Charles Olalia, a chef whose resume includes turns in some of America’s most venerated — and Michelin-starred — culinary institutions, like the French Laundry, Guy Savoy and Patina, made headlines in 2015 when he opened his 275-square-foot haven of Filipino comfort food, Rice Bar, in Los Angeles. His Ma’am Sir, which just opened in the ever-hip, ever-food-forward Silver Lake, continues his push for everyday dishes from his home country.
“As a chef, you always complain that Filipino food everywhere is not as good as it should be,” he said. “There was a moment in 2014 when I was back in the Philippines and I was like, ‘Here’s what I should be making.’ In the end, you want to eat the food you grew up with, even if you’ve trained in all these places. In the end, all you really want is a good bowl of rice and adobo.”
In the Philippines, where he grew up, drinking food — smoked meat, big fried fish — is communal. On summer days, he recalls hot plates of grilled pork belly, garnished with soy vinegar dipping sauce and pickled papaya, or marinated tomatoes, complemented by bowls of fluffy, sticky rice.
The dish is a reminder of his childhood, of Sundays after church service, when the family would return home to the smell of grilled pork. “It’s the simplest dish,” he said. “With pork belly, you make sure it’s marinated long enough with good soy sauce and good citrus. That’s it. It’s already good as is.”
When he arrived in America, he learned how to prepare fresh squid in fine-dining kitchens. Catalina squid, from just off the San Pedro shore, are in plentiful supply in L.A. Olalia said he ends up putting squid on any L.A. menu he overlooks. Squid is properly cooked by being boiled for 3 seconds, being taken out and put in ice water. A citrusy vinaigrette is a must. Tossed in chili radish with grated daikon, ginger, sugar and sesame oil, with a side of heirloom tomatoes seasoned the same way, the squid ends up being “a play of beautiful textures — bright, acidic, colorful.”
A good bottle of rosé will do the trick for both dishes. So will an early-harvest riesling, for a crisp accompaniment. If you’re a beer drinker, both the pork belly and the squid beg for an IPA. “That there,” Olalia said, “is summer for me.”
