Crisostomo Restaurant

This may sound absurd but there was a time I wished that my name was “Crisostomo”.  It was during the first time I have read Rizal’s Noli. I think it was the unexpurgated version of that famous novel and reading about the exploits and life of Crisostomo Ibarra, I told my mother that it is my desire that my name is changed to  “Crisostomo”. I can no longer remember my mother’s reaction since it was eons ago, but I can now say that I already got used and practically forced to accept the name my parents gave me.

Then while I was watching a TV program, I heard about a restaurant named “Crisostomo”. It just hit me. I have heard that this restaurant serves Filipino dishes inspired by the writings and the tumultuous life of Rizal during Spanish times. Since I have first flipped the pages of Rizal’s Noli, I became curious how the “tinola” that irritated Padre Damaso tastes like –

“A large steaming tureen was brought in. The Dominican, after muttering the Benedicite, to which scarcely anyone knew how to respond, began to serve the contents. But whether from carelessness or other cause, Padre Damaso received a plate in which a bare neck and a tough wing of chicken floated about in a large quantity of soup amid lumps of squash, while the others were eating legs and breasts, especially Ibarra, to whose lot fell the second joints. Observing all this, the Franciscan mashed up some pieces of squash, barely tasted the soup, dropped his spoon noisily, and roughly pushed his plate away. The Dominican was very busy talking to the rubicund youth.” (From Chapter III “The Dinner”; the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Social Cancer by José Rizal).

Of course, I have already tasted and eaten a “tinola” several times before. But I prefer that “tinola” where the main ingredient is a “native chicken” – or that type of domesticated chicken different to that grown and bred in poultry farms with the use of commercialized feeds. Many would agree that the “native chicken” tastes much better than those grown at an accelerated rate with the use of various chemicals and feeds.

Last weekend, I had the chance to dine at Crisostomo Restaurant. We visited their branch located in Libis, Quezon City. We ordered, among others, the “tinolang matanglawin” or the “tinolang manok with papaya and coconut meat”. I would give this dish a grade of “7” from the scale of “1” to “10” with ten being the highest.  The tinola was given a name with a turn of the century twist and addition of “coconut meat” that is uncommon. It tastes good! And this version of the tinola could have been perfect if only the meat used was that of a native chicken I had been craving for days.

When I was at this restaurant, I have thought of how life was for the Filipinos during Spanish times. It may have been very difficult to live during that time when the country is still struggling to gain its independence from Spain. Everything is in a suppressed state. There is no freedom of expression. But, the good thing about Spanish times is that everything is simple and the environment is fresh and clean. The ingredients in various food and cuisines are all natural and without chemical intervention. Today, it is difficult to find food grown naturally compared to processed meat and other scientifically induced food product.

Crisostomo Restaurant relives Philippine history through its various cuisines. I hope that someday Filipino restaurants would soon be able to totally replicate what has been served during those times where life was simple and the ingredients in dishes were pure and natural.