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23 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,A pril 25,2019 w aterloochronicle.ca No other cancer charity does what we do.When you donate to the Canadian Cancer Society's Daffodil Campaign, you help us fund life-changing support programs, ground-breaking research and advocacy efforts that help all Canadians live healthier lives. Show your support and help us continue to prove that life is bigger than cancer. Donate today at cancer.ca/daffodil YOUR DONATION IS BIGGER THAN CANCER The food and cooking of the Philippines have been influenced by centuries of global forces, including Spanish colonialism, Brit- ish occupation and the nearby presence of China and Southeast Asia. We can learn a lot about the world by understand- ing the contrasts - but more, the surprising simi- larities - of food. It's per- haps the greatest cultural benefit of our growing di- versity of restaurants. And, with little Filipino food available here, it's why we're fortunate to have the new Nuestro 88 restaurant near Sportworld Crossing. Chef and owner Paul Masbad has a long history cooking in Waterloo Re- gion and says his food blends Asian and Spanish flavours and techniques. He came to Kitchener from Manila in 1988 as a teenag- er; his wife, Evelyn, arrived here then too: the restau- rant's name captures the significance of "our year" for them. "My food is very close to her food, and in the Philip- pines in general there's lots of Spanish influence and intermingling of foods," says Masbad. Evelyn is from Nicaragua, a fact commemorated in Nuestro 88's "ropa vieja Jinotega" dish. It's emblematic that you'll also find tacos al pas- tor Manila on the menu and empanadas with go- chujang. Masbad studied busi- ness and finance at Cones- toga College, but cooking was paramount - and it took over. He worked in kitchens at the Valhalla Inn, Benjamin's, with the Charcoal Group and New Dundee Emporium. He didn't attend culinary school and is a Red Seal- certified chef. "At Nuestro, I've tried to integrate and blend foods. But it's not just an experi- ment," he stresses. "I ate this at home. It comes from my parents' influence in the kitchen." Simplicity and comfort shape Nuestro 88's menu, though the dishes aren't simple. This is, in many cases, street food, but street food reimagined through the lens of Mas- bad's more upscale culi- nary experience. The prices at Nuestro 88 are reasonable ($6-$17 among 15 or so dinner items), and while there is attractive plating, there are no tweezers for gar- nishes. Meaty lumpia spring rolls are a classic Filipino snack to which Masbad adds chorizo, jicama and paprika; delicious pork adobo is braised in citrus- soy reduction and served with jasmine rice, vegeta- bles and chicharrón. But give me a bowl of slurpy noodles any time: the Chinese influence is manifest in pancit Canton, wheat noodles Cantonese- style (for Guangzhou, a city in southeast China). "The noodles have chicken, a Chinese sweet sausage, carrots and usually bok choy or snow peas," Mas- bad says. "I add a bit of oys- ter sauce and hoisin." But it's the sausage: it accentuates the dish and creates fullness and com- plexity. "It gives a contrast of sweet and salty," he says. "And then we add a lime garnish for a boost of acidi- ty." Historically, in some re- gions, pancit Canton may only be slurped on special occasions, but Masbad re- fuses to deny himself the comfort he finds in these noodles. "I love the dish so much, I said I'm going to put it on the menu. A lot of these dishes are my memories." Nuestro 88 is open Mon- day to Saturday. Andrew Coppolino is a Kitchener-based food writ- er and broadcaster. Visit him at waterlooregioneat- s.com or email: apcoppoli- no@rogers.com. DON'T SKIP THIS DISH: PANCIT CANTON AT NUESTRO 88 Pancit Canton at Nuestro 88. Andrew Coppolino photo OPINION GIVE ME A BOWL OF SLURPY NOODLES, ANY TIME, WRITES ANDREW COPPOLINO ANDREW COPPOLINO Column ADDRESS: 4293 King Street East PHONE: 519-219-7888 WEBSITE: nuestro88.com