Oh yah, it’s Yats

The first time Mary Ann and I heard of Yats Wine Club was when it opened in January 2001. If three people told us about it, chances are all three had not tried it and were all awed by its reputation of serving wine that costs P1 million a bottle. Even the most spendthrift gourmand will get intimidated by such an idea, I thought. Three years later, people still talk about its expensive wine, which makes Yats’ wine connoisseur-owner wonder why.

Many of my simple and unsophisticated cabalens dare not step into Yats, perhaps for fear they might break a bottle and work at Yats as a dishwasher for life. There is also a perception that, since it is a wine club, the staff will look down on them as cheapskates if they do not order a bottle of wine, which they presume to be expensive. I remember many have asked me if the menu is in French, if it is alright to order their steak well done and have Coke with their meal.

This is the reputation Yats established for itself from the day it opened: Great cuisine, wonderful wine in an almost ideal ambiance, but very formal and expensive. And, as intended, it does attract Manila’s chichi crowd who would like a change of scenery and a quiet place to wine and dine. It is doing all right, with its clientele becoming regulars and bringing in new guests each time.

A few weeks ago, Mary Ann, Nico and I were at Yats again. We instantly liked their now bright hall since they removed the heavy drapes that I thought made the room too formal and dark the last time we were there. We also noticed the staff conversing and being friendly with the diners. The décor has been stripped of its old paint and a more subdued color now covers the wall.

Its new chef, Philip Golding, formerly of Azzurro in Makati, whom I recognized from my cooking days at the Intercontinental Manila, came to greet us. He was very excited about the ongoing changes happening at Yats. In fact, from our talk, I suspected it was all his idea.

"Why such change"? I asked.

"Simple lang," he answered, with his British accented Tagalog. "We want more people to come, say, families with their children, housewives dropping by for tea and pastries, men who want a quiet room to enjoy music and cigar, guests to be comfortable and regularly hang out to unwind. We want to be friendly with the community and not solely be a special occasion kind of place."

But of course, Yats is keeping its elegant and great cuisine. If you are looking for a place to impress a date, there’s no place like Yats.

Chef Golding was kind enough to show us the changes in the different rooms. The Bordeaux Room has a formal dinner setting for only two diners. A chef will personally attend to the couple’s food and carve tableside. The guests are given utmost privacy most of the time, and there is a buzzer on hand if they need anything. Of course, such an exclusive and romantic dinner comes at a price. Non-members pay a cool five-figure tab. That’s certainly not within my budget.

The main hall is now called the Grill Room, which is a cozy fine dining area. This is where the three of us had our six-course gourmet dinner. Members who do not want to hobnob with the other diners can use the Magnum Room that can sit 20 people. This room is for the exclusive use of members, but it can be used by non-members if they book the whole room, Golding said. It is less formal than the Bordeaux Room. "My kind of room," Nico said. There is also the Chef’s Table which is good for six, where guests can view the chefs whip up dishes as they dine. In all the rooms, port and sauterne may be ordered by the glass.

For starters, we had the fabulous French escargot bourguignon sautéed in herbed butter. We had to toss a coin as to who will have the last piece. Then, we had frog legs with creamed spinach and essence of truffle oil. This dish may scare many of you. The French, like us Pampangos, consider frog a delicacy (sharing not only our adventurous taste buds, but also our manner of speaking, as in "I’m ’appee to meet you"). Yats’ frogs, however, are imported from France. And for salad we had foie gras and lobster medallion with Sevruga caviar, toasted pine nuts and oak leaves with orange segments in black truffle vinaigrette. The food went well with an excellent bottle of well-aged Medoc 1970 Chateau Calon Segur from St. Estephe.

This time, we were getting heady with the richness of the food. Philip was quick to serve us Lady Grey tea and lime sorbet. After cleansing our palates, we were finally ready for our main courses. Mary Ann had a Dutch rabbit leg paired with a butterflied jumbo tiger prawn. It was served with wild forest mushrooms and lentil risotto cake. The prawn was moist and tasty. Nico had his usual steak, an Angus rib-eye, which came so pink and tender. I, on the other hand, had duck breast.

For dessert, we had what was called "La Collection," a sampling of the dessert offerings: A raspberry tart, lemon sorbet and a Valhrona chocolate cheesecake, which we all truly enjoyed with the fruit teas.

Yats Wine Club wants to serve the best of everything: Food, ambiance, service and wine selection. Its house wine (ergo, the lowest priced wine) can be ordered by the glass at P400 or at P2,500 per bottle. There’s also a selection of craftsman beers, which come in 750ml bottles from Quebec, Canada. We tried the Blanche de Chambly, a white ale with a light fruity aroma and a spicy lemon flavor.

There are nights when Mary Ann and I dined there and enjoyed the set three-course dinner for a reasonable P560 per head. Next time, we shall try their set lunch or their Tuesday afternoon service of freshly brewed coffee and three kinds of desserts.

With the relaxed yet elegant ambiance, very warm yet unobtrusive service and Chef Philip Golding at its helm, there’s more reason to go to Yats.

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Yats Grill Room by Chef Philip John Golding is located at Mimosa Drive, Clark Field, Pampanga. For inquiries and reservations, call 0917-8179441, e-mail philip@yats-international.com or visit its website at www.yilp.com.