Falling In Love With Restaurant 101…

Restaurant 101

Enderun Colleges Inc., 2/F Wynsum Corporate Plaza
22 F. Ortigas Jr. Road, Ortigas Center Pasig City 1600
Trunkline 632.638.5555
Official Website: Enderun Colleges

Read First:
Restaurant 101 @ Enderun by Our Awesome Planet
Eyeing the globe for Filipino hospitality by Cesar E. Tordesillas of the Sunday Times

I’m starting to love Restaurant 101. Not only because of the food, but because of the students, the chefs, and the people behind Enderun Colleges. It was a rare treat for Aidan to meet three (3) great chefs in one day, and I was able to bring my family to eat in Restaurant 101 (for free, hehe :). Also, we met the lovely 18-year old Kash (part of the pioneer batch) who entertained Aidan and served us that night. We also met the marketing team who was very proud of their world class partnerships and the soon-to-open McKinley Hill Campus. We actually thought for a moment of getting a second degree in hospitality management. (hmmn, why not?)

We were interviewed by Chef Gigi Angkaw for the Island Flavors show (every Sunday at 9.30am in ABC Channel 5). They have a blogger episode where they feature food bloggers and their favorite fine dining and hole-in-the-wall restaurant. For my segment, we shot our fine dining favorite in Restaurant 101 in Enderun. They shot our favorite hole-in-the-wall, Latasia Fusion separately and we don’t need to be there anymore. Lori of Dessertcomesfirst and MikeMina of Lafang is also included in the show to be aired in August.

Here are the behind-the-scenes during the Restaurant 101 photo shoot….

It was clever to have a coloring book ready for guests with kids. Aidan loves coloring books these days.

Finally, we met the great Chef See who created the Best Fish and Chips we ever tasted!

CHEF SEE CHEONG YAN

“Chef See is the Department Chair for Culinary Arts at Enderun Colleges. He graduated from Les Roches in Switzerland with a Diploma in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Chef See earned his Certificate in Business Administration, with honors, from Washington State University.”

“In addition to his education credentials, Chef See has 19 years worth of experience in the field of culinary arts worldwide having worked at the Kempinski Hotel & Traders Hotel in China and at Bahnhofbuffet SBB Basel in Switzerland among others. In the Philippines, Chef See has led the kitchen operations of Edsa Shangri-la, Hyatt Regency Manila and Tagaytay Highlands. Truly an international citizen, Chef See speaks English, Bahasa Malaysia, Cantonese, Mandarin, French and Filipino fluently.”

“Chef See, a Malaysian, is married to a Filipina and has two teen-aged sons. To keep fit and trim, he plays soccer and “futsal” on weekends.”

It was fun to see Chef Vanessa in action teaching the students before cooking dinner for the Restaurant 101 guests.

CHEF VANESSA CONANAN

“Chef Vanessa Conanan is the Program Coordinator for Culinary Arts. She has a degree in International Studies from De La Salle University and earned an Associate of Applied Sciences degree from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts of the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, USA. She worked as a Pastry Chef and a Line Chef for 2 years at the Caf Le Coq in Chicago before joining Enderun.”

Chef Etienne gave Aidan huge chunks of Valrohna chocolates from the Kitchen. Thank you so much and he knows how to make kids happy 🙂

CHEF ETIENNE IRAZOQUI

“Chef Etienne Irazoqui is currently the Shanghai-based pastry chef of Enderun Colleges. He is also a consultant for Valrhona HQ in France. His 22 years in the pastry industry includes pastry consultant duties in Four Seasons hotel in Bangkok, Makati Shangri-la and Shangri-la Mactan. He has been actively working with patisseries all over the world holding key positions such as Assistant Pastry Chef for Shangri-la Pudong in Shanghai; Head Pastry Chef for Sketch, a fine-dining restaurant in London; Executive Pastry Chef in Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean; Pastry Chef in Vineland Estate Winery in Canda and Patissier in Au Poussin Bleu and in Restaurant Daguin, a 2 Michelin-Star Restaurant, in France. Chef Etienne’s working experience also involved teaching responsibilities as a chef instructor in Le Cordon Bleu in Canada. He has been educated in Pastry and Confectionery at Le Centre de Formation d’ Apprenti in France. “

Restaurant 101, Our Awesome Planet Recommendations

Gratinated French Onion Soup with Beaufort Cheese Crouton (P80) — the best french onion soup we have ever tasted. You should not leave Restaurant 101 without trying this!

Selection of Cold Cuts (Parma ham, Salami, Chorizo and Manchego Cheese) served with Pumpkin Seed Bread (P540) — This was quite expensive if you think about it. Although you can share it and it goes well with a good bottle of wine. You can ask Chad for a recommendation. The Chorizo and Manchego cheese were very good!

Kilburn Fish and Chips with Mango Mint Sauce (P400) — Originally, I thought the fish was imported. As it turns out, the fish is Lapu Lapu sourced locally and there is a secret Indian twist to this which makes it really good. The fish is tasty, crunchy, fresh and not that oily/ soggy. The newspaper wrap was a great way to present this Fish and Chips.

Al la Marinara, Seafood Linquine with Scallops, Shrimps, Squid, Mussle, Salmon and Anchovy Tomato Sauce (P280) — Here is an excellent choice if you are on a budget. Although, Rache did not like the sauce of this pasta.

Smoked Duck with Cranberry and Peppercorn Sauce (P335) — We ordered this the first time and we cannot tell the difference if the kids made this or Chef See made this. We loved the smoky taste of this duck complemented by the sauce.

We created a riot in Restaurant 101 with the Island Flavors crew setting up for the Interview.

“Island Flavors” — the show that brings you the sights, sounds and cuisines of our amazing archipelago every week! We continue our episode “Best Desserts in Manila” with our intrepid culinary traveler and guide Chef Gigi – where for the next half-hour, we explore the “Flavors of Manila, right here on your weekly travel and cooking show, ISLAND FLAVORS!!

This was the setup before we started the interview. I look fat in this photo and I’m looking forward to run my marathon this Sunday.

Thanks Chef Gigi for featuring us in the Island Flavor Show!

Chef Gigi Angkaw

“Chef Gigi Canlas Angkaw is the Culinary Directress of Century Canning Corporation. A Food and Nutrition graduate. Took her Professional Chef’s Program from the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley, California. Attended her Food Communication and Food Styling Course at the CIA in Hyde Park, New York. Now acts corporate in-house Food Stylist for Century Canning, Pacific Meat Co., Columbus Seafood Co., Snow Mountain Dairy and Yoshinova.”

“She comes from a Kapampangan family that trained her in kitchen at a young age. It was her father who introduces her to Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, Italian and French Cuisines, stirring her interest to pursue a culinary career. However, her classic Filipino favorites are her Lolo Poleng’s Lutong Tokyo and her Lola Bayang’s Quilain Kapampangan and Burong Dalag. Married to a doctor and a mother of three, still makes time to cook for her family, especially during weekends.”