From kare-kare and kinilaw to arroz caldo and pork barbecue, Chef Erica is serving more Filipino dishes to the French with Mokoloco restaurant
From Tuesday to Saturday at Rue de Charonne in Paris, France, Parisians are having a feast celebrating Filipino flavors thanks to Pinay chef Erica Paredes. Years after training at the Le Cordon Bleu and introducing the boodle fight to French diners, she continues her mission of serving Philippine dishes as the resident chef of Mokoloco restaurant in Paris.
The restaurant, founded by Japanese pastry chef Moko Hirayama and Lebanese-born chef Omar Koreitem, is not new to having foreign chefs leading its kitchen. Prior to Erica, chef Marcel Khalil Hanna helmed the restaurant for six weeks, serving Palestinian meals. This makes it a gastronomic hotspot for international dishes and flavors but also a place that spotlights the talents of upcoming culinary professionals.
Erica started cooking at the restaurant last Sept. 7, 2021, and her early dishes have already earned praises from diners and featured by Vanity Fair France. Dishes such as her kare-kare (oxtail with peanut sauce; a vegan version features aubergines), kinilaw (white tuna in coconut vinegar with passion fruit, pomegranate, and chili), and glazed pork barbecue and fennel atchara give Parisians a taste of the Philippines. While her golden fried chicken, calamansi cheesecake, arroz caldo, and longganisa burger are becoming the restaurant’s ultimate comfort foods.
“Revisited Filipino comfort food on the menu plus all the food that I have in my memory bank of people, places, and times in my life that I felt nurtured and loved,” Chef Erica says on what she will be bringing to Mokoloco. “Feeling like you are home and sharing good times with friends and family are things that are really important to me so I hope you feel at home when I cook for you! And for real, I hope you make friends with the people sitting next to you!”
Erica will be Mokoloco’s resident chef until the end of November 2021. To know more about what she’s cooking, visit @reyna.paris and @mokoloco_paris on Instagram.