A food trip at Oriental Condiments Express

Mongolian barbecue isn’t a new concept, but serving it in a food court setting is. This bold idea comes from businesswoman Cora Avecilla Padiernos who wanted to introduce to the middle-income market what has always been considered a high-end product.

Last month, together with her business partner Philip Cu Unjieng, she opened Oriental Condiments Express, her second foray into the fast-food business to market Mongolian barbecue to a broader market. Her stall at the Food Court level of Robinsons Place Ermita is quite unlike all the other puestos in the area.

For one, the decor is minimal. Except for the usual food warmer display, all cooking is done inside the kitchen to cut down on clutter at the counter. Since the stall’s specialty is Mongolian barbecue, a large glass window enables diners to see her Japanese-trained chef at work at a customers’ order. The stall is also brightly lit by plain white light, not the yellowish lamps in most stalls.

"What we want to do here is try to be something different from the market," says Padiernos. "We offer something different from the usual fast food order of fried chicken, Chinese or native food, sizzling steaks and barbecues."

This isn’t her first foray into the fast-food business. She operates two franchises of Mai Thai, one at Edsa Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City and another just a few stalls away from her Oriental Condiments Express Robinsons Place Ermita.

"The name is quite familiar among diners here in Manila," she says. "Many people know about it. I’ve also made it a point to use Sandy Daza’s photo in our sign so that people would know its the same restaurant as his."

The food business isn’t new to this former flight stewardess for a foreign airline.

"I’ve seen how food was prepared," she says. "I didn’t know it then that food was going to be my calling."

It wasn’t until after she returned to Manila and circulated among some of Manila’s foodies that she thought of entering the business. Her husband was in the meat business, offering spit-roasted lamb and other prime meat cuts for exclusive dinners and parties and hotels.

It took Padiernos a while to convince Sandy Daza to give her a franchise for Mai Thai. By the time, she was fully into the fast-food business, she decided to brainstorm her own food concept.

Oriental Condiments Express was supposed to offer Asian fusion cooking, featuring a variety of specials from Malaysia, Singapore, Burma and Thailand. However, the plan proved to be unwieldy which prompted her to shift plans. Mongolian barbecue was a popular commodity then, prompting her to conceive it for a lower-income bracket.

Currently, her new restaurant offers a selection of Japanese specials and Mongolian barbecue.

"All the items are freshly cooked teppan-style and are served on sizzling plates for very hot food," she adds.

All her cooks were trained by a Japanese chef on the rudiments of teppan cooking.

Unlike regular fast-food fare that is nuked in a microwave oven, her offerings come sizzling hot and steaming. Each order is stir-fried by a trained chef on a large teppan grill.

And true to her concept, all the items at Oriental Condiments Express are reasonably priced within reach of a college student’s baon. An order of Mongolian barbecue is priced at P85, with a diner choosing the vegetables and meat he prefers. Diners can also choose from a variety of sauces to complement their barbecue.

Japanese meals include: Oriental Katsudon, P56; Uyakudon, P54; Oriental Mix Tempura, P82; Chicken Teppanyaki, P58; Tonkatsu, P64; Pork Teppanyaki, P55; and Squid Balls, P43.

This early, Padiernos is cooking up a number of promotions to familiarize the student crowd that frequents Robinsons Place Ermita to the delights of Mongolian barbecue.