Most of our friends living in BGC typically reside in flats that are a few steps away from good restaurants. I’ve had discussions them and they’ve told me something interesting: For the holidays, they would rather eat in good restaurants near their place as opposed to attempt cooking in their apartments for a myriad of reasons. Some think their kitchens are too restrictive in either size or heat sources (some don’t allow gas, and my foodie friends prefer cooking with gas), some said that they were too lazy to bother cooking, and some thought it would be impractical to cook for one to two people.
These same friends would rather take advantage of the many restaurants in their area, but they do wonder and ask where to eat… and because I do what I do for a living, they would typically ask me what to drink with during their meals.
This brings to mind choice picks from the Five Star Night last 21 November hosted by the U.S. Meat Export Federation. During the event, guests were treated to a selection of food that highlighted delicious U.S. meats.
(USMEF ASEAN Director), Mr. Morgan Haas (Agricultural Counselor, USDA Foreign
Agricultural Service), Chef Sau del Rosario (Café Fleur), and Chef JM Libron (Jin Joo).
I want to use the dishes and restaurants featured during the event to come up with a list of places to eat during the holidays, and drinks from their menu that I would recommend with them:
Dish: Fireside House Burger
Restaurant: Fireside by Kettle
Chef: Gigi Canlas
Drink: Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon or Honey Old Fashioned Cocktail
Why: From a food and wine pairing perspective, it’s a great idea to pair something highly tannic and highly acidic such as a Cabernet Sauvignon with a greasy, salted burger… of which Chef Canlas said was “only seasoned with salt because the meat could already stand on its own.” I added the cocktail because, well… I like Old Fashioned, and this one goes the extra mile for using a very American bourbon as a base.
Dish: Galbi Jjim
Restaurant: Jin Joo
Chef: JM Libron
Drink: Jack Rogers
Why: First, I need to say that using U.S. beef for this dish was a stroke of brilliance because, as Chef Libron put it, it made the Galbi Jjim “more appetising.” Jin Joo actually has an extensive bar list, but I zeroed in on the Jack Rogers for their use of Jack Daniels… again, something very American. (PS, my personal must-try is Jin Joo’s Cheese Deung Galbi. 😉 )
Dish: Slow-Cooked U.S. Pork Rib with Pumpkin Purée and Apple Chip
Restaurant: Mimi & Bros
Chef: Ed Bugia
Drink: Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon
Why: Bugia said that using U.S. pork made the dish both tender and have a “clean taste.” I thought it would be wonderful to, again, go for a Cabernet Sauvignon, of which Robert Mondavi – a winery from California’s famous Napa Valley – has put on the global map.
*Partnered post
All photos courtesy of Ms. Venice de Torres of Amplab
