Let's Eat September Issue

L E T’ S E AT T H

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SEPTEMBER 2017

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LET'S EAT — September 2017

S E P TE M B E R 2017

ISSUE NO. 53

W H AT ' S IN S ID E

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OLD MANILA

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MIREIO TERRACE

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CHEF ALLAN BRIONES

MIREIO

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LET'S EAT — September 2017

L E T ’ S E AT

O N THE IMPOR TANCE OF E LE G ANCE

SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ

ON T H E COV E R

Editor

PATRICK DIOKNO

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ine Dining need not be reserved only for the most special occasions any longer. Given the plethora of excellent choices now available to us in this Golden Age of restaurants, to do so would be to sacrifice an opportunity to indulge one’s self every now and then. It would be a disservice to yourself, and to the fine folks behind the finest establishments in our city, if you only visited them once every year.

Fine Dining, however, deserves to be treated like a special occasion. Recall, if you will, the sepia-toned photographs from your grandparents’ albums. Notice how graceful your Lola looked in her designer couture, or how sophisticated your Lolo looked in his crisp bespoke barong. They looked good, and certainly felt even better, outside and in. Dress to impress when you dine at the restaurants we’re featuring in this issue. Food as fine as Li Li’s, Mirèio’s, and Old Manila’s deserve nothing less.

So ditch the everyday t-shirts, the distressed jeans, and the running shoes. Go ahead, suit up or put on those high heels; visualize how confidently sexy they’ll make you feel.

Rediscover the undeniable pleasures of formality and finesse.

Make it a night to remember for you and your significant other. Make it unforgettable in every way.

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Art Director

GABBY CANTERO Photographer

LUCIEN DY TIOCO Executive Vice President

ANNALYN DELGADO Editorial Assistant

Let’s Eat is published by The Philippine Star 202 Roberto Oca St., Port Area, Manila For inquiries, call 5277901 local 132 or email letseat062013@gmail.com Facebook: facebook.com/LetsEatPhilStar Instagram: letseatph

Pan-seared duck breast and foie gras with corn texture from Mirèio at Raffles Makati Photo by GABBY CANTERO

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oldmanila WORDS BY SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ

PHOTOS BY GABBY CANTERO

Everything is new once again in the Peninsula Manila’s fabled fine dining restaurant

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he Peninsula Manila has seen it all, and everyone has been seen in The Peninsula. For over four decades --the hotel celebrates its 41st year this September 14 --- it has been the prime destination for people watching and star gazing. It’s impossible not to observe at least a couple of showbiz celebrities, usually more, enjoying the Pen’s famous Halo-Halo as afternoons lean into evenings, and deeper into the night, for cocktails and coffee, all the way to the wee small hours of the morning. Everyone, at every time, loves the opulent lobby of the “Grand Dame of Makati”, defined by its

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twin marble staircases and the sunburst sculpture by National Artist Napoleon Abueva.

The Peninsula has been witness to more than just the affairs of the rich and famous and the plotting of politicians. Ten years ago, a few weeks before Christmas, gunfire erupted in the hotel, and it seemed that even before the smoke had cleared, the Pen was back in business, none the worse for wear, save for a couple of bullet holes, souvenirs of a dramatic siege.

I’ve been to the Peninsula innumerable times: I’ve danced the waltz in many a debutante’s cotillion, emceed every kind of event, attended dozens of wedding receptions, but every single time, I still feel a tingle whenever I walk into the hotel; a sense of anticipation of things to come, a subtle recognition of all the memories at this landmark. The past and the future, blending into the present. Magic is always in the air.

The anticipation is at its highest whenever I dine at Old Manila, the hotel’s signature outlet. It’s been at the Peninsula from the very start; it has undergone a few facelifts since, but its intrinsic character has never, and will never change: a bastion of gourmet dining, with one of the outstanding wine selections in the world.

The restaurant has never looked better. The dark wood panels have given way to Art

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1 Old Manila Table Setting 2 Foie Gras Torchon with Salted Date Caramel 3 John Stone Irish Grass-Fed Angus Tomahawk 4 Davao Chocolate with Pilinut Carabao Milk Ice Cream 5 Miso-glazed Chilean Sea Bass with Aubergine cooked three ways 6 Old Manila Interiors

I FEEL A TINGLE WHENEVER I WALK INTO OLD MANILA; AN ANTICIPATION OF THINGS TO COME, AND A SUBTLE RECOGNITION OF ALL THE MEMORIES AT THIS LANDMARK.

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Deco geometrics; the brown hues replaced by brighter cream tones, complemented by the stunning large-scale black and white photographs by Francisco Guerrero.

And the food. The glorious food, legacies from the storied line of chefs that have built upon each other’s strengths since 1976. A few months ago, for the very first time in its rich history, a Filipino was appointed as Chef de Cuisine, and for many of its loyal patrons, the restaurant, now defined by the culinary swagger of Chef Allan Briones, is the best it has ever been. Four decades on, Old Manila is once again, brand new.

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manila boy

The scrappy kid from Sampaloc is the very first Filipino appointed as the Chef de Cuisine of the Peninsula’s Old Manila.

WORDS BY SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ PORTRAIT BY GABBY CANTERO

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llan Briones holds a singular distinction. He’s the only Filipino to train under and work directly with the legendary Marco Pierre White, the youngest chef ever to be awarded three Michelin stars. Allan belongs to an elite fraternity of worldfamous celebrity chefs who trained under the fiery British legend: Mario Batali, Gordon Ramsay and Curtis Stone.

Born and raised in the city of Manila, the proud alumnus of the University of Santo Tomas chose a road less travelled after high school: he enrolled in the CCA, back in the day, two decades ago, when a career in the culinary arts was not considered to be the prime career choice it is today. His apprenticeship was at the Mandarin’s Tivoli, where he was mentored by its Executive Chef, Norbert Gandler. It was becoming clear, even as a young intern, that his talent was already quite apparent to the best culinary minds.

Armed with intrinsic kitchen skills and a deep sense of his destiny, he bid farewell to his local comfort zone and rolled the dice for a career overseas, one that led directly to his invaluable years with Chef Marco: first in London, then in Dubai. The most important lesson? “Give your ingredients the respect they deserve and they will shine.”

It’s actually one he first learned from his greatest influence. No, not White nor Gandler. As a young boy, he loved accompanying his mother to the market, and he remembers how she would purchase only the most expensive produce. When he asked her why she spent so much for her family, her answer was simple, direct and true: “Because I’m feeding my children.”

An indelible lesson from the most important teacher in his life

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WORDS BY SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ

mirèio

The Patron Saints of Provence have blessed the Raffles with a breathtaking new restaurant.

PHOTOS BY GABBY CANTERO

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1 Grllled Eggplant Confit 2 Clams Marinière with Raz-el-hanout 3 Chef Nicolas Cegretin 4 Mireio Interiors 5 Pan-seared Duck Breast and Foie Gras with Corn Texture 6 Brie and White Chocolate Cheesecake with Lemon Mascarpone and Sorbet

destination is named after a tender tribute to that region’s lush countryside and its breathtaking coastline.

The French Poet Fredric Mistral penned “Mirèio” in 1859; it’s essentially a love story to his birthplace, the French Mediterranean region, world famous for its iconic landscapes. Provence is one of the most gorgeous places on Earth, and this restaurant it inspired more than lives up to the beauty so poignantly described in the Nobel Prize winning poem.

During the day, Mireio is a sun-dappled oasis, all bright and light, rainbow hued freshly picked flowers on vases atop immaculate white

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here’s something about Mirèio.

It’s the most captivating new fine dining restaurant of the year, and it’s far and away, also the sexiest new bar in the city.

It’s both sophisticated and rustic; where the classical dining experience feels less formal, and much more natural. I’ve been waiting for this brasserie-style restaurant ever since it was promised when the Raffles Makati was formally launched four years ago, and it’s proven to be absolutely worth the long wait. The stereotypes of complicated and high-minded Paris gastronomy shattered, and replaced by very accessible, but no less authentic dishes from Provence. It is as it should be. After all, this luxurious dining

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tablecloths, the blues of the sky and the hues of the sun, reflected on the main dining room’s plush seating. As dusk darkens into night, the skyline of Makati’s Central Business District reveals itself, the towers outside, like dozens of glittering jewel boxes, beguiling Mirèio’s dinner guests.

Overseeing the kitchen is Chef Nicolas Cegretin.

Provençal-born, the young Frenchman describes his cuisine as seasonal, sun-drenched and exuberant, built around the discipline of French fine dining

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THIS RESTAURANT IT INSPIRED MORE THAN LIVES UP TO THE BEAUTY SO P O I G N A N T LY DESCRIBED IN THE NOBEL PRIZE WINNING POEM BY FREDRIC MISTRAL.

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techniques, but mellowed by the nostalgic home cooking traditions from his youth.

The Chef ’s Roasted Blue Marlin with Squid Ink Cauliflower Cream takes its inspiration from his favorite childhood comfort food, his grandmother’s cauliflower gratin.

Every few months, Nicolas dreams up a thematic menu; as such, Mireio’s dishes are in a constant state of flux, all the more reason to come back again and again, to fall in love with a new dish, or to rekindle a longing for a favorite, or better yet, both.

The gloom of our rainy season is offset by the chef ’s current Weekends in Provence lunch menu, and the dreary weekdays, refreshed and revitalized by the La Vie En Rosé Happy Hour on the Mireio Terrace, the sensual al fresco lounge situated a floor above the main dining area.

Mireio provides a postcard perfect peek into the best that Provence has to offer: truth, beauty, freedom, passion, love, and spectacular food. Vive la France!

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WORDS BY SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ

mirèio terrace

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t’s almost anachronistic. In this great era of Gatsbystyle speakeasies, with a proliferation of secret saloons all over Metro Manila tucked away behind nondescript stores or accessed only via a secret entrances, the most intoxicating bar is hiding in plain sight.

The Mirèio Terrace, perched on the 10th storey of the Raffles Makati, offers the most stunning vistas of the big, busy metropolis, from North to the South, and Westward, all the way to that historic bay with its unparalleled sunset. The al fresco lounge is high enough so that the sounds of traffic are muted, but not too high as to create a clinical detachment from the streets below.

On this exquisite plane, on this bar that floats above the city, one soars above the hustle and bustle, but is still one with the life that goes on below.

PHOTOS BY GABBY CANTERO

PHOTO BY GABBY CANTERO

La Vie en Rose”will be available at the Mireio Terrace from 5:00-8:00 P.M., daily from September 1 to November 30.

Featuring an endless pouring of Rose and the introduction of new concoctions such as the Rose Spritz, the Frose, and the Provencal Martini, along with other red and white wines from the region

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WORDS BY SPANKY HIZON ENRQUEZ

Li Li

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A lovely lady holds court in New World Manila Bay’s signature Chinese restaurant 13­

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here’s a romantic tale behind one of the most ravishing restaurants in Manila.

Legend has it that during a more genteel age, a gracious socialite from Hong Kong so inspired and influenced the city’s cuisine and culture, that she was honored with a restaurant that now bears her name. “Li Li” is a tribute, not only to the lady’s innate class, but to her refined taste as well.

I loved hearing that story, especially when it was told in tandem by Laurie and Loni, the two charming ladies who introduced me to the delights of Li Li. Seven years ago, I first stepped into her

namesake restaurant, and was immediately smitten. Seven years later, I’ve grown to love Li Li even more. She has certainly aged well; as elegant as ever, she can now truly be considered as a timeless beauty.

Li Li, however, still retains an air of mystery, as it remains undiscovered by many. Certainly, its location in the center of the city of Manila may make it challenging to the majority used to the proximity and convenience of Makati and the BGC. The traffic and the travel may seem daunting to many, but those who take the time to make the trip will be rewarded richly. Li Li has always been recognized 03

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as one of the best Chinese restaurants in the country ever since it opened, and it is poised to become even better with the innovations of its new Executive Chinese Chef, Raymond Yeung.

The Hong Kong native has mastered the craft of Cantonese cuisine with over a quarter of a century’s experience. His excellence was recognized with the International Culinary Classic Gold Award, which he was awarded in 2009. The chef has cooked for luminaries all over Asia, including the President of Vietnam, during his sojourn in Saigon. His passion has not diminished; his excitement and enthusiasm were tangible when I met him for lunch to sample his new creations for Li Li. His “Taro Tower” is a stunner, strings of the root crop, glazed with caramel sweetness, flash fried to a perfect crispness, arranged into a delicate pyramid.

Plump, fresh, and juicy prawns tossed in a mango infused mayonnaise. The highest grade Wagyu from the Saga Prefecture, the intensely marbled steak, embraced by an exotic black pepper sauce. Chef Raymond obviously adores using unconventional ingredients in his Cantonese cooking, and his creativity extends

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1 Barbecued Pork Buns 2 Traditional Chinese Tea Service 3 Crispy Japanese Tofu 4 Golden Hakaw 5 Taro Tower 6 Chef Raymond Yeung

LI LI STILL RETAINS AN AIR OF MYSTERY, AS IT

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to the stunning and stimulating touches in the plating of his specials. The man has the mind of a chef, and the soul of an artist. Li Li certainly is in good hands.

But there’s a secret I must share: about one particular item on the menu that I’ve been raving about ever since my first time to dine in Li Li back in 2010. You see, I’ve tried every pork bun in every Chinese restaurant in Metro Manila. I even used to order the most popular one from Hong Kong before it became available here in the Philippines. But here’s what I know for sure: the finest pork buns that I’ve ever had in my life? They’re right here in Li Li. Laminated dough, filled with a divine blend of sweet and spicy barbecued pork, baked to heavenly perfection. I consider them the best pork buns ever, bar none. I would love for you to agree with me, and there’s only one way to find out. It’s time to finally meet Li Li.

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