The main reason why Foo'd by Davide Oldani came into our sights was because they offer a 3-course meal by a chef, that owns a Michelin-starred restaurant, at only Php 800*. Yes, that's an appetizer, main course & dessert. Hubby was game to try and timely too since it was my birthday.
Located at the outside part of Shangrila The Fort, it takes a bit of walking but once you see Toby's Estate and Pink's Hotdogs, then you're on the right track. From the outside, the huge black doors looked uninviting but Davide's smiling face (printed on a standee) welcomes you in. We made reservations 2 days before to avoid unnecessary hassles.
The receptionist was busy talking on the phone & took several minutes before ushering us in. A bit of a let-down since there were no other guests but I'm trying not to let that dampen our spirits. Chalking it up to their "soft opening blues".
As you enter, you'll notice that they divided the place into several areas. You can choose to sit by the open kitchen; by the side which looked like a big nook with decorative grills or in the middle part like we did.
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| Tables by the open kitchen |
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| The Nook |
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| The middle part |
As you sit, they hand you their one-page menu. At Foo'd, they make ordering easy; either you get their 3-course or 4-course and from there, you can begin to customize your meal. I got the 4-course (Php 1200*) while Hubby got the 3-course (Php 800*). Yes, since it was my birthday, I get to eat more! :)
While waiting, they give you these thick slices of bread that comes with an olive oil & balsamic vinegar dip. It actually reminded me of a certain Italian restaurant which serves the same dip but with parmesan cheese.
We each took a bite, placed the bread down and pushed the plates as far away from us as possible. It just wasn't good.
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| Thin salty bread sticks |
Then we turned our attention to these thin bread sticks. Now this we absolutely liked. Crunchy and with a bit of saltiness, it was like you were nibbling on a pretzel. We happily munched on these the whole meal.
For our appetizer, we decided to stick with the original menu and got their signature dish, the Cipolla Caramellata. I'll be honest, caramelized onion dressed with all the trimmings still sounds like caramelized onion to me but Foo'd reminds you that looks can be deceiving.
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| Cipolla Caramellata |
After taking the first bite, I was a convert; this was no ordinary onion dish. The sweetness of the onions worked really well with the tart notes brought by the 24-months aged Grana Padana, both in the gelato form and in the cream one. Loved this ♥
Since Hubby ordered the 3-course, they served my Primo dish in the middle of the table for sharing. Cacio E Pepe roughly translates to cheese and pepper, specifically the use of salty Pecorino Romano cheese & freshly cracked black peppers. I'm used to creamy pastas so this was kinda like a new thing for me.
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| Cacio E Pepe |
I really wanted to like this but the only distinct taste that lingers is the lemon, everything else was just not present.
For my main course (from the 4-course menu), I was excited to try their Iberico Pork Ribs with Porcini and Liquorice.
After listening to the chef's explanation of the dish, I was more than ready to taste the tender pork. Sadly, this dish failed miserably both in appearance and taste.
Hubby's main dish was Chicken and Prawn. Given that they used Free Range Spring Chicken, the small size no longer surprised us. What caught us off-guard was that the chicken was really salty and the prawn was overcooked.
We were both feeling blue by this time. It felt like the dishes served were not that well-thought off; didn't feel like a Michelin-starred restaurant chef was at the helm.
We were hoping that their desserts would be a different matter. I was supposed to have the Lemon Curd but opted to make a quick exchange with Hubby's Fondant. This would mark the biggest mistake of the afternoon.
But I'm getting way ahead of myself so let's start with my thoughts on their Fondant.
If you love dark chocolate then this one's for you. The Fondant was spoonful after spoonful of rich decadent chocolate; add the chocolate sauce underneath and you're in chocolate ecstasy. The milk gelato serves as the light & airy component against the heaviness of the fondant. The toasted seeds were pretty to look at but didn't add much to the dish.
Now let's go to the aforementioned Lemon Curd. After seeing Hubby's face light up after his first taste, I knew I shouldn't have made the dessert switch.
Everything on the plate was just divine! From the Lemon Gelato sitting atop the Cacao Crumble to the Curry Almonds decorated with Dehydrated Meringue; this was definitely a medley of flavors that worked really well to bring such an unusual yet satisfying end to the meal. It was a plus too that the almonds & meringue looked like a tiny Christmas tree.
By 2:00pm, we were done with my birthday lunch. The staff of Foo'd were preparing for their dinner service by placing tablecloths on the tables. The manager went up to us and asked about our experience and we gave him the same feedback about the main courses. Much improvement can still be done but overall, a nice experience. Here's to hoping that they took our suggestions to heart.
*Food-Stars Note: Prices posted for the course meals are subject to 10% service charge.
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| Compressed Iberico Pork Ribs |
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| Chicken and Prawn |
We were both feeling blue by this time. It felt like the dishes served were not that well-thought off; didn't feel like a Michelin-starred restaurant chef was at the helm.
We were hoping that their desserts would be a different matter. I was supposed to have the Lemon Curd but opted to make a quick exchange with Hubby's Fondant. This would mark the biggest mistake of the afternoon.
But I'm getting way ahead of myself so let's start with my thoughts on their Fondant.
 |
| Fondant |
Now let's go to the aforementioned Lemon Curd. After seeing Hubby's face light up after his first taste, I knew I shouldn't have made the dessert switch.
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| Lemon Curd |
By 2:00pm, we were done with my birthday lunch. The staff of Foo'd were preparing for their dinner service by placing tablecloths on the tables. The manager went up to us and asked about our experience and we gave him the same feedback about the main courses. Much improvement can still be done but overall, a nice experience. Here's to hoping that they took our suggestions to heart.
*Food-Stars Note: Prices posted for the course meals are subject to 10% service charge.
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Foo'd by Davide Oldani
G/F High Street Park, Shangrila at the Fort,
30th Street corner 5th Avenue, Bonifcaio Global City,
Taguig City, Philippines
(02) 246-9069 ext: 620
Facebook: Foo'dbyDO
Instagram: @foodbydo_ph
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