Burgs & an Alsace @ Old Manila.

The Stockbroker, Doc and I had lunch recently at Old Manila. We three used to do these wine lunches every other week back in late '04 to around sometime in '07 or '08. It was usually in either Tivoli or Old Manila, sometimes in RED or Pepato back then. It's been quite a while since the last one, so, when the Stockbroker called for one sometime last week (he wanted to get together before he left to run the Médoc Marathon), I made sure to be available for it.

Old Manila now has a very reasonably-priced Businessman's Lunch Menu that changes frequently. If I recall correctly, it's only around P900++ for 2 courses (appetizer and main course) or P1250++ for 3 courses (appetizer, main course and dessert). Doc and the Stockbroker, both more health-conscious than I, went for 2 courses, while I included dessert which was a light(ish) fruit and ice cream based one anyway (sorry, no photo of my dessert as I ate it before remembering to take one).

Tuna Tartare Salad

2007 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Muscat Goldert - The Stockbroker's bottle. This grand cru designated Alsatian wine presented an unabashed and immediately captivating, moderately spicy perfume of wild honey, grape juice, bit of peach, slight orange rind, slight honeysuckle, orange blossom and slight, but still distinctive, distinctive muscat "muskiness". The wine mirrored its nose on the palate save for the overt honey-sweetness (this was vinified as a dry wine after all), though the usual Zind Humbrecht residual sugar level is still easily noticeable. Gracefully medium-bodied with notable depth in fruit, brightness and acid balance - this easily held my attention for a couple of glasses alone and with the appetizer. One of the better muscats I've had. This is readil available at Premium Wine Exchange at P2600/bottle full retail. At that price, I'd hit it.

Braised Beef Cheeks - this was particularly well-prepared and especially wine-friendly.

2000 Domaine Bernard Dugat-Py Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St-Jacques - The Stockbroker's bottle, from a famous artisanal producer, this is a very small production 1er cru bottling apparently. Unfortunately,this bottle was corked, albeit mildly. Too bad, as it presented a very promising and interesting visage.

1995 Domaine Hudelot-Noellat Grand Cru Clos Vougeot - Doc's bottle. What struck me most is the depth of fruit (black cherry, raspberry, hint of candied tamarind and ripe rhubarb) complexed by a slight pine needle topnote and somewhat darkly, well integrated, subtly-spiced oak and undertones of violets, ceps and worn leather. Quite ripe, this showed notable concentration and extraction. I believe this wine is transitioning as I could detect the beginnings of whistfully romantic Burgundy decay. Although already enjoyable, I do not believe there is any rush to open these.

Doc rushed off as I was having my dessert, so the Stockbroker and I continued chatting about his coming trip to Bordeaux. My bottle of 2002 Louis Jadot Nuits St-Georges 1er Cru Boudots, thus, went back in my wine bag to await another day. Great getting together for lunch again in one of our old haunts. It's been way too long.

Saturday Night Mamou.

Dinner last night (Saturday, the 4th September 2010) was at Mamou with Catha and our 3 boys. It's been far too long since we've been here. I and good friend Booze make pretty darn good steaks, so we usually make our own at our homes. However, with all due respect to Metro Manila restaurants that serve good steaks, Mamou has long been my and my family's favorite, and the following are the reasons why.

Fuet & Cheese with Honey; Healdsburg Salad...

Mamou's Bacon (always have to get 2 of these)

No meal at Mamou is complete without a good bottle of wine, so I brought along one that I knew would go well with the steaks: 1995 Bodegas La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 - I've written about this wine so often, I will forego repeating myself here. Suffice it to state that its solid structure, pure, lush and well-focused Riojan fruit laced with notes of balsamico, cedar, leather and earth make it a fine match indeed for Mamou's steaks. Enough said.

Spaghetti Bottarga

A note here: Mamou's Spaghetti Bottarga is very good, I make that clear. However, I personally prefer Tippi's version at Masseto as the bottarga's flavor is more prominent. Catha and Doc (the latter was the one who recommended that I try Mamou's version for purposes of comparison), though, favor Mamou's subtler take on the dish.

Catha enjoying the healthiest part of our meal.

Dry-Aged US Prime Grade T-Bone

The dry-age treatment is readily apparent from the buttery texture and the telltale nutty, slightly gamey and cheesy flavor of the rich meat. Very nice.

US Prime Grade Bone-In Rib-Eye

When Mamou was in its first year of operation, I loved the place since it was one of the very rare Metro Manila restaurants that actually knew how to serve its steaks properly rare (and nicely charred outside). I must note, however, that the last couple of times I was there, though I ordered my steaks rare as usual, they came virtually medium. I didn't make a fuss either time as I was already quite hungry and didn't want to wait for them to change the steaks. Unfortunate. Meat this quality should be served medium-rare at the very most. Still, we enjoyed them well enough (but would've enjoyed them more properly rare-to-medium rare).

Steak Rice (White), 4 orders.

Corn Pudding, 2 orders.

Teen-Ager Appetites, 2 orders.

For dessert, we had a couple of orders of Key Lime Pie with the mandatory Schlag for Catha and the second. The first had some Home-Made Vanilla Gelato (which he ate before I could photograph), while I had an order of the Dark Chocolate Gelato.

Surprisingly, the third opted out of dessert saying he was too full (his main course was the Duck Adobo Flakes with Scrambled Eggs and Rice which I also forgot to photograph).

He did order a Mamou T-shirt instead and immediately tried it on (he will, obviously, have to grow into it though we got him the smallest size available). The second got one too as he has most likely outgrown the ones we got them before.

Stuffed to the gills, we wandered down to Bonifacio High Street, got the kids some books at Fully Booked and the second and I got some Chai Lattés from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (no more espressos for me at night, and, the second swore chai lattés make him sleepy). I slept soundly that night, so he's probably right.

Ok, so maybe the steaks weren't properly rare again at Mamou, but, that said, they were still pretty damn good steaks. We'll be back for sure*.

*Disclosure: Mamou is owned by Oye & Malou Fores. Oye was a schoolmate of mine and Malou was a schoolmate of Catha's. Those factors have nothing to do with my post though. We pay for our meals there. All those dishes I posted on can speak for themselves most eloquently. All one has to do is try them out.

Burgers, Wine & Ale @ Elbert's.

Yesterday's lunch (3rd September 2010) was at Elbert's Steak Room with some of the Usual Suspects: Aaron, Arnie, J-Lab, Miguel, Rene & myself. Miguel arranged things with Elbert to ensure we got the private room and a lot of the good stemware. Aaron and I came from a meeting so all the others were there by the time we arrived.

Miguel & Rene

No special menu that day, we just ordered from the regular Elbert's Lunch Sets with some getting the Open-Faced Roast Beef Sandwiches, Burgers, Cheese Steaks, Etc. These lunch sets come with a choice of soup or salad (I opted for the salad) and dessert - I think these are really good value-for-money sets.

Naturally, there were a lot of wines: cava, rosé and several reds, among them a 2004 Roda I Reserva from Aaron, a 1998 CVNE Imperial Gran Reserva from Miguel, a 2003 Au Bon Climat Knox Alexander Pinot Noir, etc. - all very good wines. For some reason, however, I simply had to have some Rogue Juniper Pale Ale with my burger, so I ordered a couple of bottles of this for myself. I find its smoothly rounded, medium-bodied, bracing, slightly bitter fruitiness so flavorful, dangerously drinkable yet light on the belly. Definitely a good accompaniment to a burger, whereas I feel more than a bit guilty drinking fine wines with simple fare like burgers (like this is not showing proper respect to fine wines).

In any event, I did have a sip or two of Miguel's bottle of 1991 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva with my burger, I reserved the rest of my glass and subsequent pours for after my meal. I've written about this wine so many times since I first tried it at Restaurante Echaurren, so I need not elaborate further on this (to me) excellent specimen of very traditional Riojan red. It's really too good for burgers, though, in my opinion.

Of course, with all the wines, my beer and food, conversation naturally devolved into the usual teasing and joking around (very off-color in Arnie's case, but that is always to be expected).

Arnie & J-Lab

I'm really watching my alcohol intake these days, so, I limited myself to Aaron's cava, Mig's Rioja and my 2 bottles of pale ale; I didn't partake of the other wines. I don't think Aaron had much either, as he was working intermittently on his laptop - that is until the rest of us harassed him into stopping.

Very fun, casual lunch though. It was one of the very rare occasions I preferred beer over wine with my meal. I still love wine above all other drinks, make no mistake, but, on such rare occasions, a good beer is more in order.

1987 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco.

This bottle was sent to me in Manila by the producer - all the way from its cellars in Rioja. It was a replacement for a corked bottle I purchased in Barcelona this past April 2010. I didn't ask for the flawed bottle to be replaced. On the contrary, when they offered to replace it, I told them it wasn't necessary, but they sent me one anyway. How's that for customer service?

In any event, I opened this during yesterday's (2nd September 2010) lunch at Ciçou with Miguel A. & Patrick R. (Patrick didn't drink though, just Miguel and I). With courses of Crab Raviolo Cooked in Tarragon Broth, Mashed Spinach, Tempura of Vegetables, and, Papillotte of Red Mullet, Shrimp and Cuttle Fish Fricassée, Chestnuts, Bruxelles Sprouts, White Wine Velouté...

1987 R. López de Heredia Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva Blanco - 90% viura and 10% malvasía, aged 9½ years in oak and 10 or so more years in bottle before release. The producer, as I have mentioned before, is the most traditional in Rioja, steadfastly sticking to their old, traditional style, never compromising their craft to accommodate the tastes of even the most influential critics. Maria José López de Heredia put their wine-making philosphy very succinctly when she said "We will die with our boots on."

If I could use only 2 words to describe this wine, it would be "complex" and "particular". It just kept opening more, gaining more complexity and a little weight as it sat in the glass and warmed up a bit. Intricate and subtle bouquet of white flowers, bit of lavender, lemon drop, orange rind, whisper of almond (the malvasía?), white minerality, vanilla, clove, whisper of oxidation, etc. Never "big" or "explosive", this is a study in depth and propriety - much more an intellectual than a hedonistic wine to be sure. On the palate, it is bone dry, smooth, medium in body and acidity, mirroring the bouquet's complexity. Everything about this wine is correct. Balance is exceptional.

Like the Viña Tondonia Gran Reserva tintos, this is quite particular; one, to my mind, much better suited to confirmed aficionados of traditional blancos Riojanos, or, at the very least, more experienced winos. This is no "tutti-frutti" wine. Those who prefer sweetish, fruit forward, lavishly oaky whites are better off looking elsewhere. Me? I really like it. Miguel did too. It went very well with both the afore-mentioned seafood-based courses - the first one in particular to me.

Dinner @ Home: Cavas, Rioja & Napa.

Another recent dinner at home with family and longtime friends was all cavas and a couple of reds. I do enjoy cavas very much. True, many I've tried seem to exhibit jutting grassy, at times green-beany (haricots verts, in particular) notes, but I've been enjoying some locally available, higher bottlings from Freixenet that I even prefer to some locally available non-vintage champagnes. Not only are good cavas notably fresh, fun and light (and, thus, well-suited for our warm weather), they offer very good value for money and don't give me hangovers as well.

For pica-picas, we had:

Blini w/ Smoked Salmon, Sour Cream & Red Caviar

Jamón Serrano, Salami Milano, Grapes & Livarot

Chistorras

Morcilla con Arroz

Reblochon & Chèvre

These were washed down with a few bottles of a cava that I enjoyed a few times before, and, most recently, around a week-and-a-half ago at Miguel's advanced birthday lunch.

2004 Freixenet Cuvée D.S. Gran Reserva Brut Cava - So named after Dolores Sala, a former president of the giant Freixenet conglomerate, this special gran reserva cuvée started being produced in 1969 and is made only in exceptional years. The 2004 is only the 17th bottling of Cuvée D.S. since inception. This cava displays a very fine, persistent mousse, more and readily apparent depth to its fresh, dry white fruit and has a notably firmer structure as compared to most all other cavas I've had. There is also a good deal of complexity to this, all the while maintaining a bright, fun and exuberant personality. This is locally available from ADP Industries, the exclusive Philippine distributor of Freixenet.

I could drink this all night - and we actually did - through the pica-picas, with the soup, salad, fish course - switching to reds with the meat course - and returning for more after dessert.

The Food

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Sole Meunière

There was also Catha's Salad with Feta Cheese, Olives, Grapes & Caramelized Pili Nuts, but I forgot to take a photo of it. As mentioned earlier, several of us (notably Ken, Tonji, Maxie, Maricel and Sylvia) continued with the cava throughout the foregoing dishes.

We then switched to the reds with the meat course of...

Medium-Rare US Angus Roast Beef.

2006 Robert Mondavi Winery Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve - This was a gift from Rocky & Apple last Apple was here. I thought of opening it since Boozze. confirmed Napa-head that he is, said he'd bring (and did, in fact, bring) a bottle of 2006 Beaulieu Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon Georges de Latour Private Reserve (which we didn't get to that night). Due to its youth, I decanted the 2006 Mondavi CS Reserve for around 2 hours before service.

This was surprisingly ready for business considering how very young it is. Yes, it is typically Napa in its marked ripeness, concentration, density, heft and full-body, but, like several other Mondavi CS Reserves (notably the 2001 for me), but it is also distinctive in its sleek, clean lines, freshness, comparative refinement, harmony and notable balance. Crème de cassis, black cherry, bit of ripe raspberry, dark/ripe plum underbelly, touches of mocha, licorice, chocolate, violets and well-knit/moderately creamy oak/vanilla. Acidity was just enough to balance the wine. Very nice with the steak, it was a rich-on-rich pairing.

1995 Bodegas La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 - I've been enjoying this so much lately, I simply had to open another with the roast beef. My most recent notes on this were as follows:

1995 La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 890 - This wine I've posted on several times in the past few months (most recently here) so it is no secret how much I love this wine - so elegant and expressive with great typicity. Since I've written about it last just over a week ago, there is no need to repeat myself. Besides, the entire stock of PWX of this sold out almost immediately (at P6500/bottle SRP), so no more is currently/locally available. The Stockbroker said PWX may likely try to get more stock though. The last several bottles have been set aside for the coming event.

It is, thus, no secret how much I love this wine: its focus, purity, structure, remarkable balance; the way its seductive cedar-balsamic notes exquisitely intertwine with the clean, slightly red-spiced cherry, dark raspberry and underlying blackcurrant, leather and violets, etc. Tonji, who takes his time with his wine like I do, couldn't help muttering every so often how good it was. Just a few notches over medium-bodied, but firmly structured, it's acidity was on point and cut through the roast beef's richness perfectly. Loved it then, love it now. Excellent specimen of a Rioja.

The Desserts

Yulo's Strawberry Cake

Yulo's Turtle Pie & Cuerva's Mango Torte

After the desserts, I re-poured some more of the Freixenet Cuvée D.S. and I recall Ken and a few of others returned to the cheeses and grapes with it. After the 3rd bottle was killed, I switched to the equally good but slightly less dry Freixenet Elyssia Gran Cuvée Brut - another locally available favorite cava of mine which I drink very often at La Tienda. For some reason, I simply must have this with Javi's chistorras. We managed to go through two more bottles of this before the dinner's eventual end past 2:30 am.

Wonderful evening with lots of stories, laughter and wines well into the morning after with family and longtime close friends. Evenings like these are precious indeed. Until the next....

Dinner @ Home for Tita Rose.

Dinner of the 24th August 2010 was for Tita Rose, Miguel's mom, who so graciously hosted Catha and I at her home in Barcelona for several days in March and April 2010. Even when we were planning this dinner back then, Tita Rose made it clear that she would like to have Filipino cuisine. Of course, we were more than happy to oblige.

With Tita Rose on this trip was her sister, Tita Amen, who was the one who was able to get Catha and I a reservation at 3 Michelin star Restaurante Arzak (San Sebastian) with just a few days' notice - certainly no mean feat. Besides them and, of course, Miguel & Ria, longtime friends Beto & Teresa joined us (Beto being a cousin of Tita Rose and Tita Amen on the Cacho side). It had been a long time since Beto & Teresa came over for dinner, so this was a nice little reunion.

Beto, Teresa, Tita Rose, Catha, Ria, Tita Amen & Miguel

Though we had discussed some of the dishes with Tita Rose back in Barcelona, I double-checked the menu with Miguel a few days before to make sure Tita Rose would enjoy. We started off with appetizers of Blini with Smoked Salmon, Sour Cream & Red Caviar washed down with Miguel's bottle of a sauvignon blanc that Tita Amen favors (Tita Rose gave up drinking alcohol a while back). We then moved onto the first red and, eventually, seated ourselves for dinner proper.

The Food

Lumpiang Sotanghon w/ Crab Meat, Minced Prawns Served with Carrot & Singkamas (Jícama) Relish

Chili-Garlic Prawns

Crispy Tadyang ng Baka (Beef Ribs)

We also had some Pinangat (a version of "laing" from my dad's hometown of Daraga, Albay) - which is a packet of young gabi (Taro) leaves stuffed with pork (sometimes shrimp or fish) and simmered in first-press coconut cream with green chilis - and, of course, Garlic Fried Rice.

The Wines

2007 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Spätlese - I opened this with the Chili-Garlic Prawns in mind, figuring its clean, pure, light-footed, graceful, off-dry, white minerally, slate-touched pear, bit of peach, apricot, quince, bit of kiwi and slight ripe pineapple notes would balance off the dish's spiciness. It was a good call resulting in a good match (if I do say so myself). Eminently drinkable wine this, and it is available at Premium Wine Exchange for around P2400/bottle more or less. This was my last bottle of it, and I'm definitely getting more.

1995 Bodegas Campillo Rioja Gran Reserva - Pretty much consistent with the last couple of bottles I've had, it showed good depth of nicely concentrated, macerated black cherry, bit of kirsch and ripe raspberry with undertones of cedar, sweet tobacco, mildly toasty vanilla/oak, licorice, violets and whispers of cinnamon. Plush and soft, it has a notable heft mid-palate and good push (it somehow reminded me of a red from Ribera del Duero). The tannins are rounded, soft and velvety. Beto opined that this was a wine for food.

1997 Bodegas La Rioja Alta Gran Reserva 904 - Of all the times I've had this wine, this was by far the best bottle. The perfumed scents of balsamico and cedar sweetly permeated the red and dark spice-touched pure, dark cherries, strawberries, raspberries and violets. A firm balancing acidity as a backbone kept things interesting throughout. The poise, structure and balance called Médoc to mind, yet I also had to agree with Beto's comment that its flavors were Burgundian in nature (something the Stockbroker, Doc, Eric and I have, in the past, noted in fine, aged Riojan tintos - particularly the 1976 López de Heredia Viña Bosconia Gran Reserva and the 1974 Contino Reserva).

Remarkable balance, poise, finesse, expressiveness and typicity. I loved this wine. Miguel pointed out it was a wine to sip through the night alone or with some cheese. Luckily, it is now locally available at Premium Wine Exchange at a little under P4000/bottle.

Desserts, brought by Beto & Teresa, were Frozen Brazo de Mercedes and Mango Torte (which I forgot to photograph). Fruits were sampaloc (a local tamarind that Tita Rose likes) and mangosteen.

Chamomile tea for me after - no more espressos at night. Alka Seltzer for Miguel.

It was great seeing everyone again, especially Tita Rose and Tita Amen back here in Manila. Very fun evening. Hopefully, we can do this again soon.