5 Restaurants I'll Miss by Our Table Guest, Wysgal

Many thanks to the folks of Table for Three for inviting to post on their blog this month!

Over the last four years I've chronicled bits and pieces of my life in my blog, most of which seems to have revolved around eating out in Manila. And now I find myself counting down the days before I leave for Philadelphia, where I hope to get an education. And I find myself making lists of all the things I want to do, things I need to see, places I need to visit, and restaurants I need to dine at over and over. So here I leave you with a list of restaurants that I will definitely miss when I find myself living on a student's budget and with only enough time to prepare myself meals to eat over the sink.

Cafe Juanita (+632 6320357) - While not a truly Filipino restaurant, I think of dining here as being very similar to dining in the comfort of my great grandmother's house. I love the feel of their mismatched furniture and convoluted menu with Japanese, Thai, Malaysian, Filipino dishes. The fact that it's not located in a mall and can be found relatively close to home is a plus, and all friends and family members I've brought to Cafe Juanita has loved the place.

Omakase (+632 6376013)- A relative newcomer to the restaurant scene, I still go nuts over their fried makis and special sushi (with cream cheese, with salmon skin, with spicy tuna bits) and their spicy tuna salad. Their menu is slightly less varied than oldtimer Sugi, but for a quick sushi fix Omakase is just around the corner. I shudder at the thought of paying inflated prices for sushi abroad (think a few dollars per piece!).

Cafe Breton (+632 6875971, Podium Branch) - I still remember making the trek to the first Cafe Breton branch in Malate, which suggested back then that each and every trip for crepes from Cafe Breton was something special. Now that they have a number of branches around the city, I can get my crepe fix more easily and I'm happy to say that their crepes still taste great and the service is still amazingly quick.

Antonio's Tagaytay (+63917 8992866)- While not technically in Manila, Antonio's remains one of the best fine dining restaurants around. They're not as strictly chi-chi as Old Manila or Prince Albert (you can actually wear flipflops to dinner in Antonio's and not feel self-conscious about being underdressed), but I have not yet been disappointed. With a full set menu starting from Php1500++ a head, you get a great meal, easygoing (and romantic if you want it to be) ambiance, and the relative privacy that comes with visiting a restaurant two hours outside the city.

Pancake House (http://www.pancakehouse.com.ph/) - I rave about Pancake House so much some people suspect I'm a majority stockholder. This is one restaurant that will forever remain a classic in my book. It's nice to see that even now that they've taken steps to professionalize their operations, it still feels like the same Pancake House of my youth. I can never get tired of their crunchy filling tacos, slightly sweet spaghetti, and the best pancakes I have ever had!

Table Conversation: Chocolate

Chocolate and more Chocolate

Franco's note: Senor Macho is taking a short siesta. In the meantime, let us welcome Kate.


Franco says:

Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate.
Chocolate is more popular than ever.
What are your favorite chocolate products?


Sharky says:

Some favorites:

Pure choco: Lindt 70%, Villar's, Leonidas Truffe, Cailler Cremant, Felchlin Maracaibo.

Not so pure choco: Lindt Creme Brulee, Lindt Champagne Truffles, Neuhaus Creme Framboise, Reese's, Royce Champagne, Royce Mild Cacao, Kisses Peanut Butter, Nutella

Pastries: Mary Grace brownies, Mary Grace chocolate cake, Lelen Lim's Devil Food Cake, Jill Sandique's Concorde Cake, homemade choco chip cookies.

Drinks: Kablon Farms Tablea, Mary Grace chocolate eh, Godiva Dark Choco Drink.

Okay. I have a bad craving now.

How about you guys?


Franco says:

That is a serious chocolate craving list...

To be honest, chocolate was never really my deal. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it, I just don't look for it.

I'm really more of a Skittles and Starburst kinda guy. But, there are some chocolate treats that I do enjoy.

I really enjoy the Churros y Chocolate from Dulcinea. It's family thing. It was once a Sunday family ritual to troop to Dulcinea and have breakfast there. The Churros y Chocolate was something I really looked forward to. I still do.

Chocolate Ice Cream? Not really me.

I was reading Olive Magazine one night a ran across a recipe for an Intense Chocolate Sorbet. Like most people, I usually associate sorbets with fruity flavors. I was intrigued by the idea.

Recently, my wife and I got this amazing ice cream maker. And I finally got a chance to try it out this chocolate dessert. The recipe I used is adapted from the Cuisinart website.

Dark Chocolate Sorbet
Makes 14 1/2 servings

Ingredients

4 cups water
1 2/3 granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

• Combine the water and sugars in a 3 3/4 quart saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Whisk in the cocoa and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the vanilla. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• Stir the chilled mixture. Pour into you ice cream maker. Following your ice maker's instuctions, let it thinken.
• Transfer the sorbet to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

The best way describe it? Olive said it best. To paraphrase, it's like a intense chocolate Porshe rather than a chocolate ice cream Rolls Royce. Pardon the car analogy

Lastly, I love the Chocolate Souffle from Antonio's. Light, airy and full of bitter sweet chocolate flavor. With creme l'anglaise poured into it, it's like tasting a cloud of chocolate goodness.

...Maybe I like Chocolate more than I thought.


Kate says:

In no particular order:

1. KitKat from the States--preferably packed in those boxes that you buy at Costco. Philippine KitKat taste fake and are not so good.
2. Reese's Cups
3. Flourless Valrhona Chocolate Cake from the now-defunct Aqua
4. A box of Leonidas someone bought for me from Selfridge's, the London department store. They were the best chocolates I've ever tasted--not because of the giver--but because they were simply the best. However, I've never ever bought Leonidas for myself.
5. Chuckie chocolate milk. I have a tetra pack every morning for breakfast.
6. Chocolate chip cookies from Penny Brown (Penny Brown Classic, especially with a scoop of vanilla ice cream sandwiched in the middle) and the soft, chewy, small ones from the now-defunct Famous Amos
7. Chocolate chip cookie in a skillet that they used to serve in Tony Roma's and now Old Spaghetti House, topped with vanilla ice cream
8. Instant dessert: Five pieces of Hershey's Kisses every night
9. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream from Ben & Jerry's (does this count? If it doesn't, then the Decadent Chocolate Cake from Goodies & Sweets)
10. Brownies from a Pillsbury mix that my then-boyfriend (now-husband) baked for me once

Sharky says:

Oh yummy! Being a chocoholic, it still blows my mind how someone can not be fond of chocolate (I have a cousin who hates chocolate! Can you believe that?). I guess it's really a matter of finding the right "form" to put your chocolate in. : )

Franco, I'm curious. So, you don't eat any chocolate confections like the supermarket bars or the artisanal and handmade chocolates?


Franco says:

Ok. I will admit that I do like Butterfingers and Toblerone Dark Chocolate but really it's not my first choice of dessert.

As for the artisanal and handmade stuff, I won't refuse but will not seek out.

What do you love about chocolate?


Kate says:

They're especially delicious the week before and of your period. They satisfy a craving. Nothing else can make you feel instantly good or make you happy immediately (not even acquiring an expensive new It bag). Chocolate: endorphins on demand.


Sharky says:

I love the color, the texture, the taste (Did you know that chocolate has more than 50 flavors? It's this complex that, up to now, no one can replicate chocolate as a flavoring!), the shouts of glee and the big smiles I get when I give chocolate. I love the way it's packaged --- from sophisticated to man-on-the-street type of packaging. I love the fact that you can eat it, drink it, smell it, feel it, and they all elicit the same joy.

So what do you like or don't like about chocolate?


Many thanks to Becky Kho for the use of her 'Yummy' photographs and to Kate for sharing her Chocolate thoughts.

On the Table: Chef Roland Laudico of Bistro Filipino

After studying at the Culinary Institute of America and working in stints in France and Australia, Chef Roland Laudico came home and inadvertently established a thriving catering business. Six years of catering and creating meals for paying guests at his Urdaneta home, he opened Bistro Filipino. Chef Roland is part of a new generation of chefs that are pushing the boundaries of Filipino cuisine, elevating our tastes to new levels and introducing our food to the world.

Who in your life has influenced your cooking the most?

My mom. Ever since I was very young (like 7 years old), she taught me. Even up to now, she still loves to cook and she still teaches me.

Which book has had the biggest impact?

I have read so many books that I don't have one favorite book. But the first time I bought a book for myself was about Asian fusion and that got me very excited.

What was your first job in the food business?

Dish washer and prep guy. In short, the dirty jobs.

When did you decide you wanted to open Bistro Filipino?

My family wanted me to open a restaurant for years. I just decided last year to open because I wanted a different challenge since we've been catering for six years already. So, [we decided] might as well. We were officially open October 10, 2006.

What is your favorite item on the your menu?

I like my version of the lumpia. It's ubod with chorizo and it's shaped like a crispy cone sort of like a temaki. But what's cool about it is that you top it with frozen spicy vinegar sorbet. You experience cold and spicy all at the same time.

Which restaurant meal (foreign or local) do you remember the most?

When I worked in L'Essentiel in France, my chef treated me to a complete lunch after my last day at work and it lasted for like 5 hours! I tasted 20 plus dishes with wine and cheese, the works. I couldn't walk straight after that.

Besides your own place, what's your favorite restaurant in Manila?

Lolo Dad's. I also love Japanese and Vietnamese food.

What junk food do you love?

I'm not a junkie type of guy. But, potato chips are OK and I like good chicharon with spicy suka!

Is there a food you just can't seem to enjoy?

I absolutely hate the sweet party spaghetti that you use red hotdogs, banana ketchup and other sweet stuff. I never liked it.

Just between us, what are your future plans?

Bring Bistro Filipino abroad and be the best husband and father to my family.


Bistro Filipino
Ground Floor, Net Two Building
3rd Avenue, Bonifacio Global City
Taguig City
Tel No: (632) 856-0634, (632) 856-0541

The Little Red Cafe that Could

(from top left, clockwise) Crispy Pork Binagoongan, Interiors,

Laing Bicolano, Catfish Mango Salad

The place? Cafe Juanita. The day? Payday Friday. The time? 9:4o p.m. Parking? Improbable but not yet impossible.

This is actually our second attempt at getting a table at Cafe Juanita this evening. Our first attempt, at around 8 p.m., was surprisingly futile. The place was packed. Packed!

Maybe I was an idiot for not thinking that it was payday, not to mention the last Friday before Holy Week. People will be out. I knew that Cafe Juanita was popular during lunch service. But at night? On a weekday? No way!

I read the other food blogs, warning me of this. I should have made reservations.

Apparently, things have changed since the last time I dined at this out-of-the-way cafe in the little barrio called Kapitolyo years ago.

This little cafe has grown. Once a living-room sized dining area has now expanded to occupy its sister Japanese and Chinese restaurants.

The interiors? What can one possibly say about the interiors?

For the uninitiated, let me explain. Do not be fooled the subdued and somewhat unassuming entrance. Once you enter this cafe's door, be prepared for a shock. A. described it best, "It's like being invited for dinner at your crazy, artsy fartsy auntie's home. A home she interior designed herself with every knick-knack she bought from here, there, everywhere in between. And oh, she has a thing for the color red."

If you check the dictionary under the word eclectic, there would probably be a picture of Cafe Juanita, in all its reddish glory.

Dark brown, antique narra and wicker chairs from your lola's home. Tables covered by white doily mantels and on top of them, vases of fake ceramic and glass flowers. Up above you, crystal chandeliers encircled by red and white feathery boas. Ceiling lamps of every shape, color and size wrap in a red crocheted shawls. Red and white Christmas lights strategically swathed around the room.

It would seem that empty wall space is design no-no. The walls are covered by everything you could possibly hang on a wall. Tarnished, wooden mirrors. Javanese Ramayana masks. Japanese and Chinese wall hangings. Malayan brass gongs. Large blue-and-white ceramic plates. Three feet long, faux cloth red roses. In one corner, a Tiffany lamp, beautiful on its own but decidedly wrapped in crystal laced shawl. The cherry on top? A fully functional, marble fountain with a little cherub dancing upon it. In the background, someone is playing old standards on a piano that has heard better days.

Did I fail to mention everything is covered in a reddish hue?

My head is starting to spin.

But enough about the place, let us get to the food.

After being seated by the ever congenial restaurant manager, Jun (who earlier, patiently listened to me rant about how important it was that I eat at his place that very night. Thank you, Jun), he hands us their bible of a menu.

If there is one thing you can say about Cafe Juanita, they are consistent with their theme. Not the red part, the eclectic part.

Like the decor, the menu is a hodge-podge of cuisine from here and everywhere else. The menu is the Filipino buffet mentality in book form. Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Mediterranean, like Shoemart, they have got it all. A menu like this would normally not make me a happy camper. Its thickness and endless varieties of cuisine may and can frustrate some first-time diners and may point to a lack focus on the part of the kitchen staff. Consider yourself warned. When in doubt, seek help. Call for Jun.

Needless to say, it takes A. and I awhile to go through it.

At this point, you might be getting the idea that this impression of Cafe Juanita is not going well. Well, you're wrong. Read on.

We first order the Catfish-Mango Salad (P152). This is Cafe Juanita's version of a very popular Thai dish. Long strands of thinly sliced catfish fried, placed on a bed of equally thinly shredded green mangoes with a lime-chili vinaigrette. Not original but very well done. The Thai have truly mastered the art of harmonizing different tastes and textures in their food. The kitchen staff of Cafe Juanita have captured this art in this dish. This dish was a great start.

Two dishes quickly follow. The Crispy Pork Binagoongan (P242) and Laing Bicolano (P114) are two very commonly served dishes in every Filipino home and restaurant but here in Cafe Juanita, they do them both slightly different.

As many of you know, Pork Binagoongan is pork belly, cut into cubes of meat, fat, skin and all, fried to a golden brown then mixed with a fermented shrimp paste or bagoong. Fairly common, yes but in this case not quite. What makes it a must-try dish is the distinctively tasting bagoong. It's sweet, sour and salty, almost like a hoisin sauce but still very much a shrimp-based paste. I asked one of waiters about the bagoong. He was not very forthcoming, obviously a secret not to be shared with customers.

Generally, I love laing. I love anything cooked in coconut milk actually. What makes this experience with Cafe Juanita's Laing Bicolano different is how it is served. Normally, laing is a basic regional vegetable dish of taro or gabi leaves, pork belly and shrimps stewed in coconut milk. But in Cafe Juanita's version, ground pork and dried anchovies are carefully wrapped in taro leaves like little spring rolls slowly stewed in coconut milk, chilis and other spices. I enjoy biting into these lumpias (spring rolls) of laing goodness as I spoon the sweet and spicy coconut milk over my steaming hot rice. Yum.

Still hungry, A. and I decide to try their Laguna Fish (P189). This dish is a deep fried Tilapia served with a dipping sauce of tomatoes and unspecified ingredients. The fish is such a staple of every Filipino household that I almost wonder why we bothered. When it arrives, we are not disappointed. The whole fried fish is plated on a bed of fried sotanghon or glass noodles with a small bowl of tomato relish and a dark vinegar-chili based sauce. A. and I love looking at it; the fish looks like it's swimming in a bed of coral. Pretty. The taste? The fish is fried to near perfection. The outer skin is dark and crisp. The flesh is fresh, soft, tender and almost without any oily residue. Someone in the kitchen knows how to cook fish.

Whether it's a slick, hotel-operated Italian trattoria or a streetside, chicken inasal hole-in-the-wall, dining out should be an experience. The experience should be total, from the look, the feel, the service but most importantly, it should always be about the food.

I am not a big fan of the look of Cafe Juanita. But I will admit, it can be entertaining to look at the kitschy decor. If one gives it half the chance, you may even feel a sense of comfort and warmth in this room of composed madness. I believe that any restaurant that serves dishes that are well known to their diners but is still able to elevate their food to the point where the familiar becomes different, and where common is transformed into an experience, deserves to be enjoyed, shared and praised.

Cafe Juanita is the Little Red Cafe that has, can and, hopefully always, will delight and satisfy.

Cafe Juanita
No.2 United cor. West Capitol
Bo. Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Telephone Number: (o2) 632-0357
Mobile: (0916) 554-8107

Many thanks to Sharky, Doctor Vazquez and Wysgal for the use of their photographs.

Sharky's Favorite: Cafe Juanita

Lutong Bahay (Homecooked Meal) cooked well is how I always describe Café Juanita. It’s the reason why I keep going back there. I feel at home in this place. I go to this place regularly and make it a point to never bring strangers or mere acquaintances, only close friends and family whom I can let my hair down with and be as chatty or as quiet as I want to be.

Perhaps it’s the way the place is set up. Part of its appeal is the eclectic mix of furniture and knick knacks that, taken individually, can be on the verge of gaudy, but the attention given to putting these together reminds me of grandaunts who want to display their decades-old collectibles and attempt to come up with a look that perhaps only they can ever understand.

The menu has a similar set up. One finds Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and, recently, Thai dishes, being offered at any given time --- which reminds me of a sibling’s or my mom’s specialties and kitchen experiments that I always look forward to regardless of whether the dishes match or not. The servings for each dish are good for 2-3 people sharing which, in our family, is the portion size of leftovers. Isn’t it only at home when you can eat and really enjoy leftovers? And so, together with 2 people closest to me, I go back “home” once more to Café Juanita and try out some regular and new items on their list.

G tells me that he has heard the Catfish Mango Salad (Php152) is supposed to be good in Café Juanita. I silently wonder why, of all places, would he order that kind of salad here (I hardly regard it as Lutong Bahay.). Turns out G was right! Their version of Catfish Salad reminds me of how it is prepared in Bangkok. No floury old fish here. Only light crispy and tasty catfish that I could’ve easily mistake for finely sliced flavored potato chips without the grease.

I then tell G and T that although the Laguna Fish is a must try, my personal favorite is the Lapu Lapu Fillet with the Tamarind Sauce (Php455). I guess this is their version of a sweet and sour fish dish, but the difference is the way the sauce coaxes my palate to taste the sweet and sour notes where these 2 flavors almost come out, shy away a bit, then comes out together to lightly coat the meaty fillet in my mouth. T and G mark this as their favorite dish for the day. Though I still like it, I am disappointed that it didn’t taste as good as when I had it in my last 2 visits. Inconsistent? I hope that day is just an exception.

On to the Pork Binagoongan (Php242). I like this dish because of the way it’s cooked, but this is not how I want my Binagoongan. I would actually call this dish Lechon Kawali with Bagoong Sauce because it’s how I taste it and why I order it.

And my favorite for the day --- Sisig Tofu (Php230). Nope. It’s not a dish where tofu is substituted for meat. Uh uh. On one side of your plate is your regular sisig and on the other side is your minced silken tofu. I excitedly mix the two together and know that I did the right thing. The tofu balances the porky aftertaste of sisig and gives it a melt in the mouth consistency without the oil. I like this dish because I know I do not deceive myself into thinking that I am eating a healthier alternative (Nothing bad about this, but I cannot fathom eating sisig with meat substitutes.). It’s sisig that’s been experimented on and it has come out well.

For dessert, we order Sans Rival (Like leche flan, I am in search of the best Sans Rival in our country). The Sans Rival (Php81 for a measly slice!) shocked me with its tiny size. This time, it really looked like a leftover slice! But what it lacked in size, it made up for taste. Their Sans Rival tastes like my cousin’s homemade specialty which was chewy and did not scrimp on the butter and the egg yolks. It was addicting, but it was just too small!

For the other dessert, we couldn’t help but order the Cassava Cake (Php81 per slice) which, like children's grad pics in homes, had its picture prominently displayed on our table. I think it’s the cheese bits that struck a taste bud, but we were challenged to check if the actual cake looked like the real thing. It did. And it was good. Just when you think you’d be getting the cloying sweetness of cassava, along comes the commercial cheddar cheese topping that puts a halt to the sweetness and begins a sweet salty and creamy mouthfeel that signals: “Okay. You’ve had a good meal. It’s pack up time.”

And so T, G, and I ask for the bill and go back to our daily routine. No definite plans when to go back to Café Juanita, but, just like home, you know you will be back over and over again, but no definite plans.

Cafe Juanita
No.2 United cor. West Capitol
Bo. Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Telephone Number: (o2) 632-0357
Mobile: (0916) 554-8107

On the Table: Chef David Pardo de Ayala of Restaurant Verbena

Moving to Manila in 1997, Chef David Pardo de Ayala, a native Colombian, opened the famous Soleil and worked as the executive chef of Aqua at the Enterprise Center. Currently, Chef David is the Corporate Chef of the Discovery Group which includes Verbena at the Discovery Country Suites in Tagaytay.

Who in your life has influenced your cooking the most?

It's hard to choose one single person as the most significant influence, because I made it a point to be exposed to the cooking of as many leading chefs as I could during my formative years. I would probably mention Chefs David Bouley and Rikkard Jacobson in NYC as those who made a major impact on my future cuisine.

Which book has had the biggest impact?

Two books: Simply French: The Cuisine of Joel Robuchon by Patricia Wells and White Heat by Marco Pierre White.

What was your first job in the food business?

The staff cafeteria in the Bogata Royal Hotel. When I was an apprentice, I had to scrub down the walk-in chiller the first day. I cut my finger badly within the first 10 minutes.

What is the inspiration behind Verbena's menu?

The harvest of Tagaytay, the rhythm of the seasons and my professional evolution

What is your favorite item on Verbena's menu?

The grilled corn and crabmeat ravioli

Which restaurant meal (foreign or local) do you remember the most?

Lunch at Lespinasse, in the St. Regis Hotel in NYC. It was back in 1996 or 1997. The interiors, food and service were of such caliber that it was borderline depressing. "I'll never cook like this" was all I could think of as we were leaving. The technique and precision of the kitchen were just incredible.

Besides your own place, what's your favorite restaurant in Manila?

Hossein's Persian Kebab

What junk food do you love?

I love Oreo cookies with milk.

Is there a food you just can't seem to enjoy?

I'm not a big fan of okra.

Just between us, what are your future plans?

A month-long trip to Barcelona, a baby and a new restaurant at Discovery Ortigas


Restaurant Verbena
Discovery Country Suites
300 Calamba Road, San Jose, Tagaytay City
4120 Philippines
Telephone: (63 46) 413.4567
E-mail: rsvn@discovery.com.ph
Website: www.discoverycountrysuites.com