MENU for Lifestyle: Highlights of 2011

Casa Roces patio

Happy with my new column in Inquirer Lifestyle. Many thanks to Letty Jimenez Magsanoc and Thelma Sioson San Juan for the opportunity! Joining the Inquirer Lifestyle team was definitely a top highlight of 2011 for me.

For resto highlights of 2011 please see Menu for Inquirer Lifestyle story here.

Salad at Chef Tatung's

I mentioned Chef Tatung's as one of the highlights of 2011 in my new column in Inquirer Lifestyle so to remember the review in the Sunday Inquirer Magazine, here it is (in a previous post).

Since I reviewed it, Myke Tatung has tweaked the menu to go back to his Filipino roots. With the help of Metro Home's Devi de Veyra, he has also added an intimate nook for group gatherings to the dining area, perfect for dinner with close friends.

Best to order at this resto: the gindara.

Another new home kitchen mentioned is the quaint little resto Atelier 317 of Star columnist and caterer Stephanie Zubiri.  I liked the vibe so much I held my birthday dinner last December there. It's a nice place for intimate dinners with close friends.

Best to order at this resto: balsamic beef adobo and a malongotini (coffee martini).

Appetizer platter at Atelier 317

 The first home cum restaurant I visited in 2011 though was Casa Roces. I was lucky enough to chance upon Lolo Marcos Roces himself. While the restaurant is run by Cravings, the family has shared some recipes from their own heritage cookbook. A favorite on the menu is this caviar spread.

Personalized door at Casa Roces

Another highlight of the year: taquerias! I have found that there is no one taqueria that beats the rest. Each has its strength/s.

Orale corn

Orale quesadilla

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The UNEDITED story: 

The Stars of 2011

What time is it? Ala-STRESS!!! The Christmas rush was especially frantic this year, the cheer being overshadowed by the concern for our brothers in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan. The silver lining amidst the tragedy is that the spirit of Christmas was awakened (kalabog'd is more like it), generosity imparted not out of obligation or tradition but truly out of empathy and the goodness of our hearts. From the amazing efforts of Sagip Kapamilya, Kapuso Foundation and the Red Cross, to the big donations from local governments (Cebu P6Million; QC & San Juan P4Million; Davao and Valenzuela P3 Million each); to the soup kitchens set up not only by reliable NGOs but even by students of hospitality schools like Enderun; to the P5 text donation to Globe and Smart, we have come together as a people and this tragedy, devastating as it was, has proven our capacity for compassion and a resilience that can only make us stronger.

Sendong and Pedring notwithstanding, 2011 was a great year, especially for the culinary industry. The Rabbit came with good tidings: restaurants went forth and multiplied, home kitchens went abounding, old kitchens went rebounding.

A House is Not a Home - It's a Restaurant

Atelier 317 with "the legends"

My personal favorites for 2011 were the home kitchens. Myke "Tatung" Sarthou redecorated Chef Tatung's, a house cum restaurant that has become a favorite by word of mouth for out-of-mall dates, and added Filipino flavor to his international menu. Stephanie Zubiri opened the ground floor of her workshop for small groups of diners who want a piece of her much acclaimed Balsamic Beef Adobo and has named the place Atelier 317. For out of town home kitchens, foodies such as Cyrene dela Rosa highly recommend a much coveted booking at the dining table of Mama's Kitchen of Vicki Clemente Tinio in Baguio which offers a view of the Cordillera mountains. And of course there is the Anthony Bourdain- and Tom Parker Bowles-approved Bale Dutung of husband and wife tandem Claude and Maryann Tayag. Meanwhile in the confines of Metro Manila, another Legarda Ancestral home was saved from being sold by Peachy Prieto and daughter Bianca who have transformed it into the beautiful Casa Roces, sharing a few family recipes with the public amidst the elegant yet warm background.

Ole!

Orale

Another great 2011 entry: the taquerias - burrito is a paborito! Tia Maria '80s memories have been resurrected as raves rolled for the soft shell tacos of Orale at the Fort and the mean burritos of Hermanos (at a gas station past the parols on Gilmore). Chihuahua on Makati Avenue distinguishes itself by turning up the volume on spice (chili that is hotter than hell) and raising spirits with their Salsa Night Saturdays. Pioneer Roby Goco puts it in the mainstream with Achiote becoming the latest addition to Rockwell's Powerplant Mall although I personally prefer his original creation, San Juan's Ristras.

Orale tacos

In the Spirit of All Seasons
And yet another great 2011 entry is the sosyal beer garden. Craft Pub and Grill and Draft Gastropub have taken the enjoyment of beer to another level. Craft serves American and now Japanese craft beer including Ballast Point and Hitachino Nest while Draft offers classics such as Hoegarden, Stella and Becks but in the form of ice cold draft. At Draft, you can pair your beer with the amazing comfort food concoctions of Chef Carlo Miguel such as the Angry Drunk Mussels (tahong) and the Camembert cheesesteak. These two have become the latest favorite hangout of yuppies - and the good looking ones, too!

Meanwhile wine lovers have been having a ball with the latest entries in the vino scene. Terry's Selection is now carrying Baron Edmond de Rothschild wines Chateau des Laurets '09, Chateau Clarke '01 and '07 and Les Laurets Premium '05; Sommelier Selection offers the Italian Brunori "Barco" Rosso Conero; while Straits Wine is now carrying wines from the vineyard of Anna Maria Cruciata called Val di Toro (try the Auramaris).

After this stellar year in the food industry, I don't know how 2012 will top this. But the incoming year is a Dragon so the prediction is that it will be nothing short of amazing. Anyway, as long as we keep helping (efforts for affected areas in Mindanao need to be sustained at least until March - the damage was that bad), the good chi should keep coming and so will the good tidings. So cheers to us! Happy New Year, Philippines! 

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Chef Tatung's Garden Cafe 17 Matipid St., Sikatuna Vill., QC 352 6121/0915 846 3234 * Atelier 317 @ 0917 830 8393 * Mama's Kitchen 88a Ambuklao Rd Baguio City (074) 442 1794/ 0915 643 8775 * Bale Dutung Villa Gloria Subd., Angeles City Pampanga 0917 535 9198 * Casa Roces JP Laurel cor Aguado, San Miguel Manila 735 5896 *  Hermanoc Taco Shop 27 Granada Ave cor Vera (Gilmore) QC 570 8425 * Orale Taqueria Mexicana G/F Fort Strip 552 2660. * Chihuahua Mexican Grill 7838 Makati Ave (across A Venue) 897 0087/ 0916 373 7308 * Ristras @ J.Abad Santos cor Lopez Jaena, San Juan * Craft Pub & Grill @ Fort Strip, Bonifacio Global City 846 1715 * Draft Gastro Bar Fort Strip 846 9725 * more details at margauxlicious.com, facebook.com/margauxlicious, twitter.com/margauxsalcedo.