Cafe 1771: A Dish that’s Worth the Wait

Cafe 1771 Lamb

March 19, 2010 – Cafe 1771, Ortigas Center – I’ve eaten it in so many restaurants. I still dislike eating beef and pork, but I’d sneak in a few bites of lamb from a restaurant or two just to see who did it right.

Gamey meat is notoriously difficult to do right. Not seasoned properly, the taste of the meat is overpowering. Not cooked long enough, it can be tough as rag to chew on. I eat lamb on occasion just to see if the chef managed to get it at the right flavor and fall-off-the-bone consistency.

The basic recipe calls for lamb to be cooked a good seven hours with your aromatics and braising liquid, so restaurants have to precook the lamb for dinner service. Where I usually wait 30 minutes for an order of lamb, Cafe 1771 took a full hour. I understood that slow, winey braises take a long time, but an hour waiting was a little too much.

Cage and I had gone through the rest of the food when the lamb shoulder was brought out in a red casserole. Faint gamey smell. Generous amounts of meat and beans. We spooned the stew into our plates as the meat simply would not hold impaled to a fork before it disintegrates enticingly into the pot.

In my mouth, chunks of the lamb shoulder just melted. Though it was a great finish to our meal, preparation took ages. Next time, I’ll order this when I have a whole evening to spare.

Cafe 1771: A Note on too Long a Service

Cafe 1771 Lounge

March 19, 2010 – Cafe 1771, Ortigas Center – A flurry of activity. Disorganized service. Mistaken identities. Mis-seasoned dishes. Incredulously long wait. Gotta love a newly opened restaurant.

One thing fastfood veterans like McDonald’s and Jollibee have in the bag is their ability to replicate themselves seamlessly with little to no downtime. Like clockwork, each newly opened branch sport crew that operate with scary efficiency and possessed of a thorough knowledge of their product offerings. I hate the greasy food, but I have got to give them props for something. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the classier restaurants take months to adjust after initially opening to the public. Art takes time(?).

Cafe 1771 was no different. It’s been 45 minutes since we placed our order, and I’m two seconds away from throwing a fit.

Bizu’s Quiches and My Salty Experiments

Bizu Quiche

March 6, 2010 – Bizu, Greenhills – It’s 7:30 in the evening. My trusty food sidekicks,themarklim and runfastrussia, watch wide-eyed as I order breakfast, lunch and dinner items one after the next. They’re obviously intimidated. “Are you eating all that?”

My nose buried at page six and staring at the quiche photos, I absently replied, “Well, I’m on a diet, but that’s why you’re both here.”

The last time I made a quiche Lorraine was in high school. The pastry was both flaky and tender. It was a pretty good turnout considering I hate baking – everything about it reminds me of the Chemistry class I barely passed. I got good marks for the pastry which was supposed to be the most difficult thing about the dish.

“Sa susunod, kapalan mo yung pastry para may pang salo sa alat ng filling mo,” said my professor.

Bizu’s quiche was resplendent – like mine. Flaky and tender – like mine. And incredibly salty – like mine. A caveat to the waiter before I order it again.

My thanks to themarklim for remembering to bring your camera, and runfastrussia for your appetite.

Happy Accidents and Bizu’s Failed Soufflés

Bizu Valrhona Souffle, Vanilla Ice Cream and Chocolate Sauce

March 6, 2010 – Bizu, Greenhills – I haven’t had many soufflés in my life. Well, two if you want to get technical.

The first was a failed experiment at a flourless cake I learned from Oprah. Egg whites, beaten to stiff peaks, folded into melted 70 percent cocoa bar with sugar and some butter for richness. I baked the sludge until it slowly rose in its ramekin before dusting with confectioner’s sugar. Okay, so it wasn’t a soufflé but it looked enough like it to satiate my craving. In my mind’s eye, it was the happiest baking accident.

One of a few successful Bizu souffles.

The other one (and it’s enough for me) is the Valrhona chocolate soufflé served at Bizu. I just love the tufts of smoke that billow from a newly pierced soufflé. I break the center to show my friends what it was that made me giggle like a little girl with a crush the moment we stepped into the pâtisserie. Don’t hold your breath for a good one every time you visit Bizu. Nine of ten times I’ve been to the pâtisserie, they insist on serving a burnt, crusty, failed excuse for a soufflé. They churn out pretty good recipes, but the pastry chef definitely needs a LOT of work on his soufflés.

As it always is – when having meals in the company of good friends – there are those who enjoy the chance to bond and catch up, and those – like me – who just eats with gusto.

Thanks to themarklim – up and coming food photog (for me, at least) – andrunfastrussia for loving Goldilock’s chocolate rolls more than Valrhona soufflés. More for me!