Bringing a Siargao vibe to Poblacion

While Alma, one of the best Mediterranean restaurants in Siargao, is still being rebuilt on the Odette-ravaged island, its main chef Luis Martinez and Nikkei Group partners Carlo and Jackie Lorenzana are keeping very busy: after opening Terraza Martinez in BGC a few years back, also tapping the young Spanish chef, they’ve just opened another Alma in Poblacion. It’s a cozy upstairs room seating about 44 people, plus a wide bar and a menu that hits a little different from both Martinez’s previous eateries.

“This was a plot twist,” jokes Carlo. “This spot became available, so we opened in Poblacion while we're rebuilding Siargao. It only needed a little fixing.”

Carlo notes the original Alma has a great sunset view, where chef Luis could get the catch of the day right out front and supplies from a nearby market. Poblacion is definitely a different view, but actually, says the chef, “the interior looks quite the same as Alma in Siargao. It's a different type of menu, more easy, more seafood. The crowd is different, so I will have a lot of pastas I haven’t done before,” he says, noting the pasta maker in the kitchen.

Chef Luis starts off the all-seafood tasting menu with yellowfin tuna carpaccio: a refreshing opener brushed with ginger-lime mayonnaise and topped with baby greens; it’s great on top of his homemade crackers. Next come the seared scallops, served tapas-style in a tray of three, seared with smoked chorizo butter and garlic and topped with shavings of Manchego. The chorizo adds extra kick.

But because chef Luis specializes in seafood, he includes a few items not on our set menu, like the roasted tomato tartare and white anchovies, served with pickled mayo, fried capers, roasted almonds and basil pearls, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil. The tartare is a mix of Baguio tomatoes and tomato paste from Spain. Naturally sweet and yummy.

We also try the black tempura barramundi from the tapas menu: three pieces of delicious fluffy fish fried in crispy squid-ink tempura batter, topped with a dollop of piquillo sauce and garlic muslin. This is one we'd order again anytime.

Next up is a crispy black sea bass “Basquiase,” pan-seared and served in a pisto (“like a Spanish ratatouille,” says Nikkei Group partner Jorge Joseph), with thin-diced confit potatoes and vegetables in a tomato sauce, harking to a more Mediterranean diet. 

Simultaneously, we’re served a grilled salmon with dashi butter and seafood spaghetti infused with squid ink for “more umami” and topped with tobiko (flying fish roe) and chives.

Paella is next, so I ask what distinguishes Valencia’s versions. “The rice from there makes a difference, especially. It’s very thin, some might not be used to that. You see a lot of paellas with a lot of things on top of it, but this is not my way; mine is very traditional.” But, “I’m also trying to play a little bit.”

At Alma Poblacion, you’ll also find Valencia-influenced paellas such as the Paella Valencia con Alcachofas, with chicken and artichoke, white beans and French beans; or the Beef Ribs and Wild Mushroom Paella, slow-cooked for 36 hours.

We’re served a prawn carpaccio seafood paella, which is a mouthful to say. “I tried to do two in one,” notes chef Luis, “part carpaccio, part paella.” It’s cooked in a prawn bisque and topped with a flattened, fluffy layer of prawns and served with an aioli sauce that you swirl into the rice. Delicious and, indeed, the rice is a little different.

For dessert, Luis says he wanted to “play with flavors from Philippines,” so we have a citrus and meringue millefeuille, using a calamansi custard layered with filo pastry, cinnamon and streusel to “cleanse your palate after the main course.” Next came the classic chocolate profiteroles: “I love chocolate, but it’s not too sweet,” he says, just a bit of hot rum chocolate and vanilla custard, served with a homemade salted caramel ice cream.

That’s not the end, though. We’re served a roasted caramelized pumpkin pie, something “very close to Valencia,” with a side of cinnamon ice cream. “I know that Filipinos like squash for a lot of dishes, so I want to introduce it in a sweet way.” It’s not super-sweet but retains the pumpkin flavor with just the right amount of flame-roasted skin and a touch of wild honey.

When we say Nikkei Group has been keeping busy, that’s an understatement. They plan to open Sala Martinez (also featuring chef Luis) in July and of course, a bigger Alma reopening in Siargao.

After our preview dinner, during which we tried some signature drinks (Barcelona Mule, Blood Orange Margarita, Sangria Roja), the staff were busy with final tweaks for the Wednesday opening — ironically, Carlo notes with a chuckle, they’ll be opening Nikkei Group’s newest Spanish restaurant… on Philippine Independence Day. Some acquired tastes are worth keeping.

* * *

Alma Poblacion is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at 5887 Fermina corner Enriquez in Poblacion.