WHO doesn’t have fond memories of grandmother cooking your favorite merienda? These are the thoughts that guide our taste buds whenever we get a yearning for a home-cooked meal. And these have guided businessman Rene Alcala in opening his Oma Restaurant and Bar near Tomas Morato in Quezon City. And, yes, Oma means “grandma.”

Alcala, who is in exports, was planning on opening a bar with his friend Leo Tiopes. However, rather than just serve drinks, they agreed on opening a restaurant, too, to have a chance to present innovative Pinoy cooking. After they found their chef, the young Kris Benipayo, two more partners came in, namely, Marina Martinez and Tina Templa-Pizarro. And then, the fun started.

It was Chef Kris’s idea to update popular bar chow like pizza and pasta using Pinoy ingredients. That’s why some pizzas have adobo, laing, longganiSa and kesong puti, while pasta dishes are, likewise, prepared with uncommon toppings, like tinapa flakes, corned beef and malunggay pesto. When it came time to name the dishes, rather than writing down the usual descriptions you read on menus, they thought of naming the dishes after their parents, grandparents, siblings and relatives. That’s why when you browse through the menu at Oma, it seems as though you’re reading through somebody’s journal or address book.

Alcala says the naming of dishes was arbitrary. For example, Roberta, the pizza topped with mozzarella, cheddar and cream cheeses and kesong puti, was named after his grandmother.

But why did he name the pizza after his oma? Did he think she would be happy to be honored with the four-cheese pizza?

“I really don’t know. And I have no way of knowing now,” he says with a smile.

Oma is a very intimate restaurant. It seats just 40 diners, while there are tables outside for another nine guests. The restaurant has been decorated with some of the items Alcala exports, namely, giant-sized mirrors that have frames inlaid with glass and golden-colored resin tiles. These same glass-and-resin tiles also adorn the walls of the restaurant, giving it a luxe feel. The bar area at one end of the restaurant is bling with glass tiles. At night, when the lights are dim, the place would definitely be cool and comfy.

But, what about the food?

Despite the fancy “names,” the food is typical Pinoy, except for the pizzas and pasta dishes topped with Pinoy ingredients. The Natividad spaghetti is its version of paella, with chorizo, chicken, squid, clam and shrimp bits cooked in white wine and tomato sauce. The Amancita pizza is topped with laing and mozzarella cheese, an unusual combo that really works well.

Gualberto is the restaurant’s version of pata tim, but substituting spareribs for the pata. Jorge is its version of binagoongang lechon. However, rather than cook the lechon kawali in bagoong, the bagoong has been transformed into a sauce on which the lechon rests. The Patricia salad is its take on Caesar’s salad, but this time with mangoes. There’s just one “foreigner” on the menu, and that’s Enrique, or Australian lamb chops served with sweet potatoes.

Dessert, however, is pretty straightforward. No fancy names were given to innovations on traditional sweets. There’s the Pinoy crème brulée, which has a layer of malagkit rice at the bottom. Be sure to dig into the bottom of the dish so that you’ll get to taste this fancy version of suman. The Dulce de Tsokolate cake is a fudge cake with a filling of dulce de leche, while the Carrot Pineapple Cake adds pineapple bits to your usual carrot cake. The Mango Crêpe Terrine is the choice for those who want to go overboard on sweets. Peach and mango crêpes are woven into a terrine case stuffed with mango and peach bits and chocolate ganache. It is then sliced and served à la mode. If that’s not enough to whet your appetite, I don’t know what will.

Tomas Morato might be busy with so many restaurants offering the usual bar chow and meals. But if you want something different that will surely tickle your palate, Oma is the place for you. Oma Restaurant and Bar is at 86 Scout Fuentebella Street, Tomas Morato, Quezon City.

For reservations and inquiries: 332-5690.

Visit: http://omarestobar.multiply.com/.

IN PHOTO -- NATIVIDAD, a pasta dish deliciously masquerading as paella, with chorizo, chicken, squid, clam and shrimp bits cooked in white wine and tomato sauce.