After almost two decades of flying the banner for the Filipino community in Perth, the Manila Restaurant closed its doors for the final time in November.
The popular venue along Albany Highway in that busy commercial stretch of Cannington just off Leach Highway had been host to countless christenings, birthdays, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, and mile- stones. Add to that cultural shows, pop concerts, welcome dinners, fare- well dinners, club meetings, Christmas parties, New Year’s parties, Easter parties, Independence Day, Australia Day, and Halloween, awards nights, quiz nights, and bingo nights.
It is hard not to be sentimental. As it goes, Manila Restaurant carries with it a ton of collective memories.
If you were asked what made Manila Restaurant tick, you might have a bit of difficulty nailing it on first try. Surely, it would include the Lechong Kawali, the Kinilaw na Isda, the Pinakbet, the Lumpiang Shanghai; okay, the whole Filipino buffet range. The Buko Juice, the Gulaman and Sago, the Ha- lo-halo. But then, haven’t half a dozen other Filipino eateries around Perth successfully carried the same menu in the past so many years? Then maybe its The Stage that they put up there to Freely Belt Out a Favourite Karaoke Song, the DJ Music, and the ever-inviting Dance Floor. Maybe that’s it, then? Not quite yet.
To all of the above, add the neat table setting, the orderly bar and kitchen, the decent and spacious powder rooms. Then there’s the all-business and efficient staff. And finally, you can throw in the omnipresent yet very un- assuming pair of Maree and Rod Alido.
Thinking back, the Manila Restaurant was a actually a very professionally run enterprise. It would not have lasted 19 years if it were not. People patronised it because no one had a major complaint about the dining experience generally speaking.
Perhaps not too many people had asked, but Rod Alido was a natural for the restaurant business. With a work background in the food industry back in the Philippines, Rod came to Syd- ney in 1980 and had a brief stint at the Summit Revolving Restaurant before being employed by Kables Restau- rant as captain waiter, a position he held for 7 years. In 1985, he arrived in Perth and worked with Merlin Hotel in the Langley Restaurant as a supervisor for a couple of years and then Mai- tre d’ for the River Room Restaurant in Sheraton Hotel for another year. When Burswood Hotel opened, he moved there as Wine Sommelier at the Windows Restaurant, holding that position for 8 years. In August 1996, he opened the Manila Restaurant, a dream come true for Rod.
Wait, but isn’t Maree a family lawyer by profession? What was she doing waiting tables and clearing up plates? Well, of course, she was doing it quietly and efficiently. But did Rod put the poor woman up to this?
The pleasant truth is that Maree worked for 10 years on a full-time basis as a food & beverage waitress in Tasmania and in Sydney but turned to law when there was virtually no chance of promotion for women in hospitality then. Rod and Maree met in Sydney at the Summit Restaurant. Thrown together as a two-man team, Rod and Maree worked like clockwork. Soon they were a pair for life.
They married in 1984, and decided to move to Perth to raise the children — Bonnie and Sarina, and the twins Kristoffer and Royce who were born in Perth in 1988.
For Old Times’ Sake
Manila Restaurant’s
Kilawing Isda
A Salad of Fish
- 400g fresh Nile Perch or Spanish Mackerel, chopped into cubes
- 1/2 radish, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon of thinly sliced ginger
- 1 tablespoon each of red and green capsicum, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped red hot chili
- 1/2 medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon calamansi (citrus) juice
- 1 teaspoon powdered chicken stock
- Pinch of salt
- Lettuce leaves for garnish
- Tomato, cut into wedges, for garnish
- Combine all ingredients. Leave to stand in a glass, ceram- ic or stainless steel container for 15 minutes.
- Then serve on a bed of lettuce leaves, garnished with tomato wedges and parsley sprigs.
So yes, happily, Maree went into the Manila Restaurant endeavour with eyes opened. She knew her way around the business.
And this is why the Manila Restaurant partnership clicked. As a business, it was thoroughly considered. It was not an afterthought nor a rash decision. It was two people who had the creden- tials, who had traveled the road together and knew exactly what it would take, one deciding to make a long-time dream of one a reality, with the full support and cooperation of the other.
Manila Restaurant then became the destination of choice for Filipinos who wanted to have a good time, while at the same time satisfying their craving for authentic Filipino cooking. That era has now come to a close. It will be sorely missed.
For there was something else about Manila Restaurant. The newly arrived migrant coming inside the place didn’t have to feel unsettled or self-conscious. There was a soothing welcome about it. The place exuded an air of familiarity. It was Filipino. It was home. —Cecilia Concepcion: Filipinos of Perth
