One of the pleasures my law partners and I have shared since we first started the Firm together is eating - more particularly, eating out and eating well.
While the different schedules we keep have had us meet over the dinner or lunch table infrequently, Macky proposed a new Firm policy: a partners' meeting every week to discuss caseloads, clients' concerns, and the culinary offerings of whatever new restaurant we may be meeting at. Resolution passed, unanimously :-)
Macky has extremely good taste in food, so we invariably end up dining at restaurants of his choice (Kenneth, whom I meet up with at the office once or twice a week, is happy with whatever might be prepared by the staff - and for the most part, so am I). So last Monday, after a client call, Macky suggested Mr. Rockefeller (Steaks, Ribs, Spanking Good Oysters) in Greenbelt 3.
The well-appointed space is quiet enough for conversation, and the service is beyond reproach. Patrons that evening ranged from a big family celebrating a birthday in the segregated dining area, to office executives enjoying a beer and a smoke al fresco. Mr. Rockefeller, with its predominantly American menu, also seems to be favored by the expatriate and Western tourist crowd - at one point there were as many foreign diners (curiously, all men - but hey, it's a steak place after all) as there were locals.
To start off our meal, we had a platter of Original Buffalo Wings served with a side of Mr. Rockefeller's version of blue cheese dressing (I'm pretty sure it wasn't blue cheese but instead some milder, less pungent alternative), and, since Kenneth hadn't yet arrived, a half-dozen order each of Buddha's Heaven (fried battered oysters with Thai chili dressing) and Boursin Oysters (named after the peppery sour Normandy cheese they slather on the steamed mollusks.
The wings were deep-fried to perfection, with just a hint of spicy Tabasco-based sauce drizzled over them - none of that floury batter or heavy ketchup sauce concoctions that has you go into a state of surfeit after one bite. I would have happily been content with the wings alone to accompany our icy glasses of San Mig Light, but with the piece de resistance still to be presented in different manifestations, I grazed through the entire evening.
The service was impeccable, and extremely considerate. I'd only just suggested to Macky that he line his empty stomach with some amount of food before proceeding to the oysters, when the server presented us with two demitasse servings of French onion soup, precisely for that purpose. The oysters themselves were delish, though I wouldn't binge on either Buddha's Heaven or the Boursin due to the extreme complexities of the flavors. But between the two of us, a couple of each was enough to satisfy our curiousity.
Since Kenneth had arrived, another round of oysters was in order - this time, in a simpler variation: the classic Oysters Rockefeller (to "honor" the name of the restaurant, according to Macky), and the Fresh Oysters on the Half Shell (you could actually order Fresh Oysters, unshucked - but who has the time or the patience to do that?). But by that time, I'd had my fair share of the slippery morsels.
Apparently my two growing partners (both are almost six foot, with appetites as big as their physiques) had only just started their meal, so they went on to plates of Batangas Tenderloin steak served with sides of buttered corn off the cob and baked beans. The bovine pride of Southern Luzon was buttery, well flavored, and tender as a steak should always be. My grazing was getting the better of me, so I just ate off Macky's plate for a bit before ordering the Grilled Kielbasa with a side of cole slaw and fries (I only got through a quarter of my meal before I had it bagged for later).
In all, the meal and the restaurant left us extremely satisfied. At only about PhP1,000 (US$24) per person, including several rounds of beer and other drinks, it was pretty much - pardon me - a good bang for our buck. I regret that I didn't take any photos, but that's pretty much all we ate. :-)
Mr. Rockefeller is at the 2nd Level, Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City.
Phone Number - (632) 757-4802.
Oysterrific
Weekend Meals
It's been a while since I posted on this site, but a renewed interest in food and food photography and why I set up this particular blog had me take action.
Weekends in my family's house have been mostly lazy days for me, especially in the kitchen. But this last weekend had me busy in front of the stove due to popular demand: my Mom wanted pork pata humba and my brother wanted binagoongan, but only if I cooked it myself.
Thus I obliged.
If I may say so myself, my bagoong is to die for (and to die from, if your kidneys are averse to salt overload). It's the coup de grace of my kare-kare, which in turn is one of the most popular features of our C+C catering menu (my sister, right before I left Chicago for Manila, begged me to make some kare-kare, which wasn't quite the same as we had to make do with the ready-made bottled stuff so as not to stink up the condo kitchen and wreak havoc with the neighbors). Anyway, I'm not much for proportion, but my timpla involves a lot of white cane vinegar and a massive amount of brown sugar which, when reduced over a slow boil with Pangasinan alamang, is a sweet-salty-sour taste of heaven.
This weekend, I took on making Crispy Binagoongan, which I hadn't made for quite some time. Take about a kilo and a half of pork (pigue or kasim, the less fat the better for your health, the more fat the better for the taste) and cut it up for adobo (or, as our Man Friday did for this particular preparation, for menudo). Boil the pork in enough water with some peppercorns and a little bit of salt and garlic for about half an hour, then drain well. Heat up some oil in a frying pan and saute some garlic and onion (my Dad requested no onions in this dish as they lead to early spoilage and he wanted it to keep...duh, not very many leftovers for this one), take the ginisa out of the pan and fry the pork in batches until slightly crispy. Add back all the pork, the sauteed onions and garlic, and about 1/4 cup of the bagoong (just enough to coat the meat sufficiently). Voila! One heart attack to heaven, coming right up. Eat moderately.
Next dish, yet another doozy of a pork entree: humba made with pork pata (you can also use fatty cuts but you can just as well shoot yourself in the head, heh heh). My Mom likes her stewed ham hocks falling off the bone, so I had the chopped pork leg boiled in garlic and peppercorns to the desired effect. Take the pieces out of the broth, then saute a couple of tablespoons of tausi or salted black beans in a Dutch oven, add in the pork pieces with approximately 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 cup vinegar, 1 1/2 cups of the broth, 3/4 cup of brown sugar (or to taste; I personally like it sweet), a bay leaf, and a handful of dried banana blossoms. Reduce on a slow boil until the sauce is slightly thick. Serve with very hot rice and a Norvasc.
The good thing about all this is that I don't really eat very much of what I cook (familiarity breeds contempt: I already spent so much time with the food I'm cooking that afterwards I can't find the appetite for it). So I'm going back to my stewed tofu now, thank you very much.
Tasting Menu 1
Got a chance to "play" with food at C+C's first official food tasting/photo shoot/kitchen test this past Sunday - I think all of us are looking at future careers as food stylists, hehe. Photos by the great George Cabig to follow.
Tasting Menu for Aianne and Chon
3 September 2006
Miniature Chicken Pot Pie or Shepherd's Pie
Penne in Vodka Tomato Cream
Pistachio Crusted Salmon Fillet with Sweet Corn and Red Pepper Salsa
Garlic Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Chicken with Onion Bread, Italian Sausage, and Apple Stuffing
Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Biscuits
Pot de Creme et Chocolat
Cooking for Two
I can cook for two hundred, no problem; or for two dozen with one hand tied behind my back. But for two? Hmmm, hang on one sec.
A friend I recently had over for a hastily nuked dinner at Miles' place, where I'm "house-sitting," asked what I cook when I'm alone. Good question; my reply - nothing. When I'm on my lonesome, I'd rather buy food than cook it myself; which is logical because I don't really enjoy eating what I cook, no matter how good other people might say it is. And I don't really feel like exerting all that effort just to feed myself, so I avidly patronize neighborhood carinderia and other take-out fastfood places.
The one time I really cooked for myself was out of austerity during my student days in Paris, and also as a matter of survival: I couldn't live more than a couple of days without rice! So, to save me time, euros, and from the misery of rice deprivation, I used to cook a whole batch of kanin and ulam at one time, only to freeze it 'til needed (which was like, every day). Unfortunately, one of the major items on my cooking list was adobo, and, no matter how I tried to drive out the pungent smell of frying garlic and vinegar-soy, I always knew that rooms adjacent to my chambre du bonne , not to mention the innocent pedestrians traversing the length of Rue du Chateau were "assaulted" by the sensory stimulations brought about by my cooking. But I suppose that because I had Italian/ Mediterranean neighbors, they had no complaints. And, unfortunately, neither did the two guys who eventually became my roomies when I moved to Justin's - my week's supply of adobo was David and Hunter's pre-midnight snack.
But anyway. I don't really know how to cook for one person, good luck with two - but at this point I know I need to learn. I've been so used to feeding the multitudes that I've begun to miss out on those opportunities to share a meal with just one other human being. Not quite used to scaling down for two - I've always taken the lazy path and just gone out for a shared meal.
So this week I started cooking for two - it was amusing to use less than 1/2 kilo meat in a dish or to experience how fast the preps can go when in the hands of a trained "master." Actually, I've only still been cooking for one - I don't eat regular meals, but Antoine does, and this week I'm cooking for the both of us (he likes Pinoy soups). Good luck, Antoine, hehe...
The Story of C+C
Everyone who knows me already likewise knows how much I love to cook. It's a passion that's so much a part of my nature that, when Anak declared, as an exercise in focus, that we must "pick three things!" to do - and do well - with our lives, cooking was on top of that list. Even above travel, even above writing.
But the story of how this little catering gig came about is a little more complicated. I've always wanted to do something like this, whether in a restaurant or however else, but I've always imagined catering to be the way to go - it's less of a risk and more flexible than operating a dining establishment. Plus, I've always been deathly afraid of the so-called "five-year shelf life" that has afflicted many eateries now long gone. I'd even catered two major functions to get a feel for it - my sister's sorority-fraternity acquaintance party (150 very hungry UP med students and alumni) and the unforgettable banquet celebrating Mike G, Jinggay's, and my birthday at He Cares in July 2004. Just try cooking for 400 - spaghetti, fried chicken, lumpiang shanghai, hotdogs - BY YOURSELF. That was the first and - as I promised myself - last time I would ever cook through the night into the morning (not a wink of sleep!). But that was a wonderful experience to celebrate my first month at He Cares, as Father Steve (who celebrated the birthday Mass) reconnected with Kuya JD and began a beautiful partnership over my Honey Butter Chicken...
But anyway. I put that dream on the backburner for the time being, although I kept cooking. The birthday gig ushered me into a "career" as He Cares' unofficial kitchen-mistress...my "office" would thenceforth be the narrow Road 9 kitchen and later the bigger Alley 4 cooking area (anyone looking for me during feedings or other days I'm there knows exactly where to find me). Because KJD likes to wake up early Saturday morning to cook the kids' lunch, I'm usually designated to prep and marinate food for the children on Friday, and to prepare the volunteers' lunch. When I served at the Center on Road 9 on a daily basis, I also cooked lunch for up to 40 drop-in streetkids and the staff: creative cookery on a P200 budget!
Though my BC classes have eaten into my Saturday service as well, I still get stove duties whenever I'm in town (the full-time staff and regular volunteers like to say that you'll know Ate Honey is in Manila when they get to eat especially well on Saturdays, charot). And over-all food duties for special He Cares occasions such as the Foundation's upcoming 10th anniversary this Saturday, the 19th (we already handled the more intimate dinner for 40 during He Cares' actual 10th anniversary on August 10 - and very successfully, I should mention). Because my love language is not Words of Affirmation, I've always tried to brush off compliments on my cooking - but Ate Juwip was persistent in her suggestion that we put up a catering service. After all, she and Mike are exceptionally skilled in setting-up the physical arrangements, and we all have a big network of potential clients. Plus, we've gotten more than adequate experience in feeding the multitudes! And yet, every time she'd mention it (usually when I started setting up the volunteers' buffet), I'd say "sure, why not?" without actually seriously meaning it.
Until a couple of months ago, when seriously meaning it seemed not to be so bad an idea after all. Rico Mac, a friend outside He Cares, was turning 40, and his wife Grace needed help in organizing the party. Rhia, who's gotten to know my cooking over the 16 years we've been good friends, suggested that I do the catering...and Grace agreed. However, I went off to China for more than a week, Grace got panicky and hired our regular caterer, and I got to emcee Rico's party instead of cook for it. But the catering idea stuck. A personal catering service: not your run-of-the-mill food/service supplier that lacks personality, but something that really made a difference with the little, special details.
Lex loved the idea - he's always wanted a restaurant of his own, and heck, his OC'ness and discriminating tastes for high-end cuisine was more than enough to make him an integral part of the team. Judith, whose idea it was in the first place, was thrilled that it was finally beginning to materialize. And Mike, who we invited, on a whim and a hunch, to our first "official" meeting after Kuya Ben's surprise party on July 3, was more than happy to be part of the venture.
Jograd a.k.a. Johanna came into the picture a little while later, and proved to be a real asset because of her interpersonal skills (a.k.a. the most wholesome GRO in the entire metropolis!), and her own OC decorating tendencies. Dr. Neil and Rhia finally completed our new partnership - Neil and I have always wanted to coordinate parties, weddings, whatnot (heck, we coordinated his wedding way before coordinators were in mode) and Rhia provides the financial savvy to make this enterprise viable and rewarding, not to mention the financial backing, hehe...
And C+C? The name came to me a few thousand miles over Shanghai (where I never saw anything faintly resembling a lumpia). Why C+C? It's susceptible of multiple interpretations. Cornik and Cabernet - our Colors editorial meetings would be held over BYOB of Cabernet, and we turned out great work, even if we were paid in cornik. CC is what we Wandersluts like to call Lex...just watch To Wong Foo... and observe John Leguizamo's character very closely, hehe. But C+C really takes off from where most of us first encountered the living embodiment of Who we actually serve: at He Cares, where we found that Christ truly, really, honestly cares. Christ Cares. Christian Cuisine. Cool na Cool (according to Father Steve). This is what we really stand for. This is Who we really stand for.
And thus the story of C+C Personal Caterers Co. But it's only really just begun. :-)
C+C and a Change in Name
OK yes, after many months of neglect, this, in fact is turning into a culinary blog. Why deny one's destiny? Hehe. But C+C Personal Caterers is officially now up and at it, a dream made reality after much prayer, discernment, and planning. So far, it's only been 12 days since our official launch, but we've already catered five major functions (counting one test run pre-launch party and one pre-launch surprise Japanese dinner for 40!). So far, so very, very good - we've truly been blessed with the strength, wisdom, focus, and direction necessary for the gruelling task of feeding the multitudes :-) And thus the change in the blog's name. I shall be back to share more...
Sugar and Spice
It was the Castenares twins 11th birthday last Friday, so I had a handful of lunchmates for the day - eight, to be exact. Good thing that all of us managed to fit into my car (which seems to be shrinking a little more every day)!
They'd actually invited us to their birthday photo session at Circle C, but plans had to be quickly readjusted because well, people are people and life is life and sometimes the snow comes down in June... We ended up on an impromptu trip to the UP Campus (lots of green, lots of sights to see, lots of cheap places to eat) instead. 
First stop, the UP Church of the Holy Sacrifice, which fascinated everyone, and a little catechism lesson through a mini-tour of a Catholic church. Surprisingly, their favorite "part" of it all was the face-to-face encounter with Jesus in the Real Presence of the Blessed Sacrament - they listened, and allowed Him to speak into their young hearts. And He had something special to say to most of them.
And then of course, a snack that turned into quite a meal - although they'd eaten before we left, they were still hungry (bottomless stomachs!). To work it all off, I took them to the lagoon and amphitheater area behind Quezon Hall where they had their fill of trees and green grass and nature until, as girls (both big and small) are wont to do, they started to want more, more, and more (more food, more time spent, more food...) At least their intended photo session pushed through, courtesy of the normally photographically-challenged Ate Honey, and I must admit that I had a lot of fun taking their pictures. So much fun that, after taking them back to the Center, I had to lie down and recover from an afternoon of exhaustion before leaving for an out of town trip! Thankfully, I will (probably?) never be mother to eight kids, and thank God I only had to deal with little girls of sugar and spice and everything nice...