BY JEREMY C. MALCAMPO
SUBIC, WATERFRONT ROAD, THURSDAY 4:48 p.m.
I had an overload of fat from eating at a San Fernando, Pampanga grill when we arrived in Subic last Thursday. Consequently, I wasn’t sure if I was up to going around Pampanga and sampling the food delights there. However I forced myself to go around, reasoning that I may never have this chance to do so again.
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Canadian Chef Steve inside Aresi
kitchen in Subic | | One of our guides, and all-around great cook, Sir Ivan Sy (who’s a rich farmer and a potato-fries master) led our group to this Pampango Delicatessen with buko pandan specialties for dolces and pastries. He bought boxes of frosty-creamed buko pandan layered desserts for our group to eat in Aresi, before deciding to take some shots at the Subic golf club’s driving range.
For some reason, everybody knew that we weren’t that hungry yet, particularly famous Chinese foodie Jerome Ngo (Pinoy cuisine restaurateur) who insisted on practicing his golf-swings that day before loading ourselves with heavenly Continental and Mediterranean cuisine at Aresi.
A NIGHT WITH STEVE AND FONTANT
At Aresi, Francis Villaluz, who’s a culinary marketing specialist for one of the biggest rotisseries here and abroad, insisted that we try some tapas and antipasto with wine as aperitifs, before deciding on the next courses for our meals. Jerome Ngo’s colleague Tanny Pile, who’s a Pale Pilsen lover, got us some platters of Oysters Rockefeller and pastas. The Rockefellers were good with their generous portions of cream and spinach inside covering the juiciness of the oysters, and were topped with perfect golden brown cheese gratin. The oysters were so good, I didn’t have to squeeze some lemon wedges over it for juice and add salt.
After a few minutes, Gerry’s Grill OIC, Sir Tony, introduced Aresi Chef Steve Scudder to the group. Gerry’s Grill business partner Christian Cheng was checking out the menu with the other guys of our group when Chef Steve offered the wine menu. I spotted a Fontant (skalli) Chardonnay that unfortunately wasn’t available that night. Sir Tony and I decided to get the next best thing, which was the Fontant Cabernet Sauvignon (skalli) 2002 of the Sete neighborhood of France.
Christian and the other guys decided on the Classic French Soup and Caesar’s Salad, to go with our French wine. For food and wine pairings, Fontants (of the skalli family) are rated with 1 to 2 red stars indicating superior quality for drinking, and a revolutionary badge of top vins de pays d’oc for the Cabernet Sauvignion.
But I prefer to gauge it here, and the way I enjoyed it. Above all, I would like an answer to my personal question, why was it priced just P1200 per bottle there in Subic?
As the dishes were served, I observed some objectivity on the wine after uncorking at room temp, and when chilled. When not chilled, the Cabernet-Sauvignon was heavy on tannins, and I had the impression that it was slightly oaken. The un-chilled wine was good with the onion soup’s two-cheese mozzarella and Gruyere gratin over a floating Melba toast. After chilling, the wine went well with the Caesar’s Salad, and it emitted its light floral nose of rose and jasmine. When sipped, it was quite light with nuttiness, and had some finish of caramel and margarine. Personally, this was perhaps the most romantic Cabernet Sauvignon I ever had.
ARESI RECOMMENDED DISHES
After a bottle or so of wine, everybody was slightly tipsy and Chef Steve took on the responsibility of
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Garlic Seafood Pasta
| | ordering our entrées. In between drunken conversations and happy laughs on being single males (actually we were just temporarily away from our wives) Chef Steve served two pasta masterpieces with a Ravioli platter. One pasta platter had a roasted, deviled chicken in rosemary, with a generous amount of olives, capers, basil and spices in Puttanesca sauce. But I preferred the Pasta Gamberetti with seafood in vin-blanc reduction. It was simpler, familiar and it made me feel hungrier because of the excellent infusion of garlic, and the pasta’s al’dente cooking. The ravioli was also quite good, however I got the impression it tasted the same way as a mushroom-cheese dumpling at downtown Binondo that’s usually sold for 5 pesos each.
By the time we decided to shift drinking to San Miguel Light (chilled without ice) our main-courses of Mahi Mahi and Salmon Meuniere in Spinach Beurre Blanc, and Black Angus rib eye with veggies and Baconed Mashed Potatoes came. They were very good, and were personally cooked by the chef, reason enough for us to extend the night until 4:00 a.m.
(to be continued)
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