The joy of food and wine pairing at Ayala Malls

This December, the holidays are made even more festive with a special (and very affordable) wine-pairing promo at Ayala Malls, in partnership with The Philippine STAR and BPI. “Pairings of Joy” brings good food and wine to celebrate love, joy and happiness in this season of giving and sharing.

At select merchants of Ayala Malls up to Dec. 31, shoppers and diners can taste these selections of wines: Altozano Blanco (70 percent Verdejo; 30 percent Sauvignon Blanc that’s crispy and vibrant with tropical fruit and floral aromas combined with hints of anise), La Vina Blanco Semi-Dulce (80 percent Macabeo, 20 percent Xarel-lo that has notes of pineapple, ripe melon and green apple, and a sweet and fruity finish), La Vina Tempranillo (aromas of strawberry, cherry and blackberry with a good body and long, elegant aftertaste), and the Terrapura Merlot (soft and silky on the palate with aromas of cherries and a hint of pepper, with a velvety structure and long finish).

Each of these wines comes at the very affordable price of only P150/ glass, and has been expertly paired with these restaurants’ top dishes by their chefs.

Oody’s

Oody’s in Greenbelt 3 and Soi in Glorietta 2 have made the wine-pairing experience visually convenient to diners by printing out place cards with photos of the wines, and their corresponding suggested dish pairings as recommended by Thepsuwan Sonokhon, head chef for the Cabalen Thai Group. The wine pairings for the sister restaurants were done not necessarily in order of seafood, poultry, pork or beef, but rather on how the wine tempers or slices through the spiciness of the sauces/ marinades.

At Oody’s, the Altozano Blanco is recommended with the Prawn Satay, Chicken Pandan, Chicken Leg BBQ and Catfish with Mango Salad; while the Terrapura Merlot is suggested with the Fish Fillet in Black Pepper Sauce, Beef Massaman, and the Crispy Squid.

Soi

At Soi, the La Vina Blanco Semi-Dulce is paired with the Chicken Pandan, Grilled Squid, Chicken Leg BBQ and Prawns on Basil and Chilies; while the La Vina Tempranillo is recommended with the Fish Fillet in Black Pepper Sauce.  “We want to open the avenue for Thai food,” says Eliza Pajarito, marketing officer for the Cabalen Thai Group. “People often think it is intimidating because of the spiciness, but we want to show that Thai food can also be paired with wine.”

Kimpura

At Kimpura, the sashimi, sushi and teppanyaki are the most popular. As a result, the restaurant has opted to carry a white and a red to accompany the favorites. The Altozano, which executive chef Shinji Furukawa described as almost as light as sake in terms of beverage pairing, was suggested with the Matsu, an assortment of fresh raw seafood including salmon, yellowtail, octopus, pickled mackerel, sweet shrimp, surf clams, crabstick and blue marlin — a very refreshing combination.

The La Vina Tempranillo is suggested for all their steaks (Kobe, boneless short ribs, US tenderloin, sirloin, sukiyaki steak), but manager Lulu Palileo suggests the Wagyu rib-eye as the most value for money. It also has evenly marbled fat, and the excess can be fried to a crisp indulgence to top off the steak.

Peking Garden

Peking Garden’s piece de resistance is, of course, their Peking duck. They knew right away that they wanted to serve a wine that would complement it. The Terrapura Merlot bore the stamp of this certitude, knowing very well that most of their clientele come to the restaurant to order this dish, and this would be the ideal accompaniment to the succulent duck with the crispiest skin, and its sweet hoisin sauce. It is also an ideal pairing for another stellar dish, the Seared Australian Beef Fillet on Lettuce Bed.

“We have three Hong Kong chefs working here, and they chose only one wine because sometimes when there are too many choices, people might get confused,” explained manager Archie Au. “Also, we heard that merlot goes well with the beef.”

Cevesaria

Chef Gilbert Pangilinan has heightened the wine-pairing promo by creating full set menus for both restaurants he helms, to give diners the complete experience. At Cerveseria, a three-course Spanish menu has been crafted for P941, which offers two kinds of wines. The salad of Pecorino Cheese, Mixed Greens, Cashew Nuts and Roasted Grapes is paired with the La Vina Blanco Semi-Dulce; the towering Tomato and Chorizo Pasta with the La Vina Tempranillo, capped off with the dessert of Mango Crème Brulee.

Kai

At Kai, the Japanese restaurant’s most popular dishes were made the centerpiece for the three-course menu priced at P1,350, also with two wine offerings. The Roasted Grapes and Tomato Salad which features mixed greens and shiitake bacons were paired with the Altozano Blanco, which chef Gilbert says goes very well with the sweet-spicy sesame dressing. The US Black Angus Short Ribs Ishiyaki, cooked on top of a stone plate and served with the Angus Japanese Fried Rice, was set with the Terrapura Merlot. The meal is capped off with their bestselling Tofu Cheesecake. 

Sumosam

At Sumosam, the casual Japanese eatery pairs the Spicy Tuna Salad with the La Vina Blanco Semi-Dulce; the Pacific Dory with the Altozano Blanco; the Beef Roll Usuyaki with the La Vina Tempranillo, and the Beef Teppanyaki US Tenderloin with the Terrapura Merlot, combinations that are ideal for lunch, merienda and dinner.

Marciano’s

Marciano’s offers generously portioned dishes that are value for money. Management trainee Liberty Rodriguez shares that the wines have been moving, as the promo is such a steal at only P150/ glass, compared to the regularly priced ones at P288/ glass. The Altozano Blanco is suggested with their pastas and seafood, particularly the Grilled Salmon in Caper Sauce, and the rich and creamy Tony’s Soprano Sausage Pesto, which has sliced homemade sausage on top. The Terrapura Merlot is suggested with the Dow Jones — US T-Bone Steak with Italian Sausage, Potato Wedges, Roasted Veggies — a platter good for four; as well as the paper-thin Four Seasons pizza, which features flavors of pepperoni, mushroom, seafood and four cheese, and the winning food-and-wine pairing, the Chef’s Special. The winning recipe at the restaurant group’s last company Battle of the Chefs 3 features US Beef Tenderloin with Brie and Porcini Mushroom Sauce topped with homemade sausage, which is perfectly tempered by the Terrapura Merlot. This is the best, most seamless pairing of all, where the food and wine perfectly enhances each other’s flavors.

Villa Del Conte

Villa del Conte at Greenbelt 5 has the beautiful wines designed by Tim Yap, Stephanie Zubiri-Crespi, Cary Santiago and Leeroy New — for sale at their stall. The premium Italian chocolate brand known for its famous praline balls (now with new flavors milk chocolate with white cream filling and milk chocolate with milk cream coconut chips), praline sticks and Ovicini (candy-coated dark chocolate and hazelnut cream filling) can be customized in a crate, and paired with a bottle of wine. Starting at P5,680/ crate, you can mix and match contents — grand dome, medio stick, piccolo ball, small ovicini jar and full-size wine — as well as create the burnt print and ribbon.

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The wine sets are especially designed for Ayala Malls are available in Barcino selling booths in Glorietta, Greenbelt, Alabang Town Center and TriNoma. For every bottle sold, P150 will go to Bulig Bisaya, an initiative of the Ayala Group of companies to aid and restore livelihood to the typhoon and earthquake victims in Visayas.

For Pairings of Joy, BPI-Ayala Malls Amore Visa cardholders are given the opportunity to earn double rebates for every P1,000 spent in BPI-accredited Ayala Malls restaurants for the entire month of December. The promo is available at Greenbelt 5, Glorietta 4, Alabang Town Center and TriNoma. Pairings of Joy runs until Dec. 31.