Bad Saint has received a lot of phenomenal press coverage in the past 3 years since it opened. Reviews often begin with the no reservation policy and the often several hour long wait on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant for a seat. But we weren’t going blind. Isabel, our daughter, had already been 3 or so times, once to take photos for a published review of the restaurant and where she had a chance to taste just about everything on the menu. And she said, “Dad, it’s worth the wait”… so line up on our last afternoon in Washington, D.C., we did. Bad Saint refers to St. Malo, and area of Louisiana where Filipinos who jumped boat (the earliest TNT adventurers) from their galleons in the 17-1800’s took refuge and presumably started to cook Filipino food. The first immigrants… I think it is a BRILLIANT name for a Filipino restaurant in the U.S.

You can tell who the regulars are, they come armed with portable seats, novels, tablets. We had shopping bags instead, to sit on the pavement while we wondered what was on the menu for dinner… The wait wasn’t so bad. But a quick tip for MM readers… just send one person to line up and have your friends come 10 minutes before opening… that’s what lots of other folks did. If you aren’t ion the first 8-10 people in line, you may have to wait even longer for a seat after opening. With just two dozen seats or so, and maybe just 2-3 tables for 4, Bad Saint can’t accommodate too many people at one seating. Maximum group size is 4 people.

A few groups were ahead of us, so we ended in four seats facing out the front windows of the restaurant. The place is tiny, but don’t dwell on the interiors, just focus on the food. The menu listed only 9 dishes that evening + one special. Out of ten dishes, we ordered 7 and the Chef Tom Cunanan sent out another 2, so needless to say, we had 90% of the dishes in that one visit. A bit of backstory, I think one of the owners Genevieve Villamora and Chef Tom were aware, had visited, followed? marketmanila.com and had spotted us in line so we have to be grateful for the extra nice welcome which was like meeting up with old friends, though we had only met them face to face this one time. Genevieve was a gracious host, and well, Tom made sure the dishes sent out of the kitchen aimed to please…

To start off this post-graduation family celebration, Isabel ordered the “Tang” cocktail, a cheeky, nostalgic 60’s to 80’s taste profile that was amusing in name, but surprisingly adult and tasty to the palate… Made with a tangerine juice reduction, fino sherry, tangerine, lime, lemongrass and rambutan bitters. Somehow, this first sip was to herald good things to come…

…Mrs. MM opted for a small bottle of French cider, that was a perfect pairing for much of the food we ate that evening. Light, crisp and clean, the Etienne Dupont Cidre Bouché is something I am going to keep my eye out for to bring back home…

…Chief of Stuff and I had two bottles of San Miguel Pale Pilsen for a direct taste of home (I think these were brewed and imported from Hong Kong, however) and a cheery toast for all to celebrate graduation, moving into a new apartment rental, no more tuition checks for mom and dad, an epic trip to the Grand Canyon and Sedona area, touring a first-time visitor to the U.S., etc. was in order. Now to the food…

Labanos at pinaitum. We didn’t order this dish, but I think the Chef thought we should try it. Thank God for that. French radishes sitting on a bed of coconut meat, burnt coconut meat and coconut cream with honey. I think it was all emulsified and chilled to set. Several garnishes such as micro greens, toasted coconut, etc. on top. The dip almost had a consistency of hummus. It was amazing. Surprisingly delicious, but really delicious, and not really reminiscent of anything Filipino, but somehow it still had Pinoy soul. For a westerner, they would just think it was an amazing dish, regardless of provenance or nationality. Note to self, it was disarmingly rich and only became obvious because of how much we would eat in total that evening.

Next to arrive was ginisang ampalaya, which was beautifully done, the twist being the addition of salty black beans (or soy beans?) that ramped up flavor and minimized bitterness, though I seek the bitter. Even Isabel, who is an avowed anti-ampalaya stalwart, seemed to enjoy it. I loved it. This and a bowl of rice, nice vegetarian meal on its own. Note the ebullient use of garnishes, not just to prettify it, it was to add flavor, texture, contrast and it really did work well. Philippine cuisine doesn’t use much in the way of herbs, so playing with other strong flavors is a good way to tickle one’s palate.

The third dish to arrive were these nearly coal black adobong sugpo. Made with squid ink (wrong guess, my bad) pureed black garlic and bay leaves (some ingredients left out), it was swoon-worthy. Again, this single dish on its own with rice would have made a meal. But I like how Chef Tom doesn’t plate up to western expectations, but rather suggests family style servings with multiple dishes to enjoy a myriad of flavors and textures. This was a dense coating of squid ink, not the watery adobos you might be more familiar with from back home. The crisped rice lightened up the look of the dish, but as Isabel put it, they look a bit like fried maggots and to some, might not be so appealing. :)

I had to include another photo of the prawn dish to show how sticky and viscous the sauce was. Note the amount of rice I was consuming with each little bit of shrimp. They deliver unlimited amounts of rice to you, which was appreciated.

Next, dinuguan na bagnet or deep-fried pork belly on a blood stew. Delicious. Only the faintest of metallic taste to the blood; I am not normally a huge fan of dinuguan, but I liked this dish a lot. More on this in the Part II of this post… coming up soon.

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When a good friend who lives in HK asked if we would be interested in eating some French food in a traditional HK food court, Mrs. MM and I were understandably flummoxed. We trust this friend, so off to a food court we went one evening.

So the story goes that the Chef(s) of the now defunct M on the Fringe had set up shop in a food court to avoid high rents but still churn out restaurant quality food at much more affordable prices. Our friend was a regular here, and that means you get the best located table covered in red and white tablecloths in the fluorescent bathed, cacophonous and utterly nondescript food court on the second floor of a building with an escalator to take you up there.

We had been eating constantly for the previous two days, so we ordered “lightly”, or so we thought. Up top was some perfectly cooked white asparagus, beautifully prepped and served with slices of prosciutto and a poached egg. It was delicious. We also had a generous serving of foiegras with green salad and a cape gooseberry compote. This was delicious as well, but poorly deveined, or not deveined at all.

While our friend ordered some naan from the Indian stall nearby to nosh on while waiting for our food, we looked around amused at the rapidly filling tables, and discussions over wine, the soft drinks cases under nearby tables, etc. Our main courses arrived and we had a confit de canard that was delicious but not the prettiest to behold.

A loin of lamb with potatoes was our least favorite of all the dishes, but it was still good. Nearby everyone was getting their specialty, suckling pig, served with mustard that we consciously avoided since we see lechons constantly, but in retrospect, we should have ordered one dish of it. Maybe next time.

Desserts included an airy pavlova (non-crispy meringue) with fruit and a passion fruit sauce. Yum.

And a raspberry trifle that I practically finished all by myself. I love raspberries.

Dinner for three with drinks came out to roughly $100 or $33 each. Not exactly food court prices, but probably just the cost of an entree at a mediocre restaurant in a high-rent district in Hong Kong, and here we enjoyed three courses plus drinks. Pretty good value, in my opinion.

If you want to check out the place, here are the details:

ABC Kitchen
Shop 7, Queen Street Cooked Food Market,
Sheung Wan

There is a short walk to the Sheung Wan subway station. Or take a cab from Central.

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That’s what roughly 1.7 kilos of white truffles looks like… And if this post had smell-a-vision, then you would not only see it, you would smell the intense aroma they were giving off. After our visit to Alba and Rome, we headed back to Manila, and roughly 10 days later, I had the honor of being inducted into the Ordine dei Cavalieri del Tartufo e dei Vini di Alba. I was now a “Knight of Truffles”… I kid you not. :)

It didn’t seem right to become a Cavalieri del Tartufo if I hadn’t actually been to Alba, I hadn’t seen how truffles were hunted, and I didn’t have my fill of the food and wine of the Piemontese region. It was by no means a requirement, but it just seemed like the right thing to do… Mrs. MM was actually the one who made it happen, juggling our original itinerary and inserting a few nights in Northern Italy. In the photo above from left to right, Ina Ayala, the original cavalieri for Manila, Beth Romualdez and myself, the two new inductees for 2016, and John Dibble, who came from Hong Kong to preside over the event.

The setting was a dinner for some 80 or so guests who had signed up for an evening of truffles and wine, held at the Shangri-La Hotel. Our meal started with a ragout of mushrooms with a coddled (or sous vide) egg and shaved truffles. This was intensely delicious.

A photo with Margarita Fores, who was the one that got me into this thing in the first place, and Alex Lichaytoo of Bacchus, Inc. Note the snazzy medals.

The next course was a tajarin with more shaved white truffles. I understand the original fresh noodles that were brought clumped up before cooking, so Margarita et al in the kitchen whipped up new noodles on the fly. The noodles weren’t what they were supposed to be, but the sauce and truffles were fantastic. Tajarin are fresh egg noodles made with an insane, and I mean INSANE amount of egg yolks. It’s something I plan to try at home someday soon… The main course was beef with even more truffles.

Dessert was a really fancy chocolate number, complete with warm chocolate sauce that melted some of the other components. A fitting end to a wonderful dinner. Now, it is my duty to promote and enjoy the classic recipes and wines of the Piemontese region, and it is a duty I will fulfill with the greatest of enthusiasm, along with all the other delicacies and food regions around the country and the world that I so enjoy… :)

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After tasting wines at the local enoteca regionale of Barolo, we headed to the charming “cellars” of Agricola Gian Piero Marrone in La Morra. We were to have a “light lunch” along with tasting another5-6 local wines, this time from a much for economical Euro5-7 per bottle to perhaps a high of Euro30 per bottle.

Lunch tables were set out in a room filled with enormous barrels, just beside rooms were wine was made/bottled. The view from the terrace above the building was spectacular, so if you decide to tour this winemaker, make sure to reserve a table for lunch and the view.

Some of the oak barrels recently filled with wine.

Their retail area with several of their labels on offer, most at very economical prices.

The tasting lunch started with some classic bruschetta topped with tomatoes. In this case, the bread was very crisp, all the way through.

A platter of salumi followed next, and the salty, fatty cured meat was a welcome break from the several glasses of wine we had had so far… We finished this entire plank of salumi with freshly baked foccacia!

We each also enjoyed the chicken and artichoke dish, a bit like chicken salad really…

…with two kinds of their white wines, the arnais standing out as a fruity, light, very drinkable everyday wine.

A warm cheese and zucchini flan.

One of several reds.

A selection of local cheeses.

And a hurried finish of a chocolate panna cotta… we kind of rushed off before we could have a coffee as we had a very important appointment to catch at 2pm to go on a truffle hunt, up next.

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We arrived well after noon, almost 2pm I think, and after 30 hours in transit, we were tired and I was very hungry. The staff at the hotel offered to serve lunch from the Bistrot menu out in the courtyard and we settled into our table under a large umbrella and ordered a simple lunch of pasta and salad. I had the spaghetti all’Amatriciana, first because the hotel and (hundreds of other restaurants across Italy and the world) had a promotion where they donated some of the proceeds from the dish to the hill town of Amatrice that was recently devoted by an earthquake, and second, this pasta is a personal favorite. It arrived well-sauced, almost over-sauced really, but it was delicious and exactly what I needed.

Mrs. MM had a tajarin with fresh porcini mushrooms that was so flavorful and delicious! Tajarin are on freshly made egg noodles that were unctuously rich and made with a LOT of egg yolks, apparently. She only finished 70% of her dish and of course I polished off the rest… :)

We shared a beautiful mixed green salad that was thoughtfully assembled… 4-5 kinds of incredibly fresh and properly hydrated lettuce leaves and beet tops, thinly shaved fennel, fennel fronds, basil, other herbs, finely julienned carrots and oddly, some torn shiso leaf that provided hits of flavor that I found unusual and out of place at first. But when I asked if it was indeed shiso, they nodded and I guess I learned something new that day with respect to the mixture of greens and how a basic salad can be easily elevated with care and creativity. Dressing was just a good olive oil and some excellent balsamic vinegar. A bread basket just put the carb count way over the top. But fortified, we retired to our room for a couple of hours before taking a late afternoon stroll through town to prepare ourselves for dinner at the Bistrot proper…

Later that evening, we settled into a table at the Bistrot above the Michelin-starred restaurant (where we ate the following night) and I ordered a PHENOMENAL beef carpaccio that was just so stunningly deep red in a good appetizing way…

The meat must have been salted and aged for a while, it was just so intensely red, and it was beautifully arranged in a mound over lettuce leaves, a clever reversal of the more common way of laying the meat flat on the plate, and piling the greens and dressing on top of it. The hotel writes that the dressing was made with honey, lapsing souchong tea and lemon, a snazzy vinaigrette of sorts.

Mrs. MM wanted a light dinner, and only ordered this salad with some toma or tomino (sorry, didn’t note the exact variety) cheese with some lamb’s lettuce, radishes and walnuts. It was heavier than it looks, with two generous slices of warmed cheese lurking under the leaves.

I also ordered a classic bowl of meat ravioli with tomato sauce, probably more than my quota of tomato sauce pastas for being in Northern Italy, where one shouldn’t really order tomato based pastas… :) Overall the quality was very good for the prices charged, and I suspect the food came out of the same kitchen as the Michelin-starred place on the first floor. Service was wonderful, with one waiter attending to only our table the entire time. We were prepared to call it a day, slept well throughout the night, ready for a full-day of sightseeing in Alba and the Piedmont region…

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We had three generous bowls of this amazing tom yam goong alongside the three plates of pad thai and fried rice at a roadside eatery outside Bangkok. It’s hard to describe how darned good this soup was, but visually, you get clues that it isn’t your watery, dubious neighborhood restaurant equivalent of tom yam. Just look at it.

A few shrimp swimming in a sea of sour, spicy, heady, thickish broth. Whole chilies, sliced fresh straw mushrooms, green onions, tomatoes, hints of lemongrass and OMG, this was just as stunningly good as the pad thai. Several of our companions don’t eat spicy food, and if I recall correctly, all three bowls of tom yum were wiped clean. This bowl cost less than $2, and it is the result of a vibrant agricultural economy where produce is so cheap and abundant and of wonderful quality… I can’t really think of much of a local equivalent, but then again, maybe something like this bowl of crab soup for breakfast in Bogo, Cebu would qualify…

As if we didn’t have enough food, I got some stir-fried chicken over rice as well. It was good, but just not AS good as the pad thai and tom yum goong.

And in case your food wasn’t flavorful or spicy enough, how about a spoonful of this sawsawan or condiment made up of chopped chilies, garlic, lime juice and fish sauce? In terms of food highlights, this outside Bangkok road side late lunch was definitely one of the most memorable meals we have had for less than $3 each.

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“Takaw mata” is a great Filipino phrase. I’m not sure what the english equivalent would be. “Visually triggered over-ordering”? At any rate, at the same roadside eatery we stopped at outside Bangkok where we had three plates of pad thai in this previous post, we also ordered three plates of fried rice. Yes, we were hungry.

Into a wok with oil go the eggs, then chicken and sliced carrots…

…some sliced onions…

…cabbage and other greens and toss well.

Add three plates of previously cooked and cooled rice.

Soy sauce, fish sauce, possibly tamarind paste, sugar and some other spices.

Garnish with some chopped green onions and sliced cucumber. Yum. Delicious.

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Our daughter had raved about this small restaurant called 12/10 in an off-beat location on the fringe of Makati a year ago, and we had been meaning to eat there ever since… She went with friends, all with a limited budget, so while they enjoyed it, I think she knew a more adult budget (read: Mom or Dad’s credit card) might result in an even more pleasurable experience. Patterned after a japanese pub with food known as an izakaya, this kind of fusion Japanese watering hole is hip, young and interesting.

Mrs. MM and I went with another couple, good friends equally serious eaters. We started off with some cocktails, (rather than beer as you might do at a real izakaya), and I must say that my negroni was perfectly crafted. I don’t have cocktails often, but if they were always this good, I’d have one every night. And the little detail that put this drink in my extra good graces? A carefully made near clear chunk of ice that helps to justify the hefty price tag. Earlier photos of drinks from 12/10 on-line clearly show they have used tube ice in the past, so this little bit of extra effort was noted and appreciated. Try making clear solid blocks of ice for your home cocktails these holidays, and see if anyone notices. :)

We ordered almost 80% of dishes on the menu, having been warned earlier of small portions and a shortage of starch. We started off with their version of a spicy tuna salad, doused in panko breadcrumbs, seaweed flakes and a slightly spicy dressing. It was nice, and a riff on a Japanese restaurant favorite, familiar yet new at the same time. We also had a SUPERB, but SUPERB, roasted bone marrow (photo up top) again with the toasted panko to add texture to the silky marrow. We had duck, pork buns, and several orders of chicken wings and fried chicken as well. My photos were horrific in the minimal light, so visuals are lacking.

One of our favorite dishes of the night was some roasted mini-eggplants topped with some greens. The attention to detail again in the garnishes, mincing, chiffonade, sprinkling of cadena de amor blooms was all noted. The flavors were familiar yet new on some dishes at the same time.

This was a superb dish of kobe beef with fresh lychees and deep fried leek stems/roots. The sweetness of the lychees paired surprisingly well with the beef. While each dish at dinner was memorable, some were more memorable than others. After 7-8 dishes I started to notice that many of the flavors, textures and garnishes seemed repeated in several of the dishes, and I suppose you aren’t really supposed to eat 80% of the dishes in one go, but it’s a quibble in that you get “more of the same” sauce/flavor/garnish and it gets a tad tiring to the palate. Having said that, one of the ways it might have been made better was if there was a bit more variety of flavors (sour, salty, bitter, sweet, umami)on offer, to wake the palate up a bit more and stretch the boundaries. Don’t get me wrong, I really liked our meal, I guess I was just gunning for more considering the high quality we were experiencing…

We ended with two orders of this tuna and foie gras onigiri that was superb. Overall, a very, very satisfying meal. Service was attentive and knowledgeable. It was pricey, but delicious. Some reviews on line suggest budgeting PHP750-1,000 per person for dinner and a drink here. I think we ended up closer to PHP2,750++ per person. But we would definitely return, and the next time with daughter in tow, so she can taste more of the menu with Mom/Dad underwriting the experience! :)

12/10
7635 Guijo St, San Antonio Village
Makati, Metro-Manila 1203

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On our last day in Xian, Mrs. Marketman booked a private “food tour” with Ruixi of “The Lost Plate” tours. Mrs. MM did some internet research and scoured options and ended up with what turned out to be a fabulous choice. More on the tour later, straight onto our first stop after being picked up at our hotel in a “tuktuk”… About 10-15 minutes (slightly harrowing) drive later, nearing the Muslim quarter, we stopped at this nondescript roadside eatery, the first of several in a 3-hour tour. Don’t ask me for names, I couldn’t write it phonetically or copy the script if I was under fear of starvation. Suffice it so say this isn’t going to be too easy to find for a casual two-day tourist to the city.

There was a a large lone “pancake” cooling out front, right beside a wood chopping board. But there were several more being made inside the store, and we watched intently as these utterly exquisite savory pancakes were made from scratch.

First, an incredibly pliable dough (which at first I thought MUST be made with lard, but on second thought, near the Muslim quarter that seemed odd) was rolled out about 1/8th of an inch thick. Then ground beef was spread thinly over the dough, ground sichuan peppercorns and other spices sprinkled on and finally a generous pile of green onions or scallions were added. A mystery paste or sauce was spread on the other half of the dough (could this be some fat and ghee? No, maybe tallow with spices. They couldn’t say or wouldn’t say. :(

Then they rolled up the pancake in a manner that kept the meat and veg in the middle and then there were several layers of dough with fat in between. Think of it as croissant dough made a totally different way really. The end result is an incredibly flaky and tasty outer dough enveloping all the savoring goodness within.

It was utterly fascinating how pliable the dough was, and it stretched like you wouldn’t believe and never once ripped. The resulting buns looked like giant siopao’s and there was the heightened sense of anticipation as we realized we were going eat freshly made and cooked pancakes.

The dough oozing with fat of undetermined nature.

The pancakes put in a decades old press that cooks them from below and above. It took several minutes in this contraption and while it was oily, it wasn’t frying it oil…

The result looked like a giant hopia with a browned flaky exterior that was slightly greasy but not overly so. It was roughly 6 inches in diameter and hefty in weight. I think these were about a dollar or so for one piece. You can buy half of one if there is someone else in the vicinity who will buy the other half. We split one between three people since we were planning on eating all morning.

The pancake is cut into eight and served on a plate with a bunch of chopsticks.

There are tons of variants on this pancake throughout Xian. Long You Bing is a green onion stuffed pancake. Xian bing is a beef pancake. But this one seemed to have both so I can’t be sure what they called it. Here’s a homemade one in case you are ambitious… And here’s a 25 second video of how they actually shape the pancake in this particular shop…

Note the incredibly flaky pastry, the moist meat and veggies in the middle. Imagine the slight sting of sichuan peppercorns on your palate as you chew, and do this with your eyes closed as you reach the food equivalent of a climax. Yes, it was THAT GOOD. Hot, fresh, made in front of your eyes, cooked while you waited, and sliced and presented as you sat with heightened anticipation. All for a $1. And believe me, I could have eaten this whole pancake by myself. All of it. It was superb.

Just 15 minutes at this stop and back into our tuktuk to the next food discovery. We could have only done this with a guide (preferably with wheels), and “The Lost Plate” was a very good choice. They have tried hundreds of vendors and selected the best, they spoke the local language and fluent English, and they allowed us to experience the maximum exposure in the minimum amount of time. It cost approximately $100 for the two of us. And that included all the dishes we consumed (which couldn’t have cost more than $10-15).

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After a morning visit to the terra cotta warriors located an hour outside Xi’an, our guide had promised a lunch at a “local” place. There were lots of tourist type restaurants and as we walked to lunch past hawkers trying to get our lunch business, we seemed to pass most of the flashy places and kept walking through the parking lot. Then we arrived at a really modest storefront and the guide said this is where all the drivers/guides preferred to eat.

This was only our second meal on this China trip so we were eager to try everything, and I ordered five dishes, thinking the driver and guide would be eating with us. But they insisted on eating at another table and they ordered separately. So Mrs. MM and I had to do justice to five relatively large dishes. Up above, some pork and vegetable dumplings (this is dumpling country) that were delicious but a bit heavy. A beef noodle soup with freshly made noodles that on it’s own would have been a hearty lunch for one. But we also had to have a beef sandwich up top that is the Chinese equivalent of a hamburger, but it tasted much better than a fast food version. We also had an excellent cold noodle dish with chili oil. And the absolute slam dunk winner of the lunch was a stewed eggplant dish with chilies that they served over rice. Rice is not common in this part of China, but I had spied this dish at another table and ordered it without really knowing what it was. The eggplant was incredibly delicious. The entire meal, along with some water and a Coke was all of $10. Definitely look for where the drivers eat their lunch…

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