UPDATES

Chelsea 3.75 Cuillere 3.5

I already wrote on Chelsea and Cuillere...but I've eaten there several times again, that I just couldn't resist whipping out my camera and taking pictures of the other dishes that I've ordered. I won't describe the restos any further (just check the links provided above), but I will give some comments on the dishes. So far, Cuilliere will have to remain at 3.5 stars, while Chelsea will go up from 3 stars to 3.75 stars. The latter restaurant has gotten accustomed to its dishes, and is able to execute them well consistently. They have also expanded their menu to include separate sections for pizzas, pastas, cheeses, sandwiches and meats (ribs, chops & steaks). On the other hand, Cuillere has stayed the same. At least it hasn't gotten worse, either.

On CHELSEA:

The Chelsea 100% Pure Angus Beef Burger
P350.00
Beer battered Onion Rings/ BBQ Sauce/ Ginger-Lemon Mayonaise

It was a really good burger!!! The beer-battered onion rings topped the burger, and they were generous to include another side of thick-cut wedge fries. The meat was rich, and juicy and looked so appetizing with both sauces, jumbo tomato slice and onion rings. Orkun ordered this, and though I always chastised him for ordering dishes that are too "safe" (as a foreigner, he never tried venturing out into the more exotic dishes), these are one of the few "safe" dishes I didn't mind him ordering. I even finished off his fries, dipping it it in the yummy tangy mayo. The prie isn't so bad either for its size.

Pan Roasted Gourmet Sausages

P495.00

Bacon Soaked Sauerkraut/ Mashed Potatoes/ Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

This is Pao's (mika's boyfriend's) favorite dish, and I felt bad he ordered it with all of us there. Being the nice guy that he is, he shared it openly with all of us. Being the "walang-hiya" (shameless) people that we were, we just chomped down the pieces of meat down happily. This is also a great dish! There were 4 different kinds of sausage. I'd love to tell you what they were, but this pic's real old, my apologies. How can you go wrong with sausages and cream? It even had spices such as chopped parsley, different-colored peppercorns and salsa in it. The sausages also came from their very own deli, so you know that the quality is fresh. And the sauerkraut? Yes, fried in bacon drippings. Again, how can you go wrong?

Slow Cooked Norwegian Salmon

P350.00

Salsa Verde/ Classic Mashed Potatoes/ Toasted Pinenuts

Mika ordered this for herself, and this is one of the dishes that has stayed on the menu even with their menu overhaul/expansion. This is what I said about it before:

My other friend, Moe, had the Slow Cooked Norwegian Salmon (350 PhP). It was served on a dark Japanese-inspired plate, with salsa verde, roasted tomato rice cake, toasted pine nuts and blanched asparagus spears. The steamed fish looked kind of bland, and Moe said it was just okay. He agreed with my comment on it looking like it tasted “healthy” (Oh no! Spa food :S) . The salsa verde reminded me of pesto, because that was what was usually paired with pine nuts, though I never got to taste his dish because I was too full. I’ll just assume that he liked this dish enough to not leave a crumb on the plate. But still, Chelsea reminds me of a cooking school where they have all the freshest resources at their disposal, but then the complicated cooking techniques were somehow a bit off, as if we’ve got the end result of the culinary students, and not the chefs.

This time, the salmon tasted better! It still tasted healthy, but looked more appetizing. They kept the salsa verde as a siding, and were more generous with the portions. It's not in the picture, but the vegetables were slowly roasted and taste even great by itself (and reminded me of a ratatouille). The salmon's blandness (because it was steamed) was spiced up with a pesto-based sauce, toasted pinenuts and a circular drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction and olive oil. It tasted good on its own, but when you combine it with the salsa verde, it felt like it was brought to life. And the price hasn't changed after two years!

Jalapeño Cheddar and Emmenthal Cheese Fondue
P395.00
Crispy Tortillas / Bread/ Potatoes/ Market Vegetables

Myta ordered this for the group. She says it's one of her faves, as well. It certainly isn't the famed fondue of Old Swiss Inn spiked with kirsch, but it's actually a pretty good variant of the fondue. It had more items to dip with, with me loving the marbled potatoes and cherry tomatoes. The jalapeno cheddar gave the fondue a little kick, and for 395, it's way cheaper that Old Swiss's 700 a piece Waatlander.

Chelsea Market and Cafe
Serendra Piazza Ground Level McKinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio
Taguig City, Metro Manila
909-7011
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm


On CUILLERE:

Chorizo Arrabiata
P295.00
Angel hair pasta in chorizo arrabiata sauce

Anya made me taste this and its simplicity is what made it delicious. I also love the fresh shaved parmesan on top. I wish though that there were more chorizo than tomato chunks.

Here are the pictures of what my other friends ordered. Sorry I didn't get to check it on the menu, but one is lamb on skewers, while the other one is a stuffed chicken leg. I won't comment on these because I didn't get to taste them.

What I did order, though was the Filet de Bœuf, Sauce Fromage Bleu (Tenderloin Steak with Blue Cheese Sauce, P545 - not in the picture). I ordered this because this is what my cousin got the last time I blogged about it, and I was raving about it. This time I won't rave about it so much anymore. It was good, but not spectacular. The meat was hard to cut through, and the artichoke pieces were missing with the spinach siding. The steak lacked that robust flavor associated with quality cuts of meat, and the blue cheese dressing was actually a way to mask what it lacked. Though I did like the rice pilaf that I chose as a side (it's either that or mashed potatoes).

Cuillere
Serendra Bonifacio High Street
The Fort Taguig City, Metro Manila
(02) 856-3325

CHELSEA

*3 out of 5 stars

One of the better mid to high-end restaurants in Serendra would be Chelsea, affiliated with M Café of Greenbelt. Serendra is already architecturally pleasing in itself, so a great restaurant ambience wouldn’t be too difficult to keep up unless the restaurant was physically deteriorating before you.

It is very bright and cheery upon entering, with shelves of different spices and ingredients for sale. It looks as if the kitchen not only flowed to the dining area, but was part of the restaurant.

A nice touch was that the restaurant served us complimentary Lipton iced tea, that was served with our bread starter. The bread was fresh foccacia with a whole roasted garlic on top served on a wooden chopping block. When one roasts garlic on low heat, it brings out its maximum sweetness and cuts through garlic’s tangy afterbite. The garlic served as its “spread” as one cuts off a few cloves and mashes it to the bread (without too much effort as the garlic literally melts in your mouth).

I got Grandma’s Crispy Duck Confit and Mushroom Risotto (295 PhP) as per Anton’s recommendation in his blog. The duck was pan fried and baked till crispy and slathered with a peppercorn gravy sauce. It looked really pleasing to the eye, as it was served with a siding of roasted organic vegetables and mushroom risotto, and the sauce was artfully placed circling the meat. But it looked better than it tastes. The flavor was overcomplicated, with cumin, coriander, and oregano marinated in the duck. It even had something sweet that tasted similar to anise or cardamom pierced through the length of the duck’s thigh. The gravy was good, and was probably reduced with some alcohol, but it did not pair well with the Indian-tasting semi-sweet flavor of the duck. And the mushroom risotto was also good, but where did it all fit in with the dish? People may think that risotto paired with any pricey meat maketh a fine-dining dish, but this is not always true. The roasted vegetables may have gone well with the duck since its bland taste neutralizes the meat’s sharp bite, but you forget all about it since the entire thing is one complicated mess. To top it off, whole colorful peppercorns were strewn about the dish. It was so hard to separate it from the edible portions because there were too much peppercorns for its own good. And once in a while, you’d accidentally eat a peppercorn, and then gag as you grab that glass of water to swallow it down. In defense of the dish, you could see the effort put in, and the ingredients that were used were nothing but fresh.

Similarly, my friend Mika’s seafood starter plate (around 380+ PhP) also used fresh ingredients. And you can never go wrong with fresh seafood, which is why it was still delicious even with its very simple sauce of lemon and vinegar. It had a really light taste, and had a julienne of carrots, radish and cucumber as a siding, with some quail eggs. My friend Mika said that the sauce reminded her of a Thai salad vinaigrette her Mom would make out of lemons, as well. And though this dish was delicious, I found it extremely overpriced, as the seafood wasn’t that plenty, and the preparation of the dish was quite simple.

My other friend, Moe, had the Slow Cooked Norwegian Salmon (350 PhP). It was served on a dark Japanese-inspired plate, with salsa verde, roasted tomato rice cake, toasted pine nuts and blanched asparagus spears. The steamed fish looked kind of bland, and Moe said it was just okay. He agreed with my comment on it looking like it tasted “healthy” (Oh no! Spa food :S) . The salsa verde reminded me of pesto, because that was what was usually paired with pine nuts, though I never got to taste his dish because I was too full. I’ll just assume that he liked this dish enough to not leave a crumb on the plate. But still, Chelsea reminds me of a cooking school where they have all the freshest resources at their disposal, but then the complicated cooking techniques were somehow a bit off, as if we’ve got the end result of the culinary students, and not the chefs.

It may seem like I’m bashing Chelsea, but I actually enjoyed this restaurant, even if there were cooking blunders. I charge it up to the newness of the restaurant, what with Serendra being put up only recently. Nevertheless, this is a restaurant that I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit. I’d only eat here if I happened to be in Serendra, and I felt like splurging on food. On a more positive note, if you’ve never tried this restaurant, I urge you to, and you can share your comments with me. At the very least, this is a must-try restaurant for those who’ve never eaten here.

Chelsea Part 2

Chelsea Market and Cafe
Serendra Piazza Ground Level Mc Kinley Parkway, Fort Bonifacio
Taguig City, Metro Manila
909-7011
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

*No need to reserve, but it wouldn't do any harm to.

GALILEO ENOTECA

4 out of 5 stars

There are a few places where you really feel like you’re away from the city. This place exudes that feeling, along with the likes of Lavigne and Barcino (more of the latter to come). I compared them to each other because they all fall under the “secluded wine cellar” category. And as much as I’m writing about this, I do hope they maintain that comfy niche that is often taken away by popularity of the masses.

Simply put, Galileo is your “wine and cheese” barkada hangout. I would not actually recommend this as a date place because as a couple, you’d share communal tables with strangers, and no perfect lighting or ambience (which this place does have) would compensate an irate neighbor who eats sloppily or talks noisily. Thus, I invited my foodie friends over, all nine of them. That way, we were able to reserve a whole long table for us at the end, which had its own almost private room. By almost, I mean that our table had its own alcove connected to a main hallway through an arched opening.

Galileo is a charmingly rustic place, with aged red brick foundations, and fancy murals and extensive wine vaults housing their specialty wines that decorate their walls. Upon entering the place, a small glass-encased deli storage rests on the left that houses their cold cuts which they use extensively in their dishes. The main hallway is to the right, and there are small nooks, housing the long communal wooden tables that remind you of a basement in Italy.

Its menu is simple but put-together. You either order “Galileo’s set menu” (which includes wine, antipasto, a pasta of the day and coffee at 400 PhP/head), or an assortment of bruschettas(220PhP for 4 pcs.), paninis (around 130-160 PhP), cold cuts (around 140-350PhP), cheese (from 145 PhP to 350 PhP), wine (120 PhP for house red/white and 150 PhP for Spumanti) and coffee (55-100PhP). They also have an a la carte menu, but it comprises mainly of sidings like salad (120-220 PhP), prosciutto with melon (200PhP), a cheese platter (150PhP), a cold cut platter (190PhP), sundried tomatoes(190PhP), olives(190PhP), sardines(190PhP), fresh mozzarella (390PhP) and pesto pasta (270PhP). (insert menus here)

Never to skimp on food, all of us (except for Patty, who ordered a salad since she had dinner already) ordered the set menu. We began with a simple broth laced with basil and macaroni noodles. Quite a good start as we picked our house wine (or a 50 peso upgrade to Spumanti) as we talked over plans of our careers, our friend Rosh’s wedding plans and reminisced of our carefree college and high school days. We also nibbled on their fresh bread which we dipped in a tomato-sardine ragout, balsamic and olive oil mixture, or porcini gravy mix.

Our individual antipasto plates arrived next, and the pictures do not do justice to its taste. There were three types of cold cuts, one salami, the other prosciuitto, and another smokier meat of two slices each. It was accompanied by generous slices of manciego and crumbled pieces of a firmer and saltier type of cheese. They all fit well together with the bunch of olives and a huge sun dried tomato atop a bed of lettuce.

I was full enough as it is, but of course I would save room for their pastas of the day (penne con porcini, spirali con salsiccia [Italian sausage], penne con gorgonzola [blue cheese] or spaghetti con melanzanie [eggplant]). Being a mushroom freak (in a wholesome way, of course ;P ), I got the porcini. It was delicious, though nothing spectacular. The pasta was properly cooked al dente, the gravy complemented the rich flavor of the porcini mushrooms and pancetta. Its presentation was simple and elegant with Italian parsley or basil on top. By the time our coffee came, we were stuffed silly.

Over-all, I had a great time in this place, and would gladly come back, but only as a big group when we need catching-up. The food was good, but what really stood out were their wines and cold cuts, which they really pride and specialize themselves on. So, to fellow foodies out there, be sure to reserve for your barkada or family In Galileo for that “wine and cheese” experience. This is just about as steady as it gets.

ate in:
Galileo Enoteca
Ground Floor, Reyes Gym
Calbayog corner Malinao Streets
Mandaluyong City Philippines
Tel. Nos.: 719-1038, 534-4633, 532-0482
Email: galileo@mydestiny.net
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 9:00 am - 10:00 pm

other branch:
Galileo Enoteca, Makati
Unit 14 La Fuerza Plaza, #21 Chino Roces Avenue
Makati City, Metro Manila
(02) 817-9118

*please reserve before dining.

SEGUNDO PISO

4 out of 5 stars

Before I hit the books, I decided to give myself a personal treat by writing more about a restaurant that I'm fond of. I’ve been itching to write on these three other restaurants that are pending review, but I guess I'll just have to restrain myself for now and write on just one pre-midterms.

My foodie friend Elber accompanied me as we hit Pasong Tamo to reacquaint ourselves with one of my favorite Spanish restaurants, Segundo Piso.
This translates to “Second Floor" in English, and is aptly named because it is located right above their deli store called "Terry’s Selection." Most of you have probably heard of this place through countless features in lifestyle programs, magazines and newspapers. They not only serve delicious food, but also house an extensive array of wines.

There is another "Terry's Selection" with an adjoining cafe in the basement of Podium, but being that I'm into eating with all the senses, I'd much rather prefer the branch in Makati. Apart from the fact that Segundo is more spacious, it's wonderfully secluded unlike in Podium where you'd find mallers peering at you through glass walls as you eat your mess sandwich. Speaking of restaurant setting, Terry’s selection’s architecture is cool, clean and modern. They have an “open-air” kitchen so that the food is cooked in front of you. On one side of the kitchen, you have a large plastic colander with homemade potato chips that side their signature sandwiches, along with a huge leg of jamon serrano that they slice only when needed. On the other end of the room, you have sleek wooden wine cellars blending well with the design of the restaurant.

Just like “Blue Bacon and Green Eggs” or “Bianca’s Café and Vinotek” and “Carpaccio Ristorante Italiano” of “Santi’s,” they were shrewd enough to think of putting up a restaurant where they sourced most of their ingredients from their own deli. Not only is it convenient for the owners, but their customers are assured at the same time of the freshness and quality of their meals.

We started with two appetizers: Manchego & Salchichón de Vic Dumplin (320 PhP) and Flamenquín Andaluz (250PhP). The menu describes the dishes better than I possibly can, so I’ll just lift off what they have to say about them. For the dumplings, it’s, “The quintessential Spanish cheese & Vic salami enveloped in crunchy Chinese wrapper.” This was really yummy, with the salami blending well with the milder-tasting cheese. I guess the only minor problem was that it was a little oily, which more often than not occurs when food is fried lower than the ideal temperature. When prepared properly, deep-fried foods absorb less fat and oil. This is because the oil immediately surrounds the food and cooks it from all sides, creating an exterior layer that seals in the food's juices inside, while keeping most of the oil outside. I suspect that in this instance, the chef didn’t wait for the oil to heat up to the right temperature before dropping in the dumplings. Nevertheless, the authentic Spanish ingredients made up for it, and the oiliness could be easily remedied by putting a paper cloth below the dumplings.

Flamenquín Andaluz was described as “golden crispy sirloin roll stuffed w/jamón serrano & melted Swiss Raclette.” They were pretty generous with this serving, and the ham (which they carve at the front of the counter for this dish) had just the right amount of smokiness and bite to it. The sirloin and the raclette actually paled a little in comparison to the intensity of the ham. Even Elber was surprised that Raclette could taste that subdued, when it usually has a powerful taste (and odor, to boot!). But we still enjoyed and devoured this appetizer, belatedly taking off the superfluous outer breading just so that we’d have room to finish off our three-course lunch.

So far, I’ve never ordered a rice dish here that wasn’t worth raving. The paellas and risottos at Segundo are the epitome of all that’s tasty in this restaurant! I guarantee that once you’ve tried any of them, you’ll come back craving for more of this stuff. For today, we had Arroz con gambas al “Cognac” (490 PhP). I’ve had this dish more than a couple of times, and every time I order it, I enjoy it even more. This is a WINNER in all ways possible! Risotto with lots of cream and thickened with homemade broth is kicked up with a faint taste of brandy…oh, and TRUFFLE OIL! Anything and everything truffle is PERFECT. My apologies go out to Elber, who happened to be allergic to shrimp. We still got this dish though since I was craving for it (thanks, Elber!). This was served in individual giant clam shells, the risotto blended with cheese and shrimp bits, and topped with whole shrimps. Although this dish takes awhile to make (around 15-20 minutes), it’s certainly worth the wait! Oh, and it’s quite filling, too. When I went to Terry’s Selection in Podium with Ghafy another time, we ordered this alone and were quite full already. But since this is an eating spree, we didn’t stop with just appetizers and rice. Of course, we had to have dessert, compliments of Elber’s friend who happened to be the daughter of Segundo owner Juan Carlos di Terry.

It’s called Coffee Marquesa, which is topped with some roasted coffee beans. Elber was all praises about this dessert, and even before we got it, he described it as a “chewy ice cream.” If you haven’t seen or tasted this yet, that description might seem kind of odd. But when the Marquesa was served to us, this description was actually pretty accurate! The dessert, though difficult to explain, is very easy on the palate. In fact, it’s so scrumptious that I’d go back to Segundo Piso if only for this dessert!

No need to reserve. It’s fun dining! (pun intended)

Terry Selection
Segundo Piso
Bldg. B, Karivin Plaza
2316 Pasong Tamo Extension
Makati City
Tel. 729-7906; 729-7907
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Open from 9:30am to 6:24pm, Monday to Saturday
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

other branch:
Terry Selection, The Podium
Lower Ground Level, 18 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center
Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila
(02) 636-3513
Su, M, T, W, Th, F, Sa: 10:00 am - 8:00 pm