Dining-takeaway-shopping all-in-one destination
By CONNIE UY-PIDELO-ONA
Lola Remy’s is the newest, most exciting culinary must-go-to one-stop food store located at the heart of the Jordan Springs shopping district in Penrith.
The shop brings together the vibrant, diverse flavours of Philippine homestyle cooking influenced by the country’s native inhabitants as well as its colonizers, Spain and America, the Japanese occupation of this archipelago and the migration of Chinese to this Pacific nation.
The shop offers an authentic cultural fusion dining experience serving traditional Filipino dishes cooked with love and passion using high-quality ingredients, from savoury dishes to the tastiest of desserts that will leave you craving for more.
The recently-opened small diner-supermarket has already got everything covered under one roof. Lola Remy’s is not just a dining and takeaway resto as it also has a grocery which sells very affordable imported ingredients and cooking essentials for popular Filo dishes and easy-to-make snacks (please visit their FB page) that invites one to try Filo home cooking as a beginner as well as for veteran chefs to elevate their cooking expertise by including Philippine cuisine in their weekly multicultural lunch and dinner fare.
From construction industry to food business
The part resto-part grocery store was the business idea of Ronald Bermudez who along with his two brothers came up with the concept as there was no other store in the Penrith LGU that sells hot food dishes and at the same time, sells products for Filipino cuisine. Before opening this shop, he worked in the construction industry for more than 30 years, as a building professional in the Philippines and then after finishing university studies, moved on to work overseas in Singapore for 11 years working for big Japanese building companies. Then, his family decided to migrate to Australia in 2004 where he was also employed in the construction industry.
Ronald personally learned his cooking skills from his mother, Lola Remy (Lola is the Filipino word for Grandma) and named the shop after her. She was from Pampanga, a province in the Philippines famous for excellent cooks. Among his family members, he had a keen interest in preparing local dishes and this helped develop his cooking techniques as well as his penchant for good taste. However, at Lola Remy’s, Ronald just oversees dish preparation as they employ a qualified, experienced cook and a kitchen hand to ensure the quality of the dishes that they serve.
Suggested dishes for first-time customers
For first timers, highly-recommended must-try dishes that go well with steamed rice are the following which are all available in small (500ml- AUD14), medium (650ml- AUD16) and large (750ml-AUD18) takeaway containers:
Crispy Sisig – Made of crispy pork cheek chopped and mixed with capsicum, green chilli, onion, lemon extract, and special spices for that savoury, spicy, and crunchy taste. An absolute crowd favourite!
Pork Barbecue Skewers – Pork neck marinated in special tangy sauce and slow-grilled for that smoky tenderness.
Beef Kare-Kare – Beef stew in rich peanut sauce mixed with vegetables such as eggplant, bokchoy, and snake beans. Served with stir-fried shrimp paste.
Beef Caldereta – Beef stew cooked to tenderness in spicy tomato sauce with potato, capsicum, carrot and green peas combined with pureed liver pate and spices.
Adobong Manok sa Gata – A delicious twist on our classic Filipino dish!
Braised in soy sauce, vinegar, coconut milk, and spices, the tender chicken brings out the blended taste of the ingredients and is loaded with garlicky flavours.
Lechon Pork Belly – Rolled pork belly marinated and stuffed with special herbs and secret condiments, then, roasted to perfection for that tender meat and crunchy skin. Comes with special lechon sauce dip. (Price slightly higher than other dishes)
And for those who are brave enough to try something exotic and different:
Dinuguan – Savoury dish made of diced pork belly, sautéed in pork blood, chilli pepper, vinegar, and lemongrass.
To top off the hearty meal, Ronald suggests to try the classic Filo nutrition-packed summer dessert, Halo-Halo available for just AUD12 in store or recreate the dessert snack at home (please visit their FB page) by buying their Halo-Halo discounted packs and then, adding fresh summer fruits, corn flakes, ice cream or chocolate bits as toppings.
Customers suggest that instead of buying your afternoon coffee at your usual café hangouts, take a detour by dropping by their store and quench the heat of the summer sun by indulging yourself in the tropical scrumptiousness and textures of this popular after-meal treat.
Offers for loyal customers and food catering
For loyal customers, they sometimes offer discounted price for certain hot foods during afternoon visits to the shop. They also offer discounts on certain grocery items specially on grocery packs. For customers making large food orders, they give free dessert as a gift.
They also accept orders for food catering for any occasion and offer food trays in various sizes. At the moment, they offer pick up only from their shop. But for those wanting to have food delivered to them, Doordash Delivery is available.
Challenges as a newbie in the food business
Lola Remy’s started in March this year and like all new family businesses, they are also encountering some challenges which are beyond their control which the Penrith City Council and local government officials may be able to help out and provide advice to such as:
• Increasing customer traffic so that they can attract customers from other nearby Western Sydney suburbs through robust marketing,
• Bringing down operational costs such as yearly increases in property rental fees, electric power bills (under an embedded network hence, no chance to shop around for electricity providers) and staff cost (needs to be closely managed as this forms one of the major cost items) and
• Product availability for some popular Filipino products that cannot be delivered on time due to delayed shipping and quarantine inspection.
Sharing Filipino hospitality and the healing wonders of comfort food
Although these are some of the struggles they are facing, the brothers are positive that they will survive and hopefully will become successful someday in the food industry in Australia for their mission is two-fold:
One, to share to other nationalities the cultural tradition of Filipinos of their fondness for social gatherings particularly eating meals and feasts together as they believe this practice brings families and communities closer together and creates a sense of belongingness as well as to experience the world-famous Filipino hospitality where everyone, whether a customer, guest or visitor is treated like a close friend or a family member to a warm, welcoming and cheerful smile when they enter homes or dining venues and
Two, for migrant Filipinos in Australia to taste and to even make their favourite Filipino recipes that will give them a source of comfort and joy as this makes them remember good, nostalgic and sentimental memories of their birth country even for just a few moments to be with their long-lost relatives, former workmates and erstwhile friends so that they can once again relive in their minds their life in the country they once called home.
Shop 1/56 Lakeside Parade, Jordan Springs NSW 2747
Phone: 0413 492 164
Visit their FB page for opening hours
