Spices: Open Kitchen

Late last year, Chris Urbano of Maputing Cooking and I decided to meet up again and this time around, he suggested that we dine in Open Kitchen, a restaurant in Kapitolyo that he supplies wine to.

There were four of us that night and we decide to share everything amongst us. To start we had the Steamed Bamboo Shells, the shellfish was served with croutons and side salad. The shell fish was delicious as it was so fresh and perfectly cooked.

Steamed Bamboo Shells - Php165 / 15 pcs

The Pumpkin Vanilla Soup looked really promising, it was served table side. On the center was a scoop of vanilla ice cream, the server poured out the soup into the bowl and told us to make sure that we mixed the ice cream together with the soup before eating. The soup was kind of runny and it needed more pumpkins in it as it didn't taste much of it.

Pumpkin Vanilla Soup - Php155

I liked the Chorizo Fussili with Tuna as it was really a simple dish done really well. Chorizo was salty and tasty, pasta was al dente and the tuna. Even though it was kind of thin, it was perfectly cooked, it still had a nice blushing pink center.

Chorizo Fusilli with Tuna - Php420

Cooked Tuna with a Nice Pinkish Center

The Grilled Wahoo was served with black coconut rice, lemon grass cream and potato alumettes. Fish was cooked perfectly though I found it a little bland even with the lemon grass cream, we had to add more salt on it. I was expecting the potato alumettes to be crispy as it is how it should be but the potato strips were pan fried instead.The crispiness would have been a plus for the dish's texture.

Grilled Wahoo - Php455

The Ribeye was of decent size and the way it was prepared and cooked was perfection. Served with a side of mashed potatoes and vegetables, the beef had nice pinkish center and the addition of the beef au jus was a nice touch. I'm guessing that the meat comes from the local market as it wasn't as tender compared with the imported ones but still it was good, a dish that I would order again.

The Ribeye - Php920

Perfectly Cooked to Medium Rare

My favorite dish for the night is the Anise Pork Belly. A huge chunk of melt in your mouth pork belly cooked with the aromatic and flavorful sauce that consist of honey-mustard, star anise, onion leeks and nori. I truly enjoyed the fusion of flavors of the sauce. The sweet honey mustard is very western, mixed with the Asian flavors of the anise, onion leeks and nori, everything compliments each other so well.

Anise Pork Belly - Php460

Chris and I each brought a bottle of wine. I brought a dry Viura from the Rioja region that complimented the seafood dishes. Chris brought one of his wines that he sells on line, the Chrismont Lazona Sangiovese from King Valley, the 2012 wine was excellent with the steak.

Chrismont Lazona 2012 Sangiovese

With 4 of us dinning, two bottles of wine weren't enough. On each table, you'll find recommendations on which wines will pair up well with the dish you'll order. We ordered two more from the restaurant, the All Saints Cabernet Sauvignon and the All Saints Sangiovese Cabernet. I've ordered and tried the All Saints Sangiovese Cabarnet before, I love how the wine is so versatile and savory at the same time. Both of the wines can also be ordered on line, www.maputingcooking.com.

Wine Pairing Menu

All Saints 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon - Php1,940

All Saints Sangiovese Cabernet - Php1,940

Majority of the restaurants in Kapitolyo are the bar/resto type where people go to down beers, eat grilled dishes, get tipsy and be merry. Open Kitchen is different, it's a place to have a nice quiet meal. Dishes are more 'refined' but still relatively affordable. The food is not mind blowing great but good enough to be visited regularly to eat well.

Open Kitchen
Address: 71-B East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig City
Tel No: 738 0102
Website: www.openkitchen48.com

*For orders or to find out more about the wines, you can visit,  www.maptuingcooking.com