(Fifth in a series)

MANILA, Philippines?Working six days a week in a hot kitchen makes Dennis Villalobos, executive chef of Tropezz Restaurant Bar, tired and almost worn out. He can hardly cook for himself on his free day.

However, if his girlfriend nudges him to whip up something delicious for the two of them, he darts to the kitchen and tosses some pasta, such as putanesca, carbonara, cannelloni or farfalle con funghi.

?She likes pasta,? says Villalobos of his girlfriend of three years. ?Which works to my advantage because it?s easy and doesn?t take much of my time. She?s also fond of my paella and callos.?

Villalobos considers chef Ed Quimson his mentor. He started with Quimson at Las Tasca in 1994. He learned the ropes ?from dishwashing to chopping, cooking and plating.

In 2002 he became head chef of another restaurant, Citrus, where he stayed until 2005.

He then joined Teak Bar and Bistro at Rockwell in 2006. He now runs the kitchen of Tropezz (2/L, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City; tel. 7574484).

Villalobos has won over his girlfriend to his career. ?Every now and then I?d bring her to the restaurant. She probably finds my work challenging and interesting.

?Like me, she likes uncomplicated food. She enjoys my pork belly sinigang with loads and loads of gabi that it almost makes the broth super thick.?

Carne con Tropezz is one simple meat dish Villalobos likes to work on for his significant other. It takes less than an hour to cook.
The marinated beef tenderloin is seared for five minutes, then mixed with roasted shallots and aioli dressing, and baked for another 10 minutes, depending on desired doneness.

?Cooking for your loved ones has to be fun. A simple tasty dish or two is enough. You need not tire yourself cooking the whole day when you should spend more quality time with them,? Villalobos says.

Carne Con Tropezz

200 g beef tenderloin
2 tbsp olive oil
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

Sauce:
? c beef demiglaze
4 pcs shallots, roasted

Quick aioli dressing:
? c mayonnaise
2 tsp yellow mustard
1 tsp garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

Buttered vegetables:
3 pcs asparagus
40 g carrots, half-cooked
40 g zucchini
3 pcs marble potato
1 tbsp butter

To make aioli: Combine mayonnaise, mustard, garlic and salt and pepper together. Adjust seasoning to desired tanginess. Set aside.

Marinate beef with olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside for about 5 minutes.

Heat the beef demiglaze on a sauté pan and add in roasted shallots. Adjust the seasoning by adding slat and pepper. This will be your sauce.

Heat a separate pan until smoking point. Seat the tenderloin on all sides.

Once seared, remove tenderloin from pan and then slice crosswise to about 4-5 pieces.

Return the sliced beef to pan, ladle in sauce and top with aioli dressing and continue cooking inside the oven at 350 ?F for 6-10 minutes.

While waiting for the steak, prepare your vegetable sidings. Heat butter on pan, then add all veggies and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Arrange your steak on a clean platter with the buttered veggies. Drizzle in reduced balsamic vinegar.