Dinner at Aubergine

One restaurant in the Fort that has stood the test of time is Aubergine.

Aubergine, which is the French word for eggplant, was spearheaded by chefs Hansjorg Schallenberg and Norbert Gandler over a decade ago.

Dining at Aubergine is an intimate experience, perfect for dates and other special occasions.

Aubergine is also the training ground of senior students of The International School of Culinary Arts and Hotel Management (ISCAHM) but food thankfully doesn't suffer.

Amuse Bouche

Organic Arugula Leaves in Balsamic Vinaigrette (580php)

Home smoked duck breast and caramelized mango, grated ‘Chevre’ cheese, cherry tomatoes, roasted sunflower seeds and garlic croûtons.

Cream of Wild Mushroom (350php)

With croûtons and truffle espuma

Veal Cheek, Short Ribs, and Ox Tail (1,260php)

Barbequed braised US Angus beef short ribs on potato mousseline and slow cooked veal cheek in Port wine jus with oxtail ravioli .Grilled Portobello mushroom and honey glazed carrots.

Grilled Supreme of Chilean Sea Bass (1,480php)

On Porcini mushroom risotto with green asparagus and tomato-leek confit in Madeira nage

Australian Lamb 3 Ways (1,160php)

Sous-vide lamb shoulder confit, oven roasted lamb loin and grilled lamb chop. Served with artichoke couscous, grilled polenta, ratatouille, mustard seed-chives sauce and papaya salsa.

Aubergine Surf and Turf (1,750php)

Grilled tiger prawns and roasted Australian Mulwarra beef tenderloin with sautéed mushrooms and pan seared duck foie gras Béarnaise sauce and Madeira jus, wild mushroom risotto and glazed vegetables.

Palate Cleanser of Sherbet

Chocolate Pyramid

Belgian chocolate and vanilla mousse with passion fruit ganache 

Aubergine is located at 32nd and 5th Building 5th Avenue cor. 32nd Street Fort Bonifacio 1634 Taguig. For reservations, call 8569888 or click here.

The Old Breakfast at Antonio's

I'm such a bad blogger! 

Breakfast at Antonio's has already moved back to its original home along Tagaytay Ridge and here I am sharing my experience eating at its old location.

Facade of Breakfast at Antonio's

We went to Breakfast at Antonio's when it was still located inside the estate of fine dining restaurant Antonio's and it looked very much like Antonio's with its black and white tiles, pretty chandeliers, and al fresco dining area. 

The similarity ends there though as service was a big letdown the day we had lunch at Breakfast at Antonio's. We had to wait for quite some time before our orders arrived. 

Mesclun Salad w/ Boiled Chicken Salad w/Cider Yogurt Dressing & Shaved Parmesan (450php)

Fresh and light. Good appetizer to start the meal. 

Seafood w/Pesto Sauce (480php)

Loved the texture of the crust. Pizza needed fresher ingredients though.

Foie Gras Raclette (700php)

The pizza had a funky smell and taste that didn't seem right. Poor quality foie gras perhaps?

Antonio's House Burger (385php)

My kind of burger! One bite and I knew that high quality beef was used to make the patty. 

Spaghetti Bolognaise (495php)

Flavors were a bit subdued. Our least favorite pasta.

Spaghetti Carbonarra (495php)

My carbonara loving brother had to have another serving! It obviously had his seal of approval.

Portobello Targliatelle w/ Truffle Cream Sauce (495php)

Creamy with strong truffle flavors.  A good vegetarian dish.

After the meal we also had to follow-up our bill several times. At least Breakfast at Antonio's was aware that their service sucked and they gave us complimentary dessert while we waited.

Homemade Yogurt Topped with Lemon Curd

Here's hoping that the experience at Breakfast at Antonio's has become more pleasurable with the the move.

Breakfast at Antonio's is now located along Tagaytay Ridge, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay.  For more information, call (046)4130738 or click here.

Japan Day Thirteen: Last Night in Tokyo

For breakfast, we had breads from Dominique Saibron which we bought the night before.

We had to take a quick breakfast because it was already our last whole day in Tokyo and we still had a lot of ground to cover.

First agenda of the day was to go to Tsukiji Market. Even from the underground train station, we could already smell the fishy aroma of the market.

Tsukiji Market is one of the largest wholesale fish and seafood markets in the world handling 400 types of seafood and over 2,000 tons of marine products daily. 

The market can get busy especially during the early morning hours but it was not a problem for us sleepyheads, as we reached Tsukiji at past 9 in the morning. We didn't bother waking up early because the tuna auction which happens at 5:20am daily was closed to tourists during our time in Tokyo.

Good thing many fresh seafood were still available when we arrived:

Having fully explored the wet area, we proceeded to the rows of sushi and sashimi joints situated near the market. Restaurant below is one of the most popular establishments in Tsukiji but we couldn't afford to wait 3 hours just to get a table.

We settled for this place which had a manageable 30 minute line.

To date this is the most compact joint I've been to. It couldn't be helped to bump into the other patrons in order for me to reach my seat.

Creamy Sesame Sauce

This was the first time Murtle and I had sashimi for brunch and it truly was a memorable meal. We had the freshest sashimi of our lives with everything turning out to be super sweet and oh-so soft. I can't help but daydream about the food we had at Tsukiji for it was perfect!

Murtle's Set

Tuna and Salmon Rice Bowl

My Set

Shrimp, Crab Meat, Scallops, Roe, Octopus, Tuna, etc.

From the wonderful sashimi brunch at Tsukiji, we headed to Akihibara. Akihibara is the center of the diehard anime and manga culture in Tokyo. As I'm not an anime fan, I strolled around just to get a vibe of the district.

Maid cafes are also popular in Akihabara with a lot of girls in cosplay gear promoting the establishments on the street.

We then went to the Imperial Palace 

and the Imperial Gardens.

We didn't stay for long though as it was drizzling.

Ginza is near the Imperial Palace but we couldn't figure out how to reach the shopping area by foot so we just took a cab. Ginza is the most famous upscale shopping, dining, and entertainment complex in Tokyo feauring rows and rows of department stores, shops, and restaurants.

After doing little damage at Ginza, we realized how tired we were and decided to return to our hotel room to rest. It also dawned on us that we haven't had anything to eat since our sashimi brunch so we stopped for snacks at Shinjuku.

Mister Doughnut

Gindaco Takoyaki

Feeling refreshed after the hotel room visit, it was time for our last dinner in Tokyo. We chose to spend it at La Table de Joel Robuchon in Yebisu.

We had to take the lift and

walk into the beautiful lobby...

to reach La Table de Joel Robuchon, a 2 Michelin star restaurant.

Murtle and I both ordered from the set menu. The set we chose included amuse, appetizer, main course, dessert, plus coffee or tea accompanied by a selection of sweets.

Complimentary Bread

Amuse-bouche

Le Haricot Vert:  Green Bean Salad Served with Duck Liver Shavings and Parmesan Cheese

Le Foie Gras de Canaro:  Seared Duck Liver with Cabbage and Smoked Bacon Cappuccino

La Selle D' Agneau:  Roasted Lamb Saddled with Eggplant Compote, Cumin, and Candied Lemon

Le Canard Challandais: Roasted Challans Duck Served with Braised Endive and an Orange Reduction

Le Chocolat:  Bitter Chocolate Tart with Pistachio Ice Cream

L'Ivoire: White Chocolate Ball Filled with a Herb Sherbet and Chartreuse Lime

Tea

Sugar Cubes

Sweets

Robuchon was perfect in the sense that the calm and leisurely pace of dinner allowed us to slow down, relax, and just enjoy the last remaining moments we had in Tokyo. I have to admit though that I wasn't completely blown away with the food I had. 

In a city where there are more Michelin stars than Paris, I could only look back with regret. Oh well, at least Yebisu was pretty at night.