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

UNUSUAL SALAD

The menu at Wooden Spoon is charming, why, because of Chef Sandy's first person singular stories behind his dishes, in effect giving them character while making one salivate. He is honest too which makes it even more intriguing before one orders.

One such item is the Red & Century Egg Salad with Peanuts, as shown.

I do not have the recipe but this is my interpretation of the ingredients :

Red Egg or what we call Salted Eggs cut in cubes
Century Eggs cut like so
Baby Chili ... green & red, finely chopped
Red Onion sliced - can add fennel
Mint julienned
Baby Peanuts roasted or fried
Ikan Bilis or Japanese or Thai Baby Fish as garnish
Light Vinaigrette ... fish sauce, vinegar, sugar

The taste is super refreshing, the texture unique. Now close your eyes and imagine biting into a mouthful of crispy onion and peanuts, of salted egg yolks mixed with the jelly from century eggs, of spicy chili and the tang from a sour-sweet-salty vinaigrette.

I am still in Manila and have not tried this yet-to-be-tested recipe since what I described only comes from the memory cells on my palate. I can guarantee, however, that it will be the first item for trial at TKT over the Easter holidays.    

WOODEN SPOON

Our friends in Manila have introduced a few delightful new entries in the food scene on this visit, one of them is the Wooden Spoon. The group operates 2 outlets, the one we went to, tucked away at the Power Plant Mall in the huge Rockwell Estate, is the latest addition.

The brainchild behind this wonderful 'Pinoy Food with a Twist' concept is Chef Sandy Daza who, together with his late Mother the renowned Chef Nora Daza built the brand.The matriarch was a legend in the country's culinary history. Besides the fame of the Filipino Food Cookbook for compatriots overseas, she brought Pinoy cooking to France. Aux lles Philippines was their restaurant in Paris where she partnered with 2-Star Michelin Chef Jacques Marniere. Apparently Chef Sandy Daza was groomed in that environment. Their logo is in reference to the wooden spoons frequently used at their highly rated cooking shows.      

The following are the 'must trys' ... I did and they are indeed what they are ... 'must trys'

Adobo Flakes     deep fried shredded pork with a garlic mayo dip
Crab Pancit         fresh crab meat in a creamy egg sauce over rice vermicelli noodles
Kare Kare           traditionally an oxtail dish but it is with lean beef
Stuffed Pechay   cabbage rolls with chopped Tinapa (smoked fish) in coconut sauce
Fiesta Rice          rice fried with a beautiful mix of flavored ingredients

The restaurant is totally unassuming, located at the basement food court alongside a strip of other cuisines. There is no mention of fusion anywhere despite their French heritage. The food is honest Pinoy but the 'Twist' made a tasty difference. Yes, Wooden Spoon is a 'must try'.

WOODEN SPOON  (63) 917 882 7594
Power Plant Mall
Rockwell Makati City Manila

ULTIMATE PINOY BREAKFAST

A lion share of my exposure to the Pinoy culture is food. Filipinos are foodies by nature and I like their food and the premium they award to eating .. truly my kind of folks. Central to the 'Shang' experience across their properties is BF, a ritual the entire chain seems to compete with each other for 'one-upsmanship'. While they are all unique and sumptuous I have always loved the Filipino version at Edsa and at Makati.

Filipinos have taken on board the dietary advice that BF should be the biggest meal of the day. However, they do not stop there as their lunches and dinners are just as ample, not to mention 'Merienda' the Pinoy version of High Tea ... with Biblinka & Pancit & Halo Halo ... heavy late afternoon snacks that are totally irresistible, where heaven is brought very close to earth.

Back to my sermon on BF, I thought the best way is to provide a visual presentation. On the left is the Pinoy booth, one of eleven at Eds, and on the right is the Ultimate Pinoy BF. Start from the top, and move clockwise :

Tocino & Batutay    preserved meats with sweet taste
Longganisa              garlicky fatty pork sausage
Tinapa                      whole bony smoked fish
Danngit                    small fish butterflied deep fried to crispy
Dilis                          tiny fish aka Ikan Bilis in SEAsia

Except for the sweet meats everything is salty which is why the dish of dipping liquor is vital. Sukang may Sibuyas at Sili means sugar cane vinegar with onions & chili or simply Suka Sili. The garlic rice and fried eggs are there to help balance the tastes. One spoonful of this combination will certainly wake you up, finishing the plate will energize you for the rest of the day.

Dora when you read this do not worry ... this is a demo plate, one I did not finish, I only taste everything. I must as a food blogger, right?



   

EDSA SHANGRI-LA MANILA

I am here in Manila for the first remembrance ceremonies of a dear friend who passed away last year at the tender age of 60. We met as Rotarians 33 years ago, we were like brothers, our 3 girls are at almost identical ages, our wives get along, our families are tight, we traveled together and we love being in each others company. I miss him so much.

Over the years I have been a regular of the Shangri-la group of hotels. Their pioneer concept of building an urban oasis in the midst of busy Asian cities is sheer genius. The idea has attracted not only leisure travelers, especially families, but business patrons as well for conferences or better still, for post-meeting rejuvenation to enjoy the resort aspects of the properties. There is no doubt the 'Shang' has created a unique style that has seamlessly merged  work and play under one roof.

I am a fan of the 'Shang' a big fan. I love this 'fan' a lot better than that competitor who brands itself with a 'fan' ... hint, hint!    

I TURNED 66

It seems surreal but without any fanfare I am on the right side of 65. No longer can I say I am in my early 60s or even the mid 60s as I begin my march towards 70. My Form 1 class teacher at St Paul's who became my in-law 8 years ago commented wisely .. 七十而從心所欲 .. ie 'at 70 one can do what one's heart desires'. Really? I am not sure about the wait. I want to do whatever I like, right now, not 4 years hence.

What warmed my heart was this birthday card from our grand-twins Jamie & Sonya, with assistance from the parents. At 4 they are truly at a sweet age when their love for their 公公 or Gong Gong .. and Tung Tung when they were 2 .. is genuine with no agenda. It was a high point of my special day.

By the way the green pants were to celebrate St. Patrick's Day .. March 17th .. the day I was born 66 years ago in 1949 that made me an Honorary Irishman!