Let It Be... Mediterranean

The birthday of a dear cousin, Kuya Vince, brought me and some relatives to Alabang one weekend. It is very rare that I take a car ride longer than thirty minutes for a meal, like those special occasions when dinner at Antonio’s in Tagaytay is called for. But then, Kuya Vince- like most of us in our family- loves his food, so I immediately assume that the restaurant where we will be celebrating his birthday has the following qualities: good food, reasonable prices, and “manly-man” servings. These, predictably, have piqued my curiosity. So, I skip the usual weekend partying to prepare myself for the long drive and the hearty lunch the following day.


Fortunately, the ride from my parents’ place in Makati until the Filinvest Exit on SLEX did not take longer than thirty minutes. When we arrived at Sophia's Mediterranean Deli, we were warmly welcomed at the door by the chef/owner Mervyn Whitfield. The friendly Brit is famously known to have cooked for the legendary band, The Beatles, among other celebrities. He has decided to retire in the Philippines with his Filipina wife and kids and ended up opening the Greek/Italian/Turkish/French restaurant in Alabang.


The cheery interiors are obviously Greek- white plastered walls, Aegean blue shutters, wrought iron staircase, gas lamps as light fixtures, large Grecian urns holding mini palm trees. You get the shabby chic feel that puts you right at ease but still gives off a polished look.


As we hungrily waited for the rest to arrive, we decide to start ordering for everyone to share. Since the dishes were served family-style, I got to try a little bit of (almost) everything. With the amount of food that we ordered, I do not remember which ones came in what order. I have decided to just group the dishes into two categories: The “musts” and “must avoids”.

You must have…


Pizza Quatro Formagia- Amusingly, two orders of this pizza came to our table before we even ordered them. It was meant for another table, obviously, but as fate would have it, they were the wrong size. Famished, we were only too happy to accommodate them at our table and welcome them into their new homes- our hungry bellies. The toppings are just right and the perfect combination of gooey, pungent and rich. I would not drive all the way to Alabang for this, but if I find myself in the area, this would surely be my go-to pizza place.



Blue Cheese Salad- Simple, straight-forward flavors. Fresh salad greens lightly coated with a tangy vinaigrette, then topped with copious amounts of crumbly blue cheese, walnuts and tomatoes.




Bruschetta- crispy rounds of sliced baguette and topped by a fresh pomodoro sauce. The diced tomatoes are sweet and nicely accented by a hint of garlic and olive oil. It’s a really nice light starter or snack.



Kalamarikia (Fried Calamari)- Again, a pretty straight-forward dish- quite common and easy to make, but is also easy to mess up. The breaded crust is crispy and nicely-flavored, the thin rings of squid moist and tender. Dipped in aioli, it’s quite addicting.



Grilled Prawns with Mashed Potatoes- I wasn’t able to taste the grilled prawns, but I was told that it was cooked perfectly. The mashed potatoes I did try though, and yes, it tastes as good as it looks.



Osso Bucco (family-sized) with Mashed Potatoes- “Parang mechado”, my Tito Boy said with his signature chuckle. But, despite the similarity to the local stew, it really was not bad. Well, we did end up finishing it, right down to the bone. The beef shank was very tender and the tomato sauce quite flavorful.



Baby Back Ribs- Although I was not able to try this, the huge platter of the massive pork ribs remained in front of the birthday celebrant the entire time. He obviously loves it. I say, it must be good.



Veal Lemono- I am not a big fan of breaded meats, but once in a while I get a craving for veal scallopine. This one was flavored- delicately, almost prettily- by fragrant lemons and some seriously delicious butter. And again, those darn good mashed potatoes…


Sadly, you must avoid…



Chicken Liver Pate- The spread had an unpleasant aftertaste that I could barely stand. I did not even finish the slice of pita that came with it.





The pastas- I got to try two kinds- one with a tomato cream sauce and the other was a Ravioli Verde. Unfortunately, the former arrived swimming in sauce, and the latter was a bright Irish green. Aside from being visually unappetizing, they were also lacking in flavor. Too bad.



Seafood Platter- Although this was a pretty sight, I have to admit that I have had better grilled seafood. The mussels were pretty dry and this time around the squid rings were quite tough.




Overall, it was a good lunch made great by the wonderful company. I had an awesome time chatting with the adults and watching my cute nieces and nephews goof around and play. Some of the grown-ups even joined in the fun and went along with the silliness. That’s what I love about my family… We sure are far from perfect, but when we get together, it is always great fun.




Sophia’s Mediterranean Deli
Westgate, Filinvest
Alabang, Muntinlupa City
Tel. no. (632)7717717

Dinner at Lolo's House

A week before the final stretch of the Lenten season, I had this brilliant idea that I would not allow myself to eat meat from Palm Sunday to Good Friday. In the end, what was thought to be a stroke of “brilliance” turned out to be a bout of insanity since I did not even go through a single day without eating a piece of meat.

Anyway, at the height of my delusion, I thought it would only be fit to have one last “good meal” before the beginning of my self-imposed torture. The Saturday before leaving for our annual Holy Week trip to my dad’s beach house, Matt and I decided to have dinner at what could possibly be the most-heralded fine dining establishment in Manila: Lolo Dad’s Café.

Reservations are a must in this restaurant, the diminutive dining room being the converted living area of the old Ayuyao home. With multi-awarded Chef Ariel Manuel at the helm, local and foreign foodies come in hordes to pay a pretty penny for a taste of world-class haute cuisine. So, imagine our initial surprise when Matt and I walked into a desolate dining room with only one other table occupied. This made more sense later on as we figured out that Lolo Dad’s mostly upper-class clientele have already gone off to their plush vacation homes in the mountains or by the sea to enjoy the welcomed hiatus. Not so bad since we had the attention of the restaurant’s seasoned staff all to ourselves.

As our server helped us with our orders, Matt decided to have the 7-course degustation menu while I chose to order ala carte. To accompany our meal, I chose from their mostly-Old World wine list and picked out a 2003 Gaillac. At first taste, the wine gave out some pretty hard tannins so I had it poured into a decanter. As the evening progressed, the relative heft and earthiness softened as I got generous whiffs of anise and black currants. For me, this wine might be a bit too brawny to drink on its own, but it worked out quite well as an accompaniment to food.

For my appetizer, the server recommended the Dungeness Crab Salad and Soft Shell Crab Parmigiana. Although not really a fan of soft shell crab, I thoroughly enjoyed this deep-fried version. There was none of the fishiness that I experienced in my previous encounters with this particular crustacean, just the pleasant crunch of the thin shell as you bite into it and the sweetish flavor of its flesh. The Dungeness crab salad was a perfect compliment which was fresh and delicate on the palate.



Matt was served his appetizer of Smoked Salmon-Mushroom Terrine, replacing the Dungeness crab sandwich which was supposed to come with it with more mushrooms instead. Quick to follow was the Espresso of Roma Tomato Cream Soup with Herb Fleuron which Matt proclaimed to be the best-tasting tomato soup ever. I took a sip from the dainty cup and could not help but agree- the perfect balance of richness, acidity and full-on flavor.

I spotted a selection of seafood in the back of the menu and decided to order a few pieces of Baked Oysters with Foie Gras. Three half shells were presented in a charming wooden box loaded with rock salt. Very pretty indeed. Unfortunately, this dish failed to meet my expectations- the foie gras tasted burnt, the angel hair pasta which served as the oyster’s bed was dry and charred at the ends. I could not help but compare it to the baked oysters I had at Antonio’s a couple of visits ago which were sublime. The one in Lolo Dad’s is its “less-attractive” twin.

The third course came in the form of a Roasted Duck Breast and Seared Foie Gras with Filled Muffin and Rose Syrup. The gorgeous presentation has the thin slices of perfectly-cooked duck fanned out over the plate, the generous slab of foie nicely charred and glistening by its side.

After a palate-cleansing Raspberry and Basil Sherbet, we had a few minutes digesting time before the next course.

For my main dish, I cannot help but be drawn to the Charcoal Grilled Muscovy Duck Breast Foie Gras and Butterscotch Pudding with Poached Pear in Saffron. Again, this dish wins in terms of perfect doneness and presentation. The sauce was a study in balance and was nicely soaked-up by the butter-soft meat of the duck. The butterscotch pudding might have been pushing the limit in terms of richness, though. I would have preferred a more delicate side dish to an already fatty protein.

Matt picked out the Roast Rack of Lamb with Blue Cheese Crust amongst the three choices for main course in the degustation menu. A small bite from his plate demonstrated the softness of the lamb chop and the robust flavors and aroma of the cheesy crust. This was served with a potato popover and vegetables.

Surprisingly stuffed, I could not bring myself to order dessert (although the Sampler of Chocolates was unabashedly seductive). I was happy enough to help Matt with his cheese course of Cotton Candy-coated Chev’s Brie Praline with Orange Marmalade and his dessert of Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar with Berries and Ice Cream Composition. We moved to the patio outside so we can lazily smoke some cigs while I shamelessly gobble up huge chunks of the brie. After overloading on spun sugar, the chocolate dessert was flat and tasteless to me, so I left it in Matt’s equally capable hands.

In terms of value for money, Lolo Dad’s degustation menu is the way to go. At P2,700 per head, it is not exactly a budget meal, but the servings are quite reasonable and the food is definitely top-notch. A big plus is definitely the fact that this establishment does not charge corkage for wine.

Despite the unexpected blunders, Lolo Dad’s can easily remain in its loftly throne as one of the best fine-dining restaurants in Manila. For sure Chef Ariel’s former colleague in Mandarin (now with his own thriving destination restaurant in Tagaytay) can give him a run for his money, but in Manila at least, he is definitely king.

Lolo Dad’s Cafe
Quirino Ave. corner L. Guinto St.
Malate, Manila
Tel. no. (632)5242295

A Weekend Discovery in QC

Recently, Matt and I had to undergo a three-day marriage seminar called Discovery Weekend. It reminded me of my childhood and teenage years at an all-girls Catholic school, where we- in between sucking at Math, talking funny and eating fishballs- had a few days of spiritual retreat once a year. This usually entails a lot of praying, listening to talks and battling each other over who could cry harder about our family problems. This time around, the main agenda is preparing couples not only for their upcoming wedding, but also for the lifetime of “good times and bad”.


I think Matt and I did pretty well throughout the weekend. We did manage not to strangle each other or break up, and we were also able to have good, constructive talks regarding sensitive topics we used to avoid. Actually, I did realize a lot of things about our relationship, most of them positive. Aside from our small victories as a couple, we also met a bunch of smart, funny people that I think we could have strong friendships with. And those who know us well are aware of our propensity for making new friends.


If there was a downside to that entire weekend, though, it would have to be the food. I know, it IS a retreat and I have been to enough to know that retreat house food is probably as close as I will ever get to prison food. We do appreciate their efforts of keeping us well-fed (they even provided Adventist Matt his own chicken or fish dish when they are serving the rest of us pork), but, having been away from a school cafeteria for quite some time now, I have gotten used to much tastier fare.


That is why, the minute we left the retreat house that rainy Sunday afternoon, we had nothing else on our mind but food. Nothing with rice in it, please, and- for Matt- definitely no tilapia, probably for the next two years.


We were already in the Quezon City area so we decided to grab a bite at a restaurant unique to that vicinity. Matt was famished, which made him totally agreeable when I suggested we try something new. I had several options lined-up in my head, but decided on Katre- a Mediterranean fusion restaurant- at Tomas Morato.


We arrived early so we were the first ones there. The waiter showed us to our table on the second floor, which was modern and simply decorated. There was a separate bar area and another room for special functions.

To start- after much deliberation- we had the Hearts of Romaine and the Mediterranean-spiced Beef Quesadilla. The former was actually a deconstructed Caesar salad, wherein you dip crisp lettuce leaves in a creamy, garlicky dressing- a good, light and refreshing starter.

The beef quesadilla was also a winner in our book. Both of us being Mexican food lovers, we thoroughly enjoyed the tasty cheese and beef filling, as well as the accoutrements that came with the dish. Aside from the traditional Mexican condiments like salsa, sour cream and Jalapeno slices, there were also some Mediterranean touches, such as the hummus and drops of pesto. Simply genius, if you ask me.

For the main course, Matt followed the waiter’s recommendation and ordered the Roast Chicken with Pasta. We were a bit skeptical about this dish since- just by reading it on the menu- it had zero “sex appeal”. Luckily, the server knew what he was talking about and Matt ended up enjoying this dish, despite the fact that he almost never orders pasta for dinner. It was simple, but rich and comforting in its familiarity.

I was craving for something beefy and got the Top-Blade with Mushrooms, Broccoli and accompanied by Mashed Potatoes and Horseradish. I was amazed at the tenderness of the meat, and the sauce was nicely-aromatic and robust. I also love horseradish with my steak, so I enjoyed that feature. I also noticed that they delicately placed the horseradish just above the mashed potato, careful not to integrate it for those who have an aversion to the spicy condiment.

If only I could have had a good glass of wine with that meal, it would have been a truly above-average dining experience. They only offered this supermarket variety Californian wine as their house wine, which- although not disgusting- was just not complimentary to the dishes. Don't get me wrong: I have nothing against affordable, easily-accessible wine. Love them, actually. In fact, there are quite a few South African, Australian, even Spanish, wines that are "cheap" and are pretty good. Hopefully they could give a little bit more attention to their wine list, and I’m pretty sure their more discerning diners would be happy.


It was a nice way to end the long, emotionally draining and, at the same time, spiritually uplifting weekend. Matt- quite the finicky eater- was happy with our new find in Quezon City and has vowed to return. Which brings me to the conclusion that: “A well-fed Matt is a happy Matt”. Apparently, I did not have to attend a seminar to learn that.

Katre Mediterranean Restaurant
Dr. Lazcano St. (near Tomas Morato Ave.)
Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City
Tel. no. (632) 3734705