Tasting Uncle Cheffy, one brick oven dish at a time

A strange man is he, whose name graces the restaurant Uncle Cheffy. He exists (if he does indeed exist; maybe it’s just a mascot name) to serve the pleasures of his palate; his world is not dictated by one single cuisine, but by the various delights his brick oven can bring.

I have never gazed upon a menu with more culinary breadth. But there it was, a delicious melange of Asian, Italian and American fare. To Uncle Cheffy, it all makes sense. After all, they all become a gustatory indulgence upon emerging from his famous oven.

Steak ’em up: The Uncle Cheffy Steak has very tender slices of grilled and roasted US rib-eye steak, and is served with marble potatoes, a side salad and gravy.

Uncle Cheffy is the one restaurant that offers what is called brick oven cuisine. A friend of mine laughingly says, “It’s about anything that fits in the brick oven.” And there it is: the idea that started its own brand of cuisine.

When at Uncle Cheffy, one must start with the delicate brick oven panizza, thinner than a pizza but bursting with flavor. There is one called Uncle Cheffy Favorites, filled with oven-dried tomatoes, mushroom, garlic, anchovy, chili flakes, three kinds of cheese, and basil. There is also the Seafood Lovers, generously topped with a myriad of fresh seafood such as shrimps, clams, salmon, squid, as well as herbs and onions, and three kinds of cheese. Another must-try panizza is Larry’s Craving, filled with smoked salmon, escargot, shitake, mushrooms, chili flakes, three kinds of cheese, and onions.

Let’s dough it: Uncle Cheffy’s delicate brick oven panizza has a thinner dough than a pizza but is bursting with flavor.

For a creamy awakening, one can have any of these panizzas with Uncle Cheffy’s pumpkin flower soup with shrimp. And then there is that other perfect panizza match — my personal favorite — Uncle Cheffy Salad: crisp mesclun greens tossed together with crispy chunks of pork belly, asparagus, and potatoes, and tossed in a slightly tangy dijonaise dressing. The combination is addictive!

Where there is a brick oven, there is also a lot of meat. The Uncle Cheffy Steak, a serving of which is generous enough for a hungry crowd of four to five, features very tender slices of grilled and roasted US rib-eye steak that is simply spread on a huge platter alongside some marble potatoes, a side salad, and gravy. And then there is that other platter that makes your heart melt, Uncle Cheffy’s Memphis Barbecue US Beef Rib Finger, 1,000 grams of pure meaty, fall-off-the-bone tenderness that is served with a side salad, some marbled potatoes, and an assortment of sauces (Chimichurri, tomato salsa, Memphis sauce). You can enjoy your steak or beef ribs with Uncle Cheffy’s special rice, a hefty serving of fried rice with dilis and herbs.

Flower power: Enjoy your panizza with Uncle Cheffy’s pumpkin flower soup with shrimp.

For dessert, there is the creamy, milky, one-of-a-kind panacotta with ube vichysoisse, the delightfully surprising chocolate parfait on pandan crepe (pandan crepes delicately folded with some frozen chocolate mousse inside, and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream), and my favorite, the Cheffy Cheesecake, a sweet baked cheesecake with a chocolate layer that makes you feel like you’re having chocolate cookie dough.

Strange is he, the man called Uncle Cheffy, and how his brick oven cuisine has become a great hot favorite!

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Loco over choco: Chocolate parfait on pandan crepe with some frozen chocolate mousse inside, and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Uncle Cheffy is open at Eastwood Mall, Eastwood City (383-7215) from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Monday to Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, Friday to Saturday; Forbes Town Center, Bonifacio Global City (659-8030) from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., Monday to Saturday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday; Ali Mall, Cubao (709-4105) from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday to Thursday and from 11 a.m. to 12 noon, Friday to Saturday; and Nuvali, Sta. Rosa, Laguna (502-5970), from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Friday and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday to Sunday.