PIRATA

Introduced to us by our youngest daughter this new boy on the block in Wanchai is a breath of fresh air. The building has no name, just '239 Hennessy' and the restaurant occupies two purposed built connecting floors. It is tastefully designed, mixing classics with contemporary features. The upper floor is a welcoming bar with high stool tables and a private party area, as shown, and the main restaurant is at the lower floor. It was a meeting of CLUB FED ... the dining club I started on retirement .. and we were a merry band of 17 that evening.

'Honest Italian' the logo says and indeed, the fare matches the claim, to the letter. To try their best house dishes we picked their Tasting Menu. Primi Piatti or the Antipasti plate was generous, MMM or My Mama's Meatballs was a true delight ... moist and super delicious even though they could give us more sauce, the Lasagna was the most homely among the 3 pastas, the Purple Potato Gnocchi was different but too starchy in Gorgonzola sauce, the hero of the evening was the Butcher's Cut as Secondi .. you would never imagine Flank Steaks in perfect medium rare can be so captivating, served with a rocket cherry tomato salad and perfectly rosemary roasted new potatoes. Dolci was a happy finale of 3 desserts .. Tiramisu, Custard and a glorious Semifreddo, not often seen around town.

It was high comfort Italian, very down to earth with no pretenses, in a setting that complements the food to the hilt. Service was excellent with GM Manuel Palaccio leading the charge, assisted by an eager to serve team of youngsters from mixed nationalities. Manuel is Spanish, he is affable, he is efficient, and he is an 'honest restaurant man'.                

Value-for Money? A resounding yes! This menu was a flat $488 per head including tips, believe it or not. 'Honesty' is Pirata's theme across the board, not only in their cuisine, but in its quality, its presentation, in its pricing, and in the way they serve. Pirata comes very close to full marks in my book. It offers continuity, a big word. It is the kind of eatery I will keep going back, assured I will be happy at the end. This kind of place has a much better chance to survive than the razzle-dazzle joints that keep popping up, only to disappear when the first 24-month lease expires.

By the way they carry a nice range of mid price libation. We had a Prosecco (Masotina) and a Tuscany Red (Anglianco Piano with a beautiful vanilla accent) @ $500 each and they are hard to beat.

One last comment, we tipped everyone at the end, and why not? We were very happy diners, in no small part because of them.    

PIRATA
www.pirata.hk
29-30F 239 Hennessy Road Wanchai
(852) 6317 7771
GM Manuel Palaccio : manuel@pirata.hk

QUOTABLE QUOTES

I was introduced to Jimmy Lai, the media giant so many love to hate, many moons ago when we were much younger men with ambition that are at poles. I had this quiet respect for him then, as an upstart who really pulled himself up from bootstraps. Fast forward quarter of a century, I still harbor respect today, albeit from rather a different angle.

I admire the way he writes, in Chinese. Jimmy writes for the readers which is easier said than done for most. He is fluent in delivery, he is knowledgeable in the vernacular, he is prolific and he is persuasive, just to name a few merits. We may be worlds apart in our ideology now but I do read what he writes whenever I can. I buy his books on his global dining exploits, on food culture that ties him to his humble beginnings, on culinary appreciation and how that becomes an art form. I can feel his energy between the lines, I can touch his emotions and I wonder if it has any link to his inner frustrations with the adverse environment Hong Kong is in today.  I read, and I continue to be impressed.

So much on accolade, here is the quote from this morning :

年纪大了要變的是心境而不是環境 ... 共勉共勉！

HE IS BACK!

My Indian and Pakistani pals will not be impressed by what I am about to say ... Hong Kong style curry is in fact not bad. Yes, it is (or rather they are) bastardized but there is some uniqueness to their presentation, whether it is at a 'Char-Charn-Tang', or a hotel buffet spread, or in this case a self styled curry house.

Chef Li used to run an all-things-to-all-people curry eatery just off the southern end of Jordon Station. His own interpretation of a multitude of curry flavors aside, there seems to be no end to his creations, until he succumbed to the primal evil in our town ... real estate greed. When the 'King of Professional Curries' was closed last year many regulars were in despair and I was in their midst.

No worries mate .. I bring good tidings. Not only is Chef Li alive and well, he is back in the ring. I was clearing my desk during Easter, found his card, called him, and was thrilled to hear his reincarnation to catering. Check out his menu, the 'English Gentlemen's Curry Banquet' :

- seafood curry soup & curry spring rolls
- dry fried curry crabs
- ocean prawns in dried curry Italian style (?) ... here we go with his creations!
- squids in dried curry
- sirloin strips with julienned onions in curry
- dried chicken curry
- Del Monte (?) curried rack of lamb
- special curried fillet of sole with mango sauce
- dried curry beef with pine nuts from Argentina (?)
- curry fried rice & vermicelli
- veggies & desserts & fruits

HK$2,680 x 12 and $1,340 for 6 or roughly $220 per head ... call 24-hours ahead but there is one catch. His kitchen is in the boondocks (to you Hong Kong Island types) and there is no delivery service.

What do you think?
       

BAKED BROWN RICE

I love rice ... despite my high Triglyceride count, so be it!

Aside from our own steamed rice, fried rice, clay-pot rice, soupy rice and of course Hainan Chicken Rice Asia has taken an affection to Risotto and Paella. Everywhere you go rice is being served left right and center but to me, the best rice is the ones you cook at home. I saw this simple version on TV, tweaked the recipe slightly and tried it last night .. superb! This is painless to prepare and even on its own it will make a good supper.

- use butter to soften finely chopped onion & minced garlic in a pan
- add brown rice to cover mixture wait till rice is hot and glistens
- pour in vegetarian stock (make your own or use stock cubes)
- cover the rice say up to 1" deep
- if you have saffron sprinkle a few strands over the stock, makes a difference
- into a solid 150C oven, lid on, for 35-45' depends on how much rice
- remove lid, leave in oven for another 10-15" till top is slightly toasted
- make sure liquid is all well absorbed
- no stirring at all during the process
- sprinkle with pink peppercorns or dry chili flakes and garnish with flat parsley
- avoid cheeses, vinegar, sauces .. lest it will loose its neutrality

To make this more substantive add Pancetta Lardon or Chorizo Cubes. I splurged and fusioned it with 'lap-cheong' aka Chinese sausages, mixing the sweet plain and salty liver versions.

I can guarantee satisfaction .. with an iced cold beer!  
      

VASK GALLERY

Manila has recently become more and more avant garde at the cuisine front. While Spanish styles have always been a traditional due to her colonial past, the rising popularity of 'tapas eats' globally must be a factor too. Not unlike Hong Kong, tapas bars both authentic and poseurs, are replacing classic Spanish eateries Manila is renowned for. 'The former is cool, cost efficiency, trendy and the latter stodgy, drawn out, over the top' ... a young friend told me. Hello? I fear 'romance' is not in the vocabulary of our next generation, they can hardly spell it, and this is further proof. Well, do not give up hope yet. The cavalry is here, in the form of a new entrant .. VASK .. a play on the Basque region.

I was hosted to a fabulous tapas lunch by its owner last week. My schooling with a Catalan chef in Barcelona can confirm their presentation is as genuine as they come. Sous Chef Carlos Villaflor is an artist and his food is neat and precise. The brainchild of a young artist who partners with a Spanish chef, VASK is built on a 3-prong approach ie a tapas bar, a cozy fine dining restaurant and a superb gallery at the Penthouse with an impressive collection of modern art pieces from budding artists worldwide. My lunch was hugely rewarding to both my palate and my visual faculty.        

The seafood paella is classic Venetian, the Lechon is Pinoy with a Basque twist, and the spread of Tapas and Pintxos will open the eyes of the blind. Go for it!

VASK
www.galleryvask.com
5F Clipp Center 11th Avenue Corner
39th Street Bonifacio
Global City 1643 Taguig Metro Manila