Terry Selection: The Best Chorizo and Churros con Chocolate in Manila

There are food lovers and there are connoisseurs. There are foodies and there are gourmets. I've declined the suggestion to rank restaurants by stars a la New York Times because I cannot in good conscience claim to be anywhere near the gourmet that it takes to judge restaurants or cooking that way. At least not yet!

I was at a party at Lolo Dad's Bistro when I met such a gourmet: the man behind Terry Selections. At the time, I was obsessing over truffles and wondering if they could be found anywhere in Manila. I was informed that black truffles may be found at Terry Selections, yes, but white ones, no, as they are impossible to find and crazy to purchase. Then he goes on this long narrative about how truffles are grown and how difficult they are to produce. How he was just traveling Europe to purchase truffles and how it wasn't that big a deal when he was younger and his mother just used truffles in their everyday omelet.



A few days later, the Doctor and I decide to grab a bite at the old Terry's along Pasong Tamo.

I like this restaurant much more than the others (Podium and Salcedo Village) because of the cozy atmosphere, complete with candelabra'd piano.

Of course, the food is excellent. Appetizers don't get any better than at Terry's.

The chorizo is served in its signature pig ceramics. (Although, I learned on another visit that they may not do this during lunch because of a faltering exhaust fan.) It lives up to all expectations of being salty, slightly spicy and biting. The gambas is just plain delicious. Best of all is the escargot which comes with a side of these crunchy chops of bread. So beautiful.

Or how about this Pimientos del Piquillo Rellenos de Gribiche de Bacalao (Piquillo pepper stuffed with codfish and crab gribiche). I do wish it had more cheese though but that's just because I'm a little indulgent with cheese although it may ruin the idea behind this creation.

What I love about Terry's is how they romanticize the food. It's just so caring, so poetic. The "cowboy" may not appreciate some items, like at that Sunday family brunch when I ordered the 200gram Tenderloin Rossini with Truffled Foie Gras Confit for my dad ("Ang liit naman nito!" - which made me realize I should've ordered a plain old rib-eye). But I sure liked it! What captured me was the menu description (to be honest): "USDA Prime Black Angus tenderloin topped with homemade truffled foie gras and coated with a truffle-Muscat-Armagnac sauce. Inspired by a classic French recipe created during the 18th century for the famous opera composer Gioacchino Rossini, a 'gourmand a l epoque', this signature dish blurs the lines between exquisite food and pure art." Admittedly, this would be better appreciated on a dinner date over a bottle of wine but I enjoyed it anyway (my dad felt totally lugi!)

There are other items that are a little too gourmet-ish. Like this fish, which I believe is presented in this plain state because its meat is supposed to run the show, kind of like Mariah Carey singing a cappella. But my mother found it too plain and a little dry.

This mushroom pasta is also lovely although the mushrooms disappear a little too soon. 

But you will never regret ordering a cup of their hot chocolate! This has got to be the BEST churros con chocolate in Metro Manila.

What's YOUR favorite at Terry's?

There is no sincerer love than the love of food. - George Bernard Shaw