Les Toques Blanches (Phils.)'s Charity Dinner by Visiting Chef Tony Khoo.

Last night, the 6th August 2012, Catha and I braved the rain and floods to make our way to Brasserie Ciçou for Les Toques Blanches Philippines' Charity Dinner, the menu of which was created and executed by visiting Chef Tony Khoo of Singapore (Executive Chef of the Year in the 2011 Asian Gastronomic Awards of Excellence).

Coming from an afternoon meeting in Pasay City, it took me an hour to get back to my Makati office to pick up Catha - making me hesitate to push through with attending the subject dinner considering the rains, floods, and rush hour traffic. Cyrille sent me a text saying everybody else would be late and that they would wait for us to arrive, so we proceeded to San Juan - and I'm glad we did. With Catha, Cyrene de la Rosa, and Nana Ozaeta, we were four at our table.

The Menu & 1st Course

The turnout was impressive despite the inclement weather. The place was packed, everyone poured glasses of fresh, bright Champagne Taittinger Brut NV as welcome drinks and to go with the 1st course of...

...Tony Khoo's signature Sturgeon Caviar on Crustacean Infusion & Riesling Jelly.

Next was my and several others' dish of the evening, the 2nd course of Live Sea Urchin with Foie Gras Custard, paired with a pleasantly ripe and slightly off-dry, typically lychee and peach noted 2009 Domaine Hugel Gewürztraminer. Pretty good for an entry-level gewürz, and a nice pairing for the dish (nb: gewürztraminer with foie gras is a typical/regional pairing in/of Alsace).

The 3rd course was an Emulsion of Parsnip Milk Bath with Smoked Salmon & Tobiko Roe. Though pleasant enough, it was my least favored dish of the evening, and I wasn't the only one. Comments were made that the parsnip's flavor didn't come out enough and that the quality of the smoked salmon left something to be desired. With this I opted to have no wine.

The 4th course was the meat course, namely, Wagyu Beef Cheeks & Tendon En Croute with Autumn Vegetables and Madeira Pepper Sauce. This was my second favorite dish of the night, one of the best preparations of beef cheeks I've ever had anywhere: deeply caramelized, melt-in-your-mouth tender, moist, wonderfully and earthily gelatinized by the beef tendons, the outer crust adding nice contrasting texture, the vegetables perfectly cooked, adding balance to the dish as a whole.

The pairing wine was the 2009 Plaisir de Siaurac (the 2nd wine of Château Siaurac of Bordeaux's right bank AOC Lalande de Pomerol, a stone's throw north from Pomerol). Very reticent, closed,  exposing its leathery, tobacco-laced, darkly plummy underbelly only with doggedly cruel swirling in glass. "Plaisir" is French for "pleasure". Unfortunately, for me, the wine did not nearly live up to its name. Robert Parker says it may be a sleeper of the vintage. It may as well just go on sleeping, but not in my cav.

The 5th course was dessert, a nice enough dish of Rosemary Honey Pear with Caramel Black Truffle Sauce & White Truffle Ice Cream. While all flavors were balanced and undoubtedly pleasing, the  white truffle ice cream's casing was much too hard and thick, making it difficult to cut without pieces jumping off the plate (I held mine and bit into it). None at the table, seasoned travelers and gourmands all, could really get the black truffle essence in the caramel puddles (summer truffles are better shaved than chopped). Still and all, I enjoyed it well enough.

The night's kitchen crew.

Chef Tony Khoo takes the floor.

Catha & Cyrene with Tony Khoo.

Also in attendance: Berck & Lisa Cheng, Alicia Sy, Katrina Limcaoco, Irene Yu, et al.

Photo by Cyrene de la Rosa.

Cyrille, knowing Catha, Cyrene, and my addiction to his signature Kouign Amann with Salted Caramel Ice Cream, had anticipated that we absolutely wouldn't leave Brasserie Ciçou without having any. Thus, we had a couple of orders of this gem of a dish from Britanny as a second round of dessert. Cups of coffee and double espresso brought an end to the dinner.

Congratulations to Les Toques Blanches, and, of course, many thanks, Cyrille! As always, until the next!

Rieslings, Craft Ale, Etc. with Thai Cuisine.

After a tiring work week during which I was completely dry of any form of alcohol, last night, the 3rd August 2012, was a much-needed break, enjoying dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant, Colin Mackay's People's Palace. Cyrene organized the dinner and got us reservations at The Blind Pig for after. Everyone brought bottles of wine and craft ale to share. We were 7 in all: Thea Ancheta, Cyrene de la Rosa, Alex Tiu, Sanju & Cutie Gopladas, Catha & myself. Tere, the other half of the Ancheta twins,  was supposed to join us, but had to back out at the last minute due to a late meeting. 

First of the many, many appetizers was the popular Crispy Catfish & Green Mango Salad, with which I started off with my bottle of...

Unibroue La Fin du Monde - an extremely highly-rated Belgian-style tripel produced in Quebec, Canada. I've written about this versatile ale several times, so there is no need to repeat myself anew. Suffice it to state that I make sure to maintain a ready stock of it at home, distributed locally and exclusively by Jimmyton Araneta's Global Beer Exchange. We had two 750ml bottles of this, one from me; the other courtesy of Thea.

I continued with more of this fine ale with the other appetizers, such as the hot-from-the-pan Vietnamese Style Fried Spring Rolls with Lettuce & Basil Leaves.

Everyone apparently had German rieslings in mind for the night's Thai dishes, as Cyrene, Sanju, Cutie and I wound up bringing bottles by Dönnhoff, Keller, Schaefer (all distributed by Premium Wine Exchange), and Müller Catoir.

2007 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Spätlese - My bottle, and always a crowd-pleaser. I pair this wine not only with German, Thai, Vietnamese, and Filipino dishes, but with Spaghetti alla Bottarga as well. My old notes from back in October 2010 show how very versatile this german riesling can be: 

2007 Dönnhoff Kreuznacher Krötenpfuhl Riesling Spätlese - I've gone through at least 3 or 4 bottles of this in the past 2½ months, having bought a few from Premium Wine Exchange back in August. Dönnhoff is widely recognized as the best producer of Germany's Nahe region (Rhineland-Palatinate). I've been a fan ever since I first tried their wines, and I can't recall a single wine from them that I did not enjoy. My last notes on this were from a dinner at home for Miguel's mom who was visiting from Barcelona:

 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.

With the spaghetti bottarga, and even with the salad, the wine was an excellent match, underscoring the inherent versatility of good German rieslings. Its crisp acidity and minerality lent lift and cut to the salad's creamy, slightly gamey cambozola, and, together with its pure, admirably focused off-dry fruit brought a bright, entertaining contrast to the bottarga's salty-savoriness.

2010 Dönnhoff Riesling Qba - A bottle each from Cyrene and I. This, a Qba, is, naturally, markedly drier and lighter in body than the pricier above-mentioned spätlese. It is, however, also pure, crisp, well-focused with Dönnhoff's always good acid balance. I actually prefer it with the sweeter Thai dishes. Usual Suspect Rene successfully paired this with Tita Bella's sweet-and-sour pork around a week ago, so I figured it would do nicely for the subject dinner. I was not mistaken. At a mere P1000 (after discount) at Premium Wine Exchange, this wine is a definite winner.

Prawn Crackers w/ Saté Dip.

More Crispy Catfish & Green Mango Salad

This Vietnamese Salad w/ Chicken was on special that night (not on the regular menu).

We easily polished off three orders of the Son-in-Law's Eggs appetizer. Even my kids love this, and it is one of Cyrene's favorite appetizers as well. We teased her that she, apparently, likes her eggs spicy and unwashed.

Of course, no Thai meal is complete without Pad Thai.

Crispy Water Spinach w/ Pork Belly

Spicy Pork & Green Peppercorns

Khao Soi Gai

Thea, in the background, is obviously enjoying her wine and food.

An even drier riesling was drank down: 2010 Weingut Keller Riesling Trocken - From Sanju & Cutie. Nice minerality to its dry green apple, slight lime and white peach notes; over-all quite a nice, basic trocken riesling. At the same price as the 2010 Dönnhoff Qba Riesling, this is a very good alternative for those who need a drier riesling for pairing.

Chicken in Pandan

Photo by Cyrene de la Rosa.

Domaine André et Mireille Tissot Indigène Crémant du Jura - Alex's bottle; one I last enjoyed 10 months ago during a wine lunch with Jerome Philippon at the Prince Albert. My notes from that time are still applicable:

We started off with some bubbly of course, the Domaine André et Mireille Tissot Indigène Crémant du Jura. I first tried this back in late November 2010. My notes then were as follows:

 Hmmm...probably my first bubbly from the Jura region that is not a predominantly poulsard-based Bugey Cerdon. Per Jérôme, this bio-dynamically produced bubbly is a champagnesque blend of chardonnay and pinot noir. Bright, vibrant and lively with well-focused, clean lines of soft, creamy apple, pear, white flowers, slight minerals and a whisper of caramel, this also presented an entertaining, underlying white chocolate- milkiness that I associate with pinot noir in young champagnes. Nice, entertaining and dangerously drinkable, this is a good and, at approximately P2500/bottle, more-or-less, full retail*, definitely affordably-priced alternative to champagne - perfect for Christmas get-togethers.

Now, almost a year later, this bubbly is as lively and charming as ever, its soft, pinot noir-milky, creamy fruit delightful to hold mid-mouth making it very easy to enjoy and drink a lot of. I actually had to hold myself back so as not to get quickly tipsy before lunch proper began. Fortunately, I did not have long to wait.

Said Crémant du Jura went quite nicely with the Beef Curry.

This Domaine de la Bongran Cuvée EJ Thévenet Quintaine Viré-Clessé, from Alex (I failed to note the vintage), was the sole chardonnay-based wine of the night. Pear, apple, vanilla, slight butter and honey nuances to the fruit, with a hint of underlying orange rind emerging in the finish. Nice balance, though the wine was a bit miscast for the evening's fare.

For dessert: Mango with Sticky Rice...

...and Colin's always superb Mango-Passion Fruit Pavlova.

Cheers!

Photo by Cyrene de la Rosa.

We all then moved to The Blind Pig for a few (several for some) harder drinks thereafter, where Jim joined in the fun. Great fun that night, which I really needed after the working week. Thanks again to Cyrene who made all the arrangements for the night. Until the next!

Saturday Night Tapas, Tasting, Etc. @ Terry's 2º Piso.

The evening of Saturday, the 28th July 2012, I took the family to Terry's 2º Piso. We hadn't seen JC de Terry since he left for vacation in Spain this past April, and, my youngest insisted on a Terry's dinner anyway. In addition, the previous week, JC asked if I would try out a new tinto Riojano for him, so the subject dinner was hitting 3 birds with one stone.

We had made reservations for 7:30pm, and it's a good thing as the place was absolutely packed that night - mostly, like us, families out for a Spanish weekend dinner. The kids, as always, wanted their many favorites from the regular menu. Unless otherwise stated, we had 2 orders of each depicted dish.

Fresh Oysters!

Morcilla on Piggyback

Moderately Spicy Gulas al Ajillo

The Gambas al Ajillo were especially good that night - the shrimps exceptionally fresh, plump, and juicy. The kids massacred both orders (with bread, of course) very quickly.

Two orders of Setas (organic shiitake) al Ajillo con Jamón, one as above...

...the other topped with a couple of eggs just before serving, as I requested. Both delicious...

...mopped up with bread, washed down with chilled Bodegas Olarra Otoñal Rosado.

Nephew Zach with my two teenagers.

Jamón de Trevélez Gran Reserva

Croquetas de Tres Quesos

Prawn & Scallop Croquetas

Catha, Joaqi, & Zach

An order of Tortilla de Patatas for me - comfort food.

Morcilla

El Maestro, Juan Carlos (JC) de Terry, pours three reds for tasting...

...all from Bodegas Marqués de Legarda...

...2009 Crianza, 2007 Reserva, & 2001 Gran Reserva.

These tintos all presented old-school, Bordeaux-reminiscent austerity and poise, unlike the (sometimes) excessively (over-ripe) fruit-driven, overly-oaked caricatures of wine that seem to flood the global market these days. Unsurprisingly, JC later on informed us that this is an old-style producer, the manor of which dates back to the 11th century situated in La Rioja Alta between Haro and Logroño.

The 2009 Crianza is austere and reserved (surprising due to the vintage marked by hydric stress) I found quaffable enough, and Catha noted that it was ok with the morcilla. The 2007 Reserva is a notable step up, the wood ageing apparent in comparison, but well in check. The 2001 Gran Reserva is more than decent enough, but, then, vintage 2001 for Rioja is a fantastic one, so one expects a lot.

In all, these wines shared a trait of austerity and an underlying theme of licorice/slight balsamico/worn leather to their reserved, savory dark fruit. The oak-related spice levels gradually increase in prominence across the lines, but always well in check. The balance is apparent. Though I do favor reserved and austere reds (old-school left bank Bordeaux being my palate default setting), I cannot but help wish for a bit more concentration, depth, and palate-push in the fruit.

We did ask to purchase half a case of the 2001 Legarda Gran Reserva as a gift for my wife's uncle, Tito Chito Legarda (who I happen to play golf with), but, alas, it is not yet available in Manila. We did tell JC we'd get some of the 2001 Gran Reserva if/when it is made available though.

2001 Bodegas Marqués de Legarda Gran Reserva ¡Salud!

Catha is related to the Legardas on her mom's (Tuason) side. Aside from getting Tito Chito some bottles of the 2001 Gran Reserva as a gift, we should get a few for ourselves as well. I'd imagine the rest of the Legarda clan would like some too.

Crispy Bacalao

These piquillos stuffed with creamy, lightly gamey cheese, topped with chorizo were absolutely superb. Note that there are two versions of stuffed peppers on Terry's regular menu - the other stuffed with tuna. Both are good, no doubt, the latter obviously a healthier option; but, this one is a blast. Excellent. All of us loved them, and both orders disappeared in a trice.

JC then sent Joaqi a complimentary platter of Joselito Jamón Ibérico de Bellota Gran Reserva...

...which he grudgingly shared with us.

Everyone was already pretty stuffed by the time, but then platters of Shrimp Risotto, and...

...a hunk of US Black Angus Rib-Eye hit the table.

The kids somehow managed to do them justice though.

Joaqi & Zach.

Since Zach is glucose-challenged, and there was no Sugar-Free Chocolate Marquis available that night, we, instead, got him from the downstairs Terry's deli...

...some El Almendro Turrón Chocolate con Almendras Sin Azucares Añadidos.

The teenagers and I shared a regular Chocolate Marquis...

...while Joaqi had his usual Picatostes con Chocolate.

Yet another excellent meal at Terry's. ¡Ole! Until the next!