Just had our monthly dinner meetup with college friends at Manam, a Filipino restaurant which had its newest flagship branches located in the Ayala Triangle Gardens, Makati City. They have branch-exclusive items.
Tawilis (Sardinella tawilis) is the only freshwater sardine in the world. It is found only in Taal Lake, Batangas, Philippines. This makes it a rare and significant species, endemic to the Philippines. How did this happen? Evolution. Taal Volcano's eruptions and tectonic activities eventually isolated what is now known as Taal lake, and the surviving sardines adapted into the freshwater environment.
This is cooked usually fried or grilled and accompanied with salt and vinegar.
I actually thought there was a total ban on this due to overfishing. It was declared endangered in 2019, but apparently only a seasonal fishing ban is in place from March to April. I wonder how the restaurant will manage the supply since this was targeted to be part of their seafood menu in time for Holy Week which also falls in April.
