Sexy and Chic: Atelier 317

I've been an awful girl this Christmas.

I was supposed to go to my girlfriend's place for an after-work glass of wine - but I ended up crashing her foodie friends' dinner! (Well, actually, she did invite me at the end :))

Stephanie Zubiri - the hostess with the mostess

Hidden in a little village in Makati is Atelier 317: a room of shabby chic interiors, good food and drinks and of course, fantastic company. Stephanie, who enjoys doing a bit of interior design as a hobby, put the room perfectly together. Aside from some prints of food, her mother Vicky gave her some still life paintings that add even more personality to the cozy ambiance of the room. 

This evening Stephanie invited her food writer friends such as Margaux Salcedo, Mickey Fenix, Claude Tayag and his sweetie Mary Ann, Myrna Segismundo, Felice Santa Maria and Nana Ozaeta to try her delicious wares.

Stephanie started us off with her version of falafel, a light yet tasty flafel in a pita pocket served with lettuce and onion. 

On the table was a mezze platter of roasted charred eggplant dip, spicy roasted bell pepper and feta dip, and green pea hummus- all served with pita triangles. All light and healthy tasting but packed with lots of flavor. 

Next Steph served this tasting platter of Caprese salad with kesong puti; Camembert and raspberry on rye bread and gourmet cheese pimiento tartine, which, unfortunately, I didn't get to try! I did go back to the Atelier the next night for Uno Night and ordered the Caprese salad for myself - the smoky flavor just added that extra zing to it!

The next item on the menu was the shooter of roasted squash with lemongrass soup. The consistency was thick and velvety and the flavor packs a punch. You don't need to eat a lot of this to feel satisfied.

Now, this is why I appreciate Stephanie's cooking so much - she takes a classic and makes it better. Here is a balsamic adobo short ribs. Utterly delicious! If I wasn't in a room with so many new acquaintances, I would have wolfed this down like it was nobody's business. A girl has got to have her manners, you know.

Another winner was this chicken ala Bicol Express. Spicy verging on the side of dynamite - just the way I like it.

Steph served these dishes with red rice, which I am not so fond of when I want to drown my rice in sauce, just like that Bicol Express sauce. All I can say was less load on the rice meant more load on the dessert, which was a smorgasbord.

Claude told us very interesting stories about how the term "Bicol Express" came to mean spicy dishes made with coconut cream.

If you are a fan of aligue then you will adore this aligue pasta. Steph is the queen when it comes to making Filipino food modern!

For dessert, Steph served this oh-so-yummy cake. This cake has haunted me in my sleep. I have called this Modern Epicurean goddess on occasion to ask if she had any in her house that I could come and scarf. It's a ginger pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting and walnuts (in case you were wondering, I just scrape off the walnuts). It's so moist you can eat the whole thing in one sitting. It's so moist, it makes Hong Kong's humidity problem look like the Gobi Desert.

To add to the calorie count, Steph served these Nutella chocolate cupcakes along with truffle ice cream from Alexandra Rocha's Pinkerton. OMG.

Malongo coffee's main man and our token Frenchman Geoff came to dinner as well. Aside from his witty repartee he offered to make his signature Malongotinis, which are to die for. If you never have had a Malongotini, you are missing half your life. It makes Patron XO look like an uncontrollable teenager!

We had such an amazing time, sharing food stories and more, that I ended up staying the whole night and even going to Time afterward. We all need a little cardio to work off the calories, right?

In whatever Stephanie does, she pours all her heart and soul into it, and you can feel it in the room and taste the love in all her food. As the prettiest waitress in town, she can't be beat! I can't wait to bring my other girlfriends here :)

Congratulations Steffie babes, on the success of your new endeavor!  

Atelier 317 

http://www.epicurusinc.ph/atelier-317.aspx

For reservations call +632.384.7064 or text 0917.830. 8393

Christmas Goodies from Edsa Shangri-La

I received a Christmas pressie the other day at the office from Henry Lee, the GM of Edsa Shang. We had met each other at the Canadian Food Festival launch then at the recent Paparazzi dinner. He is always so nice to chat with, and he has a lovely wife to boot!

The pressie was this big box

And when I opened it, Ta da! It was a box filled with Christmas goodies! How thoughtful! It had a bit of everything Christmas, from mince pies, to gingerbread cookies, to red wine, to stollen bread and spice cake.

Everything in the box is sold either individually or as a gift set, as I received. It came with this catalog of their offerings for Christmas. Remember I took a photo with the soldier at the Paparazzi dinner? They are guarding different pillars throughout the hotel.

Everything was so delicious I decided to go to the Shang and buy some Christmas goodies for friends too! The stollen bread and spice cake were especially reminiscent of the holidays...yum!

After I shared the food with my family, I recycled the box to store my hats in!

Thank you Edsa Shangri-La! Happy Holidays to you!

Santa's Workshop will be open December 24 and 25
Lunch 11:30am to 3pm
Dinner 6:30pm to 9:30pm
All kids get Santa hats for Christmas Eve.

Countdown to 2012
December 31, 730pm
Tickets P3,500 pp inclusive of dinner and show by the Authority Band

Each outlet has special menus for the holidays of Christmas Eve, Day and New Year's Eve and Day.

Edsa Shangri-La Manila
Tel +632.633.8888
http://www.shangri-la.com/en/property/manila/edsashangrila

Photo ops at Paparazzi

There's a new chef in town, and guess what, he's only 25 years old!

Edsa Shangri-La invited me to try the new menu of Chef Robert Cimmino, the chef de cuisine at their primo Italian resto, Paparazzi. He was born in Marino near Rome and used to help his grandmother prepare the traditional Sunday lunch for their family. Ceg Rob studied at Michelangelo Buonarroti in Fiuggi for 5 years and comes from a 6-year stint in China. Like me, likes to take photos of his own food too!

They had sent me a mask with the invite and requested me to bring it. Of course, silly me didn't read the fine print and I was supposed to decorate it. Oops!

Luckily, the intelligent people at Edsa Shang provided extra masks, assorted sequins, feathers and other fun things for decorating with as I was not the only one who forgot my assignment. I chose a unfussy black swan theme for my mask.

Chef Rob in action

 Chef Rob did a cooking demo for us to see how easily he prepared his dishes. He prepared a 5-course degustation menu, which I really prefer as you get to try all the dishes without feeling too full afterwards. Plus, they paired some very nice wines with them as well :)

Gorgeous table centerpieces made in Italy (front)

(back) Which view do you prefer?

Freshly baked bread

First course: Aragosta

The first course of lobster carpaccio, vanilla infused oil, classic lobster tomato emulsion, roots and leaves, gelato of balsamico and dried raspberries, tomato mango and cilantro salad was a light and delicious starter to the meal. I love those microgreens! They paired this with Bella Mia Bianco Cataratto & Chardonnay 2009, a crisp, fruity white.

Second course: Paccheri

The second course was paccheri with scallops, porcini and arugula ragout served with seaweed consomme was paired with Solepapa Frascati Malvasia Bianco & Trebbiano Tuscano 2009. The assortment flavors were good but I prefer a less thick sort of pasta.

Third course: Wagyu

The Wagyu course was braised Wagyu short ribs served with morel and black truffle., served with Chianti Docg Sangiovese 2009. The beef was extremely tender and tasty though I would've liked to have more morels! And truffle for that matter.

Fourth course: Merluzzo

 The next dish was of cod fillet, roasted and poached in seafood consomme and seafood stew. This was served with Orvietto Classico Grechetto and Procanico 2009. My seatmate had a very interesting story about Merluzzo; now it will forever have a different meaning for me!

Dessert: Cioccolato

 "Chocolate can't quit" is what it said in this menu and it was (from left to right) a chocolate Grand Cru cigar filled with marscapone orange chocolate mousse, gelato of Gianduja truffled truffle and the best ever, a small bombolone.

Now, I must tell you, that bombolone was the BOMB! It was like a little doughnut filled with rich chocolate. Simply amazing, I ate another one but left the rest of the chocolate. That evens out calorie-wise, doesn't it?

Extra extra

 We were treated to a husband and wife team, baritone and sporano, respectively who belted out tunes such as Nessun Dorma and hits from Phantom of the Opera. It was a very enjoyable evening with great food and even better company.

You too can come and try Chef Rob's menu of sophisticated dishes showcasing quality ingredients for lunch Monday to Friday and for dinner daily.

Many thanks to Leslie and GM Henry Lee!

P.S. I did not win an overnight stay for 2 at Edsa Shang for my Black Swan mask but the lady who did win had her mask decorated in pink glitter by her daughter! Kids have an eye for decorating like no one eye...

Paparazzi

2/F Edsa Shangri-La Manila

1 Garden Way Ortigas Center Madaluyong City

tel +632.633.8888

www.shangri-la.com

New Ideas

I've been thinking a lot about my blog and why I don't blog as often as I should.

This is what I've come up with:

1. Day job
2. Real life
3. Blogging stagnation
4. Over thinking blog posts to make them uber cool

I then think back to the reason why I started this blog in the first place, which was to document my stories for my future book inside my head. With the book somewhere in the (hopefully) near future still, I decided that I want to create more "present" in my life, and I can begin with this blog.

Though I do love my food stories, I have decided that I will bring something new to the table (no pun intended) to this blog, so that I can not only maximize Cashmere Cravings' horizons but to continually push me to look for new things around the Metro and blog about it in a more timely fashion. hehe!

Wish me luck...

High Dining: Sky on 57

The gorgeous people at LV treated us journalists to a beautifully designed dinner at the much-talked about Sky on 57 by Justin Quek. I just love how LV brands everything, from the personal invites, to the paper napkins and to the plates. 

Don't show these flowers to Madonna!

The view was simply gorgeous from the restaurant, and from what I've heard about the food, I was quite excited for dinner. Justin Quek, a Singaporean native, likes to mix Asian with Continental cuisine. The first course, an interesting salad of fresh fish and assorted roe on greens was amazing. Great presentation, fantastic fresh flavors.

The next course, the soup of fish veloute with foie gras, was a bit weak, both in terms of consistency and flavor. Just because you put foie gras on a dish, doesn't make it better.

The fourth course of black cod was well cooked but the flavored lacked a punch. After the outstanding appetizer which set the pace of the meal, I was expecting a bit more imagination to the East-meets-West theme.

This surf and turf dish of grain fed beef and lobster tasted good and were cooked well but the whole plate again lacked imagination. Nothing comes together! Look at that poor piece of broccoli! Someone eat it and put it out of its misery! I'm sure the kids at Junior Master Chef could come up with something better looking than that.

The chefs at Sky on 57 decided to make an amalgation of east meets west desserts which turned out to be an utter FAIL. Perhaps my disappointment with the other dishes tainted the way I viewed the dessert but the fusion of desserts was just wicked old bad. I guess when we started dinner at Andre, it was all downhill from there, in regards to fusion cuisine and plating design.But look at what is in that shooter! It's already separated even before it gets to our table.

I guess the lesson learnt is that no matter how pretty your view, the food should always come first. Yes, this was a catered event where they had to feed 100 guests or so but with its high reputation and Justin Quek's name on the line, I expected more from this restaurant.

Thank God for the French magician that LV hired for the evening's entertainment. Now if only he could make the food magically taste better somehow...

Sky on 57
Sands Skypark Tower 1
http://www.marinabaysands.com/Singapore-Restaurants/Fine-Dining/Sky-on-57/

Molto Bene: Pizzeria Mozza at MBS

Where have all the "blur" months gone? Can't believe its already December and I hadn't even finished my posts on Singapore dining. I've got so many food photos piled up in my computer I'm beginning to forget where I ate what. Slap on the wrist for me!

Next on the list for lovely places to dine at in Singapore is Mario Batali's Pizzeria Mozza at the Marina Bay Sands. When I went to the opening of the Sands last year, this was one of the highly anticipated restos on the stellar-studded list, in addition to big shot restaurants headed by Guy Savoy, Daniel Boulud, Justin Kwek, Tetsuya Wakuda and Wolfgang Puck.

We had a late lunch here after the LV presscon, at around 1:30pm, and the joint was kicking! There was still a line out the door when we left at 3:30pm. It's good to see the Singapore dining scene vibrant and alive.

Our lovely host Vanessa chose this resto because she was craving for the fried squash blossoms with ricotta. From Day One, she was talking about how good they were.

When we sat down to the table, it was the first thing she ordered. Lo and behold: they were sold out of that dish that day! The look on Vanessa's face made me want to kill that damn server!

For Plan B, everyone took a look at the menu and fortunately there were other yummy dishes to be eaten. Walking around the new LV store and standing at the press con sure made us hungry. It was as if we were feeding a small village, when in actuality, we were a group of 7!

Look at this little bitty Coke. How often do you see bottles like this now? I don't normally drink a lot of soda but somehow, this seemed the perfect match for our pizza and antipasti.

Baby Coke to wash it all down

the freshest, cutest pink proscuitto and fresh buffalo mozzarella

Now, we who are familiar with Antonio's and Cirkulo know this dish is always delish. Perhaps it induces that heavy feeling at the back of your neck when taken in large does, but this one was small enough not to make a dent.

Roasted bone marrow called out to me...

The most delicious corn you ever did eat

Deep fried cauliflower and spicy aioli

Chopped salad to make us feel less guilty

Roasted bell peppers stuffed with tuna

 We ordered lots of cheese, it being the name of the restaurant. I became enchanted with burrata after trying it at Masseto for the first time!

Vine-ripened tomatoes on burrata cheese

Of course, we had to order the pizza. Actually, they didn't really serve pasta here on the regular menu, only on certain days as a special. But they had some panini and a lonnng list of pizza, which is really their speciality. Do you think three pizzas divided by 7 people is enough? No, we did not have worms in our stomachs.

Fennel sausage, panna, red onion and scallion pizza: my favorite!

Funghi misti, fontina, talegio, and thyme pizza

Proscuitto di Parma, arugula, tomato and mozzarella pizza

These pizzas were just heaven. Now, i'm sure everyone has their own opinion of what pizza crust they prefer: thin, thick, New York style, Chicago style, Italian, American: but I like my pizza toppings tasty, with cheese, and the crust chewy with a bit of crispy, just like this (Batali is American-Italian).

Nary a slice was left. But then, of course, dessert. Two of us had ordered dessert but then we got to meet Mozza's head honcho, a Filipino chef, Karla Mendoza. She had been working with Batali for a few years, starting with Los Angeles and then New York then Singapore.

Homemade ice cream: olive oil, mint and pistachio

Affogato

 After our meeting, she sent us more desserts to enjoy! What a doll face.

Panna cotta on top a fig tart

Coconut gelato pie with almonds and hot fudge

The group with Chef Karla

A very fulfilling meal with good company indeed. The waitstaff seemed a bit harassed having to take care of the super busy restaurant but they did it with a smile and quite effy too. (Most are Pinoy!)

Pizzeria Mozza
2 Bayfront Avenue, Singapore
http://pizzeriamozza.com/Singapore/dinner.cfm