MANILA, Philippines - “You’re murdering my diet,” cried Bobby Kimball as he munched on the last piece of his yummy coffee pie. “But I’m willing to ditch it for dessert as good as this.”
I have been promoting the Asian concert tours of Bobby (original lead singer of the band Toto) since 2008. Our relationship goes beyond talent-promoter as we are personal friends. In between our busy tour schedule, we always manage to find time to pursue our foodie adventures in cities like Los Angeles, Beijing, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Bali, Cebu, Davao, Tacloban, General Santos, etc. or wherever we have a show.
Last month, Bobby performed concerts with Kenny Cetera in Bacolod, Boracay, Manila and Singapore — and again, we had a ball sampling exotic cuisine. Although Bobby is partial to raw fish and shrimps, he is willing to try anything including durian.
On a recent visit to one of my favorite restaurants in Greenbelt 5, the Chateau 1771, Bobby tagged along to check what the hell I was raving about. I have been a patron of this establishment (it has moved thrice from Ermita, to Ortigas center, to the current location in Makati) since the late ’80s at its maiden location on Adriatico St. near Remedios Circle in Ermita. I love their innovative fusion of Pinoy and French/Italian/Spanish cuisine. It’s like a marriage of Oriental and Occidental flavors. My hands-down favorite ever since is the Pasta Chorizo, which is topped with crumbled Vigan longganisa and cooked in olive oil. The crunchy longganisa interacts with the al dente texture of the pasta.
The Greenbelt 5 restaurant’s location is a blessing and a curse. A blessing in the sense that it’s so accessible and easy to find. A curse because it is beside Greenbelt 5’s activity area. I once dined there when there were rehearsals for a fashion show and the audio was deafening with the glass windows close to shattering due to the thumping sound of the sub woofers. My poor ears were throbbing after I left the restaurant an hour later. It was peaceful and serene though when we visited the classically-designed restaurant.
I decided not to order my favorite Pasta Chorizo and try the Raclette Cheese, Caesar Salad and Spicy Gambas. Bobby declared he was on a strict diet and just wanted brewed coffee but later got seduced to have dessert. There are only a handful of restaurants in Metro Manila that serve Raclette Cheese. I only know of a couple — Swiss Inn and Bianca’s — which are both located in Makati. Besides being expensive, it needs to be prepared with the correct tool by a person with the know-how and the smell is slightly intolerable.
The cheese derives its name from the French word “racler” and literally translates “to scrape” which is the process of preparing it. Chateau 1771’s version is garnished with small Charlotte potatoes, pickled onions and tangy gherkins reminiscent of the way it is normally prepared in Switzerland. In some bistros in Paris, they add some Jambon cru (sliced unprocessed ham) with crusty French bread. My tongue got slightly singed when I had my first bite because the Raclette was still piping hot.
The burning pain immediately turned into pleasure though when the nutty and salty flavor of the cheese burst in my mouth. I polished the entire plate in less than two minutes. Next was the Caesar Salad. Contrary to the urban legend that it was invented in Rome in honor of Julius Caesar, the salad was actually invented by accident on July 4, 1924 in Tijuana, Mexico by restaurateur Caesar Cardini. The story goes that the restaurant ran out of salad ingredients and chef Cardini, out of desperation, put together a salad from whatever was available in his kitchen. The salad at Chateau 1771 was flavorful but could have tasted and looked better if the garnish was shaved real Parmegiano Reggiano (aged Parmesan Cheese from the Parma region of Italy) instead of the cheap powdered commercial stuff.
The Spicy Gambas was the dish I saved for last. Gambas al Ajillo (garlic shrimp) is on most menus of thousands of restaurants but only a few could make it stand out like Chateau 1771. Their version features medium-sized shrimps cooked in olive oil together with garlic, bell pepper, parsley and crumbled chorizo. I believe the addition of chorizo bits is what sets it apart from the rest. I always finish the shrimps first then dunk crusty French bread slices in the leftover garlic sauce. Absolute heaven!
I was sopping up the last drops of the sauce with a piece of bread when Bobby’s Coffee arrived together with the signature dessert coffee pie. Bobby declared, “I’m just gonna have one bite and that’s it,” but his first bite turned into a second, third, fourth punctuated in between with “Oh my God.” As he licked the last traces of pie on his fork, he muttered, “You’re murdering my diet, but I’m willing to ditch it with pie as good as this.” Amen to that.