Finding Masseto

Let's have lunch next week,” said interior designer Maja Olivares-Co and jeweler Kristine Yang when I bumped into them, just a table away,one lunchtime at my favorite Tsukiji restaurant on Pasay Road.

“Yes!” I quickly replied, thinking that anyone who loves Tsukiji must surely love good food. Funny but everytime I eat at Tsukiji, I always vow to try a new dish but I always end up ordering my good, old faves: crab salad and grilled hamachi.Well, loyalty before adventure.

 A call for adventure excited me though,when Maja texted instructions for our lunch date: “The resto is a bit hard to find. I suggest you take Ayala Avenue, turn right on RCBC building, then another immediate right on Valero street. Look for the resto on the SB Cards Building on the left side of Valero after 7-11 before Rufino street.”

The resto name is Masseto but there was no name on the building facade. But you knew it was the place because there was a butler clad in barong waiting in front to open your car and lead you a few steps up the resto door. There was only a red M logo posted right near the entrance.

 Immediately a sense of deja vu came when I saw Claude Tayag’s sculptured mural and bench on the left side of the foyer. Of course, I have been here before, one dark evening, taking another route. The birthday dinner of an “eating club” friend SP Sumulong a year ago was held right here, and I remember how delicious the food was. And still, a few months ago, Louis Vuitton hosted a luncheon for lifestyle editors in this place.

I may have forgotten the name (since it was a resto with no name on its facade) but I have not forgotten the taste.

“Hmmm, I like restos like this,” I tell Maja, “it reminds me of some restos in New York where no logo or name is seen outside, and you have to find your way through some maze. It has a sense of mystery. It's like telling the diner: If you don't know where it is, or you’re not adventurous enough,then you don't deserve to be here. It poses a hip, somewhat snobbish challenge.”

“See?” Maja tells the chef, Tippi Tambunting, as if assuring her that it is all right to have a resto with no name outside.The slim and lovely Kristine Yang smiles and declares: “I will only take a few bites ha. Don’t make me eat too much.”

“We will have little samplers only,” Maja assures us.

Art and cuisine: That’s unmistakably the work of artist-chef Claude Tayag in one corner.

And the little samplers came. And came. And came.

First came Bacalo Fritters in alioli. Heavenly.

Then Tagliolini with Crab. Too delicious.

Pecorini Ravioli with mushrooms in truffle sauce. Irresistible.

Then Poached Eggs with Mushrooms and mixed greens. My gym trainer will kill me now.

Cheese Souffle with mixed greens.This is too much,too good, enough already.

Garoupa in Cauliflower Puree and Red Wine Glaze.Pure bliss.

Warm Chocolate Cake with Caramel and Honey Ice Cream. I will kill the chef now.

Bread Pudding. Unforgettable. And Kristine, who relished every sampler, agrees. We must have gained five pounds. We will kill Bruhang Maja now.

The best eight-course meal I have eaten in ages. Tippi trained at the Culinary Institute of America and brought home all the wonderful techniques she learned, mixing these with her own culinary vibe. Of course, food always tastes better in a sleekly decorated place (by Maja, of course) and with interesting stories from the jetskiing Maja whose laughter splashes with childlike glee.And nostalgic recollections from my friend Kristine whom I have known together with George since the '70s, pre-McDonald’s, at Don Amado Araneta's Farmer's Market where their Kristine Jewelry shop stood beside other chic boutiques there.

Maja says we must come back when Masseto opens BM — or Bar M — right next door. Of course that could mean Best Martinis.Or Best Meetings. “Or Bruhang Maja,” the laughing jetskier declares.

Of course, there will be no name again outside. What else would you expect from Bruhang Maja?

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If you can't find Masseto on Valero street, call 810-3565.