Publisher's Weekly Review
In this exciting debut cookbook, chef and restaurateur Cailan shares recipes inspired by his Filipino immigrant parents. Here he reflects on his culinary growth from childhood as "a knucklehead kid who wanted to be Gordon Gekko," through a period living "the extravagant, hip-hop baller lifestyle," to his becoming the chef/owner of the Usual in Brooklyn and several other restaurants across the country. Chapters are devoted to places and people and foods associated with each: Cailan's great-grandmother Lola smelled of baby powder and whipped up dishes like cheeseburger lumpia (the Philippine version of spring rolls). A chapter recalls his teenage stint as a dishwasher and prep cook at a convent, cooking the likes of chicken sprinkled with Knorr tamarind soup mix. Recipes run the gamut from simple (tilapia fish sticks; ratatouille adobo) to a seven-day roast pig project that includes instructions for laying a brick fire pit. All showcase in-your-face attitude: a bacon-and-egg banh mi, for instance, is titled "The Bone Mi." Though there are nods to healthier eating (lentils with peanut butter offer "the Filipino flavors without the bypass surgery," that is, without the traditional ox tail), these are generally high-fat and high-flavor options, including ramen with fermented shrimp paste and ground pork. The many short q&a's interspersed are often funny and always candid, such as one that chronicles Cailan's disintegrating relationship with his one-time best friend and cocreator of his first restaurant, Eggslut, in L.A. This wild ride of a collection has bluster, but also heart and personality to spare. (Aug.)
Booklist Review
Loaded with full-color photographs of his food, chef Cailan's cookbook tells his story as a son of Filipino immigrants who made his way to the heights of the restaurant world. He recounts his life in the form of a dialogue with documentary filmmaker Cuerdo. He gratefully credits his parents for shepherding him through a sometimes-difficult childhood in Pico Rivera, a working-class L.A. suburb, remarking that his father initiated him into the food world with his always-perfect rice. His grandmother taught Cailan the basics of Filipino American cooking. Cailan went on to labor in high-end restaurant kitchens, where he learned classic technique. He returned to L.A. with Eggslut, an egg-sandwich food truck that, thanks to critical raves, turned into a brick-and-mortar eatery, and eventually conquered the New York restaurant scene with Filipino restaurant Amboy. Cailan's many recipes range widely from classic French stocks to complex Filipino dishes that demand ingredients like calamansi juice. Cailan's rise is yet one more inspiring story of the triumph of talent and hard work in a nation of immigrants.
Library Journal Review
Prominent Filipino-American chef and restaurateur Cailan has played an instrumental role in several recent food trends, including the nascent LA food truck scene and the mainstreaming of Filipino restaurant cuisine. In 2011, Cailan created Eggslut, the legendary breakfast sandwich food truck, and now runs the New York eatery Amboy. His engaging cookbook/memoir, coauthored by writer and director Cuerdo, features essays, interviews, and recipes that tell his story of being a first-generation immigrant growing up in Pico Rivera, CA. Some of the most effective sections of the book feature memories and recipes from his close-knit, food-loving family, who sparked his love of cooking. Alongside photos of his parents and cousins, Cailan shares recipes for dishes he grew up eating, including champorado (a chocolatey rice porridge) and his great-grandma's signature patis fried chicken. Later chapters feature dishes from his years working in restaurants; Eggslut fans will be happy to find recipes for some of its famous sandwiches. VERDICT It's impossible not to engage with Cailan's energy and commentary: his persona virtually leaps off the page. Readers who enjoy personality-driven memoirs will discover something inimitable and poignant here, in both Cailan's story and his delicious food.--Kelsy Peterson, Forest Hill Coll., Melbourne, Australia
