Takam

Sydney’s Filipino food movement kicked into high gear when chefs and long-time friends Francis Dela Cruz, Aileen Aguirre and Lesley Roque teamed up with Ralph Libo-On and Michael Mabuti of Melbourne’s Askal to revamp their Darlinghurst diner. This tiny spot now serves one of the city’s most ambitious Filipino menus, incorporating native Australian ingredients into traditional recipes.

You might start Lumpia (spring rolls) wrapped in betel leaf with saltbush tomato ketchup hidden between the pastry and the leaf. Another dish, “litson” beef brisket with pepperberry salsa, is a spin on the Philippines’ national dish trading slow-roasted pork belly for beef. The crowd pleaser – lemongrass chicken inasal, cooked over coals on the hibachi – is a must order.

Takam's cocktails also speak to Filipino culture and heritage. For example, the Galleon de Manila cocktail was inspired by the maritime trade route between Manila and Acapulco, Mexico, and mixes ith tequila with lambanog, a distilled Filipino palm liquor also known as coconut wine. When Broadsheet visited, with Archie Rose dry gin, house vermouth, archara brine and bayleaf oil. It’s served with a pickle at minus 14-degrees and poured tableside.