Randy Ortiz talks food & fashion with Chef Bernard.com

It was no surprise when fashion designer and confessed foodie Randy Ortiz told me a few months back that he was opening a restaurant. Randy is a great host and loves to entertain at his home; his dinner parties are big productions, famous for the homemade recipes and fashionable table settings.

“I took up Hotel and Restaurant Management at De La Salle University and actually dabbled in the food business before I became a fashion designer,” Randy told me. But he found the business complicated and felt he was not ready to pursue it seriously back in the early ’80s. Around the same time he was introduced to fashion and immediately felt an affinity for the industry. This exposure led to a 160-degree turn and the rest, as they say is, history.

“I always knew though that one day I would return to the food business,” Randy said. So when US-based longtime friend, former model and Le Cordon Bleu-Pasadena graduate Bernard Banares expressed an interest in opening a restaurant in Manila, Randy did not hesitate to partner with him; Randy knew the right time had come to pursue his other passion. “Bernard used to make chicken Galantina, embotido and caramel tarts when he was a model and bring them to us to eat. His food became such a hit that designers began ordering from him for Christmas and other occasions. When he moved to the US and we would visit him, he always cooked such delicious food for us,” Randy recalls.

Omega-rich: The pan-seared salmon with pesto tomato cream sauce is not only tasty but nutritious as well

When Bernard’s furniture business hit a snag as a result of the economic downturn, he decided to take food seriously and take an 18-month cooking and baking course at Le Cordon Bleu in California. “I was a good cook but I wanted to validate what I was doing and improve on it,” chef Bernard explains. “I have always been drawn to French cooking and I figured how wonderful it would be to create Asian food with a French twist.”

Over several months of throwing ideas back and forth, they slowly hatched their plans. On a trip to Paris about five months back, Randy chanced upon a French café on St. Honoré that would become his inspiration for his collaboration with Bernard. Upon returning to Manila, with the ideal location lined up and the design firmly in place, construction began on their dream café. Several days ago, their casual café-cum-art gallery simply called Chef Bernard.com soft-opened on Aguirre Street in Legaspi Village.

“I would not have ventured back into the food business if I did not have Bernard as a partner; we own the business equally, 50-50 split,” explains Randy. “From the beginning we made it very clear how we were going to divide the work and while he consults with me on the menu, I respect his craft and leave the final decisions on the food to him.”

Chef Bernard.com is the perfect symbiosis of food and fashion. The semi-self-service café has a menu that is comprised of homemade Asian food that is sure to please even the most discerning palate and an interior that clearly reflects Randy Ortiz’ fashion design aesthetic. “My designs have always been clean and polished, clothes that everyone can relate to,” Randy shares. “My home is the same so I wanted that same feel for Chef Bernard.com.”

The interior of Chef Bernard.com is clean, fashionable yet unpretentious, warm and welcoming, a refreshing and clear departure from the oftentimes lavish, complicated and cold design concepts associated with restaurants owned or created by fashion designers.

Randy describes the interior design concept of Chef Bernard.com as high-low, a mix of commercially available inexpensive yet quality furniture with unpredictable interior elements like the funky ceiling lamps and for-sale minimalist, one-of-a-kind art pieces on the walls. Randy collaborated on the schematics of the café with Doltz Pilar, another good friend whose big canvases adorn the walls. The predominantly white interior with splashes of red and hints of other colors is understatedly chic, unpretentious, fun and inviting, just like Randy’s house. As the finance comptroller, Randy did not want to spend too much money on the project so he sourced everything personally and kept to their agreed budget; I even spied him buying some porcelain for the café in Shoemart.

The business partners agreed early on to keep prices affordable and the menu simple; prices range from P120 for two pieces of fresh lumpiang ubod to P320 for a Salmon Royale. “In some ways I wanted the café to be an extension of my house, a sort of hangout were I can de-stress with family and friends and enjoy freshly cooked healthy meals,” Randy enthuses. “This is kind of our version of a carinderia, a place where anyone can come, have a great dining experience at affordable prices and feel at home.”

With both Randy and Bernard hailing from Iloilo, it was just natural for them to include some distinctly Ilonggo food in the menu. “Our pancit molo tastes just like the ones you find in Jaro,” beams Randy proudly. Chef Bernard makes the molo wrapper from scratch for the soup and the egg crepe for the lumpiang ubod. The garlicky fresh lumpia was divine, the crunchiness of the ubod strips and lettuce against the soft velvety wrapper had a melt-in-your mouth goodness I have not tasted in lumpiang ubod for a long time. This was definitely a must-come-back-for item on the menu.

Interiors according to Randy O: “My designs have always been clean and polished, clothes that everyone can relate to. My home is the same so I wanted the same feel for our cafe.”

I had a sample of the Chicken Waldorf, dried boneless chicken adobo in aioli sauce with pickled onions, fresh apple and lettuce on ciabatta bread. While I am not a big fan of either onions or apples, I loved the blend of tastes and textures of the sandwich. If you are tired of the usual BLT or ham and cheese, the Chicken Waldorf is a super-yummy alternative for a satisfying sandwich experience.

The Chicken Galantina was a revelation of sorts because of the colors of the chicken against the stuffing. The golden-brown exterior of the chicken enveloped the meat and vegetable stuffing quite delicately and appealingly. Served with a braised red cabbage gravy and kamote puree, this dish is flavorful and quite filling.

The braised pork belly was heavenly! Pan-seared and deglazed in red wine and simmered in satay sauce served with fried banana, flavored rice and cabbage scallion carrot, this is sure to become a most favorite, signature dish of Chef Bernard.com. The meat was tender and flavored to tangy perfection. The bananas were soft on the inside and chewy on the outside, a genius of a side dish for the pork belly. I do not eat much pork but for this one, I will definitely make an exception.

The chicken curry was simply outstanding. The cubes of boneless chicken cooked in a rich, thick sauce of coconut milk and green curry served on a bed of grilled, sweet slices of eggplant was hands-down my favorite. While most curries are somewhat watery and predictably spicy, this chicken curry is prepared with just the right amount and consistency to the sauce. Naturally sweet (because of the coconut) and spicy, this is the best chicken curry I have tasted, besting even those in all the Thai restaurants I have visited.

To finish off the food tasting on a high note, I tried the maja blanca, a Filipino kakanin. Typically made with white sugar, chef Bernard’s version is created using brown sugar because Randy is diabetic. “The same way that I want to cook all our food with the least fat and no preservatives, I wanted our desserts to be healthy with a low glycemic content,” chef Bernard declares.  The maja blanca was light and easy on the palate with the perfect level of sweetness. I will definitely be back to try their other dishes.

I asked Randy if this venture spells a transition from being a fashion designer to a restaurateur; he smiled and replied no. He was quick to say that he is first, foremost and will forever be a fashion designer who simply took advantage of a great business opportunity to express his love for food. Will he be spending a lot of time in the café? “Absolutely, but as a client, not as part of the management team to handle day-to-day operations,” he clarifies. “I will let chef Bernard and our trained and able staff take care of that.” Will they transform the café at night into a bar, as many places in Manila do? He categorically says no, they want to preserve the café ambiance of Chef Bernard.com — a nest of comfort and great food.

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Open from Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Chef Bernard.com is located at Unit A, Greenbelt Radisson 7, 106 Aguirre St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. For inquiries on food to go, call 0922-833-5595 or 0920-906-3406. For reservations, deliveries and other information visit www.chefbernard.com.ph.