Sometime in the ’90s, I was invited to be one of the judges of a cooking competition called the Bonlac Great Chefs of Asia. I don’t remember the exact details, except that we were served the best dinners prepared by a handful of chefs around Manila.

 

We judges had a dinner once a week at each of the chefs’ restaurants. After the entire process, we scored each dinner and came out with a winner.

 

Two of those chefs that we unanimously put on top of our list are very successful restaurateurs up to this day. Chef Jay Gamboa, together with his sister Malu, runs Cirkulo in Makati, where you will find a sisig and Beef Belly that will make you faint with pleasure. This is crunchy, sticky sisig, super-tender, along with sticky beef belly. Extremely unhealthy but, hey, these are the dishes we live for.

 

The other chef, chef Menoy Gimenez, is behind the new restaurant Tito Chef.

 

Reasonably priced

 

Monday is our day of Sabbath at our restaurant, Wooden Spoon. One Monday, I was about to treat myself to a nice lunch at Hanakazu, an authentic Japanese restaurant along Aguirre Street in BF Parañaque, when I drove by this restaurant called Tito Chef. I made a mental note to brave the distance and come back for this one.

 

Then I got a call from my friend telling me that Hanakazu was also closed on Mondays. I knew exactly where to go instead. In fact, I was kind of happy we didn’t have to choose where to eat.

 

Tito Chef is on your right along President Avenue as you enter the subdivision. Chef Menoy is the one fencing and manning the kitchen, and the entire menu is his creation.

 

He also runs a chef’s store, with plans to eventually open his own culinary school. Having been a chef-instructor at Center for Culinary Arts for many years now, he says he simply wants to share his culinary talent.

 

Well, as I always say, the best way to determine where to enroll for cooking school is to dine at the school’s outlet. If the food impresses you, enroll there, because that outlet is the school’s showcase.

 

I was very impressed at the way Tito Chef place was fixed and decorated. It looked pricey at first glance, but I was terribly mistaken. The prices are very reasonable, and the menu has many interesting items in it.

 

A friend swears by the Truffled Mushroom Soup Puree, a slightly thick and creamy soup with a woody aroma. With some bread on the side, it was a good starter.

 

I ordered the Salmon Tartare, which I loved. With some melba toast, this chilled and chopped sashimi will awaken your palate.

 

Main dish

 

For main dish, I had the Duck Confit a’lorange, or duck with orange sauce, served with some mashed potatoes. A friend had the soufflé and the Osso Buco. Both good!

 

Ditto with the reasonably priced and medium-cooked burger. I also want to come back for the Cordon Bleu sandwich and the Canneloni Bechamel. My head kept following all the dishes that came out of that kitchen.

 

The presentation was impeccable and the serving portions were quite generous.

 

Just three days after, we were back driving from Katipunan to BF Parañaque to hit two birds with one stone: appetizer at Hanakazu and burger at Tito Chef.

 

At Hanakazu, I have always craved for the Kimpira Gobo, which is shredded mountain root with some sauce, and the soft round tofu Maruyaka Dofu topped with fish flakes and Daikon salad with dilis. Super sarap. (Hanakazu is at 108 Aguirre Ave., Parañaque; call 8502512, 2119734.)

 

From there, we drove to Tito Chef, where I had my burger (Tito Chef is at 2 Adelfa St., corner Presidents Ave., Tahanan Village, Sucat, Parañaque; tel. 2380968).

 

I also enjoyed the Fruit Melange, Candies and Walnut Salad. These are fruits mixed with greens and tossed in a fruity balsamic dressing and topped with candied walnuts.

 

Next time, I will have to check out the cedar-grilled salmon, which looks great in the photo. Others I am eyeing are the rosemary grilled lamb steak and the 300, which is grilled US rib eye with pepper sauce.

 

Chef Menoy is still on soft-opening mode, but I never really noticed. Service is that good.

 

It’s nice to see these two young chefs doing what they love best and succeeding in it. Really, it is never work when you enjoy what you’re doing.

 

Happy eating!

 

Mooncakes

 

I love mooncakes. Out of four version I have come across so far, I love the ones made by Hongley Foods in Malabon—bean paste with two egg yolks, and lotus paste with two egg yolks (tel. 4477882 loc. 101 or 102).