Date Night at Chef Bruce's Table

Even if we are both really busy nowadays, Mr. S still makes time to surprise me with a undiscovered restaurant here and there. Dressing up and wearing my Louboutins is a plus for me.

For our little date night, he takes me to Chef's Table by Chef Bruce Lim

 Star of the Asian Food Channel's Corner Table, Chef Bruce infuses modern industrial sleek with traditional Filipino eats. I am in love with the fully exposed kitchen and backlit bar area.

The menu is a familiar blend of Filipino dishes in nouveau-cuisine preparation that adds French cooking techniques to our homemade favorites. There's a bit of deconstruction going on, and some substitutions to oldschool ingredients, much like its stark and loftlike decor.

The bar list looked promising, and  we began with a Pomelotini: "a Davao enthused concoction that uses pomelo, lemon & spring onions spirited by lambanog". Lambanog is Filipino moonshine, and the cocktail was a nice refreshing fauxtini that had a nice kick to it. Mr. S ordered Grapes Gaudines: "A grape drink made for a Princess; fresh grapes, cranberry, spring onions & lambanog". Mr. S shouldn't stopped after reading the word Princess. This was more a dessert cocktail and less a manly drink.

 
Hot Rock Pusit

Beer-marinated squid pressed between hot rocks served with spinach

I enjoyed the earthy flavor added by the beer marinade, but did not get a sense that the squid was prepared using hot rocks, nor did I see any spinach on my plate. I found the portion on the teeny side.

Crab Cakes

Freshly picked crab meat, seared and baked to perfection served with sampaloc aioli.

Beautiful presentation, a nice crisp on the crab cake while maintaining the flaky texture, and a bright tartness from the tamarind aioli. Two pieces was not enough for myself.

 

And finally, we reach the main courses.

Braised Liempo

Pork belly slowly braised in a sweet spiced humba sauce served with stirred-fried mustasa. 

The portions were generous, the pork tender, and the flavor true-blue Filipino with the sweetness. I wanted more of the stir-fried mustard for some bitterness to balance the fattiness of the pork, and craved more of the atchara garnish. Mr. S seemed to not care about anything else but the pork and inhaled this before I could get a second bite.

Chicken Sat on Salt

Chef's Table's chicken sat on salt slow roasted to perfection.

 With a name like that, you'd think this chicken was briny and salty; but surprisingly it was not. The skin was perfectly seasoned and the white meat was tender. I wanted a bit more flavor in the meat, but nothing a good atchara (pickled vegetable garnish) and seasoned vinegar could not fix.

I am a sucker for details, and the small sprinkle of seeds atop the chicken rice was cute as a button.

While waiting for dessert, I noticed the table was designed especially with a groove to accommodate a little pencil on the side. And with the brown paper tablemats, what's the next thing that could happen?

DOODLE TIME

I am, admittedly, graphically challenged and cannot draw a stick figure to save my life. I am not surprised that Mr. S' portrait of ToT had a resemblance. I did tell him to make my nose a little narrower though. Lol

Aww...

Biko with Calamansi Cream Sauce

Filipino rice and coconut cream pudding paired with a sweet and tangy calamansi cream sauce.

A fresh twist on our native kakanin  dessert. The citrus from the calamansi gave the normally dense dessert some dimension.

MY FAVORITE OF THE NIGHT: Buko Pie Martini

Our take on a classic buko pie twisted in Chef’s Table style.

This buko pie martini hailed many recommendations from friends who have tried it and found out I was eating at Chef's Table. It is indescribable, creamy and light, with several different textures tickling your palate. The bottom had desiccated coconut and the top was bruleed to give it a nice smoky sweetness. I will go back to Chef's Table just for this!

Before we headed out with our little doggy bag, we were given a little digestivo made from rice liquer. Now that's my kind of joint.

Finally, I can admit that I am a celebrity chef follower and can put Bruce Lim's Chef's Table to my list of Notable Eats. But I must come back and try Prawn Aligue (crab fat) Chef's Way: oven-baked luscious fresh prawns on aligue-flavored sotanghon (vermicelli). 

Can't wait.

Unit 106 The Infinity Tower 26th Street The Fort Global City Taguig, Philippines

+632 399 1888 

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