New York-style Brisket Pastrami Build It Up Box. The pastrami is produced the old-fashioned way. There are no shortcuts for chef Chele Gonzalez. The artisanal process from curing to resting takes 15-20 days.
The build-up box comes with generous portions of sliced grass-fed, naturally grown Argentinian beef (Bolzico Beef), pickled cucumbers, mayo mustard and sourdough toast.
(@delibychele on Instagram)
Raul Fores’ ‘cocido’
A creation of his mom Malou’s kitchen, chef Raul Fores has adapted the cocido and made it his own.
Brisket pork pata, chicken, chorizo, morcilla are simmered for hours and served, according to his mood for the day, sometimes with fideua or a risotto that’s cooked in cocido broth.
Other Father’s Day-worthy dishes on the menu are Roasted Wagyu Sinigang and Beef Wellington made from dry-aged striploin, brioche, ham, foie gras, served with demi glace. (Tel. 0917-1836423, @madeniceph on Instagram)
3-way baby back by Ivan Maminta
Cheese and Marinara, Emmental, Parmesan and Gouda cheeses with homemade marinara cap a rack of ribs; baby back slathered in Bavarian honey sauce made from a blend of beer, classic barbecue spices and garlic; ribs marinated in Mediterranean spices is served with sweet pepper salsa. Served with a slew of sides. (Tel. 86311489, 88159338. @brotzeitph)
Josh Boutwood’s smoked baby back ribs
Tender ribs glazed in bourbon rye and served with sweet corn elote. Other dishes include a tender and succulent porchetta and a 28-day, dry-aged rib eye. For dine in or take out.
(Tel. 0977-2885751; @thetestkitchenmnl on Instagram)
Discovery Primea’s bistro at home
A French-inspired meal good for four to five persons, to be enjoyed in the comfort of your home. Discovery Primea’s French-inspired at-home meal kit makes it possible. The menu is extensive!
Deviled Eggs, Smoked Salmon Rillettes, Seared Calamari and Arugula Salad, Baked Mussels Mornay are just the starters.
Main course is US Angus Beef Petite Roast Black Peppercorn Sauce Poivrade with Potato Gratin Dauphinoise, Glazed Haricots Verts with Walnuts, Glazed Carrots, Pearl Onions and Mushrooms.
For dessert, there’s Tarte au Chocolat with Vanilla English Cream and Brown Butter & Whisky Madeleines. (Tel. 79558888; @discoveryprimea on Instagram)
Old-fashioned pot roast
Chef Pria Chiongbian Solon’s pot roast makes for a perfect Father’s Day celebratory meal for families with kids and teens. Imagine tender slices of beef, cooked for hours, served swimming in gravy over a bed of one of the most delicious mashed potatoes I’ve ever tried. Comfort food? You bet! (Tel. 0917-8190545 @priaskitchen on Instagram)
Crab rice
One of my tastiest discoveries for the year is Sheila Atienza of Infin8 Kitchen’s Crab Rice cooked in a secret seasoning with crab fat, dried scallops and generous slivers of shiitake mushrooms. It’s one of the tastiest rice dishes I’ve had, subtle yet intensely flavorful. It’s beautifully packaged in a bamboo steamer. I had it with her delicious, sweet and spicy Sichuan wontons. So, so good! (Tel. 0917-6278178, @infi_kitchen on Instagram)
Gokong soup
Also known as sibut soup, a Chinese herbal soup/tonic known to give a boost of energy and helps strengthen the immune system, it is called Gokong (Go 5 in Mandarin) named for the five ingredients. Chicken, pork hock, pork stomach (tito), beef tendon and sea cucumber (ingredients may vary) are slow cooked with sibut (si is four in Mandarin), four kinds of herbs: codonopsis root, sichuanlovage root, black dates and goji berries.
I love the rendition of Gokong at Tony’s Eatery in Caloocan, where Rehmannia glutinosa is added for herbal appeal and for its benefits to the kidney. Their soup is popular among men, the elderly and expectant mothers, and is best served with kiampong rice. (Tel. 0905-2307784)
‘Kinilaw’
Salo Lechon Belly makes a sublime kilawin. Their version is made with large chunks of lechon pork belly, a combination of chilies and souring agents. I like how alive, fresh and fruity it is, and how the spice and tartness harmoniously come together.
(@salolechonbelly on Instagram)
Kurobuta sausages
From Hermie Esguerra’s Farm, a sublime collection of refined, juicy, tasty sausages: Classic, Italian and Smokey Schublig! (@esguerra.kurobuta on Instagram)
Beer picks
Dog Days’ (Frisian Pilsner) peachy, juicy-fruit hop flavors marry nicely with the wheat malt. It can be paired with delicately flavored food like seafood, salaor pork.
Singha premium Thai beer is a German-style Lager that pairs well with shellfish like oysters, lobster, crab, clams and shrimp. Excellent with the crab rice!
Rochefort Trappist “6” is a Belgian Dark Ale with earthy flavors and an herbal character. It pairs well with creamy soups and can support vinaigrette dressing. (Tel. 0917-5512437, @boozeonline on Instagram)
Cocktails
Sebastiao mobile cocktail bar has switched to bottling cocktails since the pandemic. Savor their Father’s Day cocktail trio: Negroni, Black Russian and Manhattan, all ready to drink! (@sebastiaococktails on Instagram)
Truff Hot Sauce
These beautifully packaged truffle-laced hot sauces in three variants are deliciously complex, rounded with depths of flavors herbs and spices. (@cubby.ph on Instagram)Edible golf shoe
I came across the Chocolate Golf Shoe made by the pastry chefs of Marriott Hotel. It makes such a cute novelty token. (Tel. 89889999, @manilamarriott on Instagram) INQ
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