There's no confusion at Le Fusion
One cannot develop taste from what is of average quality but only from the very best. — Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Weekend get-togethers have always been exciting for me, and this past weekend was no different. With a very enthusiastic invitation from chef Ed Quimson, me and my eating buddies, composed of chef Ed, Anna Gamboa, and Katrina Ponce-Enrile agreed to have dinner in a curious corner of Bonifacio Global City, and one Saturday night I found myself in front of a restaurant that piqued my interest on one of my trips to a membership shopping center nearby. Since driving the thoroughfares of Makati at rush hour on a weekend was not my style, I was the first one to arrive at the F1 Best Western Premiere Hotel on 32nd St. in Bonifacio Global City, and in Unit 1D was our culinary mission for the night, a friendly dinner with a group of foodies and chefs that was bound to take Le Fusion’s cuisine apart, one course at a time, in the midst of friendly banter.
Chef Don Ho, owner of Le Fusion by Chef Don Ho, with his wife Annalou Estiandan-Ho At first glance, it seemed like “safe” was about to become the word of the night. Browsing through their menu, I felt that their offerings were what a typical customer would expect, while I was looking for something out of the ordinary, something like a signature dish. I was about to have my culinarian sense kicked in from the beginning with a beautiful New England clam chowder. As chefs, we have had extensive experience with restaurants that settle for the quick fix, such as making soups with bouillons or powdered mixes, but as I took one sip of their chowder you could taste the smooth finish of the bisque that was flavorful and cooked to perfection. I knew that it was made from basic stock without using artificial enhancers, something that is quite rare in restaurants in the city nowadays, since making chowder from scratch is not only time-consuming and expensive, it also requires a sensitive taste in order not to over-season and overwhelm its delicate flavors, and a certain skill to make sure that it would not be overcooked. With that said, and a full-course meal ahead of us to consume, I realized that Le Fusion was about to become one of my favorite restaurants.
Great for sharing: Spinach and artichoke dip Le Fusion by Chef Don Ho Restaurant has its beginnings from a providential series of events. The restaurant is the brainchild of the loving couple chef Don Ho, who is of Chinese-Vietnamese decent and was born and raised in the US, and his lovely wife Anna Lou Estiandan-Ho, who migrated to the US. They attended Le Cordon Bleu, eventually met and established Le Fusion Catering in California. When Anna’s mother decided to retire in her native Philippines, chef Don saw that the food industry in the Philippines was booming and decided to seize the opportunity. After scouring the Metro for an ideal location, they ended up in the center of it all at Bonifacio Global City.
The restaurant opened in the middle of August last year; one remarkable thing about it is that it has an open kitchen. The cooking area, which is usually hidden from the guests, can be seen by everyone. Being particular about sanitation, it was refreshing to see that everything was clean and orderly, but that the entire staff was trained to uphold stringent US Restaurant Operation Sanitation Standards, a tough category to beat. Each member of the staff is tasked to clean his own area, unlike the standard procedure in most restaurants, where the chef or cook leaves all the dirty work to be done by either the busboys or dishwashers. Chef Ho’s trained his staff with an efficient work ethic that he believes will equip them to become effective so that they can excel anywhere, even if they work somewhere else.
Chef Ed Quimson As I bit into the juicy and tender piece of grilled pork during our dinner, I couldn’t help but ask if the meat he used was imported and I was surprised to find out that it was locally sourced from a trusted supplier. Chef Ho employs a very hands-on and personalized approach: he doesn’t rely on a purchasing manager or a marketing assistant to source his supplies; instead he personally goes to Farmer’s Market in Cubao, forgetting the pollution and traffic, and freshly buys the restaurant’s daily requirement of fresh ingredients. In his opinion, the Farmer’s Market is one of the best places in Manila for locally sourced products; in fact he even has his own network of sukis that he frequents and relies on to supply him with the best that the Philippines can offer.
Dining at Le Fusion was a subtle reminder for me that you cannot judge a book by its cover. Its name scared me into thinking that it was one of those establishments that merely make a hodgepodge of dishes and call it fusion cuisine just to make an excuse for their manner in preparing and dealing with food; I was ushered into a utopia of flavors that distinctly had something for everyone, whether it was Mediterranean, Chinese or American. Le Fusion could give you a vision of the different cuisines the world has to offer and how fine dining is done on the other side of the world.
Only the most tender meat: The bone-in porkchop with beef and pork reduction * * *
Le Fusion by Chef Don Ho Restaurant and Wine Bar Lounge is located at 32nd St., F1 City Center Building, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, Philippines. Call 553-8405, e-mail chefdonho@gmail.comor visit their website: http://www.lefusionresto.com.
