Tina’s Table: All set to thrill foodies

MANILA, Philippines - Tonight, we’re dining at Tina’s Table, a foodie hideaway tucked away deep in the belly of BF Homes, Parañaque’s sizzling restaurant row.

The table is already set out in the lush garden when we arrive at Tina’s Table that’s happily decked out for a Mexican-inspired little night of great food, good music (Tina’s Table even “imported” a three-man mariachi band), and good company.

But before we dive into the six-course menu that Tina’s Table has meticulously prepared for us, we perk up our taste buds with assorted pintxos (I assure you they’re better eaten than pronounced; they’re the Basque equivalent of tapas): tartaletas of Purefoods Luncheon Meat mousse, caramelized onions, and fried rosemary, patatas al horno with Purefoods Corned Beef. A perfect companion to the pintxos is a refreshing glass of sangria.

And now, we get to sample some of the best offerings at Tina’s Table. For starters, we have artichoke and Purefoods chorizo sitting atop a crostini, with ricotta, Magnolia all-purpose cream, basil puree, and sweet balsamic. Toasted bread never tasted this great!

How does a taquito of lengua and steak sound to you? Sounds perfect to me! Rolled up inside our poquito taquito are chunks of Monterey beef tenderloin and ox tongue, red slaw, tomato salsa, Magnolia Quickmelt and Magnola Cheddar Cheese, Sriracha aioli (the fiery, punchy hot Vietnamese sauce), salsa verde, shoestring potato, and guacamole. To add even more fire to this hot Mexican treat is a tequila-rosemary lemonade.

Then we plunge into the third dish on the menu: Seafood Chistorra Bouillabaisse, one of Tina’s Table’s bestsellers. Swimming inside our bouillabaisse are a prawn, lapulapu, mussels, potatoes, and carrots.  This dreamy stew is made really creamy with Magnolia All Purpose Cream.

Fourth on the menu list is the Three Mushroom Raviolo, a fresh pasta that uses Magnolia All Purpose Flour and Magnolia brown eggs. This ravishing raviolo is stuffed with three kinds of mushroom (portobello, porcini, button mushroom), Purefoods thick-cut bacon, red onions, chili, and lavished with pomodoro sauce.

The last dish (before the dessert, of course) on the menu is a chicken roulade. Rolled up inside a lovely piece of Magnolia chicken breast are mushrooms, Magnolia Gold Butter, fig, and Magnolia Cream Cheese. It is served with the slightly sweet, mildly spicy romesco sauce (a puree of roasted bell peppers and hazel nuts). To accompany our chicken roulade is a corn (a familiar Mexican ingredient) and saffron risotto.

Don’t leave your table at Tina’s Table without trying one (or two or more) of the sinfully delicious desserts. We’re served three — Trio Platanos consisting of banana tres leches, banana soaked in three kinds of milk (Magnolia Full Cream Milk, coconut milk, and condensed milk) with a torched banana on top; Magnolia Best of the Philippines kesong puti ice cream in banana milkshake; and fried plantain with coffee chocolate sauce using San Mig coffee.

But of course, partnering with Tina’s Table for this most memorable dinner is the San Miguel Purefoods Culinary Center that serves as the arm of the San Miguel Food Group in reaching out to consumers and providing new and interesting ways of using San Miguel Purefoods products in recipes that can be applied at home.

After that great dinner in the company of assorted foodies, it’s time to meet the person behind Tina’s Table.

Tina’s Table is named after young restaurateur Tina Legarda. To learn more about the place, I sit down with Tina on a chair out in the garden. “This chair is where my dad asked my mom to marry him,” Tina relates with a twinkle in her eyes. “So, they were sitting on this chair at Camp John Hay in Baguio and my dad surprised my mom by bringing the chair from Baguio to Manila.”

That chair is just one of the many charming pieces of furniture you’ll find at Tina’s place, each with probably a story to tell. This private fine-dining place is located in the lovely home of Tina’s parents in BF Homes.

“I called it Tina’s Table because I’m serving my food, things that I love to eat,” Tina explains.  “You get to choose your menu and I serve it to you.”

Tina serves more of Italian food with some Spanish-influenced dishes as well as French cuisine. Tina trained for over a year with chef/restaurant owner Mario Batali at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore where he runs his Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza. “I learned from Mario Batali the little details, that it’s all in the little details. He’s very particular about how you serve your food, like how you cut your bread, it’s really detailed, and the chefs in his restos make sure everything is followed.”

Tina is also most grateful to her generous mentors in the Philippines who opened their hearts and their kitchens to her — chefs Billy King and Jessie Sincioco.

So, what’s Tina’s signature dish?

“Based on people’s reactions to it, I’d say my signature dish that people really love is grilled prawn on top of roasted tomato risotto.”

Tina has whipped up an extensive menu guests can choose from, “but if they want to have another course or add something else, that’s fine with me.” 

She can create a menu for you on the spot, using ingredients that are bountiful and in season on the market. “So if you book for March, I’m gonna assume these things would be available, and that mangoes are in season. I can work with my clients to make a dish that would be best suited to everybody. You can e-mail me at food.is.served@gmail.com.”

Tina’s Table can do private dining for a minimum of 15 persons and a maximum of 30-35 persons. Cost per head is P1,900 to P2,500. For not-so-private dining, Tina has her Bamba, a cozy little bistro serving Southern comfort food.

Headed south? Tina’s Table is set to thrill assorted taste buds.