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A World of Flavor
A World of Flavor
EATING at a restaurant in Rockwell is good for two things: eating and people watching. No matter where you eat, you are bound to see pretty people in the latest of fashions. It’s like La Salle’s pebble wash on a grander scale.
As usual, as I ate dinner with my family one evening in Lu, a tisoy boy in a green shirt talking in a voice that was a decibel louder than what was necessary for sound to travel to his listeners turned my head. Minutes later, he approached our table carrying our orders ... “Oh, hello, Chef ... Lu?” we asked, surprised to have Mr. Good Looking serve us. “No,” he said, smiling, “Not chef. Resident drunkard!”
The Resident Drunkard who is too cute for words served us our choices for dinner: pork chops and flounder. The pork chops came highly recommended by ANC’s Ricky Carandang and I had made a mental note to try it out before writing this review. Turns out the newsman’s a foodie and he was right, the pork chops were superb.
“That uses local pork,” Chef Lu explained. Why is this statement relevant? Because I later learned that the Resident Drunkard’s full name is Luis de Terry and that their family owns Terry’s Selections, which gives us the best of imported ingredients from you-name-where in the world. So it is a compliment for Filipino pork suppliers when a chef who has access to the best quality pork in the world chooses Pinoy baboy. “We don’t need kurobuta,” Chef Lu said, “Filipino prime rib pork chop is the best.”
This love for Pinoy flavors runs even deeper. “I may not look it but I am 100 percent Pinoy,” Lu says later. “I met a Vietnamese lady once who said that she did not appreciate Filipino food and I felt sorry for her because she just didn’t get it.”
He plays with Filipino ingredients. The pork chop’s dip uses achuete. “People could not believe that I used achuete because they think that is just for food coloring but I argued otherwise,” he shared. This achuete sauce is an amazing alternative to those who look for dips other than ketchup (I mix my ketchup with Perrins) and search for just a tiny hint of sour against the ketchup’s sweetness. Then he uses kamote (sweet potato) for the side dish, which is just sweet enough to contrast with the pork’s saltiness.
Another thing notable about Chef Lu is how he has you guessing what ingredient went where. A special for a book club which I happened to taste because I was having lunch at their restaurant on that special day made me believe there was tamarind served with the fish. Turns out there was nothing but lemon and onions with the tamarind-like flavor developing only from the honey he mixed in to caramelize these.
Originality and creativity are evident all over the menu. They will not serve you an ordinary burger; instead they offer a corned beef burger. But with the sunny side up and balanced flavorings, it is worth the P325 you will pay for it. They will not serve you ordinary mac and cheese but a version with truffle oil. This one, though, has you looking for the truffle flavor after the first two bites. Or maybe it depends on the customer’s mixing. The fried kesong puti has you eating a slice of lemon with it (be sure to take out the seeds!), complete with the lemon peel. To me, a kesong puti lover, this was brilliant.
There are other items on the menu that shine. The Argentinian hand-chopped beef empanadas are superb, with flavors bouncing in your mouth. (The thing that comes with it that looks like bagoong is chimichurri.) The hummus is likewise excellently crafted. The chocolate and hazelnut terrine is an instant anti-depressant. I know because I ate it on a day I was awash with sadness and if only for that moment while I appreciated Lu’s chocolate, all was beautiful in the world again.
Some are less outstanding, such as the zucchini blossom and goat cheese fritters, which is sparse in its serving and forgettable in its flavor. The queso fundido con chorizo, while intriguing on the menu and big in flavor, drowns in oil. The bellini needs a drink.
But Chef Lu, who has traveled the world and experienced the flavors of various countries, seems to achieve his objective for Lu’s menu: “There is no one cuisine. It is like traveling the world through food.” Indeed, you will get hints of Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Asian flavors as you come back again and again for his creations. You are certain of one thing at this restaurant: you will never get bored! He also achieves his other objective of showing people the best of what the Philippines has to offer. Aside from the Pinoy pork, their coffee is a customized blend of Benguet and Batangas beans, and it is excellent.
If you want a quiet dinner, don’t come here on a Saturday night, where it’s quite the social venue; come on a weeknight. Or for a more relaxed setting, come on a Sunday, when families gather with the children in their mall outfits. Whatever day you choose, it doesn’t matter; you are guaranteed a good time with and at Lu. •
Lu, Rockwell.
G/F Joya Building, Joya Drive, Rockwell, Makati.
Tel. nos. 403-3991 / 0915-2468420.
Monday-Thursday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 6 p.m.-10 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 6 p.m.-1 a.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Wheelchair accessible for the ground floor.
Major credit cards accepted.
There is no sincerer love than the love of food. - George Bernard Shaw
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