Wine Depot Restaurant Week at M Cafe

Even a rainy evening could not stop me from going out to enjoy good food and wine with people I am close with. So on one such Saturday night, me, my mom and a high school friend trooped to M Cafe at Greenbelt 4 to wine and dine for Wine Depot's Restaurant Week. They offered a very good deal of just P650 for a three-course set menu plus dessert and your choice of wine. This is my 3rd time to dine in M Cafe but this time and their food creations are absolutely delish, but it will be more interesting to be sampling the special wine and food pairings specially prepared for the occasion.

For starters, an interesting looking salad was served -- Sweet Crispy Beef Shreds and Fresh Herbs. It had tomatoes, cucumber, mint, lemongrass, basil, cilantro and leeks, drizzled with lemon vinaigrette, and topped with sweet crispy beef shreds. What can I say? This is one unique salad that gave me a medley of flavors -- sweet, citrusy, salty and minty. The cucumber strips are juicy and crunchy. The basil gave the salad its sweet flavor, providing good contrast with the citrusy flavor of the lemongrass and vinaigrette. The crispy beef on top adds a touch of saltiness and gives added texture and point of interest. This salad is so tasty you would forget that it is healthy.

Sweet Crispy Beef Shreds and Fresh Herbs

Next came the soup -- M's Signature Spicy Curried Pumpkin Soup -- which at first glance looks like any other pumpkin soup. Just a spoonful delighted me with the smooth and creamy texture and the full zesty curried pumpkin flavor. The spice is just right and the peppered crunchy papadum jived with the soup.

M's Signature Spicy Curried Pumpkin Soup

Since we are three at the table, we decided to order different dishes for the main course so we can try them all. Mom ordered the Oven Roasted Labahita Fillet with Aligue Cilantro Butter Sauce and red wine, my friend Gesel choose the Spicy Adobo U.S. Rib Fingers and white wine while I decided on the Crispy "Binagoongan" Liempo and white wine. Old practice was that red wine is paired with meat dishes while white wine goes with fish and seafood but nowadays, anything goes with what your heart (and tastebuds) desires.

Oven Roasted Labahita Fillet with Aligue Cilantro Butter Sauce

The Oven Roasted Labahita Fillet with Aligue Cilantro Butter Sauce was a very good choice -- the fillet is soft and buttery-smooth, and seasoned just right. The generously served aligue butter sauce was delicious and gives the fillet a distinctive seafood flavor, especially enhanced by calamansi. No need for rice because the fillet rested on a bed of bok choi, a healthier option.

Spicy Adobo U.S. Rib Fingers with Langka Chutney

Gesel's Spicy Adobo U.S. Rib Fingers is a refreshing adobo dish for me as I've only eaten pork or chicken adobo and adobong kangkong. My first time to taste beef adobo and the U.S. rib fingers were really tender. The adobo sauce I found too salty for my taste but I love the garlic flavor brought by the garlic chips. When eaten with the langka chutney, the dish tasted like patatim and the sweet chutney balanced the saltiness of the sauce.

Crispy "Binagoongan" Liempo

The Crispy "Binagoongan" Liempo is a pretty sight on the plate as each ingredient was neatly layered on top of another, garnished by shreds of green mango. The liempo is well-cooked, crispy yet juicy; when eaten as is, the meat is devoid of any flavor from seasonings but it was just right because the bagoong gave it flavor I expected. The homemade bagoong gave a surprising texture as I felt the crispy alamang in every bite -- a new experience as opposed to the usual smooth and paste-like texture of bagoong. The dish has a good balance of sweetness and saltiness that when you eat one perfect bite (a fork full of each ingredient: a piece of liempo, eggplant, and green mango dipped in bagoong), you'll feel pure ecstasy!

Chocolate Stuffed Black and White Buchi with Gelato

For dessert, Chocolate Stuffed Black and White Buchi with Gelato was served. The combination of warm buchi and the cold gelato was a clever yummy creation. I felt like a child trying to dip a lollipoped buchi into a shot glass filled with creamy gelato. This east-meets-west dessert is sinfully divine -- imagine a chocolate stuffed buchi with sesame seeds becoming more chocolaty with the gelato.

Arzuaga wines (l-r): La Planta Red Tempranillo

and Fan D’Oro White Chardonnay

The red and wine wine featured for the night is from the Arzuaga winery of Spanish winemaker Ignacio Arzuaga. I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Arzuaga in February 2010 at Wine Depot's Arzuaga Wine Dinner and it was where I first encountered Fan D’Oro White Chardonnay and La Planta RED Tempranillo. (See my post on the Arzuaga Wine Dinner here)

Fan D’Oro White Chardonnay was mildly aromatic and has a burst of flavors -- sour at first then salty before exploding with a bit of spice at the end. This wine was perfect with the labahita fillet and the crispy liempo. La Planta Red Tempranillo, on the other hand, had strong fruity aroma and was salty at first sip then turned mildly fruity with a refreshing smoky aftertaste. This wine complemented the adobo rib fingers very well.

M Cafe's dinning area

The serving counter

When we finished dinner, it started to rain again but overall, it was a good night of bonding and M Cafe was the right place to spend time with loved ones while enjoying great food and wine, and sharing good laughs. The seats are comfortable and the service personnel are courteous and attentive. And I love how the round lights that loomed overhead gave a warm glow to the simple but classy interiors.

The amazing "light balloons"

M Cafe's exterior with al fresco dining area

M Cafe is located in Greenbelt 4, Makati Ave., Makati City right in front of the Ayala Museum. For your wines and spirits requirements, visit Wine Depot branches or their website for good buys and special offers.

Related post: Arzuaga Wine Dinner

Filed under FLAVORS

Manila’s First Wines and Spirits Auction

Wine tasting and wine pairing events abound year on year and so the prospect of having the first Wines & Spirits Auction excites me...and hopefully the rest of Manila's wines and spirits enthusiasts.


Happening on Thursday, March 24, 7 pm, at the Mandarin Oriental Manila Ballroom, over 50 Lots will be auctioned at the event including several wines that have been cited in Wine Spectator's Auction Index, a composite of average prices for selected benchmark wines sold at commercial auctions around the world. These include some wonderful Bordeauxs such as a 1986 Château Lafite Rothschild (95 points), 1994 Château Latour (94 points), 1999 Château Mouton-Rothschild (90 points), 2000 Château Léoville-Las Cases (100 points) and 1989 Château Pichon-Longueville-Lalande (94 points) and also some great California Cabernets including half cases of 2006 Opus One Napa Valley (93 points), 1999 and 2006 Robert Mondavi Napa Valley Reserve (96-95 points, respectively).

Other spotlight Lots are Penfolds Grange, Australia's iconic and most collectible wine. Some of the rare Lots up for sale are a lively octagenarian wine, a 1929 Gerard Bertrand Maury; Laphroaig 30 YO Single Malt Whisky, winner of several medals at the 2005 San Francisco wines and spirits event; personally signed magnum bottles of Geroges Debeouf special cuvée wines from 2009 (known as the vintage of a lifetime); and a Louis XIII specially aged rare Cognac. Several surprise Lots of good value will also be auctioned. Expected to be a fun evening, the event will start off with a tasting of some 100 wines from 12 different vineyards from Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Italy, Spain, South Africa and the US. The wines will be paired with a cocktail buffet prepared by the chefs of the Mandarin Oriental. Also aiming to be an informative ocassion for newbies, participation and commentary of some of the country’s most respected wine experts will be part of the programme, plus representatives from select wineries will be on hand to answer questions and share more information on the wines they represent.

Lots on auction were previewed at an inaugural cocktail last March 22 at the Salcedo Auctions in Tordesillas Street in Makati, with a lecture on "Old World vs New World Wines: Differences and Similarities" from wine connoisseurs Atty. Noel Ermitaño and Jay Labrador.

All Lots are posted at http://www.forthtay.com and http://www.salcedoauctions.com with printed and downloadable catalogues also available. Bids can be placed in person or by phone on the day of the auction.

Manila’s First Wines & Spirits Auction is hosted by Forth & Tay, the Philippines' leading direct merchant of fine wines and spirits together with Salcedo Auctions, the country's premier auction house and the Mandarin Oriental Manila. Part of the proceeds of this first auction will go to the Virlanie Foundation.

Entrance for the tasting, cocktail buffet and auction is P1,500. For reservations, you may contact Amz@forthtay.com or at telephone 828-1067 or mobile 0917-5599841.

Food & Wine Fest From Down-Under

Thoughts of Australia warm my heart. No, I haven’t been there but I once worked in a multinational financial services company, which mother-company is headquartered in Melbourne, and I’ve had a string of Australian bosses who acquainted me to their ways, and food and wine choices at business functions and parties. So when the invitation to preview the “A Taste of Australia” wine and food festival at the Oakroom Restaurant of Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center in Ortigas, I jumped at it to re-live a bit of my past.

I was expecting the usual crowd of people that I encounter in press conferences or launches but when I arrived at the posh venue, I only saw a long table for 20 people, just enough for selected guests from media, for Oakwood Premiere’s general manager, Brian Connelly, and public relations and marketing communications manager, Genny Puno, and Wine Depot’s Monette Atilano.

“We are thrilled to feature a range of great wines from the iconic Barossa and Eden valleys, known for its Shiraz and Riesling among others. The “aged” wines go well with the lamb and steak while the “Stumpies” – best while they are “young”, match the lighter fare,” shares Mr. Connelly.

To complement the wines, Oakwood Premier’s executive chef Jerome Cartailler, cooked up an Australian fare storm for us to sample.

The menu reads:

Chili and Pesto Bread
Pepper Berry Butter

Trio of Sydney Rock Oysters
Kilpatrick, Mornay and Florentine

Grant Burge Benchmark Chardonnay

***

Lamb Chop and Bay Bug
Grilled Australian lamb chops and slipper tail lobster
Bush tomato chutney and pesto mash

D’ Arenberg Stump Jump Grenache, Shiraz, Mouvedre

***

Sticky Date Pudding
Homemade Toffee Ice Cream
Coffee or Tea

As the chatter around the table began, the appetizer of Chili and Pesto Bread with Pepper Berry Butter was served. These bread flavors excited me and so I savored each bite – crusty on the outside but delightfully soft on the inside, with wonderful flavors and a touch of spice. The butter was creamy soft and had an interesting sweet-chili flavor brought about by Australian pepper berries.

Chili and Pesto Bread with Pepper Berry Butter

The next fare was a trio of Sydney rock oysters…oohhh! I love baked oysters! The first I tried was a Kilpatrick, which is basically baked oyster seasoned with Worcestershire sauce and topped with rashers of bacon and chopped parsley, which explains the smoky flavor and mild spice.

Kilpatrick Oyster

Next was a Mornay, baked oyster topped with a thick concoction of what seems to be milk, corn flour and cheese. This one serve at the Oakroom has a hint of fire because of the three red peppercorns added on top.

Mornay Oyster

The last oyster, a Florentine, had the oyster meat resting on top of a bed of spinach, flavored with bacon, parsley and chili. Upon seeing it, one would think it was just an innocent, yummy-looking oyster but I sensed a strong kick of chili in my mouth just before I swallowed it.

Florentine Oyster

The Grant Burge Benchmark Chardonnay (white wine) had mild fruity aroma and salty-citrus flavor that seemed to amplify the fire in my throat from eating the spicy Florentine oyster. What a way to start the meal!

For the entrée, Lamb Chop and Bay Bug were served. Bay bug? Oh, no! What a relief to learn that it was just a catchy alias for the slipper tail lobster. Whew! The tender lamb chop had a smoky flavor, which was intensified by the balsamic reduction sauce on the side. The pesto mash potato that came with it was heaven! I appreciated the mild pesto flavor and it was surprisingly light to the mouth and tummy. The lobster, which was probably the fattest and meatiest lobster I’ve seen and eaten in my life, was seasoned just right with salt and pepper. The bush tomato chutney’s sweetness provided an interesting contrast to the lobster and lamb while the grilled vegetables on the side was a good equalizer from the dish’s swirl of flavors. Salivating yet?

Lamb Chop and Bay Bug: grilled Australian lamb chops and slipper tail lonster with bush tomato chutney and pesto mash

The D’ Arenberg Stump Jump Grenache, Shiraz, Mouvedre (red wine) had a strong earthy aroma and a strong bitter-salty flavor appropriate for the lamb and lobster.

As the raves and discussions on the food served slowly tapered, hinting that the guests were fully satiated, out came the Sticky Date Pudding topped with Homemade Toffee Ice Cream and candied caramelized sugar. The ice cream was smooth and gelatinous, however it was too sweet for my palate when eaten alone. It was wonderful when eaten together with the pudding: the ice cream bringing out the nutty-fruity flavor of the pudding and the pudding taming the strong sweetness of the ice cream. This is the perfect time to rub a satisfied tummy!

Sticky Date Pudding with Homemade Toffee Ice Cream

Devour everything I have described here and more at the “A Taste of Australia” wine and food festival. It will run from March 7 to 27, 2011 and will feature three wines from Wine Depot (Grant Burge Benchmark Chardonnay, St. Hallet Faith Shiraz and Eden Valley Riesling and D’ Arenberg Stump Jump Grenache, Shiraz, Mouvedre) and a gastronomic feast from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) which includes Tajima Wagyu Beef Striploin, Braised Lamb Shank, Sautéed Barramundi Fillet and a selection of Australian cheeses.

Oakroom is on the 6th level of Oakwood Premier Joy-Nostalg Center Manila, located at 17 ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Pasig. For details and reservations, please call the Oakroom direct line at 719 1160 or visit www.oakwood.com.

Arzuaga Wine Dinner

It was only a couple of years ago that my interest in wines came about. Am not really a drinker, just a social drinker who is unfazed with Tequila. But of course, I can't have Tequila during dinner parties and so wine came to fore.

With wine tasting events here and there, I found out that I'm more of a white wine and rose wine person, which is good because I don't eat meat anymore and fish goes well with white wine. Also, white wine is cool to the body unlike the red counterpart which heats us up.

Vinos de Arzuaga at Makati Shangri-La's Red, was a night of delectable food and wine pairings with Spanish winemaker Ignacio Arzuaga. Featuring wines from Bodegas Arzuaga: Fan D’Oro White Chardonnay- La Planta RED Tempranillo, Pago Florentino RED Cencibel, Arzuaga Crianza RED Tempranillo- Cabernet- Merlot, Arzuaga Reserva Especial RED Tempranillo; and special menu prepared by Red's Chef Thomas Linke. I've avoided eating meat of any kind for the past two years but for this event, I had to just eat a slice of the meat dishes served to get a feel of the food and wine pairings.

First on the menu was ceviche of tuna with micro herbs (right) paired with Fan D'Oro, 2007; cocoa dusted seared foie gras with pomegranate and vanilla syrup, pata negra crisps (left) paired with La Planta, 2008. I could really taste the herbs and tuna chunks of the ceviche, perfect for Fan D'Oro's surprising burst of flavors - slightly salty that turns to sweetness before ending with a spicy kick. On the other hand, it was my first time to try foie gras and this one was so well cooked that it simply melted in the mouth. The La Planta's good mix of sweet and spicy brought out the exotic flavor of the foie gras.

Next was the star anise braised pork belly, chorizo tamales with thyme and oregano paired with Pago Florentino. The pork belly was lean, soft and tasty while the red Cencibel (with strong coffee-like aroma) is salty and dries out in the throat almost immediately, giving a feeling of absorbing the oil of the paired pork belly.

My favorite was the olive oil poached wild salmon fillet with blackberry reduction, warm sambuca jelly, shellfish veloute (the best salmon I've ever tasted -- melts in your mouth!) paired with Crianza, 2006. The salmon had soft buttery texture and has none of the lingering "fishy" taste of other salmon dishes I've tried. The blackberry reduction gives a nice twist to the salmon while the shellfish veloute gives it a good seafood flavor, much like eating soft-shell crab. The red Tempranillo- Cabernet- Merlot's strong bitter taste and smoky flavor was just right for this special dish of Chef Linke (too bad the salmon won't be in the regular RED menu).

The fourth pairing is the bone marrow crusted organic beef tenderloin, minted apple puree, truffle mashed potatoes in balsamic jus and bitter-then-spicy Reserva Especial. The flavorful crunchy crust was a contrast to the tender beef -- simply sinful! The smooth mashed potato was a good compliment to the dish and cleanses the palate for the next bite of beef. Of all the meat dishes I tasted for the evening, it was this one that I felt remorseful for not finishing as I had to stick with my lifestyle change.

For dessert, we were served warm flourless dark chocolate cake (super good!), berry jelly (not good, sorry!) and red port wine sabayon. It was a heavenly chocolate cake with sweetness just right. The berry jelly was a disaster however -- the red jelly tasted okay but the berries (except for the strawberry) inside tasted bitter if not sour.

That's me in the middle, seated beside Ignacio Arzuaga

Overall, the night was splendid. Thanks to Lia Bernardo of Wine Depot for the invitation.

My Public Life in 2009, part 2

EVENTS

Iloilo's Dinagyang Festival - Was invited by the Iloilo Business Club to witness Iloilo's first attempt at a Guiness Book of World Records entry for the biggest La Paz Batchoy and experience the Dinagyang Festival.

R2R by Aranaz - Rags2Riches unveiled eco-ethical style as premier bag designer Amina Aranaz works her magic, fusing scrap materials with her signature mother of pearl components. proudly made by empowered women of Payatas.

Perya by Happy Andrada - The whimsical fashion gala of designer Happy Andrada that took inspiration on elements of a perya or circus. Wonderful circus acts plus colorful clothes, not to mention perya elements such as game booths, popcorns and hotdogs.

Boracay SALSAmba 2009 - GWorld launched the First Boracay SALSAmba Festival, as they share the Department of Tourism's thrust in putting back the Philippines on the map of the world as a tourist destination, through LATIN DANCING which is currently raking in a huge following all over the globe.

American Idol Finale - I was invited to watch the American Idol Live via Satellite at Greenbelt. I was thrilled because I would get to watch it ahead of the Philippine telecast -- was hoping Adam Lambert would win. Eventhough Kris Allen won, I was blown away by Adam's performances, especially the number with the KISS band. Adam is truly a rock god! I participated in the trivia questions game and won computer speakers and AI shirt courtesy of the event organizers Starworld and Dream TV. :)
World Capital Markets Symposium - Was part of the delegation to the 1st World Capital Markets Symposium at KL, Malaysia where BusinessWorld is the exclusive Philippine Media Partner.

Dinner with NBA Players - Welcome reception of DOT for the NBA players who visited for a show at the Araneta Coliseum. This was the lucky night that I won the autographed shirt in the raffle. My brother had a field day oogling at the players and the dunking divas, he he he. :)

Coffee Origins - The Philippine Coffee Board celebrates another October coffee month with an event focusing on the origins of Philippine Coffee. The event series highlights the best of Philippine grown coffee and brands, and the geographical location from which they have originated from.

Philippine Fashion Week - Spring-Summer 2010 fashion show at SMX and SM MOA. Thanks to Happy Andrada and Lisanne Uy for the invites.

Bulawan - Bulawan, Gold of Camarines Norte gold jewelry exhibit of Dr. Palencia. Had a grand time oggling at exquisite handmade gold jewelry from where I trace my paternal roots. Equally exhilarating when I tried on some of them...argh! so hard to take them off, wish they were mine. :P

Power of Feminism - The Power of Feminism Dinner organized by the United Nations. There were foreign delegations and representatives from embassies. Guest of honor was former First Lady Imelda Marcos.Theme was Masquerade and so we went dressed up complete with masks. Alas, we were the only ones with masks, he he he.

Genesis - Unveiling of Genesis, the magazine for the 40th anniversary of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Manila Hotel Health Club and Spa Launch - A night of good food, wine and massage. :)

GASTRONOMIC DELIGHTS

100 French Wines - Sommelier Selection's wine tasting event for 100 French wines. Must've samples about 25-30 kinds of white, red and rose wines. After that, met up with a friend to watch X-men Origins: Wolverine (Hugh Jackman rocks!) then chatted over coffee til 4 am. :) I must admit I was a little bit tipsy from the wines that night. :P

Indonesian Spice & Everything Nice - Was invited by Heritage Hotel to taste the sumptuous Indonesian buffet they offered at the Riviera Cafe. Exotic yet palatable. Thanks to Romina Gervacio for the invite.

Malunggay Festival - A vegetarian delight, I was so excited when I first heard of the Malunggay Festival at the Manila Hotel. And I was not disappointed because everything was delicious, not to mention nutricious, especially the Malunggay ice cream. Thanks to Nian Rigor for the invite.

French Wine Revelations - Attended the Sommelier French Wine Revelations and got to taste about 5 of the 25 wines revealed to selected guests. After that, had coffee a friend, first at CBTL then later at Starbucks where we stayed until dawn.

A Night of Good Music, Food & Wine - Was invited to the intimate party welcoming new members of the newly formed German Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines. The venue was the grand old house formerly of the matriarch of a then famous film studio in the 50s. Food was served by Lemuria and wine from Brumms.

Tapella - Newly opened last June 29, Tapella had a media launch to introduce new, unique and tasteful dishes to delight the palate and stomach. Thanks to Mitch Garcia for the invite.

Wine For A Cause - A 100 magazine event, food and wine flowed for guests to enjoin people to support Habitat for Humanity.

Flavors of Spain - was invited to the Club Punta Fuego leg of the celebration of Spanish wine and cuisine in Flavors of Spain. Thanks to Tori Vicente for the invite.