‘Ulam: Main Dish’ Review – Filipino Food Has Never Tasted This Good

Finally, a documentary about Filipino cuisine is launched to the gastronomical delight of food and film critics. ULAM: MAIN DISH is helmed by Filipino-American documentary filmmaker Alexandra Cuerdo in which she has deliciously concocted not only an immersion into Filipino cooking but also an exploration of Filipino culture.

At the heart of this documentary are the Filipino-American chefs and restaurateurs who persist and struggle to nurture, innovate, and promote Filipino food. The eclectic bunch includes Alvin Cailan of Eggslut, Unit 120, Paper Planes and Amboy; Nicole Ponseca of Maharlika and Jeepney with her Dominican chef Miguel Trinidad. There is also Romy Dorotan and Amy Besa of Purple Yam; Johneric Concordia and Christine Araquel-Concordia of The Parks Finest; Angeleno Andre Guerrero of The Oinkster, Maximiliano and The Little Bear; Charles Olalia of Rice Bar; Chad and Chase Valencia of Lasa.

Their varying backgrounds and experience are equalised with their keen determination to succeed in their field. From a very high-end interpretation of ‘pansit palabok’ to ‘adobo’ variations, the myriad culinary choices these Filipino chefs make have inspired and validated Filipino cuisine.

Beautifully lensed by cinematographer John Floresca and expertly edited by Tayler Braasch, this doco was filmed in the melting pot cities of Los Angeles and New York City, two of the more competitive restaurant markets. It explores the cutthroat challenges and pitfalls of opening and running a Filipino restaurant, with longevity as a primary indicator for success. Philippine cuisine hasn’t had a good run worldwide like the rest of its Asian neighbours: think of the Thai, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese and the always omnipresent Chinese and one wonders why isn’t Filipino part of this? This includes all the faults, such as our infamous colonial and crab mentalities.

A part of the film actually digs deep into this phenomenon, citing factors such as hesitating local patronage and poor image. “Any culture can love our food, but if our own culture doesn’t love it, we’re wasting our time,” Cailan states. Ponseca narrates how she was told that “white people are not interested in our food and are not going to pay for it.” Concordia concurs, “technically we should fail – uneducated people of colour in a field with a notoriously high rate of restaurants going belly up.” This is exacerbated by our cultural micro-aggressions – “I’m not good enough; my colour isn’t good enough.”

A significant part of the film though rediscovers and promotes Filipino food. It looks at its multicultural blend of Asian, Latin and American influences. It examines the varying tastes of salty-sour sweetness, its staple use of garlic, onion, tomatoes, and an emphasis on what is tasty and delicious. All these are in the different variations of cooking among the many islands of the Philippines.

With food as part of history and cultural identity, the film delves deeper into the socio-anthropological realm, tackling what it means to be a Filipino. This includes all the faults, such as the infamous colonial and crab mentality. It also examines the strengths, such as the ‘bayanihan’ spirit of cooperation and helping, evident among the collective support of the Filipino restaurateurs and chefs in this doco.

In essence, ULAM is more than just about Filipino food, it is Filipino pride, style and recognition all simmered into one dish.

ULAM: MAIN DISH (5/5)