Close Encounters of the Blogger Kind

It was a cold, rainy evening...the kind of evening which makes one lazy and content to just stay at home and snuggle in front of the TV. Ruy and I (being the boring, old farts that we are) would have been perfectly happy watching Top Chef at home but we braved the streets leading to Serendra to meet up with several other foodies/bloggers.

It was supposed to be a big group but some couldn't make it at the last minute, Anton was whisked away to Boracay. Toni's dad had an accident involving a motorcycle (we hope he's fine now Toni). Didi had another appointment. There was another girl who was supposed to go...we can't remember her name cause she stood us up...tsk tsk tsk. =)

The severely reduced group is now only composed of Spanx, Doc Chef and of course us two. From 8 people to 4 -- the number was cut but the fun wasn't. Good food, good company you can't go wrong with that.

We trooped to Cuillere for this dinner feast and it really is so much fun eating with other foodies. These are people who are not afraid of a few calories (carabo milkshake, foie gras, goat cheese..ulk) and who are not weirded out by someone taking pictures of food. It was quite funny to see how as soon as the food arrived, everyone had their cameras up.

Here's our take of the food we had:

(Arugula with Basil Vinaigrette, Cherry Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, Warm Goat Cheese Salad on top of a bread
drizzled with Honey, Php 385)

LIV: This salad would have been wonderful if only it was served at the start of the meal and it actually had pine nuts on it. I hate it when restaurants don't tell you that something's not going to be in your dish. It's as if they're just assuming you wouldn't notice it. Luckily, I was not in a bitchy mood and didn't feel like making any kind of scene.

RUY: I have to agree that it is quite disappointing to be served something that doesn't have what it says it has. I was also under the impression that they totally forgot about our salad because we were almost done with our main course when it finally arrived (after I followed up the order to a surprised looking waiter). However, I have to say that this salad was lovely. The goat cheese and honey combo was simply delicious. Rich and mildly salty cheese with fresh and sweet honeyed veggies. I'll definitely give this another chance.

(Breaded Chicken Breast Rolled with Ham and Cheese served with Lemon and
Tarragon Butter Sauce, Php295)

RUY: Yummy chicken. As soon as I had my first bite I totally forgot the lemon, butter tarragon sauce that came with it. The meat was very tasty and juicy with a hint of citrus. Delicious.

Looking back, I wonder what the thing beside the chicken is. It seems to me like runny mashed potato. I ate it and it was okay but what is it? Hay, I really lost myself wolfing down the chicken.

LIV: While Ruy's gushing over the chicken, I wasn't that much impressed with it. I would have to say that it's an okay dish but there's nothing distinct and memorable about it. This could be our fault cause we weren't able to use the Lemon-Tarragon Butter Sauce cause someone (ehem) didn't see the container of the butter. I have a feeling the sauce would have taken the dish to another level

( Pan-seared Foie Gras drizzled with Raspberry Infused port wine reduction served with a side of greens, Php 1,495)

LIV: This is the best Foie Gras I've ever tasted in the Philippines...granted I've only tried it in around 4 restos, so I can say that it's the best among the 4 restos...hahaha. It's really hard to go wrong with foie gras -- at the very least you'd have a good enough foie gras. If you are lucky you can have something wonderful and I could say that Cuillere's version is quite wonderful. They didn't fall into the trap of overcooking the foie gras and so what we had was a foie gras which retained it's buttery consistency. I would have been tons happier with more greens (somehow eating veggies with foie gras seems like the proper thing to do...it somehow feels healthier that way hehehe)

RUY: What can I say, authentic foie gras is just deadly. Every bite feels like a journey into Donald Trump's heavy taste in interiors where all the gold and ornate carvings would have been too much to bear except that each piece probably has a grand story (and costs a fortune). The foie gras was an artery constricting experience of rich flavor that oozes oh so gently on top of the palate like a shining custard from seductive hell. I don't think any amount of this opulent indulgence will ever be enough.

I liked the raspberry syrup too.

(Ice Cream Sandwich with your Choice of Ice Cream Flavor)

LIV: Ah the dessert of Spanx with the deceiving glass. When the waiter placed it on the table, the glass tilted dangerously and the ever alert Doc Chef with his surgical precision and spider-like reflexes tried to rescue it. Only to find out a few seconds after that the glass was really designed that way. It was still a valiant effort Doc Chef

(Stewed Apples with Toffee Syrup, Whipped Cream, Flambeed with Brandy and Topped with French Vanilla Ice Cream, Php 195)

Liv: The decription was soo tempting that I was expecting something marvelous. I was a bit disappointed with what we had. It wasn't bad at all...it just wasn't as phenomenal as it sounded.

(Carabao Milkshake : Cheese Flavor, Php 195)

Liv: This for me was the biggest disappointment. I've heard people sing praise about this and I found that it tastes just like melted ice cream.

Ruy: My sentiments exactly

Liv: In general it is a commendable restaurant but with it's reputation and it's claim I guess I was expecting it to be several notches higher than the usual restos here.