WELL into the holiday season now, probably one of the most asked questions is, ?Where can we eat??
My personal favorites run the gamut from Aling Nene?s Barbecue along Makati?s South Super Highway and the original Aristocrat on Roxas Boulevard, to mall restaurants California Pizza Kitchen and Cibo, to high end favorites like Bisto Filipino at the Fort, Apartment 1B in Salcedo Village and El Cirkulo on Pasay Road. But since I?ve discovered that Manila gets bored easily, here?s a short list of some of the latest businesses joining the restaurant craze.
Lolo Dad?s Brasserie. 6750 Ayala Avenue, Makati. Tel. 813-6750. Open daily for lunch and dinner except Sundays. Major credit cards accepted. Reservations recommended. Wheelchair accessible. Makati parking. About P1,500 to P2,000 per head.
How do you compete with a parent?s amazing legacy? That?s the challenge of Lolo Dad?s 6750 Brasserie. The (now original) Lolo Dad?s on Quirino Ave. has earned the reputation of chefs? choice for Best Restaurant in the Philippines, thanks to Chef Ariel Manuel?s culinary creativity that has won him awards in international competitions. The austere setting, instead of degrading the restaurant to ordinary, serves to highlight the magnificence of the food.
The same austere setting and fabulous food has been brought to Makati via 6750. Barely a month old, it has much to accomplish in terms of service (guests led to the wrong tables; orders that need much following up) and logistics (creaky floors on the second level; a faucet that doesn?t work). But like a gorgeous son in his adolescence, the features that have made Lolo Dad?s endearing (food, food and amazing food) are present in this brasserie. The lobster will claw at your pocket but is deliciously rich. The cannelloni uses raclette and truffle cream and takes your breath away. The chocolate segafredo is a wonderful, cool chocolate dessert with orange popsicles for fun.
More than the address, 6750 may be the amount of your bill when it arrives, but the servings are big enough to share and, like its Lolo, the creations at Brasserie make the trip worth it.
CiCou. Hotel Celeste 2, San Lorenzo Drive cor. A. Arnaiz Ave., Makati. Tel. 889-6728. Open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Major credit cards accepted. No reservations required. Wheelchair accessible. Minimal parking space, no valet. About P1,000 per head.
Oh, the days of Mars?ledge dancing, Star Wars parties and Jay Server. We from the Mars generation have always?well, upon passing that San Lo exit anyway?wondered what would ever become of that space where Mars once was. Now it?s a boutique hotel with a matching hip restaurant called CiCou (as in Bisayang ?see-saw?: see-soo). Named after its chef, Cyrille Soenen, CiCou capitalizes on French cuisine. True to his Prince Albert roots, however, it appears that the best items on the menu are the meats. They offer something they call Beef Short Plate Bulalo-style that is sooo soft it?s to die for. Their kurobota is likewise so refined you can hardly distinguish the pig fat from the meat. Their cod is a little on the salty side, so as Anna, the chef?s boss (read: wife) says, ?If you don?t like bacalao, you might like to try the sea bass instead.? The sea bass has its crispy skin left on, once again emphasizing the softness of the meat. For dessert, go for the chocolate mousse and ganache, which is rich and dark as chocolate should be. This chef is one Frenchman who knows how chocolate should be served.
Tangerine. Club Filipino Avenue cor. Ortigas, Greenhills, San Juan. Tel. 725-2811. Open daily except Sundays for dinner only 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Major credit cards accepted. Reservations recommended. Wheelchair accessible. Parking easy, wide space. About P1,500 per head.
Pilita?s in Greenhills has closed and the Queen of Song has moved to a more exclusive piece of property (less passersby, higher prices) called Tangerine. Located on the corner of Club Filipino Drive and Ortigas (on the corner across Petron where that old Pizza Hut used to stand), the venue boasts of first class sound systems for performances by Pilita and, for the food, Chef Billy King?s meditteranean menu. On a lucky night (three times a week), you may chance upon a performance by the Queen of Song herself, so when you make a reservation, be sure to ask when Pilita is on. Other nights have music by a Highway band (64? 65? 67? I only know Route 66!) which will doubtless enthrall many a Spirit of ?67 fan with their classic Motowns and other vintage pieces. If that?s what you?re after, forget Conways and by all means hold that class reunion here. However, if you prefer an elegant dinner whose magic lies in food and conversation, avoid the Highway at all costs because at 9:30, as the Dessert Diva observed after one dinner here, the lights dim, the band starts to play and all efforts at wit are drowned out by the banging of Barry White covers from the Bose. Instead, make a reservation for the night when Pilita performs or the one night when the pianist has the sound system to himself; then you?ll be able to maintain that dinner conversation at decent decibel levels and appreciate the one thing that should make a restaurant shine, i.e., the food. Mr. Tangerine, who prefers to remain anonymous, was wise enough to invite Mr. King to join this endeavor. As expected, Billy King delivered. This Christmas, I recommend the lambs?they will take away the sins of your world, or at least momentarily make you forget them with their excellent execution, especially the Osso Bucco. And in the spirit of the seasoning, you would even forgive the servers who chirpily ask at every opportunity (we counted a total of seven disruptive times) how you are enjoying your meal.
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These three new restaurants appear to be undergoing birthing pains but in areas other than the food. After all, their kitchens are run by veteran chefs (Ariel Manuel, Cyrille Soenen, Billy King) who can hit the ground running. We wouldn?t expect anything less. And thankfully, although expectations run high, they don?t fail us.
