Pre Christmas lunch at La Tienda

I had asked the guys if they were free for a Christmas dinner on December 18 in Je Suis Gourmand. Everybody confirmed their attendance and emails started going back and forth regarding what menu and wines we would have for said lunch. It was Jojo who suggested that we have a lunch to plan for the December 18 lunch, so we all of course agreed to Lunch at La Tienda. Obvioulsy, during this lunch, we did not plan or all about our JSG lunch, but we had a lot of fun, which is all that counts.


I got there quite early since I was planning the menu with Chef Javi. We would have the usual (a meal there cannot be the same without our 'usual' dishes) and some new ones. Naturally the theme of the lunch was Spanish so mostly everybody brought Spanish wine.

As the first people Started to arrive, we decided to open the bubbly, Rosado and whites while waiting for the others. Aaron brought a bottle of Cava Freixenet Reserva real, a NV bubbly from one of the biggest Cava Manufacturers in Spain. I found this Cava fresh, with hints of lemon and very elegant.



As some platters of chorizo curado were served, JayL popped open his bottle of Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana, by bodegas Hidalgo. Sherry specially this type, is an acquired taste, but I have also loearned how to enjoy this, spacially with some cured Chorizo and Olives. This particular sherry was dark in color and dry, aged for about 12 years in Oak Barrels.

By that time, everybody had arrived already and we were ready to starting with the Tapas. We had so much wine that we did not even know where to start nor what to open. As food started arriving, more whites were open.

Our appetizers: Escalivada (a meal is not a meal in La Tienda without this), Gambas a la Plancha, Brandada de Bacalao, Huevos estrellados 'a la casa Lucio' and Calamares a la Plancha con Cebolla.

All dishes were perfectly executed and so flavorful. The highlight for me was the 'Brandada de Bacalao', a puree of cod fish on bread, topped with a shrimp. a bonus dish was the Huevos Estrellados, a very typical dish in Madrid made famous by Lucio, the owner of the restaurant Casa Lucio. I must say, Javi's version is excellent and very close to the one in casa Lucio.

As for wines, we continued pouring mainly whites and few reds that were already opened. For whites we had a Naia 2008, Pazo Pineiro de Lusco (Albarino) and a Rubaiyat Koshu Barrel aged Japanese White Wine.

The 2008 Naia was a bottle I brought back from one of my trips to Spain. It is 100% Verdejo, from the Rueda Region is Spain. Very refreshing, crisp with a slight citrus/zesty taste. I was quite surprised by this wine and how I liked it. A lot of people seemed to like it also. I will definitely stock up on this wine on my next trip. Keichi's Japanese wine (Rubaiyat Koshu Barrel aged) was a first fro me, since I had not tried any kind of Japanese wine (aside from Sake). I was also surprised and enjoyed this wine, made from Koshu, which is a grape grown in Japan. Aaron's Albarino, a sample that was sent to him by a supplier. The 2005 Pazo Piniero de Lusco Albarino is a selection of grapes from the oldest and steepest section of the vineyard to provide superior terroir character. It was also good, although it lacked the acidity and freshness that Laxas or Martin Codax have. It was a great match though for the Gambas a la Plancha.

Then came the main courses, plus of course the reds. My Bottle was a 2004 Mauro VS, a relatively new maker in the Castilla y Leon region, made by the same makers of Vega Sicilia. It is actually a Ribera del Duero but the vineyards are just about 10 miles out of the region, so technically it cannot be a D.O. Ribera del Duero. This was decanted for about 1.5 hours before serving. Although quite young, shows great potential. It is very modern, deep dark purple color and subtle. It is made of 100% tempranillo, but is still quite full bodied.I would like to try an older vintage of this same wine, maybe a 99 or 2000.

Rene's bottle, a Muga Prado Enea Gran Reserva 2001 was also on the table. Initially, we thought this would need decanting, but after a few sips from Jay and Rene, they decided to just leave the bottle open 1 hour before serving. This a very classy elegant wine, made of 80 Tempranillo and 20% Garnacha, mazuelo and Graciano. I have tried several of the Muga wines, and this one is good, although i prefer the Torre Muga or the Reserva Especial, since they are a bit more full bodied and modern, compared to the classic Prado Enea. There were other bottles that were not opened (Noel's Mauro 2005, Greg's Tres Picos from Borsao) and wines I didnt have the chance to try (Aaron's Honoris Valdubon). I've been wanting to try this wine but both dinners were this wine was available, I just did not get the chance to try it.

Then the food was served. of course we had the 'usual' dishes: Paella De Verduras con Arroz Basmati, Besugo al Horno and Chuleton. All the food was as always perfect, but I must say the paella this time was better and tastier. I wonder if Chef Javi added something new? The Besugo was spot on and the Chuleton was perfectly cooked, charred outside and rare inside. A generous serving of fries made up the plate of Chuleton.

We had 2 more bottles of Red, care of Jojo: 1990 Protos Gran Reserva and a 2005 Dominio de Atauta, both from Ribera del Duero. Protos is a classic Ribera, very classic and elegant wine, while the Dominio de Atauta is a bit more modern, although in some cases they use 100 year old vines. Both very good and good pairing with our food.


Javi then came out of the kitchen just to make sure that everything was in order and that we were enjoying. he definitely noticed that we were enjoying everything since mostly everything was wiped out.

We had no space for dessert, but we still had some space for dessert wine. We opened my bottle of Bodegas Toro Alabala Pedro Ximenez Reserva 1982. This was quite an aged PX, not as sweet as many of the younger ones I've tried. Still like most Px, hints of molasses, thick, viscous and very dark.


Finally, our group picture before everyone started to go their own way..as usual some stayed, to drink more, to drink coffee and to have more laughs. Great lunch and I can't wait for our next Christmas Lunch!

Italy still on my mind...

After our lunch at Pepato, I remembered that I still had 2 pending posts about 2 restaurants I visited to during my last trip to Milan. I cannot remember the name of the Restaurant, all I remember is that it is somewhere in the industrial zone of Lainate, near our warehouse, around 40 kilometers from Milan City.

As we got there, all I could smell was the pungent scent of White Truffles. It is Truffle season now in Italy so many 'good' Restaurants should have fresh ones off the menu. Immediately, the waiter brings them on a glass container for us to smell...ohh what a smell...I asked for them to serve us a small dish of white Truffles on Scrambled egg. With my excitement, I forgot to take a picture of it.


Immediately After, they serve us more appetizers..some Parma Ham, Bread, and Pickled Peppers and mushrooms...just enough to get our Appetites started..

All this washed down with some Vino Rosso from Tuscany: Made wityh 100% Sangiovese grape, this wine was a perfect pairing with our meat..not quite as powerful and tannic as a Piedmontese wine (Barolo or Barbaresco), but held up pretty well with my Bistecca alla Fiorentina.

Then came the 'real' food...The waiter recommended us to have Carne Cruda (Tartare) since it was one of their specialties...happily I obliged(how can I say no when someone offers me this??). Like every good Tartare, this was prepared right in front of you. It was not as 'basic' as the Piedmontese Tartare, which just has Oil, salt and Pepper. This one was a bit more complex, with Oil, Mustard, Vinegar, Tabasco, capers, etc...still it was very good and the beef was excellent and fresh.

But this was just the first course...for main, the waiter told us to have Bistecca alla Fiorentina, another of their house specialties..how could I say no?? it was carved right in front of us, served very simple (notice my plate has nothing but the meat) and a plate of sauteed mushrooms with Olive Oil and garlic.



After carving the piece of meat right in front of us, this is what was left. I really love this type of food..so simple, honest to goodness cooking. The presentation was so basic yet the meat was so tasty and perfectly done. The Mushrooms were a perfect complement to the dish.

Obviously, after a meal like this, I was done. No room for dessert or anything...just enough space for a cafe and the bill. Will definitely come back here (since this is near our warehouse in Milan) and try their other specialties next time.

The Goose Station, Fort

I was lucky to get invited to the soft opening of The Goose Station(a play on words for 'Degustation'), a new restaurant that just opened today at the Fort. A dream come true for young Chefs Rob and Sunshine Pengson. I have tried many times their Degustation menus during private events and I am glad they opened their own restaurant.


Their concept: A casual Degustation Restaurant where people can enjoy a 10 course meal, allowing them to try the unique creations, textures and flavors of their dishes. If I am not mistaken, there will be 2 types of Degustation: a 7 course and a 10 course meal, although for those who do not want to eat so much, you could also order a la carte. I would definitely recommend the 10 course to be able to try as many dishes possible, since all of them are superb.

Chef Rob and Sunshine preparing the snacks..

Lets get on with the food. For starters: Foie Gras Cone - this small cone is served with Foie, just to get your appetites up and going - and to prepare for what is coming next.


Next, Snacks: Peanut & Jelly, Ham and Cheese, Onion and Potato. More snacks to wet your appetite. Very creative and tasteful dishes...I was already getting excited for what was coming next.

SASHIMI - Tuna, Sea Urchin, Crab, Mirin Jelly, Wasabi Tobiko, Kaiware, Miso, Mustard Sorbet, Puffed Rice. A very complex creation , a tribute to Japanese food and the many textures and flavors it has. The puffed rice was a nice touch to give this dish a bit of crunch contrast.

Next: BEET GARDEN SALAD - Textures of Beetroot, Orange, Goat's Cheese, Candied Walnuts, Leaves, Aged balsamic, Lightly pickled Vegetables. Another very complex creation. After the first bite, it all makes sense..all the flavors and textures just seem to combine so well.

Next dish was one of my favorites, which I have tried before:EGGS BENEDICT 2007 - Poached Egg, Hollandaise Foam, Bacon Tuile, Fleur de Sel, White Truffle Oil. Their own version of the classic Eggs Benedict sort of deconstructed. As soon as you take the first spoonful with the Bacon Tuile, the flavors just burst out and you are reminded of the classic breakfast dish.

Next were the Foie Dishes: UNAGI AND FOIE GRAS TERRINE - with Caramelized Apple Tartare and SEARED FOIE GRAS - Brioches, Squash, Chestnut and Ginger Bread. You normally would have to choose any of the 2 dishes, but I was lucky someone in our table offered hers to me so I was able to try both of them. I have tried similar dishes before, so it really depends if you prefer the pan seared Foie or the Terrine, which is complemented very well by the Unagi and the crunchy..

Next, we had a choice of 2 main dishes (Again I was lucky ti get to try both): CHICKEN ROULADE - Bacon, Port Jus, Sweet Red Mung Bean and Pistachio Stuffing, Roasted Shimeji & Morel, Sweet Potato Foam, Red Cabbage and LAMB RIBS - Horseradish Potato Puree, Port Jus, Cabbage, Bacon. Both were excellent dishes. The Chicken Roulade was another very complex creation, with many textures and flavors, and the Lamb, sous vide, excellent tasting and more than a generous serving.





Then came the dessert: Pineapple Tarte Tatin with smoked Coconut Ice Cream. I liked this dessert since its not as sweet as others, and the Smoked Coconut gave this dish a nice touch.

And when you think it's all over..no...there still one more dish: Petit Fours - small bite size desserts to finish off your meal. I enjoyed this with coffee and what was left of the wine we brought.


A Fantastic meal that I really enjoyed. I wish them luck in this venture and they will definitely come back soon.

Italian wine lunch at Pepato

Lunch last Monday was at Pepato., I had been craving for the steak and had some wine I had brought back from my last trip to Italy, so decided to ask the usual suspects to join me for an Italian lunch at Pepato. We were 5 in total: Jojo, Jay, Aaron, Greg and myself. Noel was supposed to join but begged off, although he joined us for some coffee and after lunch drinks.

I was craving for Bistecca alla Fiorentina with a good potent Piedmont wine, so I brought a bottle of 1998 Giacomo Conterno Barolo, a young Roero Arneis and a Passito dessert wine. Many had the same thing in mind, so we had a Brunello from Jay, a Barbaresco from Jojo, another Barbaresco from Greg and a Bordeaux from Aaron, which we had with cheese after our meal.





I will not go into details of the wine notes, but if you are interested, you can read Noel's blog, with the detailed wine notes. As for the whites, we had a 2008 Roero Arneis, a regional wine from the Piedmont area, and a special wine from Jojo: 2004 Vare, from Napa Valley. This is a special wine specially done for Thomas Keller of French Laundry and Per Se restaurants. It is made of 5 different varietals of grape. My first impression of the wine at the first pour is that it was very dark colored, dense and viscous. My first impression on the smell was oxidized, sweet , molasses, so I thought that the wine would be sweet. It was not sweet at all and I enjoyed this wine, since it was interesting and something new.

As for food, we ordered the usual that is normally ordered the times I have been there. For appetizers, Squash Flower Tempura, Roasted Bone Marrow, and Spaghetti. For Main, we had the "Bistecca alla Fiorentina", to go with our Barolos and Barbarescos.

The food is always consistent and good in Pepato, at least the times I have been there. Quality is always top notch and service is always good. The 'Bistecca' is really the reason why I wanted to eat there, and paired with the wines, fantastic. My Barolo was a classic one, typical of Barolos and I thought would be a perfect match for the steak. Despite being almost 10 years old, it was still pretty closed after decanting it for almost 2 hours. This could definitely keep in the bottle for at least 5-10 years more. All wines matched very well with the steak, but for me I liked as pairing the Barolo and Jay's Brunello.

We also had a mystery wine from Jojo, a wine that was sent to him by a friend. He asked us to guess what the wine was. I thought it was a California wine, but it turned out to be a Hungarian wine. First time fro me to try a wine from Hungary, so I thank Jojo for educating us on other wine regions.

We had loads of fun and laughter during the lunch. Having Greg and Jojo in the same table is like having a stereo headphones...it's just so contagious and loud that you will end up laughing with them. We had the restaurant pretty much all to ourselves, so we could make all the noise we wanted..

At first it was serious talk about wines...
Then came the bursts of very loud laughter...

We continued the afternoon with more fun and Noel Joined us shortly after our meal, just in time to try the wines. We opened Aaron's 89 Lagrange to go with our Cheese platter. I've had this wine before with Noel and it was excellent. Perfect match for our cheese.

We continued drinking until about 4 pm and we all left Greg and Jay, who were finishing up their drinks. A great lunch..thanks to everyone for sharing their wines and hope we can do this again soon!



And another group shot with Noel in it..

A Presto...Arrivederci!!

Double Blind Tasting/Paring at Elbert's Steak Room

Lunch last Friday was at Elbert's Steak room. During Jay Lab's birthday lunch, someone had suggested to have a lunch at Elbert's and try the Burger. The concept was we all had to have the same Burger and see which one would pair best with it. We all had to bring a bottle each of the best wine we thought would pair well with the Burger. To make things more exciting, Arnie suggested it should be blind.

So after a few messages to Elbert, who graciously organized everything for us (64 glasses all labeled, brown bags to cover our wines, etc...), we all met up for lunch last Friday. I had arrived early so I helped out in organizing the glasses, labels, etc...it was hard work but someone had to do it..

As the others arrived, wines were poured in our glasses. None of us were really drinking any yet, since the whole point was to see which wine would pair best with the Burger, not which was the best wine.

Salad was served as it is part of the set Burger lunch menu (a great deal if you ask me - 599 for salad and the Burger). It was quite hard not to drink the wines before the food arrived, all we could do was smell the wine and try to imagine what it was. Maybe we should have brought a bubbly or a white to start the meal.

After some salad and initial mental notes on the wines, our meal was served. I must say that the Burger was one of the better ones I've tried in the Philippines. 2 patties, served with a generous serving of cheese and the sinful twice fried fries..As Noel said, it was hard not to gobble the Burger up right away, since we had to taste each bite with 7 different wines...but obviously we all managed.

After casting all our votes, JayL was in charge of tallying the votes and Jojo to announce the winners. What was at stake? The loosing wine would have to have to pay the meal of the winning wine - not much, but it was all about pride of winning obviously. This was the order of the winning wines, from first to last:

1. Arnies's 00 Ninquem
2. Greg's 99 Château Poujeaux

3. Jay's 03 Alvaro Palacios Bierzo Moncerbal

4. My 05 Alvaro Palacios Remondo Rioja Propiedad
5. Jojo's 06 Orin Swift The Prisoner
6. Noel's 04 Antinori Badia a Passignano Chianti Classico Riserva

7. Keichi's 08 Ferrand Beaujolais Nouveau

All the wines were good but obviously there had to be one winner, and that was Arnie's wine. Most of us (except Noel and Jojo) voted it best wine pairing. Keichi was the last, with a Beaujolais Nouveau. He did not expect to be dead last but he was a good sport and took the loss with dignity.

We had lots of fun and laughter (courtesy of Greg and Jojo). Thank you Keichi and Arnie for thinking about this and thank you Elbert and Adrian for being so accommodating to our group.