Degustacion dinner at Old Manila

Recently I celebrated my birthday with my family and close friends by treating them to a degustacion dinner at Old Manila. It was a triple celebration !! It was a double birthday celebration ( Iggy and mine ) and the wedding anniversary of my eldest son, Tommie and his wife Maite. I was there in February this year with my friends from Los Angeles to celebrate Valentine's Day. We also had a set degustacion meal for the occasion. I enjoyed my meal so much that I told myself that I should bring my family over to Old Manila to try out their degustacion menu.

Lucky enough, Old Manila had a degustacion dinner on their menu. Iggy and I opted for the degustacion with wine pairings, Maite had the degustacion without the wine. Tommie, Germs and Edith decided to go ala carte...

Here was our degustacion menu:

we had a complimentary appetizer to start..

Cold smoked wagyu beef carpaccio

Beef carpaccio is an Italian dish consisting of partially cooked beef, cut into thin slices, and served with arugula and a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice. It is usually offered as an appetizer at restaurants. Our carpaccio was served with poached  quail egg topped with black truffle tapenade.. It was really good!!!

Seared jumbo prawns

Succulent, rich, delectable are the best description I can think of describing this dish!!!

Pan seared duck foie gras  with spiced pineapple and Port wine glaze - a must try !!!!

Citrus sorbet

Old Manila seafood tasting - Blue swimmer crab, silver anchovies, Pecorino chips, melted lardo.

Olive crusted lamb loin

Hot and cold bliss

Edith and Germs ordered surf and turf which was really good !!

and Tommie had the tried and tested Prime US Angus rib eye..

For an added treat -- I ordered crepes suzette..... 

We all enjoyed what was served to us.....Their degustacion menu was a bit pricey but it was worth it !!! 

Old Manila you never fail my expectations !!! Bravo!!



Old Manila is located inside The Peninsula Manila.
For reservations, call 8872888 ext 6748.

CERVESERIA a modern tapas bar in Makati

Last summer while I was on my annual vacation in the States, my friend Vernie Navarro asked me to try out a restaurant located at the Greenbelt 3 Mall in Makati.... The name was CERVESERIA. It was her cousin's, Gilbert Panganiban new venture into Spanish cuisine.  Since I love Spanish cuisine --- it wasn't hard to convince me to try out the place. She said, " try it out --- it is a Tapas Bar --- and it is not hard to find... It was where EBUN was located at the Mall near HAVANA." I assured her I will try it out when I get back to Manila.

During the long weekend break, Iggy and Cris tried out the Tapas in Cerveseria ---- they were so impressed by the tapas they ordered, Iggy decided to invite the family ( Tom, Maite and me  ) to have dinner at Cerveseria.... to celebrate the birthday of his wife, Cris.

As I entered Cerveseria, I noticed their decor. The interiors consisted of heavy wood with baroque details; wrought iron chandeliers which look like candelabras with candle drippings hang from the ceiling, a bright red curtain hang by the glass walls and there stood in one corner a steel frame bookcase with old-school hardbound books with bottles of wine in between them. There were wood dining tables that had glass tops baring "laminated" strips of black lace. The setting reminded me of the bars in Spain. The ambience was simply perfect!!!

As we were ushered to our table, Iggy ordered a bottle of wine and we checked out their tapas menu. My kids opted to try out unique dishes that we have not ordered in the other Spanish restaurants. This was what we decided on:

SETAS SHIMEJI FRITAS - breaded golden mushrooms deep fried in olive oil served with ailoli  dressing. This dish is a must TRY !!

SUKIMI CON SALOR A ANGULAS AL AJILLO - We all loved this dish. It was baby angulas ( eels ) sauteed in olive oil and topped with crisp garlic.

MIGAS - it is COCHINILLO slices with day old french bread cut in cubes, pamplona chorizo and grapes.

MORCILLA with raisins and pine nuts - another favorite. The raisins in this dish tempered the spiciness of the morcilla ( blood sausage )..

NAVAJOS ALA PLANCHA - Baby razor clams, chorizo and white wine sauteed in olive oil.  This was the first time I tried razor clams cooked the Spanish way. Prior to this, I thought that the only way cooking razor clams was the Chinese way which is cooking it with black bean sauce... This dish was indeed a revelation!!! In fact it was so good that I had to get a piece of their complimentary homemade bread and swipe it on the platter to get the rich flavor of the dish... you must try this out!!

BAKED SEA BASS with chorizo, clams and herbs - this dish is a family favorite in a restaurant along Nicanor Garcia Street in Bel- Air Village, Makati... The only difference it was baked the Italian way which was cooked in white wine and wrapped in foil. Nevertheless, the Sea Bass was very good!!

When I go out with my family for dinner... We always make sure that there will always be room for our dessert -- we like to cap our meals with something sweet.... like

CREMA CATALANA - The Spanish version of " FRENCH BRULEE ".

CANONIGO -  The canonigo is the perfect dessert to take after large, filling meals. It’s flavorful enough to complement the saltiness of the main course, yet very light on the stomach. It is the Spanish version of the French dessert called  Ile flottante or floating island. 

You should try out CERVESERIA !!! The food, the ambience says it all. I will definitely come back to try out their other dishes. 

BRAVA CEVESERIA !!!!

CERVESERIA 

Ground Floor Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center

Makati City

Tel. No. 757-4791

A New Find in Makati- A restaurant without a name

There is a new restaurant that is about to open in Makati. According to Goo Simplicialo, one of the chefs who I interviewed while we were  waiting for our meal to be served, the restaurant just opened its doors to the public last April 1, 2011. It was Iggy and Cris who stumbled into this restaurant one evening while  they were working late at Cinematic Studio. All the other restaurants at LRI Design Plaza Building were closed. After their dinner, they called me up and suggested that I should go and try out the new restaurant .... which doesn't have a name yet at the ground floor of the building. What got me interested in trying out this restaurant ... was --- Iggy told me ... the crew of LOLO DAD'S was there.. At first I did not believe him .. but he said... that the sous chef, Marge Villena , and  chef Ariel Manuel was there inside the kitchen.

Those paintings which caught my eye were done by one of the students of AMORSOLO.

So today, after work -- Iggy, Cris, Rommel and I decided to go and have dinner at this restaurant. Iggy told me to try their Hainanese Duck Rice. He said it was really good!!

When we got there.... the place was empty... but I liked the ambience of the place immediately. It was the old RICCO RENZO restaurant under new management ( that is the reason for this restaurant not having a name yet ). I quickly looked at their menu to check out their prices. Their prices were reasonable.. and the dish that Iggy wanted me to try was not available anymore. They had instead Hainanese Chicken Rice and Hainanese Fish instead of the Hainanese Duck.

XO KITCHEN is an Xtra-Ordinary Kitchen after all

My family and I would often go to Jupiter Street in Makati whenever we decide to look for a good place to eat. We have tried several restaurants along that street serving different types of cuisine... We would discover new places to eat all the time. Last week, Iggy and I were cruising down Jupiter street looking for a new place to have lunch... Iggy noticed this sign... XO KITCHEN... We decided to go and try it out and if we liked it--- we will be back with the rest of the family. Yes, Iggy and I enjoyed our meal so.... today... I took my family and my grandchildren to have lunch at XO KITCHEN. 

The place looked small compared to the other restaurants along Jupiter Street. There was ample parking beside it -- which is really a BIG PLUS for all customers who want to dine out. Traffic along Jupiter Street during lunch is really a nightmare! You can never find a place to park. 

As we entered the restaurant... On the walls were pictures of the food they have in their menu. The place was very clean... Iggy even commented that it smelled like some of the restaurants in Hongkong. I noticed this red dragon dressed up as a chef painted on their wall...  

Fine dining with my family at the Tivoli

First of all, TIVOLI  at the Mandarin Oriental Manila is and has been one of my favorite places to go in Manila for fine dining.....ever since the hotel opened way back then, I would frequent Tivoli or Prince Albert ( at the Intercontinental Hotel ) for intimate dinners or celebrating an occasion with my family. I loved the elegant interiors complete with shining mirrors,  trellises and moulded ceiling which adds an extra vibrancy and warmth to the place.

Last friday, Tom, my eldest son called me, Iggy and Cris and asked us to join him and his wife, Maite for dinner. He said it was HIS TREAT and he wanted to have a " FINE DINING " dinner..  Iggy suggested we have dinner at TIVOLI. It had been ages since we had dinner there. I immediately agreed to the suggestion and Maite, my daughter-in-law made reservations. Our dinner was set for saturday night at 8:00pm. 

Celebrating Valentine's at HAI SHIN LOU Seafood King Restaurant

Hai Shin Lou is not a new Chinese restaurant... and a lot of people have already eaten here at least once for a meal... This is my second visit to this Chinese restaurant...My first time to go to this restaurant  was last month with some friends for dinner. I enjoyed what we ordered for dinner so I decided to treat my family to dinner and celebrate Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day at Hai Shin Lou. I found out later ---  that Hai Shin Lou is managed by Ben Chong-- the same guy who managed another favorite Chinese restaurant of mine....  the original Jade Garden in Greenbelt 1. I wondered--- will Hai Shin Lou live up to my expectations of what Jade Garden was a long time ago???

Hai Shin Lou Seafood King,  according to my friends,  is a surprisingly popular Chinese restaurant here in Makati located along Arnaiz Avenue ( formerly Pasay Road ).  I have been hearing nothing but positive reviews about this restaurant but I never thought of eating in this restaurant because .... every time I would pass by the restaurant on way way to work-- I would see so many cars parked outside....so I would advise that you call and make reservations early.

The ambience of the place was OK... not too grand like other Chinese restaurants I have gone to... but their service was exquisite. The furnishings at this restaurant had a less environmental flair than that of Peking Garden and Choi in Greenhills. In each of the big tables had a simple lazy Susan, plain white walls and aquariums in the background.

Have you ever eaten at TERRY'S SELECTION ??

Terry's Selection Segundo Piso is very spacious although it is found on the second floor of the Karvin Plaza Building in Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati. Most of you have probably heard of this place through countless features in lifestyle programs, magazines and newspapers.. They do not only serve you good Spanish food but they also have an extensive wine collection.

My family and I were invited to a baptism of my nephew's son, Pablo Carolo, and the reception was held here. Instead of the usual merienda fare--- we had TAPAS. To little Pablo, welcome to the Christian world!