BAKMI NYONYA: Best Indonesian Cuisine in Manila!

Text by Paul Wenceslao, Photos by JR Velasquez

Emerging as the overall winner of The Next Big Food Entrepreneur, Bakmi Nyonya impressed both the judges and the buying public with their take on Indonesian food – they serve Indonesian noodles topped with mushrooms, herbs, spices and one’s choice between beef, pork and seafood.

Complementing the noodles are servings of large shrimp dumplings and spiced rice topped with spice sambal. According to Bakmi Nyonya’s co-owner, Gershwin Garcia, they are working with the different layers of flavor, each one being a vital component to one central taste.

“What’s startling about our noodles is that the overall flavor changes whenever different kinds of toppings are added,” explains Gershwin. “Our bakmi goes well with almost every entrée.” He went on to narrate animatedly how a fellow TNBFE participant’s dish, adobong pusit, perfectly blended with his bakmi noodles.

BAKMI NYONYA
Facebook: BAKMI Nyonya
Twitter: @bakminyonya
Telephone: +63 925 870-8899

The Next Big Food Entrepreneur Winner 2014 series:

Bakmi Nyonya’s journey towards joining and eventually winning The Next Big Food Entrepreneur is a heartwarming tale. Starting off as the brainchild of Lucy Garcia, Gershwin’s wife, she was fond of experimenting with noodles and other food ideas, making friends, family and companions in Bible study taste her culinary creations.

Things took a turn for the serious when Lucy’s grandfather fell ill – in his dying wish, he told Lucy to pursue her dream of putting up her own food establishment. Gershwin acted as a pillar of support, as he encouraged his wife to follow her passion and her grandfather’s will. Not before long, they came across The Next Big Food Entrepreneur and passed an application with no hesitation.

Gershwin views TNBFE as the ideal starting point for any food entrepreneur aspirant. Prior to winning the competition, he and his wife had a lot of fun serving their food to the hungry folk who commonly go to the Mercato markets. Return customers, apart from the rigors of the contest, fueled them to further improve on their products, aiming to gift every member of the buying populace with a smile upon purchase.

True to Gershwin’s words, Bakmi Nyonya incorporates a wonderful harmony of flavors in each of its dishes. The Bakmi Babi – pork noodles with mushroom, herbs and spices – has firm noodles that give the bowl texture as well as acting as a median for the varying flavors of the meat and the mix of herbs and mushrooms.

The resulting flavor does not overpower the taste buds, catering to the “Filipino palate.” Operating on different layers of taste, the dish starts off with the quaint flavor of meat, eventually trailing off with the subtle kick of spring onions and mushrooms.

Bakmi Nyonya’s dumplings are very flavorful, with the taste of shrimp bursting out of the wrapper. Tossing in a bit of their homemade chili sauce crafts eureka moments for diners. According to Gershwin, the dumplings were the first to catch the attention of Mercato-goers during the competition, and led to a greater appreciation for their products.

Another noteworthy cuisine that Bakmi Nyonya serves is the spiced rice with sambal. Similar to the strong taste of Thai food, the rice is packed with spices and herbs. The sambal adds a lot of excitement to the dish; it endows the rice with a balance of sweetness, tartness and spiciness which promises to be a big hit for those who love food with strong flavors.

Winning the Next Big Food Entrepreneur, which comes with a hundred thousand peso prize and free rent for six months at any of the Mercato markets, is only the beginning for Lucy and Gershwin Garcia. More importantly, however, Lucy gets to honor her grandfather with her success.

BAKMI NYONYA
Facebook: BAKMI Nyonya
Twitter: @bakminyonya
Telephone: +63 925 870-8899

The Next Big Food Entrepreneur Winner 2014 series: