Belly

We have to talk about Belly.

Belly is… confusing. On google it’s labelled a “Filipino” restaurant. Influencers and TikTok makers differ from “fusion” to “Filipino” to “Filipino French” … and by their own direct quote “this is a filipino restaurant, Ube is a must” it’s difficult to tell by the labels what this place is trying to be.

Part of the Mamasons family they have taken Filipino food and definitely put their own spins (yes - plural) on the cuisine.

I will get to the food itself shortly, and I have a lot to say about it, so as half Filipino, raised and surrounded by Filipinos; my aunties, uncles, cousins some related to me, the majority of them not but still my family, and growing up in a world where almost everyone I met until my mid-20s knew almost nothing about the country, culture or cuisine save for the few who knew Filipino nurses that they or their loved ones had been cared for or “my friend [insert generic male name] is married to a lovely Filipino lady” (direct quote) I say this:

Belly is NOT a Filipino restaurant.

Inspired perhaps.
Fusion, definitely.
Am I biased? One thousand percent but I’m an expert in this particular field.

Take any country in the world and almost any dish has its regional variants. No truer is this than in Asian food. Take a dish made in the North and in the South and they will be different. Think brows - they’re siblings not twins. They are the same dish but a little different.

Belly is not a case of this regional preference, this is them taking whatever dish we want, from wherever they want in the world, using a Filipino name but with a hint of actual Filipino flavours and references which just about allows us to get away with culinary sleight of hand.

The food. It’s good. It takes good honestly.

If I walked in with zero Filipino knowledge or heritage or anything remotely related to Asia I would be writing an entirely different article right now. I’m not any of those though.

Anyone who knows me deeply will know that in fact I have a challenging relationship with the country of my mother. I didn’t learn the language, I didn’t fit in with my family as the “English one”, they were thousands of miles away. However, my connection with my mother is strong and the few positive memories I have of the Philippines are precious to me, and this is why I cannot wholeheartedly praise Belly.

Starter: Tempura Cod Pandesal (American cheese, Ikura tartar)
Pandesal is to Filipinos as the baguette is to the French. It’s a small slightly sweetened bread bun with golden breadcrumbs on top. I have deep fond memories of being 5 years old being lifted out of sleep briefly by the sound of the bicycles or sometimes scooters making their morning deliveries to the houses as early as 4am each morning. I would smile to myself and fall back to sleep knowing that when I finally went to my grandparent’s large wooden dining table, a bag of fresh pandesal would. be waiting for me.
It’s soft, pillowy with the thinnest of crusts on top. Perfect entirely on its own but even better with breakfast or as an afternoon snack with butter and dipped into some granulated sugar for crunch.

Belly’s pandesal is good. Excellent even, on its own. I tore a small piece that was not touching any sauce or filling to try it and yes, it was good. The cod, also thick, juicy, flaky and well battered. The tartare sauce could have been more vinegary or had more gherkins to cut through the creamy sauce and then…the American cheese.

Honestly, the plastic cheese American cheese is criminal. There are thousands of cheeses in the world and they opted for THIS! I expect it’s a nod to the American influence on the country and the very real and continued military presence that has lasted over 100 years. In spite of this, the choice to put this terrible cheese and frankly disgusting, firstly with fish - gross - even McDonalds don’t do that with their filet-o-fish, and second with the beautiful pandesal is upsetting. To see what a beautifully cooked piece of cod was actually, which is a species of fish that is well-known to be at risk, be ruined by a plasticky, sticky mess is unforgivable.

Mains: Oak Smoke “Tinola” Herb Chicken, with a side of Jasmine Rice

A short prologue about me and tinola. I love tinola. It’s arguable my favourite Filipino dish ever. It’s a comfort dish and it is the only “home” recipe I called my mum up during my first year of university when I had a mild case of home sickness for instructions on how to make it. Traditionally, made with chicken or fish, with pieces of papaya and/or chayote, the latter is what my mum makes it with - a unique vegetable that has a sweetness that’s not sugary while also being savoury, in broth flavoured with ginger, onions, and fish sauce. It’s a warm hug of home.

The only resemblance to Belly’s dish to “Tinola” is the chicken and some hits of ginger. That’s it. The connection ends there.

As a dish on its own, the portion was large, the chicken succulent, a lovely char on the chicken from being grilled, with an oily, herby sauce that was soaked up by the fluffy rice.

Again, if I walked in like any Tom, Dick or Harriet off the street I’d be giving Belly the rave reviews that are abundant online and even by the Micheline Guide.

Although I can hear the various rebuttals to my point of view, I’m strongly of the view that Filipino food is worthy of the same culinary status as India, Thai, and Sri Lankan food and it should be treated as such. This is not the 90s Britain I grew up in where no-one had a clue where on the world map the Philippines is located. Today, the Philippines is regularly included in back-backing itineraries, people honey- moon in Palawan and more white people have told me to my face that they love Pork Adobo and most haven’t been to my house before. It doesn’t require being banished to “fusion” category or it. being Westernised like so many cuisines have been in the past. I believe the cuisine can be elevated without having to hitch it to, or more accurately in this case, water it down by fusing with, a western cuisine like French or Italian.

I couldn’t stomach dessert so opted out of that.

A nice experience overall. Despite the full belly I left feeling sad. Genuinely, downhearted.

Rating as me - 2/5

Rating as me minus my Filipino heritage - 3.5/5 I still think cheese and fish is a horrendous choice.

I called my mother immediately after and gushed about how truly blessed I’ve been to have grown up with her food, and frankly how brilliant she is in every way.