Dining at Cav Wine Shop is Far from Impressive
December 8, 2010 – Cav Wine Shop, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig – Cav is one of the most lauded restaurants in the Metro located at Bonifacio High Street – a shopping oasis at the heart of Taguig.
The dimly lit dining area was decorated in the nice urban version of a wine cellar that makes it casual, cozy and chic. On a Wednesday evening, the restaurant wasn’t packed, but it took a while for me to locate a waiter who could direct me to the function room I had reserved. Everything went downhill from there.
The room was dark and barely decorated – following the general wine cellar theme – with the odor to boot. The smell of rotting wood, dust and stored ancient antiques pervaded the function room. I was livid. Even when reserved ahead of time, none of the restaurant’s personnel made sure the room was set up and ready. It’s noteworthy to mention that the room came with a price tag – Php20,000 consumable.
I stormed out of the room asking for waiters to do something about the odor and explain the specials to my guests. And what about the wine pairings? I was promised an explanation of the offerings but untrained waiters had none to give. No explanation given. Nothing could be done about the stench. We had to endure and hoped the food’s aroma would mask the smell or render the horrible service moot.
Prosciutto-Wrapped Melons, Pumpkin Soup Shooter and Croquettes
The evening’s dining was opened by an amuse-bouche of prosciutto-wrapped melon balls with pumpkin cream soup shooter and croquettes. The melons with prosciutto were bland and needed seasoning or an additional flavor component to liven the dish. I’ve had the same dish at Duo – located at Serendra – that came with a divine vinaigrette. Cav’s version did not compare in flavor, and the presentation was overbearing. This was made even more depressing by the one-note pumpkin soup and croquettes. The pretentious presentation gimmick made me dislike the dish even more.
Truffle Salad of Edible Flowers, Organic Greens, Sprouts, Vegetables, Nuts, Seeds
My prix-fixe menu began with the Truffle Salad of edible flowers, organic greens, some sprouts, nuts and seeds. It was beautiful enough and edible flowers on my plate was interesting. Witty and unbalanced, the salad’s bitter components overpowered every other flavor dimension, while the nuts – neither candied nor toasted – added texture but did not add anything else to the dish.
The lobster raviolo with cognac bisque was astoundingly horrible. There was nothing delicate or complex about the dish. The bisque was an amalgam of the rich creme and an overpowering fishy taste from the lobster. I was dumbfounded. It tasted like I was downing a bowl of thick, bad milk! Fresh lobster is delicate with a slight hint of the sea. The lobster note of this dish was like being run down by a freight train of concentrated seafood flavor. I was floored.
Does this look rare to you?
Next to me, a colleague went for the Angus Beef Tenderloin with mountain rice, portobello ragu and foie gras foam. Specifically asked prepared rare. It was very near well-done, dry and the center had almost lost the touch of pink. Does this steak look rare to you? Having to spell this out to the waiter was exhausting, so he decided to let it slide.
I had the black cod with two-mustard froth. Incredibly salty and sour. If the goal of this dish’s chemistry was to hide bad fish, I’d say it was pretty successful. But it also succeeded in making me keep to my diet with what little of it I ate.
Chocolate Souffle Cake with mixed Berries and Grand Marnier Cream
Dessert was no better. Chocolate Souffle Cake with mixed Berries and Grand Marnier Cream was an equally unimpressive mess. The chocolate basket was burnt to an indedible state and Grand Marnier cream could not save the sour heap of preserved berries – why the chef did not opt for fresh berries is a mystery. The only bearable dish was the Warm Apple Galette with Cinnamon Ice Cream, but nothing about this dish improves on what I’ve tried before. Dulcinea’s Frech Apple Tart still satisfies best – the perfect play of Granny Smiths and sweet reds.
Warm Apple Galette with Cinnamon Ice Cream
Cav has very high aspirations. It seeks to present innovative dishes and bring haute cuisine to the urbane Metro, while educating the adventurous and willing on the growing obsession that is wine-tasting. It promises a competent mastery over classic cooking techniques, while introducing new concepts for diners. It promises fresh ingredients and top-notch preparation with stringent standards for freshness.
From start to finish, all that is apparent is Cav’s big talk and no substance. A huge selling point, with nothing delivered. The menu presents a complex gastronomy, but the execution falls flat in its face. While some things like taste are relative, service and technique failures are absolute. Not since Lolo Dad’s have I been severely disappointed by a restaurant that overcharges for poor service and shoddy execution. How can all the dishes go so horribly wrong? Didn’t the chef taste any of his creations before serving them up for the public’s scrutiny?
N.B. I was offered a gift certificate by Cav as an apology for their shortcomings – 10 percent of my total bill from 15 guests’ ruined Christmas dinner. I am overwhelmed with shock. Not for generosity, but for the same hubris found in their overbearing food. This, like the dining experience they served up, fails to impress.
