There's something special going down at the French bistro La Regalade, and thank God I was there to witness it. Michelin starred chef Alain Raye is back in town fresh from Vancouver and will cook for you at the resto's first food festival up until April 18, 2010 since its opening in 2008.
He literally arrived at 5 in the morning of the first day of the festival, April 6, to oversee the ongoings in his restaurant. He had undergone surgery from a bypass the year before and had seemed a mellower version of himself.
We had started with some wine at the bar. Since I started reading The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, wine has become somewhat of an obsession with me. I had some white and then some red, and we were served some very nice pate on toasted French baguette. When we finally sat down to dinner at about 8 PM, we were shown the food festival menu, a plethora of choices that made it difficult for any discerning diner.
For the soup and salad menu, there was a nice gazpacho, perfect for summer; a cod soup with chorizo; crab remoulade and the crab bisque with pistachios which was winking at me from the menu. There was something about the tuna carpaccio with fresh goat cheese that needed my attention. I ordered it and was it a winning combination.
When it arrived I almost forgot it was tuna. I thought it was well marbled beef, a nice surprise for those who want to eat sort of light (for a starter). I absolutely loved the red onion and the fresh goat cheese.
This was the bisque. It was heaven in a bowl, super delish! There are times when I would truly rather have two appetizers than a starter and a main, which is what part-owner Perfecto "Bubot" Quicho did. But in true journalistic fashion, I had to have a little of everything.
There were hot starters such as parmesan cheese tart with tomatoes, steak tartare, fried prawns with fresh thyme and escargot en crouton. I got the escargot though it was the steak tartare that garnered the most stories and attention at the table, that raw, wascally wabbit (I have to admit I've never tried it).
So the stories went that the persons who loved steak tartare the most in the country were President and Mrs Marcos. They had Hyatt cater a party for them at Malacanang and the hotel had forgotten to bring with them the revered dish. Upon discovering their ghastly mistake, they told security who had a car rush rush rush back to the hotel to get the dish for the President and First Lady.
As much as I love escargot, my favorite remains the classic style of cooking it, which is to say in lots of herbs and butter where I can dip my crusty bread in.
The mains were easier to choose from as I was craving grilled lamb chops (still thinking of Jack's ribs, yummmm) but on the menu was braised lamb chops. Either way, they ran out of this specialty so I opted for the beef cheeks (on the menu it is veal cheeks, but this too, was out of stock. damn those carnivores! Let them eat tuna!).
It was in a delightful sauce and served with the signature Regalade potatoes au gratin, creamy, cheesy, "last meal before the electric chair, they're so good" potatoes. A conversation ensued on how some Regalade regulars end up ordering the delicious boeuf bourguignon for take out just so they could eat it with rice, Pinoy style. Yeah, I could see that.
Going back to La Regalade was a fantastic dining experience and I will be going back there again real soon, maybe for other items on the festival menu or for the Steak Frites and perhaps for the elusive apple tart tatin. If you want to eat Chef Alain's food, go there for dinner and enjoy a long leisurely experience ala the Slow Food Movement.
La Regalade Manila
825 Arnaiz Avenue, (formerly Pasay Road) Makati City.
Tel +632.750.2104/05
Website: www.laregalademanila.com
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