It was my first time to experience a private dinner. At first I thought we would be the only customers in the restaurant because it is “private”. I was dead wrong. But nonetheless, it still was a small group – only 18 of us.
We arrived early around 6:45pm and Chef Bruce was already in the kitchen doing prep work. Dinner usually starts at 7:00pm. The kitchen of the restaurant is the the actual place where they shoot his TV shows like Tablescapes. He greeted us and asked us about how we heard about the place. He was, by the way, trained by Mr. Kitchen Bad Boy himself – Gordon Ramsey. Ramsey actually kicked Chef Bruce’s butt (literally). Poor guy.
So blah blah blah, we were so hungry, harassed and couldn’t wait to taste his cooking. We were in it for a set meal of 6 courses and had the best seats in town – just a few inches away from Chef Bruce’s work area.
The Food
Filipino-style Laksa: It is a coconut-based soup with vermicelli (bihon) noodles and lapu-lapu. At first glance it looked like it’s hot and spicy. Surprisingly, it was not. This is good but I’d like it with one more dash of salt.
Caesar Salad: It’s a Filipino-style Caesar salad. The greens were torched and topped with chicken paksiw, queso de bola, dressing and bread on the side. Hands down, the dressing was a killer. There was not much paksiw taste in the chicken and it was specifically made that way as not to add more tartness to the already sour kalamansi-based dressing.
Calamari with Green Mango Salad: Yes, if it came with bagoong it would’ve been Mango KBS. Since we were craving for salty food, this hit the mark. The squid was soft and perfectly cooked.
Green Papaya Salad with Raw Salmon and Melon: If you’re not into vegetables and salads, you’d probably be whining that he’s serving ANOTHER salad! This reminds me of a Vietnamese salad we used to make. The salmon was really fresh. It had no fishy smell and has an impressive marbling. The dressing was, once again, sour. But once you bite into those melon cubes, the sweetness just bursts into your mouth and balances the other flavors. This could use some cilantro. After eating this one, we were already full.
Chinese-style Steamed Lapu-lapu on Mashed Taro: The lapu-lapu was basically steamed with soy sauce and sesame oil. The way we do it is we add a splash of rice wine as the final touch and we end up having a bit of sabaw for the rice. But since we weren’t having rice, we were served with mashed taro instead. It probably looks odd, but we were surprised it was pretty good. The fish was topped with caramelized onions.
Mango Trifle with Putong Ube: Chef’s Table had guests from the owners of Michelle’s Putong Ube. From what I heard, they requested Chef Bruce to make something out of the putong ube they gave. So Chef whipped up a Mango Trifle. It has a custard base with mangoes and those putong ube. He always makes mangoes for desserts because his wife is from Cebu. I ate mine and half of Anna’s. This dessert was followed by what I figured a kapeng barako.
Lemon Water: We were served with water with lemon and mint. It’s as refreshing as the other flavored water like those with pandan or cucumber. We didn’t opt for soft drinks or iced tea or wine. We were waiting for them to offer beer. But they never did so I guess they do not have one.
Restaurant Details
- Price: Php1500/head for a 6-course set meal
- Reservations: Book at least 2 weeks before. They are packed everyday.
- Parking: There’s enough parking for 5 or so cars. If you’re going there in a group, bring as few cars as possible. I do not recommend parking along the narrow street with lots of tricycles.
- Other Services: They offer cooking class for Php3,000/head and catering.
- Contact Details: Contact Michelle Lim at 0918-887-1227 or 0922-871-2777
- Address: E. Jacinto St. Corner Kalayaan Ave., Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City
The Lowdown
Chef Bruce promotes Filipino food with a twist. If you think Filipino food is just ordinary food, then this place is not for you especially when you’re paying Php1500 a pop. So do not expect a wagyu beef in the menu.
Php1500 is actually very pricey for me. But this was a special day so I had to shell out a little bit more. How can you justify a 1500 meal? Well… come to think of it he used lapu-lapu, salmon, squid, very fresh greens. Plus a lot of talent (+1 on the premium), celebrity chef status (+1 on the premium) , private dining (+1 on the premium) and I love the flavors because this is my style of cooking – very Asian.
I was half expecting he’d cook something hot and spicy. Too bad he didn’t. I was disappointed. But that was probably just my only complaint. Chef was extremely nice and so is his staff. So I’m giving him 4.5/5 stars.
More Photos
Me, Chef Bruce and Anna.
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- Jon
Panalo pards! Lagyan mo na lang ng perrins or tabasco kung gusto mo maanghang… Nawili ka na talaga sa culinary ah… Ayus!