chewiness or stringiness in the savory-sweet, marinated chicken thighs; that pile of wonderfully balanced house atsara is guaranteed to please pickle-lovers and the pickle-averse alike. But if you’ve been searching high and low for the perfect, crispy corned-beef breakfast, the 12-Hour House Cured Corned Beef (P295) is the bowl for you. There’s a slight hint of vinegar that makes those chunky shreds really stand out.
For a little adobo adventure—because that is what this next bowl is—the Pork Adobo Rice (P390) is the item to get. Offhand, one might say it lacks the intense saltiness we’ve grown to expect from the popular dish, but again, that atsara swoops in and brings out a medley of subtle flavors in that super tender cut of pork. That softness in both flavor and texture kind of allows you to have whatever drink you want, so we had the Iced Latte (P125) with it. Morning made.
For those with whom caffeine tends to disagree, the Mais Corn Fizz (P160) is something of a marvel. You could probably guess it’s inspired by mais con yelo, but it’s also so much more than that. With the foamy coconut cream and actual cornflakes on top, it lands somewhere between Saturday morning cartoons and brunch with the girls—which, for those of us who are still mentally 12 and laughing at immature memes, works just fine. It’s a great palate cleanser for a lot of the stronger flavors you’ll encounter on the Lunes menu, like Pares-Style Beef Cheek Spring Rolls (P220). And, yes, it’s as decadent as it sounds. The near-floral notes in the in-house chili garlic bring a certain lightness to the tender, stringy, hyper-umami, aromatic beef, and the snap of the wrap just reminds you that you could Never Be Her. This is your new favorite. Everyone else can clear out.
Now you could—you absolutely could—pair it with the equally wanton Chicharon Bulaklak, Two Ways (P180), all crispy and fatty and served with honey patis and vinegar, or you could pretend to balance it out with the Kalabasa Fritters (P180). This is Lunes dipping their toes into the vegan waters, but it’s still a celebration of local flavors; in particular, it evokes the oft-overlooked okoy, yet retains the comforting vibe of well-cooked squash.
If you didn’t think the Philippines had any version of curry, a pleasant surprise comes in the form of the Chicken Piaparan (P590), which features coconut prepared in three ways. Apart from the coconut-based sauce, you get crunchy, desiccated coconut on top, and soft tang in the dollops of coconut yogurt around the sous-vide chicken. It’s a big portion, but so, so good that you might order this to eat by your lonesome—we have plans to return that involve exactly that.
Touching on our many commonalities with Hawaii, there’s the Grilled Hamachi Collar (P690), weighed down by miso glaze and lifted back up on a wave with garlic and shallots. As any seasoned eater knows, the best meat is right next to the bone, and the rule applies to fish; having this is like spooning a hybrid of tender flesh and actual fat, without ever going overboard. It must be eaten to be believed. We’re happy to pair this with the Ginisang Monggo (P95) which you can almost treat like rice with how steadily the flavors work together.
Speaking of pairs, the Pork Porchetta Ala Binagoongan (P720) with the Ensaladang Talong at Mangga (P150) is nothing short of a dream team. Yes, given the grilled eggplant already cradling that incredible roll of pork and the bagoong that’s also in the ensalada, it’s a lot of both those things, but the Lunes kitchen gives the vegetable such a fantastic layer of smokiness that you won’t even care. The green mango and tomato salsa add a kick of freshness you can’t miss out on.
If you happen to drop by at a reasonable drinking hour—AKA “as long as you’ve eaten something first”—then a cocktail is definitely in order. For the old-fashioned (or, those who like a good Old Fashioned), there’s the Ancestral (P450), made with Don Papa Rum and chocolate bitters. For the girls (or boys, or enbies) that “whoo,” we can’t help but recommend the Hulog-Hulog (P290). Tequila, of course, and coconut water are a great base for the notes of lime and pandan—think buko pandan but if all grown up and partying in college. (And pro tip: You can opt to take your drinks upstairs, where they’re soon launching a sister concept to accommodate the Poblacion nightlife. Watch this space.)
Need to end with sweets? They got you. Those who love a good gingerbread or lean to slightly more complex desserts will love the Coconut Saba Custard (P200), with the muscovado sponge cake and toasted Italian meringue, brightened with lemon zest. For a dose of nostalgia, the Bread Pudding (P200) stays fluffy with the careful mix of brioche and baguette, but goes into interesting territory with the sprinkling of nutmeg and cinnamon, and the garnish of black sesame crisps—kind of like tutong, but make it dessert.
In the end, the beauty of this menu is that these are, if you were raised right (joking but also not), flavors you’ve already tucked away into the bottom drawer of your heart, waiting, if not to be recontextualized, then to be re-explored. More than a love letter to childhood meals, Lunes is a declaration, a command to retire our old notions of what needs to be new; to instead look at our roots and our off-shoots, and to know that we are more than enough as is.
Photos by Majoy Siason
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