What it’s like to be invited to Marvin Agustin’s dinner party
Oink! Oink! ‘Tis the season indeed! One of the hottest invites this week was to sample the new menu at celebrity chef and entrepreneur Marvin Agustin’s famous BGC restaurant, Cochi by Marvin Agustin, just in time for its first anniversary.
As a broadcast journalist, of course, I brought a whole crew with me, only to step in and see an intimate setup and gathering for friends and foodies. Luckily, we all know Marvin as an easygoing and cool guy, so he indulged us with a full-blown feature of his new menu, even for television.
We thought it would be a laid-back night of eating, but a few minutes after we walked in, Gretchen Barretto and Tony Boy Cojuangco entered with their friend Shaina Magdayao and bodyguards. Of course, we had to chat with THE La Greta! She has been low-key and elusive on social media.
Recently, her photos went viral on Instagram because of her makeup artist, Mark Kingson Qua, who posted her session with him. True to the viral posts, La Greta looks phenomenal and would give Demi Moore and Lindsay Lohan’s current glow-ups a run for their money.
I asked her what she has been doing lately to remain looking immaculate, and she said that she’s been training every day for one hour. No excuses! Wow! That is commitment. But it’s hard to be La Greta. Her training, nevertheless, gives her the freedom to enjoy dinners like the one Marvin offered us.
So at Cochi in BGC, Marvin works with Chef Kevin Paolo Villarica of Ginza Gyu and Hapag fame. They whipped out five new dishes on their menu that will really convince you to go on and scrap your diet. Marvin takes pride in Cochi because of its humble beginnings, saying, “This is one of our newer concepts. It started in my home and now it’s in BGC.”
On the menu that night was the Fritto Misto Salad made with crispy shrimp, green mango, lettuce and the nam pla sauce. They also served my favorite of the night, the Cochi Tacos, made of cochi sisig, cochi skin, garlic toum, kamias marmalade, soft tortilla and cochi au jus. Gosh, every bite, there was a random crunch from the cochinillo. Amazing!
We were also served the Palabok Choca, which was made of cochi skin and bits again but no one is complaining because it was delightful! Aligue palabok sauce, atsuete soy egg, adobong pusit aioli, burong kamias, grilled dalandan prawns and rice noodles!
The star of the night was Marvin’s famous Cochinillo, which is always on demand! Marvin mastered this dish during the pandemic and now it is inimitable! The premium roasted suckling pig with 12 herbs and spices is served with Paella Chorizo. They just go so well together and will make you take a second serving. We finished things off with dessert — Fried Suman served with latik sauce and ripe mango.
I was told that on Nov. 27, they will be offering this new menu along with wine pairings. Since it is balikbayan season as well, it would be a great idea to get them to try the Filipino dishes at Cochi.
Besides Marvin’s Cochi and his numerous other food businesses, we talked about his highly anticipated movie comeback with Jolina Magdangal after 25 years! Yes, it has been that long! It will be under Project 8 Projects and is going by the title “Ex, Ex, Lovers.”
“That nostalgia, that feeling ‘90s. Maaalala niyo kung ano ginawa namin dati. Iyan talaga ang gusto namin lumabas,” Marvin shared.
It took four scripts before Marvin and Jolina gave the project the green light. This December, they are shooting parts of the film in beautiful Malta. So besides the story that will make you laugh, cry and swoon, the setting is a sight to see indeed. The film is dropping in cinemas in February 2025.
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