New York's newest, trendiest Filipino restaurant

MANILA, Philippines - Barely five months since it opened, Umi Nom is already one of today’s hottest Southeast Asian restaurants in New York City, offering the best in Philippine cuisine with a touch of Thai, according to magazine critics and foodies who pack the place every night.

Located at 433 Dekalb Avenue in Brooklyn, New York (a short subway ride from Manhattan), Umi Nom – a play on the Tagalog word uminom which means “to drink” – is actually a sequel of the already famous Kuma Inn (yes, from the Tagalog word kumain meaning “to eat”).

The six-year-old Kuma Inn, situated in the lower East Side of Manhattan, is also owned by Chef King Phojanakong, a Fil-Thai New Yorker, who is now one of the country’s most noted Asian-American chefs.

And like Kuma Inn, which is one of Tyra Banks’ favorite spots, Umi Nom offers a Malay-Chinese-inspired menu, with each plate averaging from $8 to $12 – not bad for a trendy hot spot.

Among the top favorites on the menu are the well-seasoned Asian beef jerky marinated in calamansi juice, garlic and soy sauce; spicy-sweet longganisa sausage in a chili-lime sauce; pork-belly adobo; grilled beef-pork patties with soy-sake dressing and pickled vegetables; deep-fried chicken drumettes; roasted Manila clams in spicy black bean sauce; the lightly battered crispy calamari; and the succulent head-on prawns in an excellent broth of Thai chilies, garlic, onion and fish sauce.

Regulars, as well as first timers, never fail to try Umi Nom’s mouth-watering signature fried rice called “Bahay Kubo,” tossed with chicken, sausage, shrimp and egg; and the noodle Pinoy dish pancit canton stir-fried with sweet Chinese pork sausage, chicken, scallion and dashes of fish sauce and soy sauce.

Umi Nom’s menu is full of beer-friendly tapas-style foods, and no other beer can wash it all down better than one of the best beers in the world, San Miguel. But diners who are not into beer or sake can order the refreshing Filipino drinks of mango nectar, calamansi, lychee juice and buko (young-coconut juice).

When it comes to dessert, Umi Nom has a limited selection, although the mango sorbet and warm Thai chili chocolate cake are the top choices and diners’ favorites.

Interestingly, Umi Nom also offers balut (for $5), the intriguing Filipino delicacy of a fertilized duck egg that often freaks out some guests, but dares others more adventurous to try one.

Chef King, who was born to a Filipino mother and Thai father and raised in Manhattan, said the culinary influences of Umi Nom and Kuma Inn began at home with the inspirational cooking of his parents.

“In the summertime, our mom would send us to the Philippines so I would spend all my summers in the Philippines (Silay City in Negros Occidental) and that’s where I learned much of the food I’m doing now,” says Chef King, who received his formal culinary education in 1998 at the Culinary Institute of America, and later trained with some of the world’s best chefs.

“There aren’t too many restaurants in New York City that serve Filipino food and it’s something that I wanted to do,” he adds.

Philippine Consul General in New York Cecilia Rebong never hesitates to bring VIP guests to either Umi Nom or Kuma Inn, especially those who crave for Pinoy food or Asian fusion culinary.

“The food is really tasty and they come in small plates,” gushes Rebong. “I think the secret is also in the condiments, garnishes and side seasonings that are really good.”

“The place is casual and very cozy and decent, with friendly and attentive waiting staff,” she adds, “and the locations are very unassuming, perhaps part of their appeal.”

While Kuma Inn is located on the second floor of a Lower East Side tenement in Manhattan, the 50-seat Umi Nom is occupying what was once a long, narrow laundromat sandwiched between small local Mexican eateries and business bodegas in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, across a housing project.

And to the amusement of diners and Chef King’s cult following, he kept the old laundromat sign and simply superimposed Umi Nom’s logo on it.

“This was a laundromat for like 100 years, and it’s been abandoned for about 30 years,” recalls Chef King, who once in a while gets out of the kitchen and chats with diners. “It looked like someone threw a bomb in here and closed the door.”

Today, Umi Nom’s beautiful interiors can match any upscale restaurant. It boasts of a red dark wood bar with funky bamboo lighting above it, and Edison light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Chef King and his Laoatian co-chef Soulayphet “Phet” Schwader salvaged many of old building’s interior details, including the exposed brick walls, high ceilings and an old skylight that was uncovered during the extensive renovations.

“There’s no way you can go wrong with Umi Nom or Kuma Inn,” says Ellen Aguilar, a Fil-Am regular who brings along friends. “Aside from the nice ambiance, the food is always good and presentable.”

Food critics are closely watching if Umi Nom’s performance will be at par with Kuma Inn.

“There’s no guarantee Chef King’s sophomore effort will repeat the success of his first,” writes the popular online travel guide offManhattan.com. “Still, this won’t be the first time he’s attracted gourmands to an untapped zip code. And armed with the time-tested blend of bold Southeast Asian flavors and gentle prices, there’s no arguing that Umi Nom just might be the breakthrough Pratt needs to draw culinary gentrification east.”

For Umi Nom’s complete menu, rates and reviews, visit uminom.com