Fondue, pairings, and double lamb chops at the speed of light

MANILA, Philippines - Last night I sent the maid across the street to the neighborhood Persian Grill for beef kebabs, ox brain and basmati rice for dinner. Slathered with red and white sauce and washed down with a decent merlot, it is basic survival food.

But the previous evening and the succeeding lunch at Discovery Country Suites was an explosive feast of flavors, spices and a few delightful pairings. Unfortunately I am sure it was also explosive for our girths as well, despite our imminent wedding date the weekend hence.

Weeks ago Discovery’s ever-active marketing guru Gemma Batoon cajoled me into visiting the group’s most convenient city getaway destination. To be sure, naturally the aforementioned Discovery Country Suites, which is a cozy yet expansive home that is neatly arranged into seven themed suites. I had but one stipulation: that the group’s inimitable Chef David was present to unfold a feast complete with proper wine pairings.

Gemma delivered with an unexpected comeuppance. She had Volvo deliver their latest sports sedan to our home for us to speed out to Tagaytay in style – naturally my then fiancée and now (as of publishing of this article) wife was the driver, since my driving skills limit me to golf carts and ATVs.

Chef David on the deck dining area of Verbena.

Even though I am not a car aficionado I could tell from the solid closing thud of the passenger door that this was a machine to be reckoned with. With an absolutely luxurious interior and incredibly comfortable seats, I marveled at the array of buttons and knobs that made up the car’s space-age like console that came complete with a video screen that would automatically play Twilight upon stops.

My wife Happee, ever the astute techie, figured out how to sync her iPhone with the car’s console and demonstrated how she could have a totally hand-free conversation (in fact I could obviously jump in a conversation at any point) since the interior was outfitted with speakers and microphones.

We didn’t truly get to test the car’s power until we crawled out of the city proper at a frustrating average 40kpm and then punched the machine up to breach 140kpm in virtually no time. The drive was so marvelously smooth that it felt like we were doing 80kph. If not for the hideous traffic suffered earlier en route to Tagaytay we could have easily made it to our destination in a painless hour, but still the all too brief burst of speed was galvanizing.

We arrived shortly before dusk and the breeze was brilliant.

The Verbena, the establishment’s restaurant (and one of only two top end dining choices in Tagaytay) had just served up their regular afternoon wine and cheese. But something much more enticing was in store for us; with much thanks and gratitude to Chef David of course.

In short order, the rotund chef clad in his signature black attire served up a generous double cheese fondue for Happee and I – one featuring the traditional Gruyere base and the other a Blue Cheese base. A selection of bread, shitake mushroom, carrots, potatoes and cherry tomatoes were presented as dips. Chef David served up a rosé, a sauvignon blanc, and a Riesling, which was a delightful afternoon progression, shocking us with the beautiful balance of the blue cheese with cherry tomato followed by the soft fruit of the rosé. This combination alone – blue cheese fondue, cherry tomatoes and a simple entry level rosé – is actually a perfect afternoon snack.

The expansive Oxford Suite.

Admittedly after being spoiled with this lovely array of cheese, dips and wine, we were a little shocked at the almost Spartan dinner menu, which was essentially an over grown amuse bouche followed by a fricassee of prawn and scallops, which to be fair was absolutely succulent with a Napa chardonnay I brought along. The woody flavor of this medium bodied wine dovetailed perfectly with Chef David’s creamy sauce. Sinful. Pure joy.

We were then treated to one of the best massages I have had in this country. A full body meltdown followed by a relaxing facial. My masseuse’s hands were magical, and I think she must have been some kind of massage mutant as her hands seemed to radiant a kind of mystical warmth that never seemed to wane. In fact, she was so good I did not even know she had massaged my back until she was already telling me to turn around.

Happee told me later that by the third time she had asked me “Sir, is the pressure okay” I was already completely transferred to another time nexus. All I can say is ‘wow’ that was simply amazing and if any one is planning to visit Discovery Country Suites, you must try their massage service and ask for the therapist that has mastered the kung fu heat palm technique.

The next day Chef David returned like a triumphant MacArthur however, blasting away at our gullets and gluttonous stomachs with caloric Armageddon featuring hand-rolled mozzarella, a black truffle risotto, and a massive roasted double lamb chops cooked beautifully.

With the mozzarella salad I had a glass of sauvignon blanc, which was a fair enough warm up to this hearty lunch menu and quite refreshing. And then we moved on to a Beringer Pinot Noir as a compliment to the risotto, the first main which was a crispy whitefish fillet, and then Chef David’s coup d’ grace the Roasted Lamb Double Chops.

The lunch was fabulous. I only wonder if there might have been a better pairing. I suppose that will have to wait for another mouthwatering weekend.