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| Todd English whips up a feast for the press at Raffles Makati |
There was much hype about the opening of the Todd English Food Hall at SM Aura and I confess I haven't been (waiting for the hype to die down). But how lucky was I to have been invited to a sit-down lunch at Long Bar at Raffles Makati cooked by the very own hands of Mr. English himself (while he was here to open Food Hall).
It was a fiesta.
Sharween Tee, who was seated across me, hyptohesized that Mr. English probably misses being in the kitchen. (It is not uncommon for celebrity chefs to actually give up or have very little time for cooking to meet their other obligations such as appearances, opening restaurants, tv guestings, etc.) Monique Toda, the PR extraordinaire of Raffles, shared that the Raffles chefs were in fact ready to execute a menu on his behalf but Mr. English did not dare miss out on the fun. He took to the kitchen himself and, voila!, now we know why he is celebrated.
We started slow, with a carrot hummus, a dish whose simplicity was more apparent than real. It was an appropriate introduction. The hummus is evidently Middle Eastern yet Mr. English made it his own by incorporating not only tajin and Za'atar but also roasted carrots, giving depth and character to what would otherwise be a simple albeit flavorful starter.
This was served alongside warm feta and spinach, which we could not get enough of, followed by pizzas that are also served at the Food Hall: a Fig and Prosciutto pizza, made even better by using Roquefort chesese and Aged Balsamic; and a Portobello and Fontina pizza. As a bonus, we were also given a sneak taste of a Todd English signature flatbread that he created especially for Spectrum, the buffet of Raffles and Fairmont Makati. This has chorizo, caramelized onions, manchego cheese and scallions. (Good news: this is available now at Spectrum until May 20. It's called the Todd English Signature Flatbread for Spectrum.)
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| Pizzas by Todd English. |
So we stuffed ourselves silly with pizza, thinking that was the piece de resistance. Then Todd English makes his entrance and says we are about to start. Huh?
First a black olive spaghetti alongside a fonduta ravioli with fresh black truffles that were hand-carried by Mr. English's son Oliver ("I put them in my socks," he joked) and sprinkled on the ravioli by Mr. English himself. This was to-die-for good, Sharwin Tee couldn't get over himself.
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| Todd English sprinkles black truffles on the ravioli and Sharwin Tee can't contain himself! |
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No chicken on the menu. Instead, we were served lamb. A beautiful slow roast rack of lamb in port wine reduction and an ingredient that had everyone guessing what that twist was. It was guava (a guava gelee).
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| Todd English lamb. |
Ever wonder how Todd English became such a hunk? It's because after all that, came the beef: a short rib terrine in a curried braised beef sauce and a foam of foie gras.
Todd English is known for his restaurant Olive (in Boston and in Las Vegas) and his food show Food Trip with Todd English.
We were really lucky to have tasted his cooking!!!
Raffles Makati
1 Raffles Drive, Makati Avenue (turn left into the driveway across Hermes Greenbelt)
Tel. +63 2 555 9777
The Todd English flatbread for Spectrum is available at the lunch buffet at Spectrum (Php 1,800 net per person Monday to Saturday); and at the dinner buffet (Php 2,120 net per person Sunday to Thursday and Php 2,285 net from Friday to Saturday).
For reservations, call +63 2 555 9840 or email dining.makati@raffles.com or dining.makati@fairmont.com.
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| Giddy. LOL. |
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| My gorgeous seatmates: Lovely ladies Monique Toda and Mia Borromeo. |
