Manila diners are undoubtedly familiar with the name of Chef Florabel Co-Yatco. An established chef in the city’s dining scene for years now, she operates a myriad of eating establishments, some of which are cuisine specific or concept driven. While they are far from perfect in my opinion, I have left most of these restaurants deeply satisfied with a general impression of money having been well spent. I suspect that some of these experiences would have proven to be far more memorable and satisfying had the Chef herself been on the line but, understandably, such are the obvious constraints of having multiple operations spread throughout the metro.
I had the opportunity to revisit her namesake restaurant, Florabel, located in Estancia Mall in Pasig, for a late leisurely lunch. Needless to say, it still maintains the type of food and service that you would be pleased to endorse to friends and family alike. I am providing hereunder my candid appraisal of the food we ordered in the fair hope that many others out there will be motivated to give it a try.
Florabel Restaurant is well appointed with a motif that evokes eating in a garden or al fresco. It offers a well conceptualized and varied menu of upscale, plated food that I tend to equate more with a good bistro rather than a fine dining establishment. The food is artfully conceived and executed that even some of the most familiar items are given novel dimensions.
We started with Florabel’s pumpkin soup with chestnuts. The squash or pumpkin was comfortingly sweet and its texture silky smooth and was surprisingly punctuated with a scattering of pumpkin seeds which gave it a nice crunchy texture. When it comes to soups made with gourds or a starchy component like potatoes, I am always insistent that the liquid be somehow strained through a cheesecloth or a sieve --beyond mere blending-- which Florabel’s version seemed to have done. It may be a lot to expect from most restaurants in the city so for going the extra distance, it gets a double thumbs up.
As a classic pairing to this starter, the soup included two whole chestnuts whose smokiness were a perfect foil to offset the sweetness of the pumpkin. I would have been more inclined to have served the chestnuts as some sort of paste or infused oil to top the soup so that diners would enjoy more of its flavor and draw less attention to the paltry count of the chestnuts. It’s a nit-picker’s piece of unsolicited advice but one that is well intentioned. My one and only criticism of the soup is that it was lightly under-seasoned. It could have used a bit more of salt which would have elevated the dish, Nonetheless, the lack thereof did little to detract my overall enjoyment.
As an appetizer, my table also opted for the spicy tuna salad with caviar and fruits. This dish could have been easily the highlight of our meal, one that I could come back for every other day of the week. I was initially drawn to the word “caviar” and under the impression that the dish would include one of its more expensive and rarefied kinds; however, it was only the more familiar orange fly fish roe (tobiko) we associate with sushi and other Japanese dishes that was included.
Aesthetically, it was a well plated dish. The tuna cuts were near perfectly uniform which, needless to say, is a testament to the kitchen’s knife skills. The salad is distinctly reminiscent of a good Hawaiian poke or an oriental style fish tartar whose morsels of tuna were coated in what tasted like a light and creamy soy - sesame dressing or tahini. It also featured what appeared to be crunchy tempura batter bits for contrasting texture which some restaurants neglect as an important aspect of food appreciation and taste.
The tuna was presented as a rounded (molded) mound on a bed of crisp greens and various sweet fruits. The peppery bitterness of the arugula coupled with the sweetness of the fruits was a nice contrast to the savoriness of the tuna assembly. Given that tuna flesh tends to have a slightly unctuous texture in its raw or cured state, it would have behooved the kitchen to offer a wedge of lime or lemon to give the salad a bit of acidity. The main and most glaring flaw of the salad was that all components of the dish were served to us at room temperature rather than having some or all of the components pre-chilled, not the least of which should have been the raw tuna itself.
For our mains, we ordered a pan grilled halibut with creamy mustard sauce and Florabel’s version of the classic chicken adobo. I was personally drawn to the former because of my penchant for white sauces like a good veloute or bechamel. The halibut featured a classic white sauce variant that incorporated pommery mustard. Among the countless types of French mustards, pommery, by far, is my favorite given its grainy texture which, in this case, served the dish well. The cream sauce was well balanced such that the mustard did not overwhelm the delicate nature of the fish which good seafood chefs are always wary not to do. Again, I personally found the sauce to be a tad bland but this criticism may only be a matter of personal preference as my dining partner could find no fault in it.
As to the execution of the fish itself, this could have been done with a little more care. Halibut, after all, has a firm and robust flesh, and could have used a little more time in the heat of the pan. The skin was disappointingly soggy bordering on oil saturation. This was a pity since we had been looking forward to having crispy, crackling-like skin on the fish. On a more positive note, the halibut offering had perfectly executed accompaniments of blanched french beans that retained its crunch and color, as well as creamy mashed potatoes without the lumps.
Florabel’s take on the Adobo is classic notwithstanding a modern interpretive twist by way of the addition of melted cheese which although, my palate could not determine with certainty, seemed to be mozzarella or one of its similar, mild tasting cousins.
The descriptive allure of this particular menu item is that the Chicken Adobo is said to be “award winning”. Arguably, every Filipino will say that the best adobo belongs to some matriarch in their family, but for a restaurant version, this may well come close if you are open to modern and unconventional twists. First and as mentioned, it included cheese which may be a definite taboo to the adobo purists among us but, in all candor, we did not really mind its inclusion. Second, Florabel’s adobo departs from the rustic home version of bone-in parts of poultry. Perhaps more of a concession to plating aesthetics, her adobo featured a single but generous portion of chicken thigh filet that was, for all intents and purposes, cooked well without any fanfare.
Most importantly, I would emphasize that the sauce is still recognizably adobo infused with soft well- rendered garlic cloves for mashing with a fork. Diners will appreciate the near perfect balance between the saltiness of the soy and the tartness of the vinegar. Unfortunately, the amount of adobo sauce was pitifully scant on the plate which would leave your rice a semi dry wasteland. The dish also featured a siding of fried all-vegetable spring roll with the usual vinegar dipping sauce. This lumpia was a delicious bonus but largely unnecessary - nay, superfluous - to the overall enjoyment of the adobo. A filipinized salsa siding would have been more appropriate to cut the oiliness of the adobo and cheese. Was it good? Definitely. Was it lacking in some respects? Yes, the dish needed more sauce to be fully appreciated .
We closed the meal by sharing in Florabel’s Choc-Nut Torte which typifies Florabel’s established reputation as being on top of her game as a master of desserts. As sweet ending, this dessert harkens back to my childhood days utilizing the branded confection as a torte base and infusing its flavors throughout the well bodied mousse topping. Whether you are more of sweet tooth diner or savory one like myself, this dessert is sure to please wherever you may be on the spectrum. It’s a "must-have" recommendation to make your visit complete. In one word, this dessert is simply “delicious”.
My overall Impression: when in pasig, give Florabel a try!
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