Mom's the word at Florabel and Felix

MANILA, Philippines – Chef and restaurateur Florabel Co is inviting families to celebrate Mother’s Day with a unique, fine dining experience at her two restaurants, Florabel at the Podium and Felix at Greenbelt 5. Both restaurants are open for lunch and dinner. A special set menu will be available at both restaurants, starting with pomelo salad with lime vinaigrette at Florabel’s and seared tuna with orange segment salad at Felix. Cauliflower soup with white truffle oil will be served at Florabel’s while Felix will prepare porcini mushroom soup with foie gras.

For the main course, diners at Florabel will have a choice between a roulade of dory stuffed with smoked bacon and spinach in leek sauce or roasted Angus rib-eye with port mushroom sauce, potato puree, and French beans. Diners at Felix can opt for braised US kurobuta pork with buckwheat noodles or the cream dory with ginger cilantro and vegetable rice. The meal will be capped off with banana fritters à la mode at Felix and apple fritters with walnut ice cream at Florabel. Diners can also order à la carte.

Florabel restaurant at The Podium has continued to grow its fine dining menu since its opening in 2005. It specializes in pinoy nouvelle cuisine, like grilled milkfish belly à la pobre, served with taro leaves braised in coconut cream, and Chilean sea bass with sweet crabmeat, served with spinach and mushroom. For steak-lovers, they can go for Wagyu rib-eye with a side of pan-fried foie gras.

Florabel restaurant also offers a wide range of pasta dishes, each named after a special person. Pasta à la Ben has Italian sausage sautéed in roasted garlic and tomato concassé. Pasta à la Jay is a medley of artichoke heart, feta cheese, bell pepper, anchovy, and sun-dried tomato. They also have a large wine selection that will enhance both the taste and the conversation. A children’s menu is also available.

Felix restaurant, named after Florabel’s father, in Greenbelt 5, offers a casual family dining experience with a menu inspired by recipes from the family and friends of the chef. Since its opening last year, Felix has rapidly gained the reputation for fine dining that is also fun and stylish. Diners will enjoy going over the menu with its cleverly named dishes, starting with Gen San, which is a very spicy tuna with garden salad; San Raphael, crispy lechon kawali chips, or Santorini, deep-fried squid rings with desiccated coconut with miso mayo.

Felix recommends Feliciano, the chef’s award-winning adobo with kesong puti, garlic rice and tomato salad. They also have ternera, oven-roasted veal chop with wild mushroom cream sauce, or The Carpenters, scallops and prawns fricassée. Also try the whole baked lobster, named Tony, served with apple and pear salad. They also have a grill menu, with Wagyu gold rib-eye (Kenta), Wagyu porterhouse (Hideaki), and Palawan lobster (Banagan).

For reservations, call Florabel at 638-7527 or 667-3220, and call Felix at 729-9062.