Slow Food & Bistro Lokal
It is not the first time I heard about “Slow Food.” Although, it is just now that I carefully researched it and understood how this holistic restaurant in Baguio City supports local farmers through the “Slow Food” movement. Bistro Lokal is one of the restaurants in the city that boasts its farm to table initiative to their gracious diners and this is what the owner, Chef Miko Dy wants to highlight.
What is Slow Food?
Founded in Italy in 1989, Slow Food is a global movement to ensure awareness to everyone about local food cultures, traditions, production of clean food and fair trade of the producers (the local farmers). Slow Food is obviously the opposite of Fast food because of the process of food production, from farm to table. The Slow Food movement had already established a sweet start of 1, 600 communities around the world, including the Philippines.
How Bistro Lokal helps the local farmers
Through Slow Food Community, Bistro Lokal is able to tap organic farmers to supply for the restaurant’s ingredients. The restaurant ties together the pleasure of savoring good food with the commitment to support the local farmers. The chefs and the servers engage with their diners that what they eat on their table came straight from the local farmers’ grassroots. Chef added, “Habang kumakain kayo, i-didiscuss ko yung mga organic farmers kung paano yung effort nila sa pagtatanim ng vegetables.” The bistro also gets supply from the Baguio Dairy Farm for their butter and to bake their pastries. The chocolates they use for desserts come from the local product, Dulce.
More About Slow Food
“Slow Food is global network that works to help ensure GOOD, CLEAN and FAIR food for everyone,” said on their Youtube Video. Watch their introduction about what they do below:
Ark of Taste
We also asked Chef Miko how he is able to concoct and source creative ingredients to cook. He also gets from “Ark of Taste.” The Ark of Taste is actually a Slow Food’s online catalog of traditional foods that risks extinction in today’s modernization. The list now consists of over 1000 products. Over 64 food products are enlisted all over the Philippines. Want me to name a few from the Cordilleras? The Baya Rice Wine, Benguet Coffee, Cordillera Native Pig, “Ayusip” (wild berry) and more! Check out the full list here: Ark of Taste products in the Philippines.
More About Bistro Lokal
Bistro Lokal offers home-cooked comfort food but spins a more creative approach to local dishes. I wrote more about the owner, Chef Miko Dy and the restaurant in my previous blog post. You may read it here: A Creative Restaurant Offering Spectacular Filipino Food
I also uploaded a vlog during my first gastronomic food experience at Bistro Lokal. Watch the first part of my Vlogtober here:
Bistro Lokal’s NEW MENU
I’ve mentioned in my previous blog, Chef Miko wants his restaurant to be dynamic wherein he would change the menu whenever he likes it. During our second visit to Chef Miko’s food haven, he presented to us a few dishes of the new menu. He opted more vegetables because he supports the advocacy of helping our local farmers; 10% of the sales go to them. The menu is going to be launched by the end of February 2020, after Valentine’s Day specials. Here are the stellar dishes which again, all the ingredients are locally produced and in line with their advocacy with Slow Food movement.
“Sampinit”
Bistro Lokal’s version of “Kombucha” using Strawberries, fermented tea
Seafood Sinigang
A traditional cooking technique wherein they use hot river rocks to cook the seafood. It is to be cooked from the table side, good for 4-5 persons
Bistro Lokal Palabok
-used Shrimp heads’ fat to give a distinct flavor
Caramelized organic cauliflower, with crispy chili garlic and vinegar
Organic Cornfed Chicken
1-2kilos Chicken, the sauce is homemade Banana ketchup
Sides: Cucumber- drenched in mango vinegar, dried shrimp & sitaw with garlic bits, Kale cooked in chicken stock served in soy and lime)
Organic Cornfed Chicken
1-2kilos Chicken, the sauce is homemade Banana ketchup
Sides: Cucumber- drenched in mango vinegar, dried shrimp & sitaw with garlic bits, Kale cooked in chicken stock served in soy and lime)
That is how a holistic restaurant in Baguio City supports local farmers through the “Slow Food” Movement. Are you going to be part of the advocacy of Slow Food? Dine at Bistro Lokal as another way to help out local farmers!
📍 Bistro Lokal is located at 307 Upper Magsaysay Ave., Baguio City. In front of Baguio Central University’s main gate.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BistroLokal2600/
The Baguio Bloggers at Bistro Lokal: I am RAEdiant (me), Chef Reden Molina, Chef Miko Dy, The Highland Mama, Macky Benj, Mikka Alaia and The Igorota Taste.
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I am literally drooling from looking at all your pictures on this post, Rae! They look so mouth-watering! I have to tip my hat to Chef Miko for supporting the local farmers. It’s rare to see restaurateurs who have such an incredible ethics these days. I wish we have this kind of option here in Angeles too.
Hello Anie, Chef Miko is doing great! Ye, I hope more chefs would follow his example.
wow! i bet the food serve here are really fresh! its the first time ive actually heard of slow food. wala din akong alam na resto na ganyan dito sa manila. siguro kasi wala naman ding malapit na farm ano.
That may be a factor, but good thing there are deliveries already from Benguet to Manila through Session Groceries and other portals. 🙂
Hands off to the creative Chef and for helping the farmers. Love the idea of helping others whilst doing business of your own! Sarap tingnan ng food!
Sarap tignan, sarap din kainin! hehe
I really would love to see our food scene to shift to slow food but during these fast phased times, mahirap talaga to see more of this. But it’s really great to indulge in these kinds of food and services! 🙂
One of the best reasons to visit Baguio is their food! Those food are amazing. I love that the Slow Food Movement is supporting their local farmers.
It’s an advantage na tabi lang ng Baguio ang farms dito around Benguet. 🙂
This is one of the good business models that restaurants can follow suit. Apart from helping the farmers, promoting the organic way and applying to the business process is a huge leap. It is also another avenue to help your customers indulge on meals of legitimate organic in nature.
Since the assured freshness of the ingredients, it is certain that the quality of dishes served by the Bistro Lokal is topnotch.
Haven’t been there and the caramelized cauliflower tickles my interest.
Next time you go to Baguio, don’t miss this on your list! The local farmers would surely appreciate your visit!
This style of marketing looks pretty impressive since it is not a typical strategy when promoting a restaurant. The slow food concept is what makes it more interesting. I hope I could visit there someday.
Yes, and it’s not only marketing and business, it’s an advocacy. 🙂
Nagutom naman ako bigla dun sa mga pics… Kung wala sana ECQ, nasa Baguio sana kami ngayon, and if ever na matuloy kami some other time yayain ko sila na itry namin sa Bistro Lokal. First time ko malaman yung sa Slow Food. 😊
I’m glad I was able to spread the word about Slow Food Community. 🙂 see you soon!
This is something to look forward to. An experiential kind of dining. nakakaintriga yung niluluto beside you ang sinigang on hot rocks. And this shows lang to enjoy our food kasi the whole process itself from the place and time the ingredients were sourced out is well-thought out and prepared.
Yup, nakakatuwa yung theatrics na iniimpose nila sa customers nila. Ang galing lang!
I know Slow Food and met one of their team two years ago at the IFEX Philippines convention. It is an amazing lifestyle and promoting sustainable foods, and helping more farmers. Food is more appreciated when you experienced how to prepared it.
Yes and where the food is coming from. 🙂 Galing lang!
I like how they use the rocks to cook food! I’d really pay for this kind of experience. Another restaurant to visit on my next trip to Baguio! With all your posts about different restaurants there, I might stay in Baguio for a week after this quarantine period!
It was my first time to see food to be cooked using hot rocks alone! hehe alright, see you soon!
Wow! Ngayon ko lang nalaman na may Slow Food movement pala. This is a great initiative to help local farmers. Interesting din yung seafood sinigang ha. As in they cook in on your table?
Surprising, right? Yes, they cook it beside your table. 🙂
I totally admire how they not only support the local farmers, but have so much healthy food on their menu! Those dishes look absolutely delicious as well. Hope to drop by some time.
I love their support for our local farmers. Slow food is surely more delicious than fast food and seeing those picture, I’m sure babalik balikan to sa sarap. Will definitely check out more of your post when we go back to Baguio, ang dami ko pang hindi nakakainan doon.
Yes, please don’t only go to Cafe by the Ruins or Good Taste hehe. so many more good places to eat in Baguio!
I’ve always loved farm-to-table restaurant because of the initiative to help farmers, kasi more often than not, ang liit ng kinikita nila kasi ang daming middle men. Plus pag farm to table alam mo talagang fresh
You’re lucky you got to try the farm to table dining experience. I wish we have more options like that in Manila, i’ll definitely support those. I appreciate chefs, business owners, restaurant owners who look after the welfare of their farmers. ❤️