MAKING GOURMET FISH IN 5 MINUTES FLAT

Purple Feet's Chef Marco Legasto proved last Friday that it only takes a good piece of fish, a tablespoon of lobster oil, and around the time duration of a TV commercial to make a really drool-worthy, healthy gourmet fish dish.

The chef held a seafood workshop for free at the restaurant and we were more than happy to take snapshots of his debut cooking class moments.

Meeting The Chef...

I love that were given wine to drink

They used Australian fish to celebrate Australia Day

1st dish of the day: Pan-seared King George Whiting with a Minty Lime Sauce

keeping things simple... all the ingredients were easy enough to get at Gourmet Depot.

The whole room smelled of lobster and sizzling garlic

Ingredients:

200 grams King George Whiting

30 ml Ferguson Lobster Oil

3 whole kaffir lime leaves

5 grams mint leaves

5 grams coriander leaves

20 grams chopped garlic

20 grams chopped onion

Juice from one lemon

1 tsp fish sauce

1 gram Ravida sea salt

1 gram ground pepper

Procedure:

Heat lobster oil in a frying pan, then sauté the garlic and onions.

When the garlic and onions are brown, add kaffir lime leaves, mint and coriander leaves. Season fish with sea salt and black pepper. Sear the King George Whiting on both sides till brown. Finish off with fish sauce and lemon juice.

2nd dish of the day: Poached Garfish in Green Tea

Ingredients:

200 grams Garfish

1 tsp green tea leaves (you can break open a tea bag)

30 ml vegetable oil

50 ml chicken stock

20 grams miso paste

 20 grams chopped garlic

 20 grams chopped onions

 Sea salt and ground pepper

Procedure:

Saute garlic and onion in vegetable oil, then add chicken stock, green tea leaves and miso paste. Poach the Garfish in the green tea mixture for two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It seems easy enough so I'm gonna give these a try as soon as possible.

Maybe with some rice or garlic pasta!

Not Your Snooty Wine Party

There's no other drink in the world that has such a "leisurely" repuation. And rightly so, wine was created to be enjoyed in a place where you and your wine can breathe... and you can dress down... and lay back... and maybe even walk barefoot... like in a garden...

Secret Garden: You wouldn't think to find this quaint spot behind Wine Depot in Reposo.

An unfussy setting for an al fresco dinner

The Voyage Estate Garden Party is, I think, the perfect example of why parties that serve good wine and fine food need not be black-tie-stuffy or annoyingly snobbish.

The casual set-up at Purple Feet was more a backyard family dinner than an actual restaurant. Long, rustic, linen-less wooden tables were filled with both long-time friends and acquaintances. Probably the only thing everyone had in common was an appreciation for wine.

Guests started arriving as early as 6 pm

The agenda was pretty simple: to taste the Voyager Estate Shiraz 2007 that beat the $550 Penfolds Grange in a respected wine guide.

One of the first guests... Jomi Deveras and Selina Gecolea

Mr. and Mrs. John Casey

Tony and Jacqueline Alleje

Line 'em up: Voyager Estate Shiraz 05, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and the controversial Shiraz 07. 

The atmosphere was as light as the Chenin Blanc paired with a mild sour mango and carrot soup - first on the menu. 

More people started pouring in later on when a second round of wine, the Voyager Estate Chardonnay went around with the appetizer of Mesclun Cigars with honeydew goat curd.

Come the main course of Wagyu top blade, everyone was loosened up and engaged in lively conversation about everything under the moon.  

Super tender Wagyu melts in your mouth

Assuming that not everyone is a connoisseur who knows the difference between a Shiraz 2005 with the Penguin Good award-winning Shiraz 2007, glasses came with a little disc labels at the base, to differentiate each one – another conversation starter that sparked more friendly banter.

 Toast club members Othmar Ober, Lawrence Martin, Richard Barclay and Robert Jenkins

 

Amy Yap, Poch Robles and Leny Reyes

Christina Mendoza and Shai Villalon

And more happy couples were spotted enjoying the evening al fresco...

Brian and Rebecca Forrester

Tim and Loriann Staermose

Daniel and Sally Pena

The verdict, this garden party that opened the year will be the first of many well-attended ones. And for P950 per head, even the price isn't too high-brow for my taste.

There are no Frappuccinos in Italy?!?

The best thing about starting a new cafe is having to think of catchy names for the barista's creations. "The Caffe" in Wine Depot Greenhills is all about the comforting, classic coffee but also about novelty, more modern concoctions. And in the middle of my search for the perfect names, i found out that you will never actually come across terms like 'Frappuccino' or 'Mocha' in Italy.

So, because javanilla was already taken and Caffé Nocciola (meaning hazelnut) was a bit intimidating for our taste, we sort of stuck with something simple and let the our experience of it lead the way.  Here are a few of the coffees we happily slurped and sipped one caffeine-infused afternoon...

Hazelnut Bliss

A steaming shot of espresso, steamed milk, hazelnut syrup, cinnamon syrup and foam... Simple and heavenly.

Tuscan Kiss
A single shot of espresso, caramel syrup, steamed milk and foam. If the french have a name for it, why not a 'Tuscan Kiss' inspired by its frothy top followed by the warm, sweet coffee felt like like a big Italian smooch.

Almond Jolt

A chilly drink that feels like a good sort of brain freeze. Single shot of espresso, cold milk, caramel syrup and almond syrup.

White Rush

Shaken with lots of ice, this is a single shot of espresso, cold milk, caramel syrup, vanilla syrup and topped with vanilla ice cream.

If you have any more suggestions for cool coffee names, leave a comment. Our barista's brewing up something new everyday.

NOW BREWING: CULINARY BLOCKBUSTER VITTORIA COFFEE

One thing I love about coffee, other than the fact that there are so many ways of drinking it and so many names to call it, is that it somehow seems to magically go well with anything. Like, who would have thought that the secret to making good Lamb Rosti was a touch of java? Or that traces of coffee in a good piece of steak adds an incredible depth of flavor?

I recently attended the MLA (Meat and Livestock Australia) Blackbox Culinary Challenge held at the Rockwell Tent (Apparently, it’s called that because competing teams are given a black box containing secret ingredients). It was a battle among the city’s ‘gourmet meccas’ like reigning Blackbox champs Lolo Dad’s. Being the coffee junkie I am, I was just thrilled to be there and sample the best coffee-inspired dishes for one entire day.

the stage is set for a battle of EPICurean proportions

A coffee lover’s dream: Row after delicious row of coffee-infused creations

Vittoria Coffee was the official coffee that the competing teams had to use in their dishes. It’s that Australian brand being served at popular restos like Purple Feet, Apartment 1B, Sala and People's Palace. It has that really rich taste I look for in coffee because it’s made from pure Arabica (unlike most of the coffee blends we know which uses a mix).

Blending with the best of the best: Vittoria Espresso is sheer heaven in a pack

For the appetizer round, it was a Coffee Spiced, Cream Cheese-Studded Lamb Carpaccio on Crispy Vegetable Salad with Citrus Nectarine Vinaigrette for Enderun College. The College of the Holy Spirit made Lamb Rosti with a unique twist adding not only coffee but also chocolate into their recipe (and we all know the simple formula to happiness = chocolate+coffee).

        Holy Spirit's Lamb Choco Coffee Rosti

The young yet very creative guys at Ninyo Cuisine made a mouth-watering masterpiece for their main course using Vittoria in its Miso and Coffee Braised Melbourne Prime Rump Set on Open Scalloped Potato and Leeks. Yummm!

Ninyo’s coffee-braised succulent prime rump steak

At the Purple Feet station, the chefs used Vittoria coffee for my favorite part of any meal – dessert. Their Coffee Cake, Blueberry Panna Cota and Chocolate Mousse creation was melt-in-your-mouth unforgettable. All the textures and flavors really came together in this one.

Purple Feet's Chef Jimson plates his Dessert Trilogy

The finished product in all its coffee glory

MLA Judge Chefs dig in at the Purple Feet Station

By the end of the night,  after the awards were given and all teams were acknowledged, the coffee fix left me intoxicated (in a good way). I just remember this sudden urge to grab myself a pack of aromatic beans and see what else it goes with in our kitchen. I left with a newfound appreciation for coffee and the many ways it lends itself not only to food but to my experience of it.