As I checked in at the hotel, I eagerly asked the concierge for directions to the hotel’s finest restaurant to grab a drink. I was led to the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, "The Rodizio", which has Brazilian-type service and a wide variety of international fares. Of course, I knew I would be having a gaucho dinner because of the wonderful South American cooking that I could see and smell from my table. From where I sat, I could see a wood-fired brick oven, and the wonderful aroma of pepper-dusted meat chunks and sausages filled the air. The name Rodizio said it all and by personal experience Rodizio cuisine means good, straightforward eating with macho-sized portions of smoked, grilled, roasted and spiced meat, and generous amounts of liquor.

Churascaria-style sausages and Chorizo Gaucho

After some bottles, Mr. Wilson excused himself to meet his wife; she was waiting downstairs at the Copa Bar, a "fast-track" fusion-bar with quite an interesting line of cocktail dishes.

Chef McGrath, Matthias, Maya and I decided on the Rodizio because: (1) we were hungry after our conversations over wine; and, (2) the Pinotage really served as a good aperitif.

Freshly paddled off the brick oven, naan-style foccacia bread was served. It was the best hotel house bread I’ve ever tasted. It was lightly brushed with olive oil, very lightly salted and well baked. It was daintily herbed and spiced with rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil and light cumin. It went well with the uncomplicated taste of our potato-leek soup, which was fairly chunky, and delicately creamed in onion and pepper, and served with some nutmeg. Before we decided to go for the meat that would be served on our table in the gaucho tradition, we had our Caesar’s salad, to refresh our palates and stimulate our taste buds in preparation for the expected heavy viands.

We were offered different varieties of sausages. Normally picanhas, lamb and barbecued meats are served on skewers in grilled, filleted states, but since we were in Pampanga, the meats were pre-herbed and spiced, and grilled in sausage-sized servings that are very Capampangan. We enjoyed generous servings of beef, pork, and chicken sausages with a follow up big plate of grilled pork ribs as heavy antipasti. The beef had a bold "English-Med" profile, which was good with fresh, chopped rosemary, thyme, oregano and pasty-garlic, treated with dried tomato-brunoise and lightly infused with mustard.

The pork was also very good and it reminded me of some mild savory-saccharine taste in smoky garlic, with a touch of fennel. However, I skipped the chicken, because of the overwhelming platter of pork ribs—in its citrus, sweet-peppery essence, and cayenne-tomato basting—and because Chef McGrath prepared a succulent seafood platter of grilled specials. The food was simple yet satisfying.

Everything was perfect. The team-up of the staff, particularly Chef McGrath and Matthias, was as good as cheese and red wine. With both these guys’ expertise in their fields, Pampanga is a niche of culinary dynamism. Personally, Holiday Inn’s Rodizio is a very good place to visit.