Nana Yang’s dinakdakan and memories our lolas

Raymond Quisumbing first discovered his passion for food as a child, when he would look forward to his great-grandmother’s birthday every year. She would cook up a batch of fried chicken for her grandchildren, and it was always the star of the celebration.

Decades on, the young tyke’s become quite a cook himself, and he’s dedicating his business in honor of his “Nana Yang”; and his wish is that, through his food, his guests could reminisce about their own grandmothers’ cooking.

The former banker began his food ventures as a baker, before eventually diving into the food business full time. And it’s just in time, when Filipino food is at the peak of its popularity once again. His best dish, so far, is this Dinakdakan. The easiest way to describe it is this: it’s the Ilocano Sisig. And Raymond’s version is made with homemade bagnet, so that it’s crisp and crunchy and absolutely decadent. It’s the best version I’ve had outside the Solid North, and that’s validated by the fact that when I bring a tray of Nana Yang’s Dinakdakan to any party? It’s always the first dish to be devoured and disappear.

In the year ahead, Raymond will be introducing more of his takes on Filipino classics from across the archipelago: an ultra-high quality bulalo and a premium pancit palabok among them, in the Nana Yang’s take-out store that’s soon to open along Estaban Abada in Quezon City. And while we wait for that to open, get in touch @nanayangshomemade on Instagram and order a platter of Dinakdakan. Then cook a lot of rice. You’ll need it!