Another Fantastic dinner at manila's best Private Table

Dinner was at Tita B's last night...our gracious host. I don't have enough adjectives in my vocabulary to say how our dinner was last night. It was so perfectly and carefully prepared, all the flavors jumping out of the plate. I enjoy so much this type of dinners, aside form the food being delicious, the company was great also.

We were 11 in total, including Tita B who also joined us for dinner. We started with some Moet Chandon Brut NV bubbly, while waiting for all the guests to arrive. As soon as they all arrived, the show began:


Fried Milk with Kani, Apricot Marmalade. So light, crunchy and soft smooth inside. The Apricot was a perfect side to this dish. One of my favorites.

With this dish, we had a glass of Billecarte-Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs, a very crisp champagne, with notes of lemon and other citrus fruits.Very good pairing for me.



Then we had Boiling Sharksfin Soup, Shredded Crabmeat. Delicious and meaty. I added Chinese Vinegar as per the instructions of Tita B and it gave a good zing to the soup. I also had this with the Champagne.

Next, Spicy Beef on Chinese Spaghetti Noodles, Sliced Cucumber. Chinese noodles, topped with Spicy beef sauce. The Sliced Cucumbers acted out as the cheese. Gave it good texture. Lovely.

We paired this with Jays bottle of: 2004 Ravenswood Zinfandel from Sonoma Valley.

After a short break, we had: Roasted Peking Duck, Lotus Wrappers, Hoisin Sauce. As you will see, there is only one on my plate but the reality is I had 4 of these babies. Just to highlight that the skin was crispy and the meat was very tender. The wrappers are also made from scratch.



With the Duck, we had 2 Rieslings: 2003 Donhoff Riesling Auslese, which was a crowd pleaser among the women and a good match with the Duck, and a 2005 Joh.Jos.Prum Riesling Spatlese. This was quite Spritzy or bubbly, not as sweet as the Donhoff and my preferred of both Rielings.

Next, Steamed Crab Legs with Garlic, Vermicelli, Soya Dressing. A huge steamed crab Leg, perfectly steamed, a top a bed of fresh Vermicelli. This was spectacular, together with the Pearls of the Orient X.O. Sauce (Basically Rice with X.O.)

With this, we had Rene's bottle of 2008 Conundrum, a California white made with more than 5 different varietals.

Our last course, Crispy Pork Wedges, Glazed with Sweet Sour Sauce. This was also one of the highlights. I know it sounds ordinary (Sweet Sour) but this one was so think, super crispy.


For Dessert, Tikoy Surprise and Chilled Almond Jelly. At this point, I was so stuffed that I did not have any space for the Tikoy. I just had a little Almond Jelly, which was very light and refreshing.

We then had one last bottle of red, courtesy of Jojo, a 1990 Sociando Mallet from Haut Medoc. I've had many vintages of this wine, and I've really enjoyed all of them.

Yet again another masterpiece dinner by our gracious host Tita B. Thank you again and we hope to be back soon!