THE AMBIANCE. A tropical oasis in a concrete jungle of roads, walls and houses that make the Northwoods Residential Estates in San Isidro, the City of San Fernando.
A profusion of green – towering bamboos of the yellow Japanese, black, even Buddha belly varieties, swaying, whistling to the breeze; myriad bromeliads and anthuriums, budding, flowering; ferns and orchids, even a fruiting banana – cool to the eyes, fragrant to the nose, presaging the taste of things to come.
The Food. Ambrosia! Olympus would have approved. Monday (Aug. 9) lunch commenced with freshly baked basil bread – straight from the oven, with smoked salmon – with just the hint of spiciness, and infused olio. Followed – perfectly timed – by mixed green salad tossed in raspberry vinaigrette topped with honey- roasted walnut. Sinful delight, even for a vegetarian.
Come the main course: Herb-roasted chicken – tender, juicy, made even tastier with mushroom cream sauce.
Letchon liempo – crispy, crackling skin, with three sauces – sweet, spicy, tangy – not to choose from but to delight in all. USDA-certifi ed Angus prime rib aujus – the piece de resistance – medium rare, or well done, it really does not matter, equally succulent, soft, superb! And there is one more – devilled shrimps, sweetsoury, all spicy.
Short intervals between servings allow the palate to fully savor each entrée, for a much satisfying culinary experience.
A dessert of banatella pie, perfect sweetness even for a diabetic, washed down by healthy, healthy rosemary citrus spritzer. Truly, divine! The Chef. Very young – only 23 – smilingly charming Vincent Garcia, by his own admission, in a continuing process of learning, cooking, tasting, discovering innovating; never resting on the laurels he has been showered with by both picky gourmets or indiscriminating gourmands alike.
The Restaurateur. Leonardo Manabat, Jr., doctor by profession, gastroenterologist by specialization, environmentalist by passion. That explains the fusion that birthed the Rainforest Kichene.
