On a foodie high at Tuscany, McKinley Hill

MANILA, Philippines - Under Tuscany’s sun on a balmy day, a group of foodies, bound by a passion for good food and an insatiable hunger for adventure, sets out to unravel the best-kept secrets of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls’ newest dining destination — Tuscany at McKinley Hill — in the heart (or is it the belly?) of Fort Bonifacio. Actually, we get to sample part of the awesome offerings of “An Awesome Secret Foodies Tour,” a degustation tour organized by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls with two of society’s leading foodies, RJ Ledesma and Anton Diaz, acting as “tour guides.”

First stop in our food itinerary is Planet Grapes where we marvel at the sight of a heady selection of wines from all over the world (from the fine classics to the premium aged wines) — and get to taste some of them. Wine at 12 noon? Wine not? For here, fine wine meets exotic street food. Ever tried drinking wine with balut? Or siomai and quekiam? Planet Grapes also boasts a wine vending machine that can dispense certain amounts of wine with just one swipe of a card.

Then off we go to Main Street, where among the main attractions is poutine! Oui, poutine is a well-loved Canadian comfort food (invented in Quebec in the ’50s) consisting of thick cut fries smothered with beef gravy and cheese curds. There’s a very popular restaurant in Montreal called La Banquise that offers 28 different kinds of poutine. The place is always full and customers from near and far don’t mind waiting outside for hours shriveling in the sun or shivering in the cold (depending on the time of year they visit) to get a table. Well, you don’t have to go that far for a taste of good old Quebecois poutine. Vancouver-based chef/owner Adam Tacderas Tan, who’s had more than his fair share of poutines, promises the best poutine you’ll ever taste in the Philippines and much more! Also part of Main Street’s humongous menu list is Wagyu Burger made of really juicy Kitayama beef in sesame bun and served with tomato relish, cheddar cheese, and house sauce. Or you can have your crab cake and eat it, too, with mango salsa. And how about a very Canadian dessert of organic maple and candied bacon artisan ice cream? Awesome, eh?

After Canada, we let our taste buds travel to Italy at Trattoria Poggio Antico. Inspired by his vacations to the farms and green meadows of Italy, Roland Lorilla wanted to bring home the fresh flavors of Italian cuisine and so, he put up an Italian restaurant right across from where he lives in Tuscany at McKinley Hill. He dreamt of building a resto across his house and he hired a chef who cooked for 15 years in Italian restos.  Expect everything in this restaurant to be fresh and made from scratch. “We even make our own sauces,” says this passionate restaurateur. “When you’re running a resto, it’s all about ingredients, ingredients, ingredients!”

Trattoria Poggio Antico will dazzle your taste buds with its Italian specialties, like prosciutto con melone (ham and melon on pizza crust), crespella del poggio antico (crepe stuffed with ham and cheese, and mushroom in truffle oil), and oyster sur pate di fegato (oyster on liver pate).

Surely, time flies when you’re having a deliciously good time. For the final stop in our food tour, we get a taste of New York bagels at L.E.S. (Lower East Side) Bagels. In a New York minute (or even less), chef Cuit Kaufman of Borough and Nolita fame serves us some of L.E.S. Bagels’ hand-rolled and freshly baked bagels with assorted cream cheese fillings. If you love bagels (I do, I do!), you can have your fill of L.E.S. Bagels’ selection of gourmet bagels and cream cheese concoctions. There are 14 choices of cream cheese (count ’em): plain, scallion, garlic and chive, vegetable, herb, jalapeño cheddar, caramelized onion raisin, bacon cheddar, sundried tomato and basil, garlic and chive, blueberry, strawberry, apple cinnamon, and lox (smoked salmon).

Of course, this awesome food tour includes the awesome food offerings of many more restaurants at Tuscany at McKinley Hill, like B&T Mexican Kitchen for those tongue-talizing tacos and tostadas, Sophie’s Mom for cupcakes full of unique flavors, Sauceria  for those fresh homemade sauces and artisanal breads baked to perfection, and Marciano’s for truly al dente pasta creations by Italian chef Giorgio Buciarelli.

Spoiled for choice, foodies will find more restos in this dining haven up at McKinley Hill: Ukkokei Ramen Ron, Banapple Pies and Cheesecakes, Milky Way, Serenitea, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Black Canyon Coffee, Terry’s Selection, Wursty Wursty, TAKA  Modern Japanese Cuisine, San Francisco Bistro, and BBQ Chicken & Beer.

They say that a trip helps broaden one’s horizons. Well, I’d like to think that this trip broadened not just my waistline but my food horizons, too. Happy food trip, everyone!

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“An Awesome Secret Foodies Tour” runs on Dec. 7, 14, and 21 at 2 to 5 p.m. Participants may choose their preferred date for the public tour on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets must be claimed in person at the designated redemption booth. For inquiries, call 709-0888, 709-9888 or 09178380111.