Have you ever tried having dinner or maybe lunch in a fine dining restaurant? Well dressed tables, sets of utensils, formal wait staff and an overall sophisticated elegance that'll make you feel a little stiff and conscious? A three course meal, or maybe four? And if your pocket is feeling a bit more pumped, you can end up getting an eleven (or maybe more) course meal. Talk about degustation at it's finest. Most are intimidated by this restaurant concept mainly because of the price tag associated. Fine dining is equated to pricey so most would shy away from it.
Until there's this Michelin-starred Chef from Italy who broke the rules - Chef Davide Oldani. Known for his "Cucina Pop" Philosophy, this belief plays on the context of "affordable luxury" where world-class cuisine should also be available at prices lower than the usual. This was his signature that made him well-known not only in Italy, but the world beyond.
With the opening of FOO'D (pronounced as FooDo), brought to us by FooDee Global Concepts - same brilliant minds behind Todd English Food Hall, Pound, Sunnies Cafe and llao llao among others, the collaboration was built on the same "Pop Cusine" principle. The focus was play on proportion and contrast, simple ingredients turned into world-class creations, top notch execution creating flavors like no other! With the cheapest set menu pegged at 800Php for a three meal course, FOO'D brings to our local food scene a concept like no other and definitely the first of it's kind here - affordable fine dining. The promise includes all the glitter and glamour of fine dining services, great food, fine dining ambiance in a bit more relaxed setting all rolled into affordable packages. You can get the most basic set menu or upgrade to the most expensive one - your choice.
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| A look at the table settings in FOO'D By Chef Davide Oldani |
With the opening of FOO'D (pronounced as FooDo), brought to us by FooDee Global Concepts - same brilliant minds behind Todd English Food Hall, Pound, Sunnies Cafe and llao llao among others, the collaboration was built on the same "Pop Cusine" principle. The focus was play on proportion and contrast, simple ingredients turned into world-class creations, top notch execution creating flavors like no other! With the cheapest set menu pegged at 800Php for a three meal course, FOO'D brings to our local food scene a concept like no other and definitely the first of it's kind here - affordable fine dining. The promise includes all the glitter and glamour of fine dining services, great food, fine dining ambiance in a bit more relaxed setting all rolled into affordable packages. You can get the most basic set menu or upgrade to the most expensive one - your choice.
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| The mood inside FOO'D By Chef Davide Oldani |
When I got there, the mood was already set for a one of a kind dinner - dim lights, candles gracing each table, music set to a relaxed rather than formal tone, wait staff ready to do their job. I was amazed how elegant the place looked like! Lots of shelves dividing the space, giving some room for those wanting a little more privacy, sliding doors, books and some other simple trinkets, modern light fixtures, an open kitchen where you'll see the chefs do their magic. A few minutes later, the ever energetic Eric Dee and his lovely wife Kidd joined us and gave us some intro of the concept, the food and more facts about Chef Davide Oldani. He also took us through each dish, explaining each one and told us that his chefs were also trained to do the same to give a more personal touch.
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| FOO'D by Davide Oldani, Shangri-La at the Fort |
We started our four course dinner with some hors d'oeuvre - sliced bread served with butter and olive oil with balsamic vinegar. They also had these thin and long bread sticks. Eric redesigned our 4 Course Tasting Menu that night. Instead of having an Antipasto followed by a Primo then Secondo and Dolci, he had us try two Antipasto, a Secondo and a Dolci.
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| Bagoss Mousse to kick of our 4 Course Tasting Menu |
Bagoss Mousse was our first course. Aged Grana Padano Mousse topped with balsamic pearls, chunks of caramelized pear, pieces of biscuits and finished off with Aged Grana Padano Foam. I loved the play of textures and flavors -- the soft mousse with sharp cheese flavor, the sweet chunks of pear that gave a solid bite, the salty biscuits with a nice crunch, the light foam to counter the rather heavy mousse and the tinge of balsamic that tied everything together.
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| A closer look at this exemplary appetizer! |
The secret to enjoy this appetizer to the fullest is to get a little bit of each component and enjoy the medley of flavors altogether!
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| Cipolla Caramellata - Caramelized Onion |
Then we had the Cipolla Caramellata - a signature of Chef Davide Oldani. It's amazing how Chef Davide transformed an unassuming ingredient into something wonderful. Never did I imagine that onion can take the center stage like this - caramelized and seated on a puff pastry cup. I love puff pastry that's why I instantly liked the crunchy and sweet version of this appetizer but there was a little too much sweetness from the puff pastry and the onion combined.
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| Rich and a little sweet Grana Padano Gelato - staring back at you! |
To elevate the flavors of this appetizer, the entire thing was lined with Grana Padano Hot Cream and topped with Grana Padano Gelato. If you're not a fan of onion, like me, the Grana Padano gelato and cream would help you get your way through the onion. After a while, this got a little cloying for me though and I wasn't able go finish the onion - take note, just the onion lol
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| A good portion of Iberico Pork Ribs - goodness like no other! |
For our main course, we had the Iberico Pork Ribs, sourced out from Spain. Served on a bed of Porcini Sauce and topped with muscovado sugar mixed with licorice, this dish is a winner! The meat was super tender, almost melt in your mouth, and tasty on it's own. The Porcini sauce went well with the meat and had a good mushroom flavor. Loved the addition of muscovado with licorice which gave an additional flavor dimension, breaking any monotonous saltiness - sweet and a hint of sourness.
Then came our dolci. We got to try two - Lemon Curd and Dark Chocolate Mousse.
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| Lemon Curd x Lettuce Gelato |
The Lemon Curd blew me away! Get this when you visit FOO'D because it's something that I'm sure you haven't had anywhere else before! The lemon curd itself was the common part but what it was accompanied with was insane - LETTUCE GELATO! Yup, you read that right! Can you imagine how a Lettuce Gelato would taste like? It actually tasted good but became out of this world good when consumed with all the other components.
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| A closer look at this one of a kind gelato flavor - LETTUCE! |
So there's cacao crumble with curry almonds that served as the bed of the Lettuce Gelato scoop then a spiky stuff plated beside it which was the lemon curd itself pecked with small dehydrated meringue. Nice tartness from the soft curd, a welcome sweetness and some crunch from the meringue, a refreshing flavor with a smooth creaminess from the gelato and an added dimension from the cacao - this dessert was so light and refreshing, it's THE DESSERT OF THE YEAR for me!
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| The dessert fit for a chocoholic! |
The Dark Chocolate Mousse was also good. Overshadowed by the Lemon Curd but that's just because this dessert is somewhat common. It's more like an hybrid of Sunnies Cafe's Choco Hoe and Todd English's OMG but it had it's own charm still. Dark Chocolate mousse on a bed of cacao crumble, topped with dark chocolate gelato and finished off with framboise powder. It had a rich chocolate flavor, thick and a nice creamy texture. It's a chocolate lover's heaven!
Overall, I'd rate the food 4 out of 5 but the overall experience, the service and the ambiance made me push for a perfect 5!
Since they just launched on Dec. 03, they still had a lot of adjustments and improvements to make but in my opinion, nothing major needs to be changed. Eric Dee likewise shared that they will soon offer a more affordable lunch set with a dining room setting that's more relaxed, no table cloth, nothing fancy. This is to cater to those who would just like to have some quick lunch.
Can't wait to go back with the hubby!
5 out of 5 Stars for FOO'D!
--- FOO'D: G/F, High Street Park, Shangri-La at the Fort, 30th Street Corner 5th Avenue, BGC, Taguig City
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