Our Own Private Chef

I first heard about Chef Maj Lazatin from Miguel, who shot her for Yummy. He was raving about her risotto--I'm a sucker for good Italian food plus I figured H would appreciate having a private chef prepare a meal for us, so I decided to hire her for our post-V Day date.

Chef Maj is still pretty young, probably about H's age. She studied at the Apicius Cooking School in Florence for about a year--in other words, she got to live the life I can only dream of! It was a bit tough trying to contact her at first, but I finally got to speak with her, and she agreed to do a dinner for two.

The first menu she sent me was all seafood--H is allergic to shrimp and crab and some fish, so I asked if we could just stick to the stuff she prepared for the mag. An allergy attack would've totally killed the romance! After some logistical problems (plan A: the chef's house, but that didn't work out; plan B: the rooftop of our condo, but it was too windy; plan C: Marie's dining room; but we eventually ended up with plan D: a complete stranger's house! It was owned by one of the chef's partners, whom I met just that day! Can you say "dyahe"? But she insisted, so...), we finally settled on a place and feasted on...

Zuppa di Zucca - Pureed pumpkin soup with croutons and pancetta with a drizzle of truffle oil. I loved, loved, loved this soup! Truffle oil really makes anything taste extra special--I am still dreaming about that pasta that we had at Il Pirata. I just couldn't get enough of this velvety soup. At my house, our helper always gives H more soup than she gives me, and I always jokingly complain about it. That night, H complained that it looked like I got more than he did. "It's payback!" I laughed as I chowed down on another delightful spoonful.

Insalata with Two Kinds of Mushroom - Mixed greens topped with sauteed Portabello and button mushrooms dressed with blueberry vinaigrette. The best part about this salad was the crispy parmesan hiding under the mixed greens. I was thankful there wasn't any arugula in there, but I still couldn't finish my greens. H gamely polished 'em off for me.

Prima Piatti: Risotto con Vino Rosso, Pera, Gorgonzola e' Manzo - Arborio risotto with gorgonzola cheese and pear cooked in red wine and serve with grilled beef tenderloin. Our beef was a bit overdone--we asked for medium, but it seemed almost well done to us. But the risotto--ahh, the risotto! The last risotto we had before Chef Maj's was at a resto in Tagaytay, which H proclaimed was "the most expensive lugaw ever"! This version could not be mistaken for lugaw--H appreciates anything cooked in wine, and there was a great interplay of textures as I heaped a spoonful into my mouth--the risotto contrasting nicely with the pear bits. The taste of the gorgonzola echoed all the way into my nose! Sounds strange, but I really appreciated the intense flavor of the cheese.

Buko Sorbet - Our menu said "lemon sorbet," but instead we got one with strips of buko. A great palate cleanser, to prepare us for our second main course.

Secondi Piatti: Pesce con Mandorle e' Prezzemolo - Pan-seared cobbler fillet with toasted almonds and parsely, served with fried zucchini flower. At this point, H and I were bursting at the seams. We wanted to split one dish (true enough, we ended up eating just half, and the fish fillet wasn't even that big). I have this habit of sniffing food (I must be committing some dining faux pas...), and I got a whiff of a strongly nutty scent. As I bit into the fish, the taste of almonds just exploded in my mouth. The zucchini flower was nice and crispy. Both the fish and the zucchini flower were a bit oily, but delicious nonetheless. If it were the only course we had that night, I would've polished it off.

Dolci: Panna Cotta con Fragola - Double-cooked cream with pureed strawberries. While my all-time favorite panna cotta remains to be the one Gourmet's whipped up for a shoot two years ago, Chef Maj's was also pretty good. Creamy things tend to be nakakasawa, but this surprisingly wasn't. Perhaps it was due to the somewhat tangy flavor of the pureed strawberries--rather than placing sliced strawberries on top of the panna cotta, Chef Maj poured a smooth layer of the pureed fruit over the cream.

All in all, a wonderful experience! The chef was so pleasant, plus she even threw in some red wine for free (H had three glasses; I stopped at one because allergic me started getting rashes. Tsk tsk). She left me with the fantasy of hiring a full-time private chef in the future. Of course, if that happens, I'll also need to hire a full-time personal trainer!

Contact Chef Maj Lazatin through mobile 0917-8233101 or landline (02) 810-3101

Mambobola

Miss Zsa-Zsa might be "sawang-sawa na" of pambobola, but I just can't seem to get enough!

When I was still working in Makati (miss the neighborhood, not the everyday traffic!), our default lunch place was Margarita Fores's Cafe Bola in Greenbelt. Whether it was someone's last day, a day when we got sick of baon/caf food/fast food junk, or a day when we had a few extra bucks, we would almost always head on over to this resto. Well, OK, it was either Bola or everybody's favorite, Pancake House!

At Bola, I first fell in love with a dish my best friend introduced me to: pasta with dulong in cream sauce. The curious mix of those tiny, salty fish and cream always got me thinking about a possible rebellion in my stomach, but it never got in the way of my enjoyment of the dish. There was that one day when I veered away from the usual and got a sandwich, possibly the only time I was less than satisfied at the resto. (It was just too small for my too-big appetite.)

And then, a discovery. Wanting to try what the resto was named after, I decided to order their carambola--a mix of three different kinds of meatballs: beef, chicken, and seafood (you could order three of a kind, if you please). You pair these babies with either rice or pasta, then choose your sauce. There's tomato sauce, parmesan and ham, a spicy curry sauce, mushroom and gravy (I think, but it's only for rice), and, most intriguing of all, sour cream and paprika.

Hmph, bolero! My carambola pasta in sour cream and paprika. I like both the chicken and the beef meatballs; the seafood one is on the dry side, but the sauce more than makes up for that!

I got me my sour cream and paprika carambola on pasta and my, oh my, I haven't looked back since then! As my hips would tell you, I am a big fan of the cream sauce. The first thing that greets your tongue is the milky sauce, just bursting with surprises--when it reaches the back of your mouth, you get a wonderful, tangy explosion which keeps you from getting umay. I thought my taste buds would get tired of the dish after a few bites, but after polishing off a bowl, I always seem to want more.

It turned out, the creamy dulong was just puppy love. This was the real thing. Like any good bolero, it teases you mercilessly--and you can't help but come back for more. Luckily, QC-based me has easy access to the branch in Araneta. But even if I had to fight my way through Makati traffic just for this, I would.

H wanted to have what I was having but I got him to try something else (because after finding The Dish, I had stopped trying other stuff on the menu!). The parmesan and ham sauce was OK, pretty much what you'd expect. But we're convinced that we've already found the best thing on the menu.

Of Pirates and Pasta

Avast ye mateys! Arrrrr...gotta brush up on me pirate lingo before I's even attempts to write this entry!

For our bi-anniv (has it been a year since we ate at Fig and Olive?), H decided to take me to Il Pirata, an Italian place in Eastwood, Libis. I was skeptical at first, asking, "Who would name a restaurant Il Pirata? If you were in Italy, would you eat at a place called 'Ang Pirata'?" But he said that a few people had recommended it, and since it was Italian anyway, I gave in.

On bi-anniv day, I asked some friends about it, and they volunteered, "Maybe he meant L'operata?"I was thinking H might have gotten the name wrong. Then, as we walked across the Eastwood courtyard, I spied a great, grand ship in the distance. Aye, it was our destination. He wasn't kidding. "If they say, 'Ahoy, mateys!' I'm getting out of here," I joked, as we approached the entrance.

We were greeted with a polite "Good evening" and escorted to our table. The place was decked out to look like the interior of a pirate ship, and I began to realize what this place was about: It was simply supposed to be great fun! It tickled me pink (how very un-pirate-like), when what I supposed was the chef, a biggish Italian man, stepped out of the kitchen wearing, not a toque, but a pirate's bandana!

We assumed that the dude at left was the owner, and the one on the right was the chef.

H had eaten a late snack which spoiled his appetite, so no steaks for us that night. We decided to try their pastas. The tomato-based tagliatelle with lobster came highly recommended, but neither of us were in the mood for it. Our waitress suggested the Tagliatelle al Funghi e Tartufo (P340). "Parang Fetuccine Alfredo po," she offered. I didn't feel like having a typical Fetuccine Alfredo, but she prodded me in that direction, so I took her word for it and gave in. H, in an adventurous mood, decided to order something neither of us had ever had: hare! Penne al Sugo di Lepre (P495) to be precise.

As we waited for our orders, we were served bread with a saucer of some tomato spread. Yum. We took in the surroundings--gilded chairs with a skull on the backrest, yellow lighting (save for the white lights illuminating the selection of desserts), that kind of thing.

After a short wait, we were served the Tagliatelle al Funghi e Tartufo. It was homemade tagliatelle with porcini mushrooms, truffle oil (created by soaking truffles in olive oil. Ooooh!), and mascarpone cheese (a yummy triple-cream cheese. Drooool!). Neither of us could stop raving about it. It didn't even come close to any Fetuccine Alfredo I've ever tried! My tastebuds are tingling just thinking about it.

Next up came the hare. I was so worried that they would place a whole hare in front of me, ears and all, and I wouldn't be able to eat it! (Chicken, beef, pork, fish--I'm used to seeing and eating these things, but a bunny rabbit's close cousin? Yikes.) Thankfully, it was shredded into little bits and inconspicuously mixed into the penne. It was mixed with onions, wine, funghi (mushrooms), and parmesan cheese. We got a kick out of seeing the server sprinkle parmesan cheese using an electric grater!

So how was the hare? "It kind of tastes like corned beef," commented H. Although both dishes were cream-based, each one had a distinct flavor. The Tagliatelle was richer, and the Penne dish, thanks to the hare I suppose, had a saltier taste. The great thing about both dishes was that they seemed to be made using good-quality ingredients.

For dessert, I had the After Eight gelato cake (P160)--mint gelato sandwiched between chocolate gelato, and drizzled with chocolate syrup. I didn't think I could finish a whole slice all by myself.

...I was wrong. (Who was I kidding?) In my excitement, I forgot to have a pic taken til after I had nearly polished the whole plate off.

All in all, it was a very relaxed, fun, and delicious dining experience! So all ye land lubbers, get thee to this resto for some high-sea fun. It'll, uh, shiver yer timbers!

Il Pirata is located within Eastwood City in Libis.

Viva Italia!

To celebrate my birthday, I had three (count 'em, three!) birthday dinners. Every morning, I'd wake up still feeling full from the night before, but still, I'd eat my way through the day. That's what the holidays are for, eh? Thankfully, my clothes still pretty much fit (a bit of a surprise actually), but I know that I can't keep this up. Starting today, I'm saying bye-bye to eating with reckless abandon, so I'm left to savor the memory of my holiday meals.

The first birthday dinner I had was the night before my actual birthday. My barkada decided to have our post-Christmas get-together on my birthday itself, so H and I had to celebrate beforehand. We finally visited Bellini's, a resto I've been dying to try for ages. Located within Marikina Shoe Expo in my 'hood, good ol' Cubao, the Italian resto is run by Roberto Bellini--a true-blue Italian who was once a paparazzo (for real!)--and his wife, Ma. Luisa. Roberto was present at the resto that evening, and I found it quite charming that 1) he made sure that our orders were already taken, and 2) he went up to the in-house musician, fondly patted his shoulder, and suddenly joined him in song (Put Your Head on My Shoulder).

There was something comforting about Bellini's. There were murals on the walls and on the ceiling, and faux vegetables hanging from the wooden pillars--it was cozy, kitschy, and unpretentious, and I loved it!

Since we were newbies, we asked the waiter what he would recommend, and I thank him no end for suggesting the Ravioli (spinach ham) truffle cream. It. Was. Divine. I'd go back to this place over and over again just for this, and for P250, I know that I can!

H ordered the Filetto al pepe, which was grilled tenderloin steak in pepper sauce (P350), served with a siding of potatoes. It was a bit raw, according to H, but he says this added to the flavor and made it more tender. (For the record, I liked it!) His final word: "Sarap!"

Gluttons that we are, we also split a pizza, opting for the Bellini's Special (P250 for the small one, which is about 12 inches in diameter). It had cucumbers, eggplants, and even hotdogs on a very thin, crisp crust. Instead of hot sauce, we were given some olive oil mixed with chili, and it did make the pizza more flavorful.

For dessert, I had wanted the Tartufo negro. According to the menu, it mimics the look of the truffle, made of chocolate gelato with crunchy chips and red cherry at the core. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), it wasn't available, so I had me the panna cotta. (Not a big coffee fan, so tiramisu wasn't that enticing--although the best damn tiramisu I ever tried was a Sara Lee type from a supermarket in Milan!) Sitting innocently on a plate with no trimmings, it didn't look impressive, but once I took a bite, I was in heaven! I actually said, "Kinikilig ako sa sarap!" because really, I felt chills up and down my spine, something that rarely happens when I eat. There were no strawberries or mangoes or anything--just this rich, creamy concoction lying in a pool of sweet syrup. It's not often that I fall this hard for something that doesn't have any chocolate in it!

I really did enjoy that evening. The music was good (H tried to copy the singer since they had similar raspy voices), the conversation was great, and the food was delightful. It must be what the Italians mean when they sing "That's amore!"

Bellini's is located at the Marikina Shoe Expo (at the Araneta Center area), Cubao, Quezon City. It's open daily from 10 am to 10 pm. Call (02) 913-2550 for reservations.

Heartburn on the Day of Hearts

Valentine's Day

Hamil and I generally avoid the mad dating rush on Valentine's Day (the cheesiest of all holidays, but, as Hamil would say, not all people have a reason to celebrate so we might as well). This year, we opted to stay at my place, feasting on steak (marinade courtesy of my dad--it's his specialty), mixed veggies, and Pancake House mashed potatoes (in my opinion, the best damn mashed potatoes you could find). We had a bit of sprakling red grape juice (hey, I love it, so geroff my case. Hehe), then had some red wine and cheese. Ran out of the good stuff so had to make do with Quick Melt! Yummy nonetheless. All this while watching UFC on cable. How...romantic.

The day after...

For our post-Valentine's Day date, we decided to go back to Zucchini's Grill and Vinotek along Timog Ave. We'd been there once before and had been meaning to go back, but it's the kind of place that's reserved for special occasions (perhaps because of the price?). It's small and cozy, and while it's quite swanky, it's not stuffy at all. In just two visits, it has become one of my all-time favorite restos.

Our first time there, we ordered the tomato soup, the ravioli (if I remember correctly), and the chicken and mushroom risotto, all of which were divine. After almost every bite, we would literally shake our heads, saying, "Ang sarap!" So good that we were tempted to order the exact same thing on our second visit. In the end, we opted to try something new. Well, except for the tomato soup, which I started off with. Hamil decided to try the French onion soup. It was pretty good, but I'm still dreaming about the one from Heaven N' Eggs!

While waiting for our main course, we couldn't help overhearing a couple beside us. They were possibly on their first date, and the guy was just going on and on about...himself. Zzzz. But I digress. So I went for the pasta with lobster in white sauce, as I had never tried lobster before and was wondering what all the fuss was about. The pasta was kind of swimming in sauce, but still, I wasn't disappointed. Hamil couldn't have any as he's allergic to lobster, and I couldn't finish the hefty serving by myself. I discovered that lobster tastes a lot like prawns, only with a different texture. I think it's a bit more fishy than prawns.

*Random food fact: Italians actually treat pasta as a first course--not a main course--or even as an appetizer. Traditionally, poor people would eat it first as an inexpensive way to fill up; appetizers (pork, etc.) were generally seen as a sign of prosperity. The correct noodle:sauce ratio is similar to that of salad and dressing: the noodles should be coated with but not drowning in sauce.*

Hamil's order was a winner! Red snapper and chicken on mashed potatoes and some spinach. The serving was pretty big (but he had no problem polishing it off) and it was fantastic! You know how food in all different restaurants often taste the same? This dish had this terrific sauce which I'd never tasted before, and up 'til now I'm wondering what was in it. I would recommend this to anyone who's going to Zucchini's.

For dessert, I had me some panna cotta. Their version was unusual in that it had a very thin crust made of what tasted like white chocolate. It wasn't as creamy as one I recently tried at Gourmet's Cafe (this suited me just fine though, since I had just had pasta with white sauce), but the crust made it super rich. Hamil tried brewed black Lavazza coffee, supposedly a really good brand. Had a sip and it was a pleasant surprise for a non-coffee drinker like myself. If all coffee was this good, then I wouldn't mind drinking it. Hamil explained that there were 15 (or was it 11?) standards by which coffee is evaluated. He said that this particular cup "didn't have any flaws."

All in all, a highly satisfying dining experience. You can be sure you'll find us in Zucchini's again once we find an excuse, er, special occasion.

Rating
Food: 4.9 out of 5 (If the pasta had a bit less sauce, I would've given it a perfect score...ordinarily, it would be 4.5, but everything else I've tried in this place has been perfect, so I didn't wanna totally penalize it for a bit of extra sauce!)
Ambience: 4.5 out of 5 (I would choose different light fixtures, but I think most people would just notice the nice yellow glow.)
Service: 5 out of 5 (The staff is very attentive and polite.)
Price: 3 out of 5 (Really just for special occasions, unless you're loaded! Our grand total was about P2,700.)