Let's Eat Valentine's Issue by Tammy Mendoza

S W E E T

LET'S EAT — February 2016

FE B . 201 5

W H AT ' S I N S I D E

ADAAM & YVES

KITE

ESSAY: A HEART MADE OF ICING

I S S U E NO . 32

ESSAY: WAFFLES AND ROMANCE

BUTA + WAGYU

ATELIER VIVANDA

PRECYNCT

LET'S EAT — February 2016

L E T’ S E AT

THIS WAY IN

DON JAUCIAN Managing Editor

ON T H E COV E R

PATRICK DIOKNO Art Director

SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ Writer

I’m not one to celebrate Valentine’s Day. It is a “greeting-card holiday”, to use the words of Jim Carrey’s character in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, when sidewalks and restaurants are filled with lovesick couples, who will most probably be fighting over something petty after a few days. But before you call me a Valentine’s Day Grinch, I’m actually quite the romantic. I enjoy romantic comedies (Two Weeks Notice and Two for the Road are go-to favorites) and the pleasures of binge watching them on Netflix with my significant other. I dig sweets and can never get enough of them despite the threats of diabetes (I promise I’ll cut down soon). It’s just the Holiday that I hate. And all of its demons, too. But hey, I’m in the business of pimping stuff for timely relevance so here we are with our annual Valentine’s Day issue, with five places to try out your luck on a date or, if you’re already partnered, show off your undying affection in public. To drive the [saccharine]point home, we also have two essays linking food and affection by two terrific writers. Words to digest after you’ve eaten quite a helping, eh? Happy Heart’s Day, folks!

GABBY CANTERO Photographer

BERT SANTOS Photographer’s Assistant

JL JAVIER Contibuting Illustrator

APA AGBAYANI RAYMOND ANG Contibuting Writers

LUCIEN DY TIOCO SVP for Sales & Marketing

ANNALYN DELGADO

Kaya Brioche Toast from Precynct Photo by GABBY CANTERO

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

ERRATUM In our January 2016 Issue, we published a photo of pastries from the InterCon Manila that went with a story on CiÇou instead of a photo of the brasserie’s Kougin-Amann. Our apologies for this oversight.

In The Beginning

WORDS BY SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ

PHOTOS BY GABBY CANTERO

Adaäm & Yves’ globetrotting menu spans influences from New York to Stockholm yet is replete with local flavors—and organic, too

LET'S EAT — February 2016

1 Roul No. 1: Free-range 0 chicken roulade 2 Adaäm’s Apple 3 Pink Floyd 4 A Day in Ibiza: Valencian-style organic red rice paella 5 Bogart & Bacall 6 Adäam and Yves’ interiors are influenced by the functional sparseness of Scandinavian design

ometimes, you just want to shut off the rest of the world, isolate yourself in a quiet, darkened space, and be alone for an intimate, private experience with your significant other. I’m talking about an intimate dining experience of course. The quintessential date place. A restaurant where time stops, a parallel universe, a distant moon inhabited only by two people. They’re few and far between now. The food culture that’s begun to dominate our local scene has resulted in many bright family friendly establishments, but those that can be the venue for a seriously romantic liaison? Rarities these days. That’s why Adäam and Yves matters. It’s an organic bistro that offers an all-day brunch, but it’s not your usual healthy eating restaurant. I go there as much for its amorous atmosphere as much as its selection of excellently executed dishes. Sure, its menu is replete with sustainable produce and free range proteins, guiltfree food that does the body good, but I’d venture to say that dining at Adäam and Yves is even better for the heart.

It’s all about the ambiance. The tables seem to have been designed for two and the circular booths cocoon couples cozily. The music is cool and unobtrusive; newish but somehow familiar. The bare concrete walls are industrial, unpainted, and hence, add a mysterious, shadowy layer to the overall mood. There’s a full selection of wines and ciders, all organic of course. And best of all, the witty and quirky names of the restaurant’s offerings are guaranteed icebreakers, essential for a first date. Pop culture references and sly allusions to classic films and music abound. Bogart & Bacall is a salad with red beet, goat’s cheese, and caramelized walnuts, components that complement each other dramatically. Pink Floyd, the signature item, is a rock and roll fantasy of everyone’s favorite rice-based comfort food. It’s a bowl of arroz caldo, with free-range chicken and a free-range egg. Classic, except for the color, a gorgeous hue of pink arising from the organic red rice. Adaäm’s Apple appears on the menu with panache: apple pie made with a whole-wheat crust, loaded with caramelized apples, the whole topped with almond vanilla ice cream. And the house’s

ITS MENU IS REPLETE WITH SUSTAINABLE PRODUCE AND FREE RANGE PROTEINS, GUILT-FREE FOOD THAT DOES THE BODY GOOD, BUT I’D VENTURE TO SAY THAT DINING AT ADÄAM AND YVES IS EVEN BETTER FOR THE HEART steak dish, a Kitayama Wagyu, is named Yoko Oh No! Imagine that. The young man responsible for all this is Sean Go, all of 25 years old, a fashion stylist. Davao raised and London educated, Go has leveraged his keen eye for design into one of the most striking new restaurants in the city. For this Valentine’s weekend, he’s promised to come up with a bubbly four-course champagne dinner, one that’s guaranteed to quench every thirst, and satisfy every craving.

Adaäm & Yves Organic Bistro is located at G/F Icon Plaza 25th St. cor. 6th Ave. Bonifacio Global City, Taguig; (02) 801-6084; adaamandyves.com

head in the clouds

WORDS BY SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ

PHOTOS BY GABBY CANTERO

Kite takes off from Persia Grill’s origins and cooks up a storm of fuss-free Mediterannean offerings

LET'S EAT — November 2015

1 Spicy herb kebab, falafel, Biryani rice and chipotle chicken kebabs 2 Baklava 3 Tabouli

ersistence. One of the key character traits that every restaurateur should have. Many people think that the restaurant business is one of the easiest investments ever. After all, how difficult can it be to design a nice dining room, buy and install kitchen equipment, hire a good cook, and train servers? Well, let me violently burst their bubble. One of the most difficult, most stressful businesses ever is

KITE IS NOT A VANITY PROJECT BY A SHOWBIZ PERSONALITY LOOKING TO LEVERAGE THEIR FAME.IT’S BORNE OUT OF A TRUE LOVE FOR ONE’S CHILDHOOD FAVORITES running a restaurant. Look at it from the reverse perspective: how much will it cost to hire a designer and decorator to create a completely new and unique dining area? How will you know if you’ve hired the right chef to handle and take care of your brand new kitchen, with one million pesos worth of equipment? How will you

find the employees with the right attitude, passion, and temperament to serve food to your patrons every day? And then there are the dry spells that lead to sleepless nights tossing and turning, thinking about overhead, earning enough to cover rent and payroll, and praying to all the saints above that someone, anyone, walks through that door and order something. It’s enough to drive anyone insane. But sometimes, and not that often, as any restaurant owner will tell you, the stars align, and one’s persistence is blessed. Such is the case of the owner Kite, Kian Kazemi. You may remember him from the first season of Pinoy Big Brother, or you may recognize him as an entrepreneur, or as he calls himself, a “ganstapreneur” behind Persia Grill, the chain that serves his family’s Iranian recipes, now with ten branches. A year ago, when the Poblacion district started heating up and earning a reputation as the new Malate, Kian walked around and knocked on doors. There were many many doors, many many knocks, and many rejections. After all, it was, and still is, mainly a residential area, and the long-term residents were shocked that so many chefs, famous and infamous,

were going around, essentially asking them to buy them out. But Kian persisted. After more than half a year, he found his own little piece of the Poblacion promise. It’s now called Kite, and it’s serving some of the most appealing, affordable, and accessible Mediterranean food in the area. I’ve never doubted the authenticity of Kian’s offerings. The first time I ate at a Persia Grill, I asked for “sumac”, that aromatic spice made from dried berries that is as essential as salt and pepper in the Middle East. And to my surprise, I was handed a bottle of the stuff. The first time I dined at

Kite Kebab Bar is located at 5772 Ebro St., Poblacion, Makati; 810-7388; @kebabbar on Instagram

Kite, I asked for exactly the same thing, and again, I was rewarded. I gleefully sprinkled the coarse lemony powder over the baba ganoush, the tabouli, the hummus, the falafel, the kebabs, the musakka with mozzarella. It was indeed a very, very good meal. This restaurant is as genuine as the more expensive ones serving similar cuisine on that side of Makati. This is not a vanity project by a showbiz personality looking to leverage their fame. It’s borne out of a true love for one’s childhood favorites. And because it is his passion project, Kian’s Kite soars.

In which waffles mean the world N to us BY RAYMOND ANG

o marriage is strong enough to survive two people who disagree about brunch.” —Jason Gay, Little Victories: Perfect Rules for Imperfect Living

ILLUSTRATION BY JL JAVIER

The golden rule of the Brunch Test and the unlinkely link between waffles, Katherine Hepburn, and domesticity

When weighing romantic prospects, my friend utilizes a highly-conclusive, surprisingly-systematic method called the Brunch Test. “There are two kinds of people you date,” she said, over French toast and green tea mojitos one lazy Saturday, “the ones you grab coffee with on your way to work, and the ones you can’t wait to have long Sunday brunches with.” Like all world-changing, life-saving tests, the Brunch Test makes use of the scientific method: You start with the research question (“How do I find a mate to settle down with?”), move on to field work (Tinder), construct a hypothesis (“‘Julian, 25’ is a good match”), and end by testing that hypothesis, analyzing data, and finally drawing a conclusion (we’ll call those three “the morning after”). Through all this, the Brunch Test’s most important rule follows: “Never date anyone you don’t want to go to brunch with.” After all, if you can’t agree on waffles, how do you even begin to talk about marriage, let alone the merits of Kanye’s AutoTuned 808s and Heartbreak era? In the 1942 rom-com Woman of the Year, the Brunch Test manifests in a different way. Making breakfast never looked more painful than watching a formidable Katharine Hepburn trying and fumbling to prepare coffee and waffles to win her estranged husband back. In the George Stevens classic, the historic first pairing of Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, she plays Tess, a top newspaper’s powerhouse international affairs correspondent, with the world at her fingertips and the world’s most

LET'S EAT — February 2016

influential leaders a phone call away, while he plays Sam, a competent-if-coasting, baseballobsessed sports writer who just happens to work for the same paper and also happens to be her husband. Because it’s 1942 and because Betty Friedan’s book The Feminine Mystique was still twenty years away, Woman of the Year’s main conflict rests on the fact that by being ambitious, career-driven, and great at what she does, Tess runs the risk of alienating her husband, who would rather have a partner who values her domestic life over her professional career. When she wins an award-giving body’s distinction for ‘Woman of the Year,’ he feels both neglected and inferior. The movie ends with Tess getting her comeuppance, a proud Hepburn struggling to put together a breakfast in order to prove her domesticity and deference to him, waffles as acquiescence. “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you would threaten the man,” the writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie famously said. “Now marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same?” “The original ending of the LardnerKanin script,” the biographer Anne Edwards once wrote of Woman of the Year, “had Tess Harding take an honest interest in baseball (her husband’s passion) and become more enthusiastic than he at the game, which implied not compromise but growth and love.” In the context of Woman of the Year, in the context of love in 2016, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie might as well have been talking about the push-and-pull of relationships, gender be damned. She might as well have been talking about the difference between conceding and compromise, the difference between giving up dreams and working on the same dreams. It’s about not keeping score and genuinely being happy for your partner’s successes. It’s about communication and continuous work. It’s about equality and understanding. And we’re not just talking about brunch. We’re talking about love.

LET'S EAT — February 2016

A Different Cut WORDS BY SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ

PHOTOS BY GABBY CANTERO

Michelin-starred chef Akrame Benallal’s creations in Atelier Vivanda are unhurried and uncomplicated versions of French classics

01 12

LET'S EAT — February 2016

Manila will not be complex. Again, this restaurant is a reintroduction to France’s rustic fare. But uncomplicated does not mean ordinary, and this bistro’s elegance lies in its simplicity. Ordering is easy. Choose an entrée: a foie gras or a duck leg terinne? Select your main course: a Black Angus skirt steak imported from France, a veal rump, or Iberian pork chops? Then load up on the sides, the unlimited servings of five presentations of potatoes. I recommend the Pommes Darphin, shredded 1Holstein beef rib 2Yellow chicken breast 3 50-day aged smoked beef

he Philippines’ first ever Michelin Star. That’s the goal of the bistro that promises to be one of the most talked about restaurants this year. Atelier Vivanda will formally open its doors to the public on Tuesday, February 2nd, and it will surely draw long queues at the Forbes Town Center in the BGC right from its first day. After all, how many restaurants here can claim to have an actual Michelin-starred chef as its patron? Akrame Benallal, born in France of Algerian descent, is only 33 years old, but with two Michelin stars already in his pocket. He heeded the call of the kitchen when he was just

ATELIER VIVANDA IS A REINTRODUCTION TO FRANCE’S RUSTIC FARE. BUT UNCOMPLICATED DOES NOT MEAN ORDINARY.THIS BISTRO’S ELEGANCE LIES IN ITS SIMPLICITY.

14, he was already a restaurant apprentice. He eventually found his way to El Bulli, the five-time title holder of “World’s Best Restaurant”, and learned from Ferran Adria himself. When the time came to open his own showcase, Akrame took the opposite direction. El Bulli was famous for its molecular gastronomy and is regarded as one the most groundbreaking and most influential restaurants ever. But Atelier Vivanda takes a 180 degree turn by focusing on a simple food pairing: meat and potatoes. It’s classic French bistro fare, but prepared exceptionally well, as only a master could. A meal at Atelier Vivanda

Atelier Vivanda is located at Forbes Town Center, Burgos Circle, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, 663-0756; ateliervivanda.com

potatoes cooked in a skillet, infused with brie. Then take your time, no need to rush through the courses. Then finish with a classic French dessert, a crème brûlée or a pistachio financier. There are many more options for each of the courses, but a meal here follows the same simple formula always: la formule = l’entrée + l’viande + l’accompagnement + le dessert. I also love the fact that this restaurant breaks another French stereotype. Vivanda has its own signature ketchup blend, redolent of berries, that’s unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. And that bottle of peppery olive oil in your table? You’ll want to douse everything with it, and then purchase another bottle to take home. The restaurant has four young French chefs trained by Chef Akrame. In a way, he’s training them in the same rigorous way he’s had, readying them for the tremendous responsibility of working towards their own Michelin stars. I’m confident that they will. And I’m even more convinced that Atelier Vivanda will add one more bright shining star to our Philippine flag.

LET'S EAT — February 2016

a heart made of icing

LET'S EAT — February 2016

BY APA AGBAYANI

ILLUSTRATION BY JL JAVIER

The romantic subtexts of an innocuous cheesecake and the homespun wisdom of the art of baking

don’t know who Chantal is, but I suppose I should thank her. Seven years ago, on a whim, and possibly to impress a sweet-toothed crush, I decided I’d bake a cheesecake. Google suggested Chantal’s New York Cheesecake, which came with encouraging user comments such as, “This is a perfect recipe, and if it fails for you, it’s your fault, not the recipe’s.” As promised, the recipe was perfect; the crush, not so much. At least I had the cake. Now it’s the only one I know how to bake, and it’s become a sort of default gift for people I’ve loved enough to deserve it.

I’ve done a handful of variations in the time since, playing around with the toppings for added subtext: Meiji Apollo (calling back to childhood), Benguet blueberries (playing on expectations), green tea Kit Kat (trying something trendy), and sometimes someone’s name, lovingly stenciled with muscovado (saying, “Look, I made the effort”). A cake somehow makes for a perfect vessel for your feelings, innocent or otherwise. It’s the gift you make for your best friend’s mom or the treat you offer by the slice to the boy or girl you can hardly work up the nerve to talk to.

WHEN YOU BAKE, THERE’S A PART OF YOU THAT GOES INTO THE CAKE. YOU STRESS OVER EVERY MINUTE DETAIL OF THE PROCESS, THEN YOU MUST GIVE IT AWAY WITHOUT TASTING IT.

I’ve learned to appreciate the singular wisdom bakers possess. I suppose there’s something in the hours of focused labor, the tactile experience, and the attunement to process—something that builds patience and generosity, yet is in itself cathartic. It’s why Keri Russell powered through her emotional turmoil in Adrienne Shelly’s Waitress by baking autobiographical pies (e.g. the Pregnant, Miserable, Self-Pitying Loser Pie, or the I Can’t Have No Affair Because It’s Wrong and I Don’t Want Earl to Kill Me Pie). It’s why Tori Amos goes to a baker to help her make sense of a romance she can’t quite tell is doomed in the song “Baker Baker.” Because a baker knows that, often, to make sense of the intangible, you must make something you can hold with your hands and say for certain is real. A baker knows the parts that make a whole, and can pinpoint the ingredients you’re missing, or the steps you bungled and rushed through.

There’s a lot to learn from these proverbial bakers. When you bake, there’s a part of you that goes into the cake. You stress over every minute detail of the process, then you must give it away without tasting it. You don’t know whether anyone will like it, but you surrender and hope for the best. If it fails, you’re left with nothing, maybe even less than you had at the start. No wonder Donna Summer was so disappointed you left her cake out in the rain. In making, we make ourselves vulnerable. And while that’s terrifying, you can’t write a song with no intention of playing it. You can’t bake a cake with no intention of feeding it to anyone. So I keep baking for the ones I love, making and remaking Chantal’s recipe, hoping there is something in what I make that makes me worth loving. Sometimes the recipe for the cake is perfect, and if it fails, maybe it is your fault. Or maybe they just prefer ice cream.

LET'S EAT — February 2016

ILLUSTRATED BY MANO GONZALES

The Sword in the Stone

ILLUSTRATED BY MANO GONZALES

The sublime pairing of wagyu beef and Japanese whiskey take center stage in Buta + Wagyu

n our dense, overdeveloped cities, there are hardly any options for long romantic walks under the trees in a breezy park. So we’re happy with the next best thing: long romantic walks under the signages in an air-conditioned mall. These monoliths have been the default date destinations in Metro Manila for decades now. Not that there’s anything really wrong with that: under one roof, there are numerous food, movie, and family-friendly entertainment choices. My problem is, I’m a bit claustrophobic and agoraphobic, so I don’t really enjoy the feeling of being in the middle of a milling crowd in a windowless structure. But I have found a solution, and it’s a restaurant called Buta + Wagyu. I love it because it’s located in a park; that is, on a sky park on the topmost level of SM Aura. This new restaurant that specializes in my two favorite proteins: pork and beef, I can actually enjoy them with the wind on my face and the sun in my eyes. It’s an elegant place with a very inviting al fresco area, aside from its two main dining areas. The first has a more traditional set-up, perfect for large groups,

LET'S EAT — February 2016 03

1 Tonkotsu Ramen 2 Chashu Pork Buns 3 Stone Grill Wagyu Ribeye

and right across the walkway, an excellent option for one-on-one encounters: a Korean and Japanese themed bar where luxurious versions of both countries’ signature dishes are paired with some of the best whiskies in the world. The Korean component is from broadcaster Grace Lee, whose grandmother escaped from North Korea just in time to settle her family in the South. Born in Seoul and raised in Manila, her granddaughter has quietly established herself as a significant mover in the restaurant scene. Buta + Wagyu is one of four in her growing portfolio. Her recipes, handed down from generations, are elevated versions of her grandmother’s and mother’s home cooking. Her chashu pork buns are bestsellers, and her bibimpap, nutty with its crisp toasted socarrat—the crunchy rice that gets toasted at the bottom of the bowl—is a cozy bowl of comfort, leveled up with a bright orange yolk organic egg and A5 wagyu beef trimmings. The Japanese component comes from Grace and her partners’ shared love for dining well. All of them are prominent in their fields: Mike Yiu is in the bespoke furniture business, and siblings Wes and Willyn Villarica, respectively, a photographer/film producer and renowned jeweler. All quite accomplished, and all of them, along with Chef Jerome Lim,

THE HIGHEST GRADE WAGYU, ALL IMPORTED FROM J A P A N , A R E I N T E N S E LY MARBLED TENDER CUTS BALANCED BY ITS OWN NATURAL, MUSCULAR FLAVORS absolute steak aficionados. So when they decided to put up a restaurant together, it had to serve only the best of the best. The highest grade Wagyu, all imported from Japan, from the Shiga, Kagoshima, and Saga prefectures. Intensely marbled tender cuts balanced by its own natural, muscular flavors.

Buta + Wagyu is located at 5/F SM Aura, McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig; 946-7262; butawagyu.com

The wagyu can be sampled on a stone grill, or as I prefer, served simply steamed, with the barest sprinkling of salt. It’s the purest, most exquisite way to enjoy beef of this quality, directly connecting cattle ranchers to eager diners, farm to table, from Japan to the Philippines. Only one thing can make this meal better, really. A glass of Hibiki 17, and as it turns out, Buta + Wagyu has that too.

LET'S EAT — February 2016 01

PRECYNCT IS WHERE YOU’LL FIND THE BEST KAYA TOAST IN THE CITY: A SLAB OF HOME BAKED BRIOCHE IN A RICH BEURRE NOISETTE, SHOWERED WITH TOASTED GRATED COCONUT, AND SINGAPORE’S FAMOUS SEMISWEET COCONUT JAM.

he Grove isn’t the easiest place to get to, nor to find. It’s right across Tiendesitas, but you’ll have to take a roundabout route to reach it. But believe me; it’s worth the aggravation and the winding roads that Waze will lead you through, because you’ll end up in Precynct, where you’ll find the best kaya toast in the city. A hefty slab of home baked brioche, steeped

1 Condensed Milk Ice Cream 2 Kaya Toast 3 Bitter Burnt Better 4 Beef & Tonic, Proud Bloody Mary, Elderflower Gin Tonic

in a rich beurre noisette, showered with toasted grated coconut, and slathered thickly with Singapore’s famous semi-sweet coconut jam. It’s an almost intimidating serving, but you may decide not to share after taking the first bite. The diverse textures meld into a decadent singularity of a dessert. Chef Dolly Menghani has created the most convincing, compelling argument to brave the C5 traffic. Well, that and her sriracha fried chicken, too. While it’s technically not a sweet, it is prepared with Bukidnon honey, so have it as a meal ender, why not? At Precynct, you can come for the food and craft coffee, stay for the gin and tonics. Or vice versa. Either way,

bring a designated driver. You’ll want that friend to take you home while you enjoy the buzz from the botanicals from the backseat, as you chat away cheerfully after all the caffeine. The brews here are from Yardstick, that B2B firm with a solid consumer fan base that reveres the uncompromising quality of their velvety coffee. Proprietor Andre Chanco has exactly the same exacting standards for his cocktails. His G&Ts are sublime; so refreshing that you’re bound to forget that they’re alcoholic, and so pretty that you’ll just want to gaze at your glass. So why coffee and gin under one roof? It may seem surprising, but really, it’s not. Both, while seemingly simple, are actually full of nuances. And both, as Andre will tell you—a good gin and a good coffee—take on identical characteristics: tasty, complex, and aromatic.

Precynct is located at G/F The Grove by Rockwell, C5, Pasig; (0917) 779-7978; precynct.com

LET'S EAT — February 2016

Little Boy Blue WORDS BY SPANKY HIZON ENRIQUEZ

PHOTOS BY GABBY CANTERO

Sweets, craft coffee, and a hefty concoction of gin and tonics—Precynct gives plenty of good reasons to brave the C5 traffic 19 04

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