Blackbird

Sticky date pudding

US Prime Ribeye 

Spiced grilled chicken with dal and brinjal -- my mom's favorite!

Apple nougatine tart with burnt butter ice cream

Prawn scotch eggs and betel leaves with coconut chili sambal - a MUST everytime!

Burnt butter and vanilla seed ice cream, chocolate brownie, candied popcorn, salted caramel -- very much like ABC Kitchen's caramel sundae dessert although I like the latter better

I think I've found my favorite restaurant in Manila. In the two and a half weeks that I was home, I visited Blackbird a total of five times--and two out of those five occasions were the last two days I had left at home--and have probably sampled the entire menu.

A bit of a background--Blackbird is helmed by Scottish chef Colin MacKay who is also behind classics like Sala, Sala Bistro, and People's Palace. If that repertoire doesn't say anything about the quality of Blackbird, then imagine the food being a fusion of all three restaurants but more heavily influenced by Southeast Asian flavors. The location is in Nielson Tower--a historic structure that dates back to World War II when it was used first as the US Far East Air Force Headquarters, next as the Japanese headquarters during their occupation in the 1940s, and then used by Philippine Airlines a few years later as the port of entry to the Philippines until its relocation. Fast forward to 2014, it is now Blackbird, which preserves all of the Nielson Tower's history and transformations. Perhaps that is why it almost makes you feel like you are not in Manila.

I highly recommend Blackbird to anyone, especially regulars of Sala and People's Palace. Just when you thought Chef Colin MacKay's food could not get any better--it does--and I honestly think this is his finest work yet. If you go for dinner (they offer a day/brunch menu, too), start off with their cocktails and be sure to order the prawn scotch eggs (amazing!!) and twice-cooked short ribs for appetizers. As for the rest of the meal--keep coming back to try everything and you will not be disappointed.

I cannot wait to be back.

Black Sheep

Here goes a throwback to that December meal at Black Sheep. I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this place--a single malt whisky bar and modern gastronomy restaurant--before trying it out myself. 

I don't think I've ever agreed with a quote as much as I did when I saw these words on the table. I really believe that being open-minded to and appreciating all types of food is important. It's a privilege to be able to eat well and feed yourself good food--and by good food I don't just mean fine-dining because there are tons of great street food, hole-in-the-wall finds, and, most importantly, home-cooked food.

So anyway, I will let the pictures do the talking. We decided to try the 4-course set menu they had available at the time:

So, which came first, the chicken or the egg? Above is a chicken wing glazed in dark beer, salmon roe, and orange & Cointreau foam. It didn't taste like chicken so it was really a palate teaser.

Next up was a seafood soup composed of butter poached scallops with wakame garlic and brown butter, blood clams cured in vinegar with clam broth. I really liked the soup and actually finished it in 3 slurps, partly because it was good but mostly because it was THAT little. 

Steamed prawns with prawn maltose, prawn dumpling with prawn head, peanuts, and coconut and prawn spring roll with prawn head togarashi mayonnaise.

Kitayama wagyu striploin - grade 6 wagyu, sousvide and finished with torch, beef jus, crispy leeks, sorrel leaves, squid ink stained mashed potato. I really admired the presentation of this plate...it's actually a work of art. I'm not much of a steak person but I liked this dish better than my choice of main.

This was a 36-hour pork confit, confit chicken covered in leek ash, truffle sand, vinegar foam, and watermelon radish. Suffice to say, the most interesting part of the dish was the truffle sand.

Praline cake - coco glaze, praline mousse with dark chocolate and cake brownie, crispy praline base. I really liked the crushed barquillos used for the base of this cake!

Cigar cake: Cigar panna cotta in mint glaze with coffee sponge & coco nibs, singleton jelly. D said that he could really taste the smoky, cigar flavor in this dessert and could not stop eating it.

And just when we thought the meal was coming to a close, this bounty bowl of truffles and macarons was placed before us...

And my favorite out of the bunch...the foie gras rocher--foie gras rolled into white chocolate and candied walnuts. This was so rich, fudgy, and just an out-of-this world kind of tasty. I want to have it again and again and again. 

Overall, dessert stole the show while the rest of the savory dishes were nothing spectacular and unusually small in size. I've been back quite a few times since but for drinks with friends as opposed to dinner and I say--go for the drinks. What I do really like though is the personalized touch Black Sheep has -- the menu comes customized with your name on it and before you get up to leave, you are slipped a pretty lengthy hand-written thank you note.

Black Sheep
Penthouse of W Fifth Avenue
Corner 32nd and 5th
BGC, Taguig

Rambla

My family went a bit crazy at Rambla -- a Spanish Mediterranean restaurant by the owners of Las Flores (an old favorite). The difference is that its menu is more modern and uses gastronomy techniques. Although my parents have eaten here before, they still got too carried away ordering because they wanted us to try a variety of dishes. 

Burrata, pesto, red wine cherry tomato, arugula

Burrata is my all time favorite cheese. ALL TIME. 

Ricotta gnudis - seasonal mushroom sauce, rosemary & hazelnuts

The ricotta gnudis was so rich and tasty -- it was gooey and absorbed the mushroom sauce really well.

Foie gras mousse - caramelized apple, bailey's foam

This mousse is the kind that is best enjoyed with your eyes closed. It was that dreamy. I used it to spread on top of bread and sometimes would grab my fork to eat it alone. The incorporation of caramelized apple and coffee bailey's was genius.

Cod croquettes with bourbon vanilla

Catalan crispy flat bread - smoky aubergine, bell pepper, goat cheese

The crispy flat bread was probably the most 'meh' dish of the night.

Organic egg bomb butifarra with white beans cream

Their take on a scotch egg?  The photo does not do it justice but the yolk is actually very runny 

Empanadas foie gras and pineapple jam

Everyone agreed that the empanadas could be ordered for dessert -- which was exactly what R did when she visited the second time with friends. It was good but leaning more towards sweet than savory.

Slow crispy suckling pig with mustard sauce and bok choy

Tagliatelle "Al Negro Di Sepia" & scallops

Al dente squid ink pasta--so good! Just make sure you wash your teeth right after, hehe.

Baked cod fish - squid and pork sausage sauce

I am also a huge seafood lover and cod is one of my favorites. This and the sea bass below were delicious! Just LOOK at the presentation of the sea bass.

Grilled sea bass with clams & white beans

Inside out cannelloni - wagyu & smoked aubergine

I didn't get the point of the cannelloni. I don't know if my tastebuds were dysfunctional from too many flavors from the previous dishes or this just did not taste like anything.

Churros 

Mango-Banana involtinis with coconut and white peach

Dessert was underwhelming but most of the dishes hit the spot perfectly. I have never felt so stuffed in my entire life.

Rambla
G/F Joya Building, Joya Drive
Makati

La Girolle

What makes a restaurant experience even better is an open kitchen. I wish I could share a photo of La Girolle's chefs in action but R, M, and I were too mesmerized by all the kitchen activity that I had forgotten to take a photo. 

Cucumber courgette with goat's cheese

I used to think I would always and forever hate cucumbers, but this was an exception.

Surf and turf - hokkaido scallops and steak topped with foie gras 

Salmon and pancetta. So tasty!!

Note: This is an extremely late post and unfortunately (or actually, fortunately), La Girolle's menu changes monthly so I was not able to catch the exact details of each dish, hence the pretty description-less captions.

La Girolle
2nd floor Bleu Sapphire Building
30th and 2nd Avenue
Fort Bonifacio

Reminiscing Savoy Bistro

I stepped out of my apartment this morning and was greeted by a nice breeze. Finally, the city was cooling down and I could already imagine how lovely the walk to work from the station would be. I was so sure it would get a little warmer in the afternoon but little did I know that it would only get much, much colder! I knew I should've kept that cardigan I initially had on but hastily threw off as I ran out the door. 

So anyway, as I sat in the office slightly freezing my butt off and--as influenced by the cloudy and chilly weather--more sluggish than ever, I suddenly remembered that great NYTimes article on nostalgia (read here) and one of my favorite quotes that I took away from it:

On cold days, or in cold rooms, people use nostalgia to literally feel warmer.

Interiors filled with famous paintings depicting traditional Filipino scenes

Savoy Bistro is housed inside an East Asian Gallery, which explains all the paintings, sculptures, and knick knacks that adorned the restaurant. This was a pre-Father's day dinner (hah!) and one of the last meals we had together as a family before I left home.

I've heard a lot about Savoy Bistro's bread. I could eat this alone and for a meal. It was that good.

Savoy cheese fondue - raclette & gruyere cheese with jam on serrano, olives, pickle, baguette

Mussels and Co - white wine and cream with sour dough multi grain bread

Tournedos Rossini - King of steaks served with pan-fried foie gras and truffle sauce

Cod special of the day 

Sole Fish Walewska in Lobster & Cognac Sauce - topped with asparagus and truffled mash potato

Irish Cream coffee to end the meal on a sweet note

I missed MNL today, but more than anything--chilly or warm weather--I miss being complete and with my family everyday! As much as I love independence, personal growth, challenges, and being more in tune with what I want and don't want in life, nothing beats being home. I'm far from being home for good--if that even happens--so for now, it's enough to know that  home will always be there for me.

Savoy Bistro
8479 Kalayaan Makati

Grace Park

The first thing that came to mind when I read the words "Grace Park" was Korean food. I admit this was a very stereotypical assumption so I was surprised to find photos of what looked like organic American food.

It turns out, Grace Park, a new-ish restaurant, is characterized by its farm-to-table concept. The interior is also very interesting -- there's a lot of mismatch with the cutlery and table setup and the overall design is kind of rustic yet also very chic. I like it.

Dalandan shakes! I don't know where this recent obsession came from and I'm a bit upset I only liked it now...why not when I was still permanently living in Manila? I think it's quite hard to mess up a dalandan shake, but these were really good. Those cups are actually ceramic, believe it or not, but the straws are made of paper. It felt a bit awkward drinking out of them (I only know one other restaurant that uses these kind of straws) but I suppose paper straws are appropriate for a restaurant that serves organic food.

 I forget what salad this is...which probably says a lot about it.

3-cheese meatballs

The platter looks pretty small but don't be fooled, this was a hefty serving. The meatballs were very hearty as they came smothered in cheese and swimming in a warm, creamy marinara sauce. The dish was accompanied by thickly cut slices of grilled bread, which means dipping is compulsory! This had to be my favorite part of the meal.

River prawns in anchovy butter

These prawns had massive heads, which is great if you love its the innards and juice. They even give you a little spoon to scoop out all that goodness. With that said, the amount of meat from the body left us hanging.

Fish of the day

Again, I forget what kind of fish this is but it's not because it was not memorable. I'm crazy over seafood so I liked it but we dined in Grace Park quite some time ago so some details escape me, which only means you'll have to try it out yourselves!

Grace Park
Ground Level, One Rockwell, Rockwell Drive
Rockwell Center Makati