BYOB at My Kitchen

Although this lunch had been planned several weeks earlier, it was a bit touch and go just a few days before the lunch due to the deluge that engulfed Manila. Fortunately, Chef Chris was kind enough to accommodate a small group and so a dozen members and guests were treated to a most enjoyable lunch at My Kitchen by Chef Chris.

A word about Chris Locher. This Swiss Chef is descended from a family of butchers and has been in the country for over 20 years. He was employed at Yats restaurant in Clark and later opened C Italian along the perimeter road of Clark Freeport Zone. Although over an hour’s drive from Manila, he developed a clientele who would travel the distance to dine at his restaurant. One of his most famous dishes was the “panizza,” a thin crust pizza with a pliable crust that you could roll up – now much copied by a pizza chain and a chain restaurant. He eventually left C Italian to open his restaurant at Oasis Hotel in Paco as well as helm the kitchen at the Tower Club. While at Yats, Chef Chris met our member Johnny Revilla who was a frequent guest. It was Johnny who proposed and organized this lunch.

Although located far from the usual Makati-Taguig axis of fine restaurants, My Kitchen has its own charms, being situated in a quiet neighborhood just outside the walls of the historic Paco Park and Cemetery. It might be a bit of a struggle for those not used to navigating the streets of Manila but it is definitely worth the drive.

I had, unfortunately, chosen a rather congested route to get to the restaurant and so I was the last to arrive while the others had already gone halfway through the appetizers. On offer were a platter of roasted eggplant marinated in olive oil with a relish of tomato and mozzarella, roasted sweet peppers in olive oil, thin pork slices with a sauce of tuna and capers, and of course, the famous panizza. I was offered a glass of a very good Prosecco with the starters, courtesy of Johnny.

The hearty main courses followed in quick succession. Three platters were offered. The first was three homemade sausages and lamb ribs with bitter greens, fried potato wedges and a bed of lentils. Next was a perfectly done bistecca fiorentina on a bed of mushroom risotto with baby portobellos and enoki mushrooms. Last was an excellent roast chicken with rice stuffing.

Naturally, with the protein, the red wines were uncorked and poured. It seemed that there was at least one bottle of red per person on the table. They seemed to be primarily Bordeaux although I think I spotted one Spanish wine, possibly a Marques de Riscal , while I uncorked a young but quite approachable Ceretto Barbaresco Asij 2007. Our end of the table also had the privilege of having first pour of Cil Pedro’s excellent Cos d’Estournel 1996. Johnny and I resisted the temptation of drinking it straight away and just kept our pours to be drunk after the meal so the wine would have a chance to open up. Still firm but starting to show some tertiary aromas and flavors of mushroom, leather and tobacco.  Other wines that made it to our end of the table were a Clos du Marquis 2004,  Grand Pontet 2006, and d’Armaillhac 2001. I also seem to recall a Grand Puy Ducasse on the table at one point.

The quantity of food was quite generous so even though we made a heroic effort to consume it, we had to give up and leave some space for dessert. Three desserts were offered, a flourless chocolate cake, tiramisu, and my personal favorite-cannoli. Although there are a great number of Italian restaurants in Manila, it has always puzzled me that very few offer this Sicilian classic. I almost always bring a dessert wine to BYOB but this time I completely forgot. I was also planning to bring a bottle of grappa but I also forgot to pack it with the other bottles. Unfortunate, as a digestif would have been perfect after such a hearty meal.

After the meal, we congratulated Chef Chris and gave him a well-deserved round of applause. I also heard some of our members say that this was certainly one of the best BYOB lunches they have attended. Johnny, who knows the capability of Chef Chris due to his long friendship with him has proposed that perhaps in the future, instead of the family-style menu prepared for this event, he can do a proper degustation. I am sure that this will be well-received by our members.

The quick and efficient service of the meal meant we were done by around 2:30 and most decided to call it a day by then. Naturally, with still a few bottles available, some of the more sturdy members such as Fil, Brendan, Johnny and Bill stayed and had another glass with Chef Chris. I had one for the road and said my goodbyes just a little past 3 PM. I am, however, eagerly looking forward to the proposed degustation that hopefully won’t be too far in the future.