Ryan Oabel, Eric Lazaro Magno and other partners opened Le Petit Vibe in 2020, in the Côte-des-Neiges district, with the intention of honoring their Filipino roots. Customer preferences and COVID-19 have taken them elsewhere, to the realm of the burger (with Spam), fried chicken (furikake) and (decadent!) taco birria. This restaurant is now a counter in the Le Central gourmet fair, and the two chefs have migrated to Westmount while their associates run the canteen.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
At the new Tadhana, which opened in early summer, they take inspiration from Filipino cuisine to create dishes that are more elaborate, more “appetizing”, they say, than the specialties of the Asian archipelago. South East. Hispanic, Chinese and American influences, among others, are part of a well-explored culinary heritage.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
This marrow bone is filled with Filipino “congee” (rice gruel) and decorated with a ginger and calamondin (citrus) aioli.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
This baked Brie is topped with a mix of nuts and typical Philippine corn snacks (Cornick).
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Taro fries are a popular side dish.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Among the cocktails offered, we find this one whose color comes from the purple yam.
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At Tadhana, the menu features arroz caldo, salty rice gruel reminiscent of Chinese congee, served on a bone with the marrow on top. Pancit are fried noodles sautéed with vegetables. The adobo here is made with short ribs of beef rather than chicken or pork and served over creamy polenta. We sampled a rich baked Brie covered in a mixture of nuts and Cornick, a popular corn-based snack. It spreads on fried lotus slices. In short, there is a lot of creativity here.
Ryan and Eric have known each other for ages. They both practiced other professions (nursing for the first, mechanics for the second) before studying cooking, at Pearson and at the ITHQ respectively. Their dearest wish is to make Filipino cuisine known beyond the community of Côte-des-Neiges.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
The Tadhana restaurant moved to Westmount a few months ago.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
There will soon be a small bar in the basement of the restaurant.
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PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Eric Lazaro Magno and Ryan Oabel are the two bosses and chefs of Tadhana.
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For the moment, even if it is perhaps not the first “neighbourhood” that would have come to mind to carry out this mission, Westmount welcomes the Tadhana. Westerners will soon even have a small bar in the restaurant’s basement to stay up a little later and Filipino-style taco Tuesdays to add spice.
4 Somerville Avenue, Westmount