Oriental Mart
It’s now officially my 3rd day in Seattle and after yesterday’s restaurant visit, I woke up so excited for today’s line up as well. Luckily, it has not rained yet this week allowing me for another fun day of exploration.
On the agenda for this morning though is a visit to a Seattle legendary institution, The Oriental Mart inside the Pike Place Market. Chef Leila Rosas Apostol has been serving customers her delicious cooking since 1987.
The Oriental Mart store has been around since 1971 though serving as a pilar to the Filipino community here in Seattle. This was the only place where you could purchase Filipino goods and delicacies in the area. They decided to expand the space and add the kitchen in 1987 and they have been serving our favorite Philippine dishes ever since. The dishes served daily rotates on what is in season and every now and then the Chef would include specials like Dinuguan which could not be found elsewhere.
Ate Leila as she is known to all of us hails originally from Malolos, Bulacan and is a self-taught Chef. She started cooking at an early age to help feed her siblings as she comes from a large family. The dishes that she serves here are from family recipes passed down from generations. She also takes culinary trips back to the Philippines yearly to learn new ingredients and techniques.
I ordered the Salmon Sinigang from the menu today and the dish overall was perfect. The broth was nice and warm and had the right fish flavor and acidity and the salmon was stewed tender.
It was such an honor to eat here and meet Ate Leila, this experience will stay with me forever…
#KULINARYATRAVELS is off to MUSANG next…