I blame food events why I’m gaining so much weight lately. But I’m actually not complaining because I love food and I love to eat. And I thing I love the most is when I get to try new dishes or new products from soon-to-open restaurants or from my favorite diner.
Got the chance to have a taste of an ultimate fine dining experience courtesy of RED GARLIC BISTRO CAFE owned by Chef Vincent Rodriguez (an invitation I got thru a good friend, Maan D’asis Pamaran). The food tasting was intimate and limited bloggers were invited. I was joined by John Michael Bueno and couple Ruth and Nonoy Floresca. Too bad, Myke Soon and Ferdinand Bondoy missed this one. You’ll know why.All we’re expecting that night are portion of foods that we need to taste. Chef Vincent Rodriguez was very busy preparing the dishes and normally, I would ask for the list of dishes that will be prepared or at least inform us how many we’re going to eat. But all we got is a smile and a message that the chef wants to surprise us.
Chef Vincent Rodriguez seemed to be planning something and from what I know, he prefers to just cook whatever he thinks without planning what to prepare. Then I remember this particular line from Disney’s Ratatouille where the food critics saying to the chef, “Surprise Me!” and boy, aren’t we surprised with the food served to us that night!
Here’s a round down of the delectable and sumptuous meals prepared for us by Chef Vincent Rodriguez:
The “Gummy Worm” Cocktail – Don’t be deceived by its cuteness! This drink actually contains White Whisky base, banana shake, milk and grenadine. This is the very first time I ever saw a cocktail drink so cute, it’s colored pink and with gummy worm!
Santiago Taco Poppers – Just the look of it, this one is spicy! Served as appetizer, Siling Berde filled with chili con carne with a special mayo dip.
Red Iced Tea – This was included in their menu simply because it’s colored red. Although it’s a powdered juice only, it tastes like raspberry that you’d want a bottomless serving of this.
Alaskan Salmon Roll – I’m not a fan of sushi rolls but this one looks mouth-watering. Deep fried with rock shrimp, salmon with wasabe and salsa. A must try to all the sushi-lovers!
Tore del Greco – Your typical pizza is rounded or sometimes squared. But Red Garlic Bistro is different. This one contains arugula, shrimp, parmesan, lime vinegarette in thin crust, sun dried tomatoes, and melted mozzarella. I love this pizza because of the sun-dried tomatoes. Although you must be warned because its a bit spicy.
Tornado Roll – Chef Vincent Rodriguez used to work for Torch that’s why it’s not a surprise that he’s into sushi as well. This one has Indian chicken tikka, sushi roll with sea weed, wasabe, cucumber, cilantro. Too bad, I’m not into eating rice, but I tried the chicken filling and it’s just great!
Shrimp Pomelo Salad – I love salad. And I’m weird because I prefer eating it minus the dressing. This one is quite interesting because it contains crispy adobo flakes served with shrimps, red onions, saigon sweet chili sauce, pomelo and crisp lettuce.
Philly Cheese Steak and Basilica – As if one (1) flavor is enough, Red Garlic Bistro makes it 2-in-1! My all-time favorite flavor would definitely be philly cheese steak because of the angus beef with loads of cheese. The other half of the pizza which is Basilica contains smoked Italian sausage, mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. The Red Garlic Bistro will have 12 pizzas on this menu and you shouldn’t miss this one!
Alboro Pasta with Prosciutto Ham and Bacon – I am a pasta person. And I love to try different kind of pasta. Though I’m not too kin with oil based sauce, this one is actually good. The spaghetti noodles is cooked just right for me.
Santorini Penne Pasta – I would have loved this pasta if only it’s not spicy. The shrimp and crab in tomato and white sauce makes this pasta perfect! If I have to choose between spaghetti and penne noodles, the latter is the best choice for me. Even though I never like spicy foods, I think I still enjoyed this one.
Sardinia Pasta – Oil based home made sardines. The milkfish (bangus) is spicy. I have tried it but I think I had too much spice in my stomach already.
Grilled Pork Chop with Mango Chipotle – And then this was served! Our 1st main course for the night! This big pork chop is served with sweet mango and the hottest chipotle chili with cranberries on top!
Tequila Lime Barbecue Beef Ribs – Big seems to be small if you’re talking about Red Garlic Bistro. And this one’s gotta be my favorite! I always loved baby back ribs… but this one, it’s BEEF! I’m not a potato-person so I did not bothered that this one is served with sidings of potato wedges. The meat is very tender which makes this dish perfect! It’s a humongous slab you’re supposed to share but I don’t think I wanna share this delicious beef ribs with anyone else! :-p
Tomahawk – As if the barbeque beef ribs is enough, Chef Vincent Rodriguez followed it up with this US Angus Beef with a dry spice rub, almost 2 inches thick! Served with a cob of corn, red wine sauce plus peppermint dressing. If only I knew the chef will be serving us this, I would have saved some more space in my tummy!
Salmon Duo – Salmon is one of the fish dishes I love to eat. And this one is special because it has two flavors – basil pistachio and smoked habanero cream. I was told the habanero part was spicy so I tried the basil pistachio portion instead. This one is a very innovative dish. I never imagined you can come up with 2 different flavors for a single dish!
Thai Bagoong Fried Rice with Sweet Pork – I love the presentation for this dish. Too bad I have to pass eating this because of the rice. But the sweet pork, egg and the mango strips are just amazing. I love it!
Thai Green Curry – I can’t say much about this one because I didn’t get to try it. I’m also not that kin with curry sauces so I have to pass on this one. But serving-wise, this is good.
Salpicao Medallions – If you get overwhelmed with all the humongous steaks, here’s one that will make you drool some more! Beef Salpicao using beef tenderloin medallions wrapped in bacon is a must try! The meat is tender and juicy and you can still enjoy it while trying the other dishes because it is served hot using the granite grill.
Batanes Roulade – I don’t like dishes served with coconut cream-based sauce but this one I have to try because of the steamed fish (cream dory) stuffed with laing and shrimp. The fish meat is just yummy… and it’s wrapped with shrimp! What more can I ask?
Bread Pudding – If there’s one thing I can bake, that’s pudding. And I know a good pudding when I see/taste one. I was told that this is one of their best-selling dessert. Just the look of it, I would have eaten this first if it was served first! The bread pudding is a pound cake with custard cream and caramelized table sugar on top. I love its creamy feel and the sweetness is just right. I should have one of this pudding again!
Hush Puppies – No this is not made of dog or a brand of shoes. It is a fried buttermilk batter with caramel and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It was a good dessert.
Fruit in Mascarpone Cheese – Aside from the pudding, this one is also heaven-like. I love this one. First time to try a dessert like this and I swear, I can skip the whole appetizer and main course for desserts like this!
Carrot Cake – I’m more of a banana-cake person but it wasn’t hard for Chef Vincent Rodriguez to convince me to love this one. The cinnamon, nuts and frosting is just right for my discriminating taste (Lol); It even has real carrot strips that makes it more healthy to eat!
Over-all, the experience is awesome. I don’t think none of us will ever complain how generous all the servings were. I even took home (which I insist) the remaining beef barbeque ribs! This is something you’d love your family to taste as well. Thank you for a tummy-full night and great company. We wanted to compliment the Chef but he left immediately for another business appointment. But when I get the chance to visit his new bistro which will open on October 2, Sunday, at 218 Blueridge A. Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and is open from 7:00am-12:00mn. For reservations, call (02) 682-1860. By the way, if you’re curious where they get the name RED for their Bistro, it stands for Read, Eat and Drink.
I didn’t get a chance to meet him properly but heard a lot of good things with his recipes. All I know is that he knows his food and he surely works well with his spices. And that night, I am totally impressed. Here’s what Maan D’asis Pamaran wrote about the great chef in her article for Manila Bulletin.
Like Red Garlic Bistro on Facebook. For catering services, contact Peppermill Caterers Inc. at (02) 633-0329/ (02) 216-1873, or email [email protected].
