Seats for 12

We had some Fantan dinner rolls prior to this simple house salad (was too hungry to snap off). It’s generously drizzled with nutty and not-so sour balsamic vinaigrette. Pretty good paired with a glass of 2005 La Joya Cabernet Sauvignon (only Php1000+/bottle, Php210+/glass).

Tomato Soup and Cream of Garlic

Can’t choose between soups? Order both! You can have both soups combined in one bowl like what most of us did. Last night’s soups were very good taste and texture wise.

Jayvee and I split one USDA Prime Grade Rib Eye (Php2200+) and just added Php400+ for the extra soup and house salad. As expected, the steak was perfect. I’m glad everyone in our table liked loved it.

Trio of sauces: red wine and shallots, béarnaise, peppercorn

A quick sample from these sauces verified my hunch: someone from ISCAHM’s behind their kitchen. The peppercorn sauce is a must try. I reckon taking home about 1/2 cup of this sauce the day we made it in school.

Gramigna pasta with mushroom and truffle cream sauce

Mashed Potatoes with Truffle Oil
Still the hardest side to photograph. *sigh*

Porcini Mushroom Risotto

All three sides (Php200+ each) were very good as well. The pasta is our new favorite because of the (please excuse the bias) truffle oil and the interesting texture (slippery and al dente).

My fave course:

Best Chocolate Mousse, Php180+

Mango Panna Cotta, Php160+

Everyone!
Fran, Paul, AJ, Rico, Jayvee, me, Tok, Sheila, Sophie, and Jaime

Damage for 7:

Shen, Didi, Jane, and Chris: we missed you! I hope I can catch up with you before I leave!

Total count: 15 pieces

Butter hazelnuts + potato chips + cornflakes = massive crunch! Keep it cool but not frozen. It melts pretty fast.

Off to the fridge after shooting:

I really got to do that. Everyone loves chocolates!

Total count: 30 pieces

This one’s not for kids. They’re very dark (I’m guessing there’s at least 70% cocoa in ‘em) thins with lots of coffee and liqueur. Just how I like my chocolates. Mmmmm.

Thanks for the munchies Jayvee!

His dinner + Mint Iced Tea: Tagliata di Maiale Aglio Rosmarino, Php265 (+10% SC)
Sliced roast pork tenderloin. Focaccia. Garlic. Rosemary.

Her dinner + white wine: Proscuitto di Parma Pizza Ovale, Php358+
Oval pizza with tomato, mozzarella, Parma ham, arugula, Parmesan cheese, and tomato sauce.

Our Cibo favorites! I love that pizza so much such that this month alone, I’ve had it five times already. It’s his first time to try my pizza and I’m glad he liked it (veggies included). I’m not a big fan of his fave dish (I don’t like roast pork in general) but I nabbed 2 juicy cloves of garlic when he’s looking away. ;]

J.Lo’s Inasal (Banchetto), December 19:

I’ve been dead craving for puto bumbong since August. I always pass by Via Mare but they just couldn’t draw me in for a quick fix. Before I knew it, it’s already mid-December (woohoo!). Though this stall is very near my office, I can’t afford to queue up for an hour (ano ‘to Krispy Kreme?). I finally got my serving last Friday when there were only 2 orders ahead of mine. While I was at it, I also ordered a bibingka. Total waiting time: 20 minutes.

M with the goodies and more!

I thought I’d make a huge mess with the melted brown sugar and butter so I transfered them to ceramic plates as soon as I got to my cube:

Puto Bumbong, Php30

Special Bibingka, Php55

Both were oh so good. Definitely worth the wait!

Chili’s Bar & Grill Greenbelt 1, December 21:

Country-Fried Steak

My first meal of the day at past 8pm. I ordered this out of impulse and it was a really bad call. The breading was tasty but the Php450 (taxes and service charge included) steak was tough and very bland. Good thing my next three orders were way better:

Fried Cheese

Bottomless Tostada Chips with Salsa

Frozen Top Shelf Strawberry Rita

Cibo Glorietta (again), December 22:

Patatine fritte. Maionese. (Php88+), Funghi Trifolati Bruschette. (Php208+), White Wine
Home-fried potato chips and garlic mayonnaise. Grilled rustic crusty bread with garlic, extra virgin olive oil, mushrooms, fontina, and stewed tomato.

This was a very filling merienda. I loved the big, juicy, and tender mushrooms lightly coated with fontina! YUM!

1. You’re a very, very good friend and a balikbayan
2. For some reason I’m craving for rice (which I am not very fond of as well)
3. Our meal will be prepared by a very good chef (say Chef Roland Laudico, Chef Myrna Segismundo, or Chef Jill Sandique aka. three of the country’s best chefs that’s I’ve aways looked up to since my first culinary class in the San Miguel Food Group seven years ago)

Wrigley’s Orbit invited me to dine with media friends last December 9 and picked reason #3. I naturally cleared my schedule days before and braced myself for the night that might expand my Filipino dish choices from the ones I favor (Pork Binagoongan, Fried Tilapia, Pork Binagoongan, Fried Tilapia…).

The first four courses were by the rock star chef, Chef Roland Laudico, owner of Bistro Filipino (where we had dinner for more than 2 hours):

(One Of The) TRIO OF APPETIZERS

Taste No. 345*
Crispy Lumpia Cone Filled With Chorizo, Prawns, And Heart Of Palm Topped With Spicy Sinamak Sorbet

For the uninitiated, sinamak is an Ilonggo product and is one of the best vinegars I’ve ever tried (long before this dinner). Its base is native palm vinegar and it’s spiced with red chili (siling labuyo), garlic, and ginger. I’m not definite how long it’s supposed to be aged before serving but I think it would be safe to assume that it takes at least a month because when you get the final product, it’s very cloudy. To serve this in a sorbet not only is new to me but also pure genius, presentation and practicality wise (how many times have you spilled vinegar out of a spoon when transferring from the serving container to your plate?). The lumpia was very crunchy and well-textured as expected. I feel bad that I didn’t get to try the other appetizers especially the Spicy Sisig Baskets In Mini Crispy Rice Baskets With Quail’s Egg And Crispy Pork Rind (which he’s been raving and raving about until our salad course) because I’ve been fumbling with my camera’s new lens (did you notice the massive blur? Rrrr. Moral lesson: don’t be too excited to take your new toy out! haha).

TRIO OF SOUPS

Taste No. 468
Beef Consommé Garnished With Fresh Corn, Carrots, And Potato Croquette Stuffed With Beef And Cabbage

Taste No. 914
Oven Roasted Pumpkin And Eggplant Puree Garnished With Crispy Okra And A Dollop Of Shrimp

Taste No. 28
Adobo Shitake Mushroom Puree Topped With Creamy Garlic Foam Drizzled With White Truffle Oil

My favorite among the three samplers would be the Adobo Shitake Mushroom Puree (kind of biased because of the white truffle oil element). The aroma alone is delightfully comforting. The taste? Amazing. I made a mental note to drizzle my adobo with truffle oil next time after trying this soup. The other two soups didn’t disappoint as well. Prior to introduction, I thought the okra was flour-coated dilis. Its puree isn’t too creamy which is good as I’m not a fan of very creamy soups. The beef consommé reminded me of our class’ hardwork. Kudos to the crew who made this “high maintenance” soup!

SALAD

Taste No. 2,186*
Mesclun Salad Tossed In Dijon Shrimp Paste Vinaigrette Topped With Dried, Green & Ripe Mangoes, Tomatoes, And Cashew Crusted Kesong Puti

Who would’ve thought that our local bagoong would go well with dijon mustard? Chef Roland definitely did! It’s also very professional of him to actually strain the vinaigrette out before serving (I feel that I won’t dare try the dressing if I saw small alamang heads). It was cool, tangy, salty, and spicy at the same time. The cheese has also got a bit of heat, thanks to the cashews.

INTERMEZZO

Taste No. 281
Tamarind Granite

I did mention that I love tamarind, right? It’s a great palate cleanser, generally a fun flavor enjoyed by many, and an inexpensive intermezzo for chefs and restaurateurs.

Chef Myrna Segismundo almost made me cry that night. Really! When she said that we shouldn’t serve Filipino food how we prepare it at home to guests (esp. foreigners), I almost stood up from my seat and hugged her. But really–wouldn’t it be mighty fine food isn’t “bastardized” (a term she used a lot the entire night) during mis en place? Here are the mains she prepared:

MAIN COURSE

Taste No. 94
Lapu-Lapu And Prawns In Coco-Lambanog Sauce
Coriander, Asparagus, And Fennel Cherry Tomato Sofrito
Brown Rice With Sun-Dried Mangoes

I’ve said it plenty of times that night: this is my favorite course from the entire dinner. For me, this course was just perfect. The plating, taste, and marriage of individual dishes was just wow. Based on experience plus the quantity, I think it’s safe to assume that if this entire course was prepared by an individual at home, it would take approximately 5 hours (you have to cook everything separately). It also took me back to this silly childhood memory of mine. As a kid, I don’t like rice and ripe mangoes. For some weird reason though, I liked my rice with diced ripe mangoes. Imagine my surprise when I saw the rice on this course! All the while, I thought I was the only one weird enough to do this!

Taste No. 412
Crusted Wagyu Beef Fillet
Cashew Humba Sauce
Vegetable Barbeque
Sweet Potato Mash

Texture wise, this course also gets a perfect score from me. The beef fillet crumbled only when we commanded it to (read: when we wolfed on it), the sweet potato mash (nilupak na kamote) was smooth and never tarty even when it cooled down (something mashed potatoes are quite notorious for). Taste wise, I thought it was too sweet for me as a main course. If I had it my way, I’d request more peppercorns and less sweetness on the humba sauce.

The courses below were prepared by one of the best pastry chefs in the country**, Pastry Chef Jill Sandique:

CHEESE COURSE

Taste No. 741
Kesong Puti With Guava Confit Paired With Galletas

Fruit confits are candied fruits preserved by fully infusing sugar into its core. I totally agree with Chef Jill that guava’s one of the most understated fruits we have here in the Philippines. It’s a shame that we don’t use much of it save for our sinigang and preserves since we’ve got an abundant supply. The galletas were very good. I almost ate everything from the service tray above.

DESSERTS

Taste No. 1,376*
Pili Sansrival

Taste No. 442
Mango Canonigo

The pili sansrival was very rich in butter flavor (I am smiling in delight as I type this). The wafer was slightly chunky (if you prefer it crispy, you just have to freeze the sansrival again) and the pili was a good, mild-bodied substitute for cashews. My date finished his mango canonigo quickly because the taste was perfect and the texture was just divine.

Call me maarte (to each his own) but if our native dishes are prepared this way, I would give up my wine and cheese vice for local numbers on any day. Much, much thanks again to the chefs and Wrigley’s Orbit for inviting me to try out some of the 7001 Tastes the country can offer.

Bistro Filipino
G/F Net 2 Ericsson Building, 3rd Avenue
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig
(632) 856-0634
(632) 856 -0541
cheflaudico.com.ph
cheflaudico@yahoo.com

* shot by Jayvee
** we were told that she earned the highest grade in Peter Kumps New York Cooking School, garnering near-perfect scores in the Career French pastry and baking programs, and was awarded Blue Ribbon (whoa)

This payday, I thought I’d take myself to a table for one after a long day of window (really, really) shopping.

Starter:

Crisp Cones with Crab, Corn, and Tomato Relish. Php 220 + 10% SC

Sauteed crab meat, corn, and onions stuffed into fried cones with fresh tomato, cucumber, cumin, cinnamon, parsley, and lemon juice.

I loved this starter because the I’m a big fan of all the ingredients plus the presentation (the cones stood in a deep bed of rock salt) added to the dish’s flavor.

Pasta:

Black olive, Cerveza Negra, and Tuyo. Php275+

Cerveza Negra, boneless tuyo fish, black olives, caramelized onions, and olive oil.

Alcohol on my dinner? Sign me up! This dish is a winner because the pasta was deliciously al dente, the tuyo was surprisingly not very salty, the olives were (also surprisingly) stuffed, and the alcohol was a gentle sweetener.

Drinks:

Tamarind Smoothie. Php180+

Trivia: my office pedestal drawer never runs out of tamarind. I’m a huge fan of the snack, the drink, but not the dish (sinigang). This went down very smoothly, no itty-gritty bits of ice.

Dessert:

Diablo. Php150+

Hot, bittersweet chocolate pudding souffle with our special spices and chili peppers (siling labuyo) with cinnamon crème anglaise (English cream) and caramelized fig compote.

THE BEST BETTER THAN SEX CHOCOLATE DISH I’VE EVER TRIED. I had to text him and very good friends because I just had to claim such right on the spot! This dessert is very good yet not for the fainthearted (it’s HOT). I’m very hard to please with chocolate-based desserts because I love my chocolate very rich and bittersweet and the texture far from mousse-y. This is exactly how I want my hot chocolate dishes served: dark, very hot, and souffled. The chili element was so good I had to compose myself after my first spoonfull and refrain from telling the group of girls next to me to order this as well.

When things get too hot, add a bit of the crème anglaise and the caramelized fig compote. It’s a very delicate yet effective fire killer. ;]

Coffee:

Cappuccino. Php95+

Best enjoyed with Diablo. I also ordered Binagoongan with Okra (served with rice, Php300+) to go. I’m enjoying it in the comfort of my own kitchen it as I type this. It’s not the best midnight snack (carbs!) but it’s very good! Not very salty and the meat’s very lean. I’ll definitely order this on my next visit.

Restaurante Pia Y Damaso
2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center Makati
Telefax +632 729-5511

Christmas Eve Dinner

Amuse Bouché

Terrine of duck foie gras with homesmoked Australian beef tenderloin and a crispy fried prawn-scallop praliné
on a curry-apple sauce, accompanied by mesclun greens tossed in raspberry dressing

Essence of Beef oxtail with basil and oxtail ravioli

Grilled lobster tail on a bed of sautéed artichokes
with fennel Mousseline in Madeira froth

Orange-cinnamon sherbet

Grilled Chilean sea bass
served with truffled parsley beurre blanc on saffron risotto, green asparagusand tomato fondue

or

Grilled Australian Mulwarra beef tenderloin and roasted Australian lamb rack
served on a cassoulet of sautéed potatoes and vegetables with Port wine jus

or
French duck leg confit and honey-glazed French duck breast
served with braised red cabbage,mushroom-bread dumpling, baked cranberry, apple and curaçao sauce

or

Oven roasted Christmas Tom Turkey
with chestnut stuffing, cranberry sauce, creamed Brussels sprout and rosemary – potato gratin

Christmas delight
Warm Christmas stollen pudding with cointreau marinated strawberriesand pistachio-nougat ice cream

Christmas Cookies & Pralinés, Coffee or tea

Pesos 1950+

***

Christmas Lunch

Amuse Bouché

Terrine of duck foie gras with homesmoked Australian beef tenderloin and a crispy fried prawn-scallop praliné
on a curry-apple sauce shooter, accompanied by mesclun greens tossed in raspberry dressing

Essence of Beef oxtail with basil and oxtail ravioli

Orange-cinnamon sherbet

Grilled Chilean sea bass and lobster tail
served with truffled parsley beurre blanc on saffron risotto, green asparagus and tomato fondue

or

Grilled Australian Mulwarra beef tenderloin and roasted Australian lamb rack
served on a cassoulet of sautéed potatoes and vegetables with Port wine jus

or

French duck leg confit and honey-glazed French duck breast
served with braised red cabbage, mushroom-bread dumpling, baked cranberry apple and curaçao sauce

Christmas delight
Warm Christmas stollen pudding with cointreau marinated strawberries and pistachio-nougat ice cream

Christmas Cookies & Pralinés, Coffee or tea

Pesos 1650+

***

Christmas Dinner

Amuse Bouché

Terrine of duck foie gras with homesmoked Australian beef tenderloin and a crispy fried prawn-scallop praliné
on a curry-apple sauce, accompanied by mesclun greens tossed in raspberry dressing

Essence of Beef oxtail with basil and oxtail ravioli

Grilled lobster tail on a bed of sautéed artichokes
with fennel Mousseline in Madeira froth

Orange-cinnamon sherbet

Grilled Chilean sea bass
served with truffled parsley beurre blanc on saffron risotto, green asparagus and tomato fondue

or

Grilled Australian Mulwarra beef tenderloin and roasted Australian lamb rack
served on a cassoulet of sautéed potatoes and vegetables with Port wine jus

or

French duck leg confit and honey-glazed French duck breast
served with braised red cabbage, mushroom-bread dumpling, baked cranberry apple and curaçao sauce

Christmas delight
Warm Christmasstollen pudding with cointreau marinated strawberriesand pistachio-nougat ice cream

Christmas Cookies & Pralinés, Coffee or tea
Pesos 1950+

***

New Year’s Eve Dinner

Amuse Bouché

Tian of marinated prawns with poached lobster tail and mango – papaya relish
accompanied by petit salad leaves and fine herbs tossed in passion fruit dressing

Cream of home smoked tomato with mascarpone – mozzarella cannelloni

Pan roasted French duck breast and duck foie gras
on truffled mushroom risotto with cranberry sauce

Champagne sherbet

Grilled Dutch veal loin
Gratinated with portobello mushrooms and braised veal cheek in port wine sauce,
Served with rosemary – potato gratin and glazed vegetables

or

Roasted Australian rack of lamb and basil crusted lamb loin
served on a cassoulet of sautéed potatoes and vegetables

or

Baked fillet of lemon sole souffléd with parsley Mousseline
served with pan fried scallops on cappelini pasta and sautéed spinach, green asparagus and beurre rouge

Truffled French brie Cheese fondue
with balsamic glazed melon balls and blue cheese crostini with red onion jam

Happy New Year
Chocolate-Malibu dome and coconut-lychee jelly served with white chocolate-nougat ice cream

New Years Eve Friandeses, Coffee or tea

Pesos 2,250+
All prices are VAT inclusive and subject to 10 % service charge

Aubergine Restaurant Patisserie
32nd and 5th Building
5th Avenue cor. 32nd Street
Fort Bonifacio 1634 Taguig
Philippines
[63] 02 856 9888.

We can’t do this if EK’s jam packed!

I took the opportunity to munch on my fave EK snack: Beef Chimichangas from Launchtime. They’re not in anyway superior but I grew up loving this. I couldn’t finish both chimichangas as a 12 year old but I was as a 25 year old.

Exteriors, Launchtime

Counters

One side of the dining area

My Php250 lunch at Launchtime

• Beef Chimichanga = Php120
• Garlic Mushroom = Php55
• Nachos = Php45
• Medium Softdrinks = Php30

It’s the same beef chimichanga I fell in love with 12 years ago. It’s also only now that I can eat it while it’s piping hot. My meal would’ve been perfect if my dip wasn’t stale though:

After watching Pirates, a 4D flick, I got thirsty and found myself here:

Large rootbeer float, Php 90
Mug rootbeer + Magnolia Vanilla ice cream

Ice cream cakes!

A few snaps from Pseudo-NYC:

My fave spot when the sun goes down. They turn the lights on and you can see the “baked goodies”.

The ride I enjoyed the most (twice the adrenaline rush from Space Shuttle, which by the way was closed):

While some of the go carts were quite faulty (we’re lucky ours were not), my friends and I had a fun 10-minute ride. At Php260/10 minutes, it’s inexpensive compared to City Kart Racing. Perfect for first timers because the tracks were (quality-wise) pretty decent and relatively simple to run circuits in.

Did we feel the magic? hahaha Definitely! I wish Pacman would fight (and win) more often so that we can always go back to EK.

Who I shared this feast with:

The frustrated chef and Tonipet Gaba of QTV 11’s The Beat
(watch it every Monday at 11pm *wink*)

Antipasti (starters):

Patatine fritte. Maionese.
Home-fried potato chips. Garlic mayonnaise. (Php88 + 10% SC)

Spinaci. Zola.
Spinach. Gorgonzola. (Php218+)

Paté Di Fegato. Crostini.
Chicken liver paté dip, apple and pear fruit sauce. Toast rounds. (Php198+)

Tegamino Di Formaggio Fuso, Carta Di Musica (grilled cheeses, thin Sardinian flatbread):

Fontina. Funghi Tartufato.
Fontina. Bel Paese. Asparagus. Mushroom-truffle paste. Truffle oil. (Php230+)

Insalatone (grand salads):

Insalata Pacifica.
Greens. Palm heart. Tomato. Parmesan. Balsamic vinaigrette. (Php330+)

La Famiglia Vegetariano Paste (family size vegetarian pasta):

Spaghettini Estivi.
Garlic. Extra-virgin olive oil. Arugula. Fresh tomato. Chili Peppers. (Php403+)

Spaghettini Al Tris Di Formaggio. Funghi Tartufato.
Butter. Fontina. Goat Cheese. Parmesan. Mushroom-truffle paste. Cream. (Php560+)

Piatti Di Marghi (Margarita’s mains):

Tagliata Di Manzo. Aglio Rosmarino.
Beef tenderloin. Roast. Sliced. Focaccia. Garlic. Rosemary. (Php415+)

Dolci & Caffè (dessert & coffee):

Torta Di ciocco-Matto
Flourless chocolate almond cake. Raspberry preserve. (Php143+)

Caffè Mocha.
The name says it all. (Php 90+)

~fin

Catch my review on the same show 2-3 weeks from now.

Fresh from the oven: Roasted Rack of Pork (served with Red Wine Rosemary Sauce)

Chef Gerd preparing the rack of pork for service

Oven Roasted Tomato Compote

To make the dish above: remove seeds from blanched tomato wedges. Marinade the tomatoes for half an hour in salt and pepper. Garnish with a sliver of garlic, chopped shallots, and fresh basil strips. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes at 180C.

Poleneta (soft version)

Potato Pumpkin Gnocchi

Osso Bucco Malianese

Pan-fried Lapu-Lapu Fillet topped with Argula Onion Relish and Star Anise Flavored Soy Butter

Coq Au Vin

Bouillon Potatoes with Parmesan and Cilantro

Mis en place photos HERE.

My fave this season’s the (piping) hot Double Chocolate. Best enjoyed on a really rainy day (hence the bad overcast in this photo).

Step 2: Get your stamp card.

A minimum single receipt purchase of any Ice Blended, Espresso-based, Tea Latte or Double Chocolate drink qualifies customer to a stamp card. Each stamp card is composed of 12 boxes, with corresponding drink assignments. Drink assignment are as follows:

• 3 Ice Blended beverages (any flavor, regular or large size);
• 3 Espresso-based drinks (any flavor, regular or large size, single or double shot);
• 3 Tea Lattes (any flavor, regular or large size);
• 3 Double Chocolate Drink (any flavor, regular or large size).

Step 3: Indicate your choice of advocacy.

There are twelve advocacies you can support (thanks for jotting them down, Jane!). As the meeping kitty, PAWS is naturally my first choice of advocacy.

Step 4: Choose a limited edition artists notebook.

I got the last one:

Step 5: Repeat steps 1-4 eleven more times (read: support all twelve advocacies) and enjoy free brewed coffee the whole year next year.