Bicol Region is well known to be the land of coconut milk and sili based eats. Spicy, creamy, slightly-sweet, coconut-ey. Bicolano dishes manage to offer distinct flavors and textures to meet very specific cravings. Gata Restaurant, offers some of these rich Bicolano favorites, bringing authentic Bicolano dishes to Manileños.

I Shoot Food Manila shoots Gata’s signature ingredients and dishes, highlighting Bicolano food that actually has a lot more to offer. Our team of professional food photographers featured Gata Restaurant’s viands that are really delicious; no frills, comforting, full of flavor, simple.

A favorite is the Kinunot na Pagi (kunot is a Bicolano word that means to shred, pagi is a Bicolano word for Stingray), a local Bicolano dish that highlights shredded stingray meat and malunggay leaves, cooked in vinegar, chilis, and coconut milk. Of course the classic Bicol Express, made with a heavy and ultra-salty dose of bagoong to complement the creamy white coconut milk, and another well-loved Bicolano dish discovery is Pinangat, minced shrimp with coconut wrapped in gabi leaves. Though it veers on the salty side, plate it over a healthy dose of white rice and you are set with a memorably tasty and truly local dish.

Gata Restaurant have so far been consistent with the quality of their food and the flavors of each dish, and I Shoot Food Manila couldn’t be more thrilled bringing the exciting flavors of Bicolano cuisine (and more) closer to Manila, through one gastronomic food photo session.