Hardy's Australian Wine

Call us very casual drinkers for we Happyfoodies really eat more than drink.  However, an invitation to sample some of the best Australian wines one fine weekday came as a proposition too good to pass up.  The wines we’re tasting are made by Hardys, the most popular brand from Down Under.  With Oakwood Ortigas as host, we knew the pairings with Oakwood lunch fare would be worth the trip.

The occasion, a rather intimate small group lunch, introduces the Hardys’ new Heritage Reserve Bin – Riesling, Chardonnay, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon — continuing the company’s tradition of blending grapes from different regions to come up with complex wines.  Distinguishing itself from vintners that make wines from single plots or regions, Hardys has carved a name for taking grapes from different places and maturing them to come up with complex blends.

Riesling Gewurztraminer (P300-330)

Lagal[og] said: I’ve handled wine accounts from way back and have a passing familiarity with wines. Having said that, I won’t profess to be an expert for it takes a lifetime of wine appreciation to even come close to being a connoisseur.  But I’m happy to say that it just takes an open mind to appreciate fine wine.  We were first served a welcome drink of Riesling Gewurztraminer and I immediately liked its fruitiness, not too sweet with a light sparkle that prepared our palates for the course ahead. It’s a friendly introduction to wines even for the uninitiated.

Nottage Hill Chardonay (P400-500)

Ironwulf said: The Nottage Hill Chardonay was a step up from the fruity and generally likable Reisling Gewurztraminer. The Chardonay was a little drier yet still light enough in taste. While I prefer the Reisling to go along with the truffle dressing laden Duck Breast and Duck Terrine with mesclun leaves and French beans, I thought the Chardonay is a fine in-betweener with its balanced taste.

Nottage Hill Shiraz (P600+)

Lagal[og] said: We graduated from Chardonnay to the Nottage Hill Shiraz for our main course of Grilled Beef Tenderloin.  I must say that the pairing is perfect as the rich and spicy notes of the Shiraz really go well with the rich, smoky flavor of the tender beef and sautéed potatoes.  I’m a bit light-headed at this point for I’m a teetotaler for sometime now and I know that wine is supposed to be sipped bit by bit over the course of the meal and not imbibed shot for shot in a very short time. But what the hey, this is a wine-tasting event.

HRB|D638 (Price TBA)

Ironwulf said: We got a nice treat to end the meal with a Chocolate and Grand Marnier Brulee. I loved the creaminess of the brulee and its not too sweet flavor. Also to end our wine tasting, we got to sample some premium Heritage Reserve Bin (HRB) wines. We got to try the HRB|D638 which combines 3 flavors from Margaret River, Adelaide Hills and Pemberton. It was really dry and full-bodied. I could taste the round light fruity flavor roll though my throat. I could see why it’s a premium wine. Each sip just gets better.

Hardy’s Wines are available at wine stores and served at finer dining establishments

Makansutra Beef Satay

Going back to the Manila Ocean Park last weekend became a trip not only for your happyfoodies to rediscover the oceanarium but to fish for something else – the food offerings at the Makansutra Asian Food Village located at the Ocean Park mall.

Makan means “eat/eating” in Bahasa while Sutra means thread or line holding things together (or metaphorically, a collection of such lines or things such as in the Hindu scriptures) in Sanskrit. This is especially meaningful as Makansutra is envisioned to be a place gathering together fare from all over Southeast Asia sold hawker-style.  Granted that one may not always have the opportunity to travel but at Makansutra, one can let his/her taste buds do the traveling.  Will K.F. Seetoh, the Singaporean foodie who inspired this enterprise, approve?  Tag along with your happyfoodies and find out.

Makansutra Entrance

Lagal[og] said: I like the idea of putting together the different foods of Southeast Asia in one place.  Also, the concept of an open island kitchen where diners can see what’s cooking and how the food is being prepared.  The concept maybe hawker-style selling but the dining area is nevertheless spacious, orderly, clean and well-lit.  The view of the bay especially during sunset and the evening certainly adds to the dining experience.  Having a separate counter for drinks and desserts really helps keep the queues at the food ordering and payment counters short.

Dining at Makansutra

Ironwulf said: I actually like the hawker-style eatery enhanced with touches of elegant designs and furnishings like the batibot chairs, the improvised open-can lamps and the oriental-design touches on the wall entrance. What’s better is that one can easily see the prices on the chalkboards. The prices are reasonable and cheap which enticed me more to check out the place.

Yum Voon Sen (P110)

Lagal[og] said: The Yum Voon Sen provides the palate a fresh start.  The glass noodles (sotanghon) are soft yet firm, the parsley and shrimps adding hints of flavor along with the tangy, slightly sour sauce.  The Laksa is also flavorful, if not a bit overladen with coconut milk.  But it has a curry-spiciness that grows on you the more your slurp on the noodles and the soup base.

Laksa (P110)

Ironwulf said: I’m glad that there is finally a resto offering Bak Kut Teh in Manila, one of my favorite Asian dishes. But the Bak Kut Teh here in Makansutra is still quite far from the taste I’m accustomed to — either the Malaysian or Singaporean variants. For one it’s too generous on the garlic and pepper so much so that the flavor was too strong; it was also a bit too salty. The meat wasn’t as tender as I like.

Bak Kut Teh (P100)

Lagal[og] said: For our main meal, we had Nasi Goreng with Satay.  The rice was fried right, full-flavored with subtle hints of chili.  The sauce that came with the Satay was really nutty which is the way I prefer it.  Another nutty number was the Pad Thai which came al dente with more than hints of peanut flavor.

Nasi Goreng with Satay (P135)

Ironwulf said: The Beef Satay was a lot closer to how they make it in Singapore. I like to eat the beef variant more as I find the beef absorbs more of the flavor herbs and spices. I definitely like how it was served on the plate. The beef was grilled evenly and the peanut sauce definitely brought me back to Singapore when I was eating it the last time around. I also tried the Mee Soto Indonesian noodle. I like the rich herb taste of the soup with potato served on the side. The noodles were thick and heavy, really filling.

Pad Thai (P150)

Lagal[og] said: We forego the usual soda and sugary iced tea in favor of Southeast Asian concoctions like the Michael Jackson (Soya drink with Black Gulaman) and Bandung (Rose syrup with Milk).  I gravitate towards the Bandung for its fruity but not overly sweet taste, laced with lychee-like flavor.

Mee Soto (P100)

Ironwulf said: If you like soya drinks, Michael Jackson would be a wise choice as it is your regular soya infused with black gulaman. The Chocolate Dinasour which is an ice choco drink overloaded with choco powder was a little over the top, price-wise for me as I could have made one at home.

Bandung (P60) and Michael Jackson (P60)

Lagal[og] said: To cap the meal, I had the Ice Kachang (Red beans with shaved ice dessert) which I liken to our halo-halo, give or take a few ingredients.  This one could be a bit creamier but there was a rich compendium of red and green gelatin as well as the peach which make it a refreshing way to cap the meal.

Ice Kachang (P85)

Ironwulf said: For dessert, I tried the Bubur Chacha which is a warm dessert of rich coconut and palm sugar with nuggets of tubers and yam. It kinda reminds me of our local guinatan but much sweeter with more coconut. A bit heavy for dessert but good.

Bubur Chacha (P75)

Makansutra Asian Food Village
2nd Level, Manila Ocean Park Mall
Quirino Street, Luneta Park, Manila
Telephone: +63 2 567 3512

Cocktales Menu

One Saturday afternoon found happyfoodies at SM Megamall for a business meeting. Looking for a quiet place to meet in busy Megamall can be quite tricky, especially on a weekend but on a friend’s suggestion, we found ourselves in the month-old dessert place, Cocktales. Tucked at the entrance of the Atrium on the fifth level, we seem to have found our quiet spot as the place was deserted (no pun intended). The lighting was inviting and conducive for cooling off. The images of drinks and desserts were really enticing and well-done. The signage says “desserts like no other” so we felt we had to give them a try.

Mango Daquiri and Watermelon Mojito, P75 each

Ironwulf said: The coffee table book-like menu is filled with very good photography of their selections on every page making each very, very appealing. The names are even similar to alcoholic cocktail drinks you can find in bars like Martini and Daiquiri but none of them have alcoholic content, just pure healthy blends of fruits and flavors. Our friends got a Watermelon Mojito and a Long Island Lemon while I ordered a Mango Daquiri. The Mango Daquiri has a semi-sweet and sour taste i liken to green mangoes. The drink has a variety of sago balls to add texture though I did find some of the larger sago balls weren’t fully-cooked as they were too thick and hard.

Cocktales Bananarama, P120 (single serving) and P180 (for sharing)

Lagal[og] said: I had Vietnamese coffee while waiting for the rest of the meeting participants. Not really comparable to the ones I tasted in Hanoi although the tall glass it was served on was really nice. Then, I had the Mango Bananarama for dessert. It’s an interesting concoction as it not only had mango and banana bits but also sago balls and bilo-bilo (the sticky rice flour balls used in ginataan desserts) on shaved ice laced with milk. I find it just okay since the sago was not fully cooked, which detracts from the overall quality. I also wished the ice was more finely-crushed like the ones in Ice Monster.

Cocktales Interior

Ironwulf said: The white and red theme of the interiors was well-thought of. The furnishings were designer choice and even the glasses and utensils used were clearly chosen by a person with eccentric taste. The line of bottles by the counter stuffed with pieces of fruit is an eye candy. The place just oozes with the atmosphere of unwinding and cooling off with each table having magazines to indulge your taste for reading.

Rows of Fruits

Lagal[og] said: There were interesting concoctions on the menu that were not available during our visit like the Apple Martini Choco, a non-alcoholic drink. Hmmm, maybe next time.

Food aside, the place had wonderful details – the glasses are curvy and sensuous, the utensils are not the fastfood-variety ones. Even the water served is laced with mint and lemon, a nice touch. The menu looked like a coffee table book and filled with well-photographed selections of desserts so I hope that in time, the quality of the desserts would catch up with the quality promised by the restaurant’s details.

Cocktales
SM Megamall • Trinoma • Tomas Morato

Pepper Tenderloin Steak (Single 200grams - Php 895, Family 500grams - Php 2050)

Apart from the food offerings of longtime stalwart, Outback Restaurant, we admit we’re not that exposed to Australian cuisine. Oh, we have images of Australian icons in our heads but still, we asked ourselves, “what is Australian cuisine?” Googling the topic reveals a bit of insight like the fact that traditional Australian cuisine borrows heavily from the British tradition (think fish and chips, pies, et al). The modern iteration, however, is not as easy to define as understandably, their cuisine is influenced by and infused with other cuisines, especially of the people who have been transplanted to the continent like Asians. Follow the Happyfoodies as they venture to the southern part of the metropolis to get a taste (and a flavorful idea) of Australian cuisine at the appropriately-named Aussie Café and Resto.

Aussie Cafe and Resto facade and signage

The place

Lagal[og] said: The café is located in a building of its own near the block of restaurants along Filinvest Avenue, Alabang. The façade looks very modern from the cream-colored concrete wall to the glass enclosures. Stepping inside, it’s airy and light, to a large extent, helped by the floor to ceiling windows of one section of the café. It gets pretty warm staying near the windows during mid-afternoon (something that will be addressed by the owners pretty soon) but the windows add to the mood of the place as one can have a quiet meal or a coffee break and see the quiet, tree lined street outside.

Aussie Cafe and Resto stylish interiors

Ironwulf said: I must admit that the location is quite tricky to find if you are not familiar with the place. The building is modern and has large windows so you could clearly see from the inside. The interiors are modern; I actually like the white and bright orange theme with light blue accents, designer chairs and lamps and the counter that actually looked like a bar which the owner admits some customers thought of as well, especially at night. There’s a mezzanine floor as well that can be used for private functions. The Resto can sit around 70 people without being cramped.

Beef Quesedilla (Php 265)

The food

Lagal[og] said: For starters, we had the Beef Quesadilla which is the café’s take on a traditional Mexican fare. The addition of rich barbeque sauce on top of mayo add a fresh twist to this appetizer which is already chock-full of minced tomatoes, beef, mozarella and bell peppers. It’s a bit strange at first, being used to the salsa sauce used in traditional quesadilla, but it kind of grows with you. The Aussie Fish and Chips use tender fish strips very lightly battered so it’s not at all oily. I only wish the serving was more generous but otherwise, it’s good for starters.

Bondi Fish and Chips (Php 235)

Ironwulf said: I like my quesadilla more on the salsa and spicy side that’s why when I tasted their Beef Quesadilla which is a bit on the sweet side due to the BBQ sauce, I was actually looking for some Tabasco. But this is a matter of preference. However, their Pepper Tenderloin Steak was a showstopper. That piece of meat done medium well was delectably grilled. There’s a slight crunch on the outside and really flavorful juice oozing out once you start chewing on it. Add in some pepper sauce and full-bodied mashed potatoes and I was really in for a real meaty and tasty treat.

Chef Bernie's Mouthwatering Ribs (Single - Php 395, to Share - Php 745, Family Size - Php 1090)

Lagal[og] said: Apart from the Pepper Tenderloin Steak which was also my hands-down favorite, I also liked the Chef Bernie’s Ribs. These were served with rice and veggies on a wooden board that resembles a chopping board but in truth, the ribs needed no extraneous chopping or cutting. Using just the fork and spoon, the meat just falls off the bone. I would just take a chunk and swirl it in the generous barbecue sauce for a very flavorful, very filling bite.

Vongole Pasta (Php 185)

Ironwulf said: Chef Bernie’s Ribs was true to its description – mouthwatering – just by looking at it. But I thought the sauce used was the real key to its flavor. If one want to try a taste of seafood, their Vongole Pasta is a good choice. This fettuccini pasta with really creamy and medium flavored white sauce topped with Parmesan cheese and clams (this last ingredient is the accent flavor) has become my favorite. The garlic bread that comes with it is really good that I could eat it on its own.

Australian Lamb Racks (225grams - Php 695, 300grams - Php 980)

The Australian Lamb Racks, which came in a bit later, was interestingly presented with slices of lamb meat standing together beside mashed potatoes and oven roasted veggies. With the overwhelming flavor of the Pepper Steak and Chef Bernie’s Ribs, it was a bit hard to place this one. Definitely, the meat was tender and for a lamb dish, it was prepared well as it wasn’t fishy as some lamb meals are done.

Austalian Victoria Bitter (VB) Beer (Php 130)

The drinks

Lagal[og] said: It’s refreshing to see more and more establishments that serve non-commercial iced teas and this place is one of them. For those who’d want to have beer with their meals, Victoria Bitter or VB is available. The beer is a full strength lager and ideal for those who want their beer on the bitter side. Served on chilled mugs, it goes well with the ribs and steaks as well as fish and chips.

Cafe Latte (front, Cup - Php 85, Mug - Php 95) and Hot Choco (front, Cup - Php 95, Mug - Php 105)

Ironwulf said: I must commend the establishment for having their signature iced tea which isn’t too sweet but richly flavored. Australians have a very eclectic taste in coffee since they have a very rich coffee culture. Unfortunately I’m not an expert on coffee so I only got to try their Mocha Frappe, the rich flavor of which I really liked since it is not too sweet. Also, I got to try their Hot Choco which I find less stellar. It’s like a creamier version of Swiss Miss.

Short Black Coffee (Cup Php 75)

Lagalog said: Aussie Café prides itself for its coffee and one taste on offer can explain why. Inspired by the sophisticated coffee culture of Australia, the owners, the Choa family, and their Australian-based Filipino chef, Bernie, intended to give the Pinoys a taste of how Aussies want their coffee. To achieve that, the beans used here are sourced from Australia. I had three kinds of coffee – Short Black Coffee, Café Latte, and Mocha Frappucino. Had we had room for desserts, I’d like to think the coffee would be a perfect match. The coffee has a very smooth, clean taste, which was very much evident in the shot of Short Black. Those who want a decadent serving would likely opt for the loaded Mocha Frap.

Mocha Frappe (Regular - Php 135, Large - Php 150)

Aussie Café and Resto
BCG Group Center, Block 27,
Filinvest Corporate City
Alabang, Muntinlupa City • 0917.6308800
Operating Hours: 7am – 10pm