Meat the President at Myron's Place

If he were still around to day, he’d probably be in one of the corner tables near the window with a view of the Arturo Luz or Lor Calma sculptures, regaling his guests with tales from his stockbroker years and musings on politics, with thick slabs of juicy roast beef on the table and wine from a very good year. Surrounded by hearty laughter, fueled by a hearty meal.

That was how Myron Papa was — his daughter chef-and- restaurateur Monique Papa-Eugenio would tell you. And Myron’s Place, which she co-owns with her husband chef-and-restaurateur Ramon Eugenio, at the ground floor of Greenbelt 5 was named after the old man (who passed away nine years ago).

Pearly shells: One hot combo of fresh oysters (baked, foie gras, Rockefeller, etc.)

“He loved to eat,” Ramon recalls.

“And he liked to feed people,” Monique adds.

Yes, Ramon agrees. “There was a graciousness about him. He loved to entertain. Bangka ‘yan eh.” 

If you visited the old man, he made sure to serve good food, and as such the meals were almost unending since he preferred big servings. The daughter remembers, “If you gave him a small portion, he’d say, ‘Ano ‘yan? Sample?’”

Ramon explains, “And that’s our concept for Myron’s Place. That’s why our servings are bigger than usual.”

Both Ramon and Monique studied in the States (Ramon at the California Culinary Academy, and Monique at the French Culinary School in New York). Back then studying the culinary arts wasn’t as commonplace as it is today, both Ramon’s and Monique’s parents were even baffled at the career choice, but the two followed their hearts. After graduating from cooking school in 1993, Monique worked at The Tivoli in Mandarin Hotel, while Ramon (who had a stint as a management trainee at The Hilton in Japan) opened the Tribeca Bar & Grill at The Shangri-La Mall and then first Katip’s bar along Katipunan.

How the two met makes for one juicy, sizzling story. They were set up by friends because of their culinary school backgrounds. The first date was in a classy hotel restaurant, and the second — both Ramon and Monique remember with a laugh — was in a shawarma joint in Katipunan. Forget the difference in ambience. Good food, in its almost poetic deliciousness, was the common denominator.

According to Ramon, the couple agreed that they needed to join forces. “We had all these ideas that we wanted to put in a restaurant. But, basically, we wanted to serve food that we like to eat ourselves. We’re not only restaurateurs, but we’re also diners.”

The first Myron’s opened at the concourse level of Rockwell on April 29, 2006 (Power Plant Mall needed a good steakhouse at that time), followed by the Greenbelt branch on Feb. 18, 2008 (Greenbelt wanted chef-owned restaurants to open on that particular side of GB5).

If grilled steak is what makes mouths water at Rockwell, it is roast beef that causes lips to smack at Greenbelt.

Juicy food: Roast rib eye of beef with a choice of classic Myron’s house sauces

“We Filipinos have a fondness for roast beef,” he observes. “We think of it as homey. (You can consider it) comfort food at its best. And we do it very well.”  

Myron’s Place owners Ramon and Monique Eugenio (left and third from left) with Citibank cards business group vice president Alma Gruenberg and Citibank global consumer group vice president Roy Villareal. Photo by FERNAN NEBRES

She explains that when making roast beef, the quality of the meat is essential. When you slice it, you’ll know right away (whether it’s good or not). You can’t just cover it with garnishing or other kitchen alchemies.

Diners can go for the Bianca (240 grams) or go all the way with the Myron’s Cut (all 1,000 grams of it). Imagine consuming this one-kilo monolith of meat all by your lonesome self. It can be done, according to the couple, and it has been done. Seven people were able to finish off a plate. These magnificent seven deserve a commemorative shirt of sorts. 

Myron’s Places uses premium US certified Black Angus beef. You can have it with potatoes (French, mashed, sautéed) or rice (garlic or steamed), and a choice of classic house sauces (béarnaise, peppercorn, mushroom, etc.).

Ramon could talk to you all day about how excellent their meat is, as determined by US Certified Angus Beef LLC. “We use Angus beef because no other breed of cattle can match it… Our beef has 10 science-based specifications designed to assure marbling, tenderness and consistency… We’re talking about the top eight percent of all beef.”

But he says there is also the other side to consider: what you see on your plate.

“When you actually have the meat in front of you — out of our kitchen, prepared meticulously for you. The kind of steak you came here for. Full of flavor, well-marbled, tender and juicy. We remind our guest to please try to order medium-rare to medium (to retain the steak’s natural tenderness and juiciness).”

Myron’s Place also serves sandwiches and pastas, oysters (baked, Rockefeller, Melanio, foie gras), chorizo croquettes (this writer’s favorite starter), mushroom crostini (diners call it “mushroom pizza”), salads and soups, among other dishes.

“The menu is composed of dishes that we love to eat,” reminds Ramon. Before each item can take a slot at the Myron’s food list, it has to pass two key criteria: whether the husband and wife like it, and if they can do it well.

He digs the New York Reuben (corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on rye). “We corned the beef ourselves. That’s my favorite sandwich, which I can have with onion soup.”

Monique says she goes for the rib eye steak hash. “My son also likes it, kasi cut na ’yung meat tapos medyo tostado.”

The two have new favorite: steak that is charred from the outside and yet is juicy on the inside. “People describe it as the steak from Peter Luger Steakhouse in New York,” Ramon proudly explains. At first the couple didn’t know what to call this particular steak — so commanding of attention, so imposing on the dinner table. And then one day President Noynoy Aquino strides into Myron’s restaurant in Rockwell. The couple had a eureka moment.

Ramon enthuses, “We told each other, ‘Let’s call it ‘the President!’” Fitting enough: the 500-gram steak is fit for a president, and at the same time it is the steak that serves the (gustatory) needs of the people. 

He adds, “We can grill it, roast it, or char it, depending on your preference.”

She amplifies, “And they all taste different.”

Fry away: An inadvertent frying led to this fried Hainanese chicken wonder at Myron’s Rockwell

Diners have a chance to partake of selected dishes at 15 percent less than its usual price by using their Citibank card. For Citibank cardholders, there is also a 15 percent discount on bottles of wine, as well as a buy-one-take-one offer on cocktails during happy hour, from 4 to 7 p.m.

“This is a part of Citibank Dining Privileges,” explains Alma Gruenberg, Citibank cards business group vice president. “This is a program that gives our cardholders the best deals when they dine at certain restaurants in Metro Manila, more than a thousand nationwide. And we took it a bit further. When our cardholders go to Singapore and other countries, they also get great deals at certain establishments, 10 percent off. We have the best-deal promise: if our cardholders go to a restaurant and they find that there’s a better offer by another credit card company. Let’s say the other company offers 20 percent off, as opposed to our 15 percent, what we do is reimburse our cardholders for the difference.”

Gruenberg adds that Citibank has a robust lineup of restaurants. “When we say ‘robust’ it’s not just in terms of quantity. We’re very particular about the quality of the restaurants we bring into the program. Just like Myron’s Place. This is something relevant to our customers, something they would appreciate.”

This is the credit card company’s raison d’etre.     

Roy Villareal, Citibank global consumer group vice president, says, “We want our customers to enjoy the benefits of having a Citi card. Citibank Dining Privileges is just one of the many benefits. They get rebates on gas and groceries; they get instant gratification. This is something we’ve been offering the whole-year-round for our customers. We want to make sure they have the best experience in having a Citibank card — something they would enjoy for the rest of their lives.”    

Something enjoyable would be dining at Myron’s Place, which is maintained by two people who share the same passion for home-style meals.

Monique observes. “(Ramon and I) use each other as a sounding board. Since we come from the same background, if I say something, he’d know right away what I’m talking about. We speak the same language.”    

The husband shares the sentiment. Ramon is the face behind Myron’s Place. He designed and conceptualized the restaurant, and you could always see him at Greenbelt 5 entertaining guests, letting them partake of culinary manna. He is the frontman, a people person. (“He’s the GRO,” she jokingly says.) The wife, the beautiful Monique, would rather let her food talk. She spends her time backstage, so to speak.

Ramon concludes, “You would be to able to understand Monique more by the way she does things. She is like (the character in) Like Water for Chocolate (who has a love for the kitchen and a deep connection with food) — everything comes out in her cooking. Our strength is in the two of us working together. Merong idea si Monique, meron akong idea, and at the end of the day we try to come up with the best possible result. And the result always is a dish we’d like to eat at home.” 

At home, yes. The home where you could have an encounter with the President.

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Myron’s Place is at the ground floor of Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City (757-8898 or 757-9898) and Myron’s Steaks, Ribs & Seafood is at the concourse level of Power Plant mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City (728-9898 or 728-5555).

Citibank Dining Privileges is a borderless program that offers the best guaranteed deals in the Asia-Pacific Region, with over 5,000 dining locations in more than four countries (Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand), regardless where your Citibank card is issued.

As an example, Citibank cardholders from the Philippines get the same preferential treatment when they travel to Singapore as well as in all the other participating countries in the region — in the same way that a Citibank cardholder from Indonesia can come to the Philippines and enjoy the same privileges. Citibank Dining Privileges promises the best dining deals in over 1,000 dining locations.

For information, call Citi phone 995-9999.