CAV, Newest, Hippest Wining and Dining Place in Manila

CAV, the newest wine bar and restaurant located on Bonifacio High Street takes its inspiration from "cave" which is French for cellar. Owned by Markus Gfeller of "Grassi's" fame, CAV promises an evening of great food and wine served in the most interesting manner.

I first heard of this place from my friend Griffith Go who is part of the team that brought the wine MACHINE into the country and set it up at CAV. My students at the world-class ENDERUN college were also raving about this new dining hot spot in Manila. When the kids from Enderun rave about you, you must really be good.

So H and I decided to have his birthday dinner over there a few nights ago and we were very happy with what we found. The interiors were posh and elegant but not intimidating. The food, coming from the genius that is Markus Gfeller did not disappoint. The place though goes by a PRIX FIXE menu which means that diners must choose from a three or four course meal, nothing less. Average price therefore, minus the wines would be at 1,000 to 1,500 per person at a minumum.

I started off with the Heart of Organic Baby Romaine with Jamon Crisps, Caper Berried and Truffle Aioili. It was sheer delight as I slowly bit into the succulent greens and crunchy bits of young jamon. H got a young Arugula salad with watermelon tomato confit and parmesan crisp. He was equally delighted with his selection as he munched on the start of what seemed to look like a fabulous birthday meal.


We then followed this up with a Salmon Pastrami with pistou and sweet corn emulsion for me and a Potage Parmentier with Greygoose vodka and lumpfish caviar for him. For the main course, I had a Grilled Tuna steak with Tapenade spread, Arugula mash and herbal tomato broth. He opted for the Crispy Skinned Salmon Darne with Mediterranean Saffron Pimiento Nage. I wasn't too joyful over my tuna steak but that could just be me because I prefer tuna cooked in a different way or taken raw like sashimi. There were other entrees to choose from like lamb, pork or beef but since I was already stuffed from having a feast at Las Paellas the night before, I opted to take something lighter.


The main attraction at CAV though, for me, personally, is the wine-vending machine for lack of anything better to call it. It's quite amazing really and a novelty for us Manila diners. You get, what is called a table card, put it into the machine, and voila, it dispenses the wine in the perfect temperature, straight into your glass! There are 24 varieties to choose from, usually 16 red and 8 white. You can opt to get a tasting portion which is approximately 25 ml, half a glass at 75 ml and a full glass which is around 125 ml. The prices are displayed immediately when you make your choice, so there are no surprises.


I must tell you that the wine selection is pretty impressive! These guys know their job and do it well. I tried out a Shiraz that my students had told me about called "The Dark Side of the Moon" and it was terrific. However, since I'm really a white wine woman, I chose a Chardonnay from the Beringer winery which was excellent.

If you're looking for something different to try on a date night, or just want to try something new, CAV is the place to go. Do make reservations though as the place is packed almost every night of the week. The guest list there looks like the pages of "Town & Country" or "The Philippine Tatler" but there are also a lot of regular folks like myself who are just plain curious foodies or wine enthusiasts.

Right next door to CAV is the newly built The Spa with snazzy, sleek interiors and whose treatment range is fantastic way to end the night after a great meal with wine. That however, will be reserved for a different blog entry, sometime soon.

Buon Giorno -- Great Italian Food In Tagaytay City

Tagaytay has a treasure trove of new restaurants that line the Aguinaldo Highway.

Last week-end, my family and I were there to celebrate the silver wedding anniversary of some good friends and at the same time celebrate our own 18th wedding anniversary. After an overnight stay at Canyon Woods, the following day we decided to have brunch at a new restaurant before driving down to Manila.

Our choice was Buon Giorno (Italian for Good Morning) located at the Cliffhouse in Tagaytay City. It's cheery interiors immediately put us in a gustatory mood and we were very eager to try out the different dishes on the menu. The cool air and the lovely view of Taal Lake visible from where we were seated, only served to whet our appetites even further.

We decided on some mushroom soup which we had split into two - just right to warm mine and my daughter's tummies. Then for appetizer, we had delicious parma ham with grapes and melons - this was wolfed down by the three hungry adults at our table.








For the main course, L decided to have his usual Pepperoni pizza of which he chose to segregate the pepperoni and his daddy ended up eating them! P had the tasty mushroom ravioli (as you can see, we are a mushroom loving family), I chose to have the asparagus and salmon risotto and H had the seafood risotto. All the dishes lived up to our expectations and we are now looking forward to going to the Manila branch of this great, reasonably priced restaurant, located at the Liberty Center on Shaw Boulevard in Mandaluyong.

If you find yourself in Tagaytay or Shaw Boulevard over lunch or dinner, I suggest you try out Buon Giorno -- you will not be disappointed. Buon Apetito!

Restaurante "Pia y Damaso" At The New Greenbelt Five

Noli Me Tangere was a huge part of my high school life.

When I first read about this new restaurant at the spanking new Greenbelt 5, I knew I just had to go. Last Saturday I spent a lovely afternoon with a very good friend and dined on dishes that brought to life Rizal's immortal characters. Think Maria Clara, Crisostomo Ibarra, Dona Victorina, the notorious Padre Damaso (after whom the restaurant is named after) and a host of others. Take a look at the interesting array of entrees on the menu that brought to a long-forgotten era. I secretly wondered to myself if these were the dishes that the friars and Filipinos once dined on. Probably. There is an interesting entry on the drinks page - "Tubig Ni Maria Clara" made from cucumber juice, ginger syrup, and citrus water - sounds very refreshing and something you would love to have on a summer's day.

Trivia - for those of you wondering why the name Pia y Damaso, they are the names of Maria Clara's parents, Pia Alba and the evil Prayle Damaso. Interesting huh? Do the meals here cause one to sin as well? Hmmmm. Not quite.

We started lunch with Croquetas de Jamon, which was delicious.


My friend decided on the Chicken Parian (with sticky rice, sausage and which was quite tasty and had an interesting presentation and texture to it.


I opted to go for the Fileto Empanado with dayap and caper butter (crisp, marinated and pounded and breaded beefsteaks)and was not entirely happy with it.

Aside from the fact that they were a bit greasy, they were quite gamey too. Not a good choice, really. My friend remembered how they used to cook something similar at home and together, all the siblings would pound on the beef in the kitchen. "Carne ng mahirap..." he described it so aptly. Something that the poor people from Noli Me Tangere probably ate. The version I had was quite malitid as well. Di ata nakuha sa pukpok.

Dessert demons that friend and I both are, it was a good thing that dessert was the saving grace to my meal. I had Padre Salvi's Canonigo (the infamous friar who lusted after Maria Clara) and true to it's inspiration, the dessert was, yes, quite sinful.


Friend had some version of the ever-popular Banoffee pie and the chocolate that was used on this treat was really so scrumptious and velvety. Truly exquisite.



The restaurant is small but its interiors are oh-so-charming, lovely and very-well done. Owned by Chef Bambi Sy Gobio (she of Kooky and Luscious fame), it's no wonder that the dessert menu is a fabulous and interesting one. I love the pretty details, the ribbons on the chandeliers, the paper that they line your table with, etched with swirly pen and ink designs, the menu itself, and the logo of Padre Damaso holding what appears to me like a giant chicken drumstick.

"Pia y Damaso" is located on the second floor of the beautiful Greenbelt Five. Not too many stores and restaurants are open yet, but those that are, deserve a second look. I didn't have time to browse through my friend Ruby Gan's "Mythology" a beautiful store that puts together the talents of five highly talented Filipino designers. The new mall is beautifully lit and so well-laid out. I will definitely go back to explore some more. Meanwhile, enjoy more pictures of the mall, here.

Loco About Coco

Retro breakfasts anyone?

Coco Rama is the newest and hippest dining place at the Shangri-la Mall. My family and I discovered it one week-end and we were so delighted by the sights and sounds of the whole place. Growing up in 70s, I love all things retro and so do my kids who I believe were born with old souls. Their father, who was in college in the seventies knows all the big hits by heart. Being a breakfast man, he was simply enamored with Coco Rama.

First - the food! Each dish we tried out was oh so delicious and very filling. Back to basics breakfast food just like the way we used to have them as children. Think pancakes, burgers, spam, omelletes, waffles - in really hearty portions and prices that won't bust your budget. There were several entree's to choose from and everyone in the family happily picked out a favorite to try.

L who like that little boy in the commercial loves eggs likes he does chocolate, chose a basic Paradise Omelette (Php 135.00) - stuffed with crabmeat, cheese and grilled vegetables. L who is such a picky eater surprisingly wolfed down this plate-sized egg delight.


P, whose appetite doesn't reflect on her figure (thank God), felt extra hungry that afternoon and ordered basic Burger Steak with eggs (Php 175.00). Cocorama's is a huge grilled U.S. ground beef patty wth a generous heaping of scrambled eggs and garlic rice. The portion was pretty hefty that P opted to take half of it home instead.



My roomie, H, the breakfast man went for the ultimate comfort breakfast food - what else but Spam and Eggs (Php 175.00) - three slices of Spam caramelized with a hint of mustard. His food was REALLY good and I couldn't resist digging into some of the tasty and succulent slices of Spam on his plate :)



I went for the El Bimbo (Php 199.00). Huh? Yes, named after my favorite dance from the 70s, the El Bimbo is mixed seafood sauteed in garlic, olive oil, white wine and chilis with a generous heaping of warm Spanish rice. I was so happy eating my El Bimbo especially with Donna Summer and the Commodores blasting away in the background. For a moment there I felt like I was 12 years old again :)



As if all these goodies weren't enough, Cocorama offers free chubby, baby pancakes with every meal. Our family had wanted to order dessert after our meals but we were just too stuffed. We plan to go back and try out the Jackson Five pancakes - chocolate pancakes with whipped cream and marshmallows. Mmmmm...



Cocorama is a fun place to take your family (or your date) to because it's great value for money - your tummy is filled, your senses are sated - audiovisually by the sights and the sounds of the seventies. The people behind Cocorama are the same guys who brought us Heaven and Eggs. Heaven can wait for now -- I'll have an LSD (longanisa, steak and diced veggies - hah!) Omellete with the Jackson Five to go next time.


Take a look at these 70s interiors - note the disco ball. And don't you just love the Volkswagen Combi. Cool.

Family Lunch at Myron's

One of L's favorite foods of all time is pannacotta. He was drooling over the Vanilla Bean Pannacotta served at a family lunch one afternoon at Myron's, a steak and seafood place over at the Powerplant Mall in Rockwell. Myron's is owned by a childhood friend, Mon Eugenio, who seems to have a golden touch for the restaurant business. He started with a Spanish restaurant by the Shangri-la Mall parking lot around 10 years ago but had a falling out with its owners and so he opted out and moved on to Katip's that famous watering hole over at good old Katipunan. A few years ago, he sold his shares and then was supposed to open a restaurant at the still-mothballed NAIA 3 so now he has put up the highly suvccessful Myron's over at the Powerplant.

Known as a steak and seafood place with Angus steak that is supposedly to die for, our family opted to do a light lunch instead. We're not really such big steak eaters but were eager to try something new that afternoon. Here's some of the stuff that we decided to savor...



Pumpkin soup is a family favorite and P decided to start her meal with this. "It tastes sooo fresh," the pumpkin soup connosieur said. L and I had the French Onion soup which was very tasty and cheesy while H opted for the Asparagus Capuccino - soup, not coffee.



Both kids opted for Chicken Fingers and Fries which was crunchy and very tasty, just the way most kids like it. Dipping options were mayo or catsup.



H chose to have Roast Beef and Cabbage - a very British dish which he said was succulent and rich in flavor.

I opted to do the greens and chicken (like mother, like child) --



A very healthy and adequate serving of Mesclun Salad with Cajun Chicken. The dish itself looked very appetizing and I was not disappointed. I was also very full at the end of the meal :)

And of course, everyone's favorite part... though we hardly had any space left for it was the piece de resistance ta-dah! -- Vanilla Bean Pannacotta



Which father and son and mother and daughter devoured!



And here we are, all happy and sated after that delicious meal.


Myron's at the Powerplant --