Power & wellness food in a party place

When Mezze! opened at Greenbelt 2 in May 2005, everybody welcomed it as the in place in the metro, a worthy successor to Faces, which, for close to a decade, defined the party scene. The comparison wasn’t surprising considering that both restaurants are the brainchild of seasoned restaurateur Carlos "Bobong" Velez.

Velez says Faces was conceptualized to be a bar disco; and from 1987 to 1995, it served as the benchmark for happenings in the city. On the other hand, Mezze! is designed as a combination bar and restaurant; indeed, after 10 p.m., it converts into a bar, complete with a DJ playing live house music.

For a year, Mezze! was the happening place this side of town. It was the venue for reunions of Faces regulars, out to relieve their party days, as well as product lunches and other similar events.

"We had lots of parties in our first year," says Velez. "People thought we were a bar, and that we were a night place."

A year later, some of the parties have moved elsewhere, and people were now spending more time at Mezze! enjoying its menu of Mediterranean favorites.

"A lot of people were surprised that we served good food," Velez declares.

Food has always been at the heart of his career as a restaurateur. He used to operate Doña Nena’s, which was one of the more popular Spanish restaurants in Metro Manila for close to 15 years.

In fact, Mezze! had an extensive menu of close to 140 items when it first opened. The menu, crafted by well-known food consultants, literally offered a cornucopia of food treats.

Mezze’s current chef, Christine Zarandin, says she has managed to trim down this menu to just around 60 to 70 items. Not only that, the menu is now focused on Mediterranean meals that today’s health-conscious diners look for.

Chef Christine points out that Mediterranean cooking relies largely on healthy cooking methods. Unlike at most fast-food outlets, Mediterranean food is either grilled, roasted, or sautéed, and not deep-fried. There is also a preference for lean cuts of meat, particularly lamb.

She says she is reimaging Mezze!’s offering of Mediterranean food, making it suitable for diners on special diets.

"Mediterranean food really offers a healthy, balanced diet," she explains. "Many diners on the South Beach diet may want their steak but not their potatoes. We have to keep up with trends, that’s why we try to offer our regulars dining options that will give them the food they need."

At Mezze!, the focus now is on its "power and wellness" lunches, which includes a selection of sandwiches, pasta dishes, and sandwiches that are healthy. The lunch menu also has roast chicken, which is in keeping with the basics of a Mediterranean meal.

On our visit, chef Christine offered us her specials, as well as favorites of Mezze! regulars.

For appetizers, we had the Angus steak pizza, which was a flat bread topped with Angus steak morsels, peppers, onions, mushrooms, Gruyère and mozzarella cheeses over roasted garlic velouté.

Velez says he was never really fond of pizzas until he tried chef Christine’s flat breads. Mezze!’s flat breads are hand-tossed crusts that are served on a wooden tablet. There are a number of toppings available, but the Angus pizza variety is the crowd favorite.

One bite into this flat bread and the difference is obvious. The crust is thin and crisp. The sauce of roasted garlic gives the whole pizza a sweetish-savory flavor that complements the meaty flavor of the Angus beef. The cheeses add a salty tang to the whole thing, which is balanced by the sweetish flavor of the peppers, onions and mushrooms. If you think you know pizzas, then you haven’t tried this flat bread.

For entrees, we had Chilean sea bass pan-roasted with asparagus gratinee, shrimp and scallop in vanilla butter and coconut nage, and lamb burgers with basil aioli.

Mezze!’s lamb burgers are said to be a favorite, and now we know why. An order comes with two burgers of minced lamb, crispy potato fries, grilled vegetables, and basil aioli. This sauce spells the difference. You can pour it generously over the burgers or dip your fries in it. It rounds out the unique taste of the lamb, while giving a tangy flavor to the chips.

Those looking for seafood will do well to order the Chilean sea bass pan-roasted with asparagus gratinee. The gratinee is a sweet sauce that keeps the sea bass pieces juicy and sweet. The asparagus spears add a crunchy bite to the dish that make you want more. The orange segments also add a touch of citrus that cleanses your palate with each bite.

Another house special is the shrimp and scallop in vanilla butter and coconut nage. If you see the servers walking around the room with coconut shells on their trays, this is that dish.

The vanilla butter sauce is lightly scented with lemon grass for a unique taste, while the coconut nage adds an extra layer of flavor. Each bite of the succulent shrimps and scallops yields full flavor. If you find yourself asking for rice, please do. It’s the best way to enjoy the vanilla butter sauce.

For dessert, chef Christine presented her apple besteeya, a whole baked apple served on top of a baklava-like nut-filled phyllo pastry. This really is like having two desserts on one plate: the soft baked apple, and the baklava.

As a special treat, Velez served us two more desserts: Chocolate Indulgence, and lemon torte. The Chocolate Indulgence is exactly that, an indulgence of chocolate, while the lemon torte is tart, a shock of lemony flavor after all those sweet sauces.

To complement its line of desserts, Velez says he is now working with a coffee supplier to develop Mezze!’s own house blend. He hopes to introduce the restaurant’s own roast soon.

Velez says Mezze! continues to be a party place with its private parties. The mezzanine level can accommodate a buffet spread for 50 guests and a cocktail setup for as many as 70 guests.

"Everything is flexible here," he explains. "We can custom-make parties for our guests."

And what a party that would be. Chef Christine’s menu of Mediterranean favorites will surely make these occasions not just memorable ones, but also healthy ones.

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Mezze! is at the ground floor of Greenbelt 2, Ayala Center, Makati City. For inquiries and reservations, call 728-8895 and 728-8896.