MANILA, Philippines - People are aware that besides being an actor and TV host, Joey de Leon is a painter, writer, cartoonist, a world traveler and a consummate collector of memorabilia — but a gourmet?
Only a few close fiends know and he is and meticulous at that.
For the past 20 years or so, we have traveled together to the ends of the earth in pursuit of all types of food. We feel so blessed to have sampled Yoshi Abalone from Japan, Royal Iranian Caviar, New Encland Lobster with humongous claws, Blue Mountain Coffee from Jamaica, among others. We have also traveled to the Alba region of Italy for white truffles, perigord in France for authentic foie gras, Monte Carlo to eat sweet Belon oysters, etc. In fact it’s Pareng Joey’s dad Señor Pepe who recently passed away in Madrid that turned me on to Jamon Jabugo Pata Negra from Spain’s Iberian region on one of our visits to Spain in the mid-‘90s. Before tasting Jamon Jabugo, I thought authentic Prosciutto de Parma was the king of hams.
These past few years, the gourmet compadres haven’t gone on the foodie trail because of tight schedules until a few days ago when we got invited to sample Hyatt Hotel & Casino’s fine dining outlet Fireplace new menu. Fireplace is a cozy and comfy restaurant on the fifth level of the hotel next to its famous Chinese restaurant Lili.
We arrived at 7 p.m. and were cordially greeted by Hyatt’s young and energetic marketing people Lawrence and Laurie. As we got seated, wine started to flow. Being occasional drinkers, we passed on the white wine and opted for Hyatt Manila’s signature beverage Guava Ice Tea. First course to roll of the theater like open kitchen was the Millionaire’s Salad. I remember tasting a Millionaire’s Salad at Lolo Dad’s Restaurant a few years ago. Could they be the same? I found out they were. I like the Hyatt version better though because the portions were more generous. Freshly-seared scallops, grilled scampi, shitake mushrooms and a sliver of foie gras on top of greens drizzled with a light balsamic vinaigrette. Immediately, my compadre Joey and comadre Eileen nodded with delight as they downed their first few bites. The salad went fast and the next course appeared. Lobster bisque served in shot glasses. I commented I could down the soup in one gulp but I was wrong. It was so rich and had to be enjoyed in sips.
We compared both filets. One bite here and another there. Australian was the clear winner. The American filet which came from a cross between Wagyu and Angus cattle was not as tender and tasted a bit bland. The Australian Wagyu was so tasty and buttery tender everyone in the table elicited heavenly praises. In fact, after our first bites we gave high fives.
That hit the spot. It was a spread to remember. My compadre immediately made plans to return and bring the whole family for dinner. We congratulated the young female chef for a job well-done as we filed out.
Fireplace offers Spanish gourmet delights like Jamon Iberico, Sausages and other meats flown in exclusively and is also the favorite restaurant of luminaries like former First Lady Imelda Marcos, Matt Monro Jr., Bobby Kimball of the band Toto and John Ford Coley.