As far as I can remember our family has always been a meat-loving family, there was rarely a time when the food on our table wasn't something that came from a two or four-legged animal. We were of course very happy with that situation, even when the whole world decided to go green andstarted going all GMO/trans-fat/gluten-free diets with the whole locavore movement alongside it, my family's cooking still stayed the same. The same two or four-legged animal bought from the wet market like any typical Filipino family served three times a day seven days a week. We didn't have any of those green and organic nuances since it wasn't necessary. But yesterday I decided to take a leap of faith with Tricia and her boss T. Sam (the co-founder of the Iam Sam Foundation) when we decided to dine out for Tricia's birthday celebration in The Farm.
Last night's dining experience was an education into the world of organics, as I said, my family has never gone organic for all I know all of the vegetables, fruits, meats and poultry that we've been buying have had its fair share of chemicals and pesticides. So to me, the whole concept and movement of 'organics' would be an experience wherein my palate would try and see the difference. From what I gleaned last night, the experience is the same as any other.
With its wooden textures and deep colors The Farm invites its diners to come in, sit down and take a load off. Remove all of those inorganic and unhealthy things from your mind and your body by savoring the almost-hippy offerings of the restaurant. Take note that everything here is organic this means all forms of chemicals and preservatives have been removed from the manufacturing/production process. So I was going to be getting the real deal and The Farm has plenty of the real deal. Salads, pizzas, cakes and the works proudly enticing me to try them.
For the evening, the three of us decided to go beef, and to satisfy our cravings we had three different types of burgers: Teacher Sam had the classic burger, I had the double cheeseburger, and Tricia had the paleo burger. Apart from the burgers we ordered we also had a side dish of french fries, which by the way was quite bland. Their fries were a big letdown, considering that I expected some fanciful flavor to replace all those harmful chemicals I usually find in french fries. Instead it was a lightly salted snack with a few chopped garnishes here and there to make it look delectable.
Where the Farm failed in their side dish they made it up for their burgers and they did not disappoint. To start of, I have never tried an organic beef burger, I don't even know what organic beef is. I always equate organic/vegetable to an ascetic and near-spartan eating/gastronomic letdown. Tonight was a different story, with a double cheeseburger staring down at me with all its organic-ness, I wanted to savor all of its rich flavors and spices and hope to the food gods above that it wouldn't taste like tofu. Instead I had a rich and flavorful meat, perfectly grilled on both sides with just enough meat juice oozing out to make you want more. The trappings, which I presume are all organic, failed to hide the wonderful and near-sinful taste of the beef. Though a bit salty, it was a good burger nevertheless, packed with all the protein that burgers are known for.
One would think that the grill masters at Charlie's made these things without taking note of the whole "I am healthy and I love my body" mantra. That's how good and delicious it was. Not exactly the best but maybe in the category of "organic burgers", it would be the gold standard. As for the burgers of the Teacher Sam and Tricia, Teacher Sam's looked exactly like my burger sans the added calories of cheese and the extra patty. Tricia's on the other hand, looked like she was going on a diet, I guess when you have the world paleo in front of the word burger you get what our ancestors were eating before. Bereft of any kind of sinful additions that make a burger, the paleo burger was a sad and lonely marriage of lettuce leaves sandwiching another sinful organic beef patty. It was such a sad marriage that I didn't want to rob Tricia by sampling her dinner.
My experience at The Farm was a good experience, I enjoyed my meal and got to try an entirely new experience in a familiar good setting. It wasn't a disappointment and it opened up my eyes that organic food isn't really the ascetic and near-spartan eating experience my mind conjured it up to be. I didn't come home thinking that I would be swearing off tofu for the rest of my life but appreciated the thought and passion that went into making food untainted from chemicals. The thought and passion of course comes at a steep price but because it was a special evening for Tricia, the food and the company made the evening complete.
The Farm can be found at One Legacy Place, Don Jesus Boulevard. Alabang Hills Village, Muntinlupa City.
To find out more about The Farm and their products visit their page here.
Visit The Farm's Facebook page here.
To find out more about The Farm and their products visit their page here.
Visit The Farm's Facebook page here.