I very, very, very rarely go to the same restaurant for lunch and dinner on the same day.
BUT last April 13...
1. I had lunch with Edward at Vask
2. Chef Chele announced they have a new degustation menu
3. I was leaving for a long vacation the next morning
4. Chef Chele added that they only had 2 seats left
AYAYAY!
It was indeed a full house at The Gallery when we returned that evening. And it was also a
full house inside The Tummy after the 4-tapas-2-mains-3-desserts lunch, and after an
American buffet cocktail reception prepared by the US Embassy.
Yet I still managed to polish each and every plate of Vask's new
14-course Carluccio degustation. YES, THAT GOOD.
It was an extremely busy night in the kitchen, but Chef Chele had everything under control
Welcome cocktail
Cheese amuse bouche
Crusty bread served with award-winning olive oil
Magellan's Dimsum
I was delighted to see that they kept my favorites from the old menu, and replaced my not-so-favorites with new dishes that blew me away.
Chef Chele kept us oohing and aahing course after course, starting with this smokin' tuna pod.
Tuna Pod
Kalamata olives, basil, tuna, lemongrass ice cream
Beer Urchin
Sea urchin, beer clams, foie gras, orange
Look how plump, buttery and creamy the uni tongues!
Ravine
King crab, aligue, local crab, coconut meat, avocado cream, cilantro, pumpkin pebbles, buko soup
One thing I admire about Chef Chele is his love for our local ingredients,
as can be seen in this bowl of an all-star Filipino cast given a fun, molecular
twist. Here he used a dripper to add fresh buko juice into the plump
and sweet crustacean medley. Easily one of my favorites of the night.
Wood
Grilled baby squid in a broth made with onions and… wait for it… Yamazaki single malt!!!
We finished this to the very last drop. Hick!
Metal
Sous vide Iberian pork, okra seeds, french oyster, neri-uni and umeboshi sake sauce.
The pork was torched to a crisp, the okra risotto popped in my mouth, the sweet-tangy
sauce caressed my palate, and the shiso leaves brought a twinkle to my eyes.
"House Tea"
Mint udon noodles that you eat with a tweezer! Just a little whimsy to keep things fun.
We moved next door to Curve halfway through the meal. It is a wonderland with inverted umbrellas
and stuffed teddy bears! Will show you more later, the place itself deserves its own post!
Foie in a Rock
Earl grey and barley emulsion, barley crumbs, plum smoked, mirin plum pickled, foie gras
Last time it was foie and banana. This time it is foie and smoked plum!
Atlantic
Japanese sole, Iberico pil pil, pansit pansitan, bok choy, crispy quinoa.
The fish sauce infusion was such a surprise! Another adventurous Filipino-inspired dish!
Palm Crisp
I can eat 10000000000 pieces of this heavenly coconut sorbet! ♥
Earth
Grilled wagyu, stalk, miso, oil beetroot, ginger creme fraiche, ginger confit, cilantro roots.
THE PLATING!!!
AND THAT MARBLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We were enveloped in complete silence and total bliss the next 8 minutes.
Roger Rabbit
Baby carrot sous vide, nutmeg, greek cardamom yogurt, truffle crumbs, tomato basil sorbet
Taho
Milk sheep tofu, caramel tapioca, ginger syrup.
Another winning Filipino creation by the chef!
And then, like a kid on Christmas morning, he excitedly showed us
the works of this paper toy.
"TAHO"
Inside was a list of all the ingredients used in the dessert
The taho also came with a side of caramel caviar (can you say genius?) and ginger essence
so you could adjust the taste according to your liking
Pop
Warm chocolate balls, strawberry oregano coulis, ginger ice cream, mangosteen
Sakura
Yuzu mousse, yogurt sponge, dalandan crumbs, sencha ice cream
Chocolates, Chocolates, Chocolates
My jaws and cheeks were fatigued from too much smiling by the end of the night. But I couldn't help it. My tummy was happy, my spirit even happier.
Chef Chele has outdone himself with the new Carluccio degustation.
It is one of my best dining experiences in Manila and I highly
recommend it to everyone whose soul needs a little uplifting.
See my previous Vask posts:
Vask
Vask, Revisited
Vask, A Third Time
Vask, A Fourth Time
Vask: 5th Floor, CLIPP Center, 11th Avenue corner 39th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Tel: +632 217-6563, +63915-5077047, +63917-8065292
