Antico Forno Roscioli, Rome

On my last trip, based on one of the recommendations of Katie Parla, a fellow blogger who knows everything about Rome restaurants, I decided to try Roscioli. It's a salumeria, bakery and restaurant in Rome.

The place is very small and narrow with a display of all kinds of Italian meats and cold cuts on the left, while the right side us packed floor to ceiling with canned goods and wine. I went there for a quick lunch and we were lucky to get a table after a 20 minute wait. It was packed with mostly local people so of course, that's always a good sign.










For starters they gave us some mozzarella with green and red pesto. Italy was celebrating is 150 years of unity that day, so I guess they felt extra patriotic that day. We also had a plate of prosciutto (no picture) with a glass of Pinot Grigio house wine.





Then I had one of their most popular dishes and one I've been wanting to try for a while (I know Lusso serves this but it's always out of stock) which was Burrata. It's basically a cheese made with mozzarella, butter and cream. This was served with the best sun dried cherry tomatoes I've had ever. It was very creamy and the sun dried cherry tomatoes so sweet and tasty. I was gonna rake home a Bottle when I found out that each small bottle cost 30 euros. I guess I'll have to go back there again for lunch to be able to try this again.





I also had Pasta Amatriciana, made with Bombolotto (like a short macaroni) with tomato sauce and Guanciale. This is also one of my favorite tomato based pasta when I'm in Italy.




I do hope to come back here and try this again soon, since there were so many dishes that I wanted to try.

La Tienda lunch

It's been a while that I haven't eaten at La Tienda with the Usuals, so when Richard suggested a Spanish wine lunch, I immediately offered to organize it in La Tienda.

We had the usual starters: Boquerones, Gambas a la plancha, Chistorra, Escalivada and a plate of clams al ajillo.












With all the tapas, we enjoyed several wines: a refreshing cava from Noel, Freixenet Reserva Real, a Itsas Mendi Txakoli upon special request of Jojo, a Manzanilla Pasada sherry from Jay and again from Jay, a 98 Viña Tondonia Rosé.






A shot of Noel serving the Txakoli like it's done in San Sebastian.



Then our mains started coming: Besugo al Horno, Paella de Verduras and the main dish: Chuleton!!









Needless to say, everything was delicious as usual. I enjoyed the fish with the Txakoli and also the Rosé of Jay.

For the wines we had for reds and all from Spain. Numanthia from Rene, a III C Beronia from Richard, a 92 Maetines Bujanda from Jojo and Alenzo also from Jojo.






For dessert, Chef Javi had prepared us one of our favorite combinations: Leche Frita, Torrijas and home made Ice Cream. All of us wiped out our plates, except Rene I think.



Another excellent lunch at La Tienda. Thank you Javi!!

Paris

I just came back from a trip to Europe a few weeks ago and was in Paris for 3 days. Had the chance to eat in a couple of good Bistros and a Morrocan restaurant. Was also lucky enough to meet up with some good friends who took me to some great places...so here are some pics of my 3 days in Paris... My first meal there was at a place called Chez Dumonet. This was recommended by a fiend who lives there who took me around while I was there. This is a typical french Bistro, specializing in Duck Confit and many other french comfort foods. For starters, I had smoked salmon. Very simple and fresh smoked salmon, some lemon and a little creme fraiche...I had this with their house white wine, a Pouilly Fume.


For my main, I had to have the Duck leg confit. This as I read was one of the specialties of the restaurant. I know this is quite simple and readily available to order even here in Manila but believe me it's hard to find the same level Duck confit in Manila if you compare to this one I had. For starters this leg was HUGE, super crispy on th outside but still so soft, tender and juicy on the inside. Accompanied by some potatoes and a salad, this was really great.




My friend had Steak tartare. Tartare lover that I am, I was glad she ordered it since I was dying to taste it. Its made in front of you with very minimal, basic ingredients (mustard, capers, onions, Tabasco, etc..) This one was super creamy (unlike some I've tried that are too dry) and slightly spicy but not too spicy, this was just right. One of the better ones I've tried..




I will cut this short here and have a part on Paris, since I am back here as I write this and will have more to write about soon.

Hermanos Taco Shop, Gilmore st.

So what's up with the Mexican craze in Manila nowadays?? Mexican eateries seem to be sprouting out all over the place. I like Mexican food and the only one I really liked was the one in Boracay (Manana) which was good. Like I mentioned to someone, I'm no Mexican food expert but I can definitely appreciate authentic Mexican food. I asked my brother in law C to take me to a place that many have been talking about, Hermanos Taco Shop, in a Gas station by Gilmore street. The owner is Mexican and I've heard it's the most authentic place around, so I decided to try them out. For Starters, we had Horchata. I guess this is the typical drink in Mexico. The Horchata I'm used to is the Spanish one, made with Almonds. This one is made from rice and mixed with Cinnamon and Sugar. Its quite good but a bit too sweet for me.

Our first order arrived, which was Shrimp Quesadillas. This was great, with tiny little shrimp inside, melted cheese and the tortilla just a bit crunchy. I liked the fact that it had some Guacamole and cream on top. The salsa was quite good but not hot enough so I asked for their hot sauce.

Next on the list was the Tamales. Tamales is sort of a filling made with Masa and pork, which is then cooked wrapped in the corn husk. Ours was filled with Beef, with lots of cheese and cream. This was very good and as per the server, one of their best sellers.

Then we had to kinds of Tacos: Carnitas and Fish Tacos. I loved this ones, soft, Juicy, tasty and with a little crunch...this was delicioso! The carnitas, tiny bits of different cuts of Beef and the Fish, deep fried Sole with a very light batter.

Last, we had the Rolled Tacos (Chicken). They mentioned to us this was one of their best sellers also, these are crunchy rolled tacos with Chicken filling. I'm assuming they roll this first then deep fry them. Also very good and crunchy, a good break since all the tacos we had were soft ones.

I had the intention of doing a Mexican eating marathon by going to Ristras after to try their food, but I was just too full to eat anything else. Over all, I think this is quite good. Like I said, I'm no Mexican food expert, but this seemed pretty authentic to me. I will definitely come back here if I am by the area.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara - the real deal

As many of my friends would know, I can get quite obsessive when it comes to food and wine and once a certain dish gets in my mind, I can't get it off until I've had it several times over. This time its Carbonara. I travel quite of then to Italy and I'm lucky enough to get to try the best pasta dishes while I'm there. My favorites are the 'simple' ones, like Carbonara, Bottarga, Cacio e Pepe, etc...I dont like creamy pastas and neither the tomato based ones, with some exceptions like the Bucatini All 'Amatriciana and a few others.


My disappointment comes when I've been to several Italian Restaurants in Manila and none of them serve authentic Carbonara (egg based and not cream based). So I decided to just make my own. I took it one step further by ordering the base ingredients from Italy. The basic and original Carbonara is made with Spaghetti, Pecorino Romano Cheese and Guanciale (cured Pork Jowl) and Egg. Basically, you cook the bacon, toss the pasta in the pan. Once warm, you toss the pasta in a big bowl of raw egg (ideally one whole egg and one extra yolk) mixed with the cheese, salt and pepper. Give it a couple of quick turns and voila! Carbonara!!

What you have is the most delicious, creamy tasting pasta, mixed with the strong nutty flavors of the Pecorino Cheese and Bacon fat. Really, I could eat this everyday and not get tired of it. I wanted to pair this with wine or Beer but since it was a quick lunch at home while I was alone, I decided not to. Will try this next time with a Pinot Grigio maybe or a light Ale.

Steak with an Aged Imperial Russian Stout

I Had lunch at Mamou yesterday with the usuals. Aside from all the wine we had with the steak, the Beertender (Jim) brought a bottle of an 2008 Rogue Imperial Russian Stout. This is not sold locally as this is from his personal collection.

This beer was quite robust/full bodied with lots of chocolate and coffee notes. With the steak, I found it at first quite overpowering, but as it warmed up and stayed longer in the glass, it sort of opened up and was actually a good pairing. As Noel mentioned it was perfect for the steak slightly charred.

I liked this pairing and will definitely experiment more with steak and beer. Maybe a lighter stout or a non aged one. Or maybe decanting it will work? Can you really decant beer like it were wine? I will keep all of you posted.

Cabrales Cheese with Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout

I've been wanting to try this pairing actually for months now...this was supposed to be done with the Sam Smith Imperial Russian Stout I have, but I'm saving to open those with the Beertender. Cabrales, for those of you who might not know, is a Spanish type of Blue cheese. It is very strong and spicy, made with unpasteurized cow's milk, then aged in Caves for about 5 months at temperatures between 7 to 14 degrees C. This ageing gives the cheese the very strong smell/taste it has. Its quite spicy as well, which comes from the ageing in the caves. Cabrales paired with the Rogue XS Russian Imperial Stout, is a perfect match. I don't think any other drink will stand up to this cheese, unless it's a very sweet dessert wine, like a PX. Both the Beer and the Cheese are very potent, so be ready to grow some hair on your chest!