Of fine wine & good food

It was an evening filled with fine wine and sumptuous food as Happy Living’s Kathy Yao Santos hosted an intimate dinner at the Strip in Solaire. This dinner was held to introduce Freemark Abbey, a kind of wine the company is bringing in. 

Dinner started with an Angus beef carpaccio served with Freemark Abbey Merlot 2011 Napa Valley. A seared duck breast with carrot puree, pomegranate and chestnut followed, which went well with the Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Napa Valley. Served next was the delectable Black Angus strip loin with panisse frite (fried chickpeas) and bordelaise sauce that was a perfect match for the Freemark Abbey Bosche Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Rutherford. 

The night was capped with strawberries and cream with meringue, crème anglaise and shortbread crumble.

This was another wonderful night that went very well. Looking forward to the next Happy Living wine-pairing dinner!

A kitchen called Marmalade

My friend, fellow food lover, schoolmate and Pinoy Eats World founding member JJ Yulo invited me for dinner at Marmalade Kitchen. I told JJ I was not familiar with this restaurant but he assured me it was good. I believed him as I trust the guy’s taste when it comes to food.

Marmalade Kitchen, owned by Aileen Anastacio, also of Goodies and Sweets, is a quaint little restaurant with a kitchen studio where people can learn how to cook. It has baked goods, marmalades, dried homemade pasta and, of course, Aileen’s cookbook , which was printed in Singapore. (I’ve tried and tested the Food for the Gods recipe in this book. Trust me, it’s to die for!)

I arrived quite late at the restaurant where I met up with a group who had already sampled a number of dishes; and with the smile on their faces, they looked very happy with the food. After settling down, I gathered what was still left of the Spaghetti Vongole, tasted it, and immediately sensed what this restaurant’s food was all about: simple comfort food that tasted really good.

Aileen served me a very tasty pulled pork sandwich with onion rings when she learned that I just arrived and hadn’t eaten yet. After consuming my sandwich, my eyes trained on the fried chicken served with gravy and cheesy fries. These were simple, straightforward dishes that tasted fantastic.

Desserts were then brought out, treats that Aileen is really known for. We eagerly sampled the Fallen Chocolate Cake, Key Lime Pie and White Toblerone Cheesecake — great desserts that were also available for take away at the front counter.

What surprised me about Marmalade Kitchen was the fact that Aileen was not only good at making desserts. Her savory food would also be reason enough for me to go back to her restaurant. For those who live near The Fort area, this is the perfect place to get really good comfort food. 

The great dinner was a pleasant surprise and I have to thank JJ for now letting me know about Marmalade Kitchen. 

(Marmalade Kitchen is located at Unit 2-5, Forum South Global, 7th Ave. cor. 25th St., Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

For inquiries, call 622-9196.) (Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.) Photos by Pepper Teehankee on a Samsung Galaxy S5