MANILA, Philippines—To the public, Raul Sunico is a concert pianist who has won acclaim for local and overseas performances. To his family and friends, however, he is also a gourmet and excellent cook who can whip up delicious meals.
Thus they were hardly surprised when he ventured into catering service. Not that he’s giving up his music career any time soon. The catering service, called Paresto Café, is run by his co-proprietor, Chef Froilan Ferrer. As proprietor Raul helps make business decisions and brings in clients when he can.
It started when they spotted a strategic space in Caloocan. Thinking it would be a good location to start a business, they hired a cook with experience in pares-style eatery and opened a neighborhood restaurant catering to commuters and residents.
Named 825 Pares Mami House, it served an extensive menu that included snacks like siopao and pancit and Filipino favorites such as adobo and kare-kare.
They found opportunities to do catering on the side, such as those for functions at the University of Santo Tomas where Raul has been dean of the Conservatory of Music since his return from New York City a few years ago.
Now, though the restaurant has closed, the catering service is very much around (tel. 4675445 and 0917-4991203). Cocktails for a function of SSS and post-dinner concert of marimba player Johnny Yu are just two of the catering jobs they’ve recently handled.
A few weeks ago, Raul invited friends to a degustacion of some of Paresto’s best dishes. On the eclectic menu were gindara filet en papillote, rabo de toro, shrimp cocktail, melon balls wrapped in prosciutto, Thai-style pineapple and orange with ground meat served on Chinese soup spoons, chawan mushi, Japanese fried rice, orange custard with orange-chocolate sauce, and mango and avocado panna cotta—all prepared by Froilan who is a graduate of the Center for Asian Culinary Studies and the Center for Culinary Arts. All told, it was worthy of the most festive celebration.
The impressive guest list included fashion designer Pitoy Moreno; architect Gerry Contreras; Dr. Greg Alvior, himself a long-time New York resident and now president of the PGH Foundation; writer and Food magazine co-founding editor Corito Llamas; jeweler Jules Dizon; Johnny Valdez of Johnny Air Cargo; Gynna Gagelonia of the Philippine Heart Association; Marian Andaluz of Servier Philippines; and flutist Tony Maigue and wife Mai.
A bonus for the guests was an impromptu musical performance. With Raul at the piano, tenor and TV host Al Gatmaitan sang Neapolitan songs and excerpts from Broadway musicals. Tony Maigue also joined in, with a rendition of composer Ernani Cuenco’s haunting composition “Nahan.”
Of course, it isn’t likely that Paresto’s catering events will include a musical performance by Raul. Aside from attending to his deanship at UST, the multi-awarded pianist is busy in local and overseas concerts. Just recently he gave concerts in Paris, Amsterdam, Sydney and Chicago. A concert in Japan will follow in October.
But what customers can count on from Paresto Café, judging from the recent degustacion, is delectable food at reasonable prices. A cocktail menu at P300 per person would include spaghetti alla arabiata with meatballs, croquettes, pizza triangles with onion, cheese and olives, lychees stuffed with crab meat, and chicken satay.
Among the choices for the lunch and dinner service is a P550-per-person menu that includes sobresada with melba toast, Greek salad, chicken katsu with orange cream sauce, sweet-and-sour pork, rabo de toro, spaghetti with pesto sauce, garlic mushrooms, mango panna cotta, and cream puff. Customers can also choose to have a more personalized menu in consultation with chef Froilan.
And maybe if he isn’t busy, Raul may even give his own suggestions for a gourmet feast.
Call Paresto Café at 4675445 or 0917-4991203.
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