WITH HIS EXTENSIVE BACKGROUND in food and beverage, Peninsula Manila?s general manager Jonathan Crook is extremely fussy. He has to be, especially with the rebirth of Escolta from its previous incarnation as Nielsen?s.

?When you are starting up a restaurant, you want to set the tone right. In Manila people are very inquisitive. Food is a passion for Filipinos,? he says. ?As an all-day dining buffet, it must have different representations to keep everybody happy. It won?t be a whole culinary journey around the globe. It will focus on key areas, Filipino dishes, quality of the bakery and pastry items. A Chinese section, a noodle section, Japanese influence, the Southeast Asian experience using tagines or claypot cooking and a pugon, wonderful selection of gelatos and a lot of Filipino favorites,? says Crook.

The interiors are contemporary with Filipino motifs?cane-backed chairs with tropical upholstery, fish-trap lighting fixtures, and contemporary artworks by local artists. It serves as an access to the hotel from the new Ayala Triangle Gardens.

?What?s nice in Escolta is the big space that meanders through that side of the building. There are different nooks and crannies. You can have a private meal in a low light setting or you can be in a very bright cheery area.?

Diners can enjoy views of the poolside or the Ayala Triangle Gardens or cocoon into the private dining room with an aviation theme, as a reference to the hotel?s location in the former air field.

?I have my strong opinions about the look and the feel of the restaurant but I think we?re getting a good balance. The artwork the feel, the table tops, the flowers are all the little things that make a good restaurant experience.

Criteria for good resto

Asked his criteria for a good restaurant, Crook points out quality food and level of service.

?If you go to many restaurants which serve okay food, but the service is spot on?they really know you and make an effort to see how you eat, your likes and dislikes and it becomes more personal, you tend to return to those restaurants. Service is very important. There is also ambience of the restaurant?the lighting, the color shades, the music in the background and how it blends with the experience, and how designers use ceiling and floor treatments to make sure there?s not quite echoes of sound running around the room even if you?re just in a couple of tables in a restaurant or it?s a busy restaurant.

Asked which restaurants have made a good impression on him, Crook cites:

1. Antonio?s Tagaytay. ?The food is always very good but there was once it was a little off. It?s very well prepared and well cooked. Again it?s the ambience of the location. You are sitting in a beautiful old house with fans going on and a tropical garden around it. It?s like stepping back in time. If you put it in a different restaurant feel somewhere in the city here, it would still be a great dining experience.?

2. Sala at Locsin Building. ?Colin (Mackay) has done small menus that are quality-driven. The decor is very clean, and the staffers are well trained.?

3. People?s Palace. ?It?s a more casual vibe but the food is very consistent. They?ve got one of the best waiters. My wife and I went there twice. We didn?t go back for three months. The waiter just walked up and said ?Mr. Crook, it?s great to have you back.? Wow! How did he know my name? This guy sees us every time. He?s just very polished.?

4. La Regalade. ?It?s not in the greatest location in the city, but the food is exceptional when the chef is cooking. It?s got the typical French bistro fare?bourguignon, onion soup, paté, but the passion is very strong and you can feel that.?

5. Claude Tayag?s Bale Dutung. ?It?s an exceptional Filipino dining experience. Apart from the excellent cuisine, there?s the design of the house, the (Filipino-style) kitchen and the gallery around you. They (Claude and Mary Ann Tayag) are great hosts. Claude is getting the balance which makes Filipino cuisine approachable from more tongues.? Tayag served him a Pampango spread of fiddlehead pako or fern salad; sinigang na bayabas with ulang ng bangus (milkfish in guava broth); fried hito (catfish) with buro (fermented fish) and mustasa (mustard leaves); seafood kare-kare, adobong pugo (quail egg stewed in garlic, vinegar and soy); and for dessert, carabao milk maja blanca (white pudding).

6. Cav. ?The service is consistent. The food is pretty good but the menu is the same, I wish they could change it a little bit more. I love the wine list and the wine concept.?

Asked what he enjoys at the Pen, Crook lauds Massimo Veronesi of Mi Piace for consistency.

?He trained his bridage. Even if he?s not there, the food is always the same quality. He gets out of the regular menu of pasta, pizza and osso bucco and becomes more creative. Every six weeks he does specials like a veal promotion and a white truffle promotion coming up.? Crook savored the scallopini.

He also enjoyed the rogan josh in Spices. ?Being English, I love Indian food. The Chicken Khorma is our No. 1 dish in all restaurants. The Indian and Thai chefs (Avanish Kumar Jain and Phaitoon Athasarn) provide good balance.?

He also points out that the Australian chef de cuisine Gavin Sellars has infused new blood in Old Manila. ?It?s always been known for very good quality cuts and beef. Gavin is bringing his own style which is good to see,? says Crook who had a beef rossini there.

At Escolta, led by the team of Anthony Craven with executive chef Adam Mathis, his No. 2 Eduardo Maddela, Crook hopes that the quality will meet everybody?s expectations. ?A lot of hotels do buffets. If you try to execute Peking duck, Thai or Malaysian or Filipino, they must replicate what they?re meant to be. Every dish must have focus on it so it doesn?t become a bad experience.?