Scorched–but not by the Manila heat

Scorched specializes in smoked meats: pork, beef and even chicken.

As we stay home and/or work from home, we can’t help but miss restaurant food. Sure, nothing can beat home-cooked food, but once in a while—or maybe several times a week—we still crave food that we can’t exactly replicate at home.

Like smoked ribs.

That is why I was so happy when my friend, let’s call her Madame M, sent over a kilo of ready-to-heat smoked ribs.

It was fall-off-the-bone tender and very tasty that I made a mental note to find out more about the restaurant that it came from. The pretty white box that the ribs came in was labeled Scorched.

Apparently, it is a new restaurant. They just opened in 2019 at an obscure food hall of sorts near UST. Just last March, they opened their second branch in SM Center Las Piñas.

The name of the restaurant is Scorched because they specialize in smoked meats: pork, beef and even chicken.

The smokiness of their meat is distinct. After making a few calls, I learned from their president, Lenny Kaw, that it is because they use hickory wood chips imported from the United States in their smoker: a handful of wood chips for 40 kilos of meat. These give their meats added aroma and that desired smokey flavor. Then they add even more flavor using their signature dry rub.

She said they have also opted for an electric smoker to ensure that the meats served were not carcinogenic.

I also told her that what I first loved about the ribs was that they were very evidently fall-off-the-bone tender. She revealed this was because they do not make shortcuts, cooking the ribs for 12 hours.

I checked the store menu (visit Facebook.com/scorchedPH) and loved that the prices were quite reasonable.

I will share below the prices I found, but note that the restaurant prices may vary depending on the meal sets.

A full rack, or a whole kilo good for around 10 people, of the American pork ribs, which Madame M sent, is just P1,500 and comes in a gift-worthy box. I made a mental note of this for gifting to front-liners: doctors and priests.

For everyday eating, they also have single serve slices at just P300 or a meal set that comes with java rice for only P225.

It is also worth the cost because usually with baby back ribs, half of your order is just bones. But this one by Scorched offers more meat. They also use USDA-certified pork.

Of course you can’t enjoy ribs without a good sauce and they have two: an original spicy blend and a smokey sweet blend that they developed with kids in mind.

Another pork option is the pulled pork, which is just P240 per serving. It comes in a bowl.

Kaw is also very proud of their smoked pulled pork grilled cheese sandwich which, she guarantees, is a customer favorite (I have yet to try this). It comes with potato wedges, which she described as crispy outside and juicy inside. An order of this is only P159.

They also have pulled pork pasta—aglio e olio with smoked pulled pork as topping.

They also offer beef brisket using USDA-certified beef at P400 for 200 grams, then you can just keep adding at P200 per 100 grams. Or if you want a meal, you can get a set with java rice and sides for only P245.

For those who don’t eat pork or beef, there is an option for chicken, which is also smoked. This is only P195 for every 240 grams of serving.

At this time when we cannot go out, it’s such a blessing to have options like this. It’s also great that some restaurants seek to make their prices affordable because nowadays you also have to factor in the rider fee and add that to your total bill.

I hope the restaurant industry can stay afloat by pivoting to this system. Just consider homes now as an extension of your restaurant and make it so that customers also get a semblance of the restaurant experience at home.

With your delicious dishes—and with God’s grace—we’ll get through this.

Scorched. Manila branch, 0908 737 7605. Las Piñas branch, 0917 103 9851. Instagram and Facebook: ScorchedPH.

More from the author on Instagram: @margauxsalcedo.