First Look: Kalye Filipino Streats Proves Filipino Cuisine Goes Beyond Adobo

“I got inspired by what was happening in Melbourne, because I saw what Ross [Magnaye] was doing with his Filipino restaurant, Serai ” Arldee Indoy, owner and chef of Kalye Filipino Streats (a play on street eats), tells Broadsheet. “And then Askal opened after that. Then there were a few more openings in Sydney. I was like, ‘Why is Perth being left out?’ We need to start something [in Perth].”

Kalye is Indoy and co-owner Eloise Bayaras’s latest effort to bring the bold flavours of Filipino food to Perth. The pair has led the march for the cuisine in Perth over several years, with pop-ups like Luma, at Sage Cafe in Victoria Park. When Broadsheet sits down with the duo in the opening week of Kalye, the pride they have for their native cuisine (Indoy hails from Manila, while Bayaras hails from Davao) is obvious.

Kalye’s menu reflects the rich tapestry of Filipino flavours. “There’s so much more to it than adobo!” says Bayaras. Thanks to traditional techniques and its various colonial influences – from Spanish to Chinese – Filipino cuisine is diverse and hard to pigeonhole.

In an effort to keep things simple, Kalye’s menu is a pared-back series of street food favourites, neatly divided into columns for mains and extras. Adobo is listed as an extra, rather than a headliner.

Leading the menu is inasal (grilled chicken). It’s quintessential street food in the Philippines, explains Indoy, who shares memories of street vendors grilling everything from chicken to pork intestines. And it’s not the only central dish designed to capture the essence of their home country.

“If you ask people what they miss about Filipino street food, the first thing they would say would be pares,” says Indoy. Pares is a rich beef broth, served with tripe and bone marrow (while traditionally the marrow comes from the bones that are simmered in the stock, at Kalye the bone marrow is served on the side).

The drinks menu is also street-food-focused with staples like gulaman (think of a brown sugar juice, with plum sago and jelly) and buko pandan, a funky cendol -like drink studded with coconut shreds.

The menu is rounded out with a simple dessert: a mango graham bar, inspired by “mango float”, a dessert that’s popular at parties in the Philippines. Picture layers of graham crackers, condensed milk and cream in the form of an ice-cream sandwich.

From the sardine cans used as cutlery holders on the tables and the words Filipino Food Forward that are proudly emblazoned on the wall, Kalye is here to highlight the bold, vibrant flavours of Filipino cuisine. The couple say they’re especially eager to share dishes that “don’t get the spotlight” and “hidden gems that deserve more love”.

Kalye Filipino Streats
Shop 8/189 William Street, Northbridge
No phone

Hours:
Tue to Thu 5pm–9pm
Fri & Sat 5pm–9.30pm

@kalye.eatery