Mezzaluna’s Special Wine and Food DegustationMezzaluna’s

A slimmer Chef Carlo Miguel posing with Aidan a year after the opening of Mezzaluna, Serendra.

Mezzaluna-First Night High!

We were overwhelmed with the appreciation we got from Mezzaluna. They were thankful to us for deciding to celebrate my mom’s dinner a year ago in Mezzaluna and for the blog post I did during that night. We made sure that we celebrate my mom’s birthday on a different restaurant each year but this was the exception. On Mezzaluna’s first year anniversary, they invited the entire family to a Special Wine and Degustation menu celebration along with Mezzaluna’s loyal customers.

Mezzaluna attempts to make a dining experience truly pleasureable. Their formula for a superb and memorable meal consists of:
1. Delightful Service — The waiters should be attentive to your needs and always happy to serve you. You can request from the chef certain kind of food or style of cooking even if it is not on the menu.
2. Choicest Ingredients — It needs to be fresh, good quality and comes from a reputable and tested supplier.
3. The Fine Points — fine flatware, crisp linen, and fresh flowers are the finer details that makes restaurant a fine dining one.
4. Vineyard Selections — It should offer a good wine selection so that you can make the right wine + food pairing.
5. Dynamic Menu — The menu are inspired by changing seasons and shifting trends.

Here are some of the trend in restaurants that I’m seeing:

To Wagyu or Not to Wagyu — more and more people are now educated on what a wagyu experience is like. (see NY Times article Cattle Call for a definitive info on Wagyu)
Food and Wine Pairing — I’m starting to get intrigued by what and how do you pair a food with a wine. The recent Toast is a testament to this trend and I decided to explore this area.
Degustation Menu— 5 or more courses of small servings called tasting menu for a fixed price.

Perhaps, Mezzaluna’s strongest attribute which is a dynamic menu that changes through seasons and follows trends is also its weakness. It suffers from mixed reviews because of the inconsistencies of its food. If they can fix this, then it would really be awesome! You go to Mezzaluna to get a “superb and memorable experience” and don’t come with a cost conscious mindset. The promise is admirable and you should hold Mezzaluna accountable to it if you don’t get that kind of experience.

About Mezzaluna
Mezzaluna is a fine dining restaurant that speciliazes in progressive European cuisine. Mezzaluna, the Italian word for “half moon,” is named after a chopping knife that has a curved blade with a handle on each end.

Our ingredients are bought fresh each day or ordered so that succulent Idaho pork or flavorful Australian tenderloin can be savored within a few days from the time they leave the feedlot.

They are principally the creations of the executive chef who brings with him 10 years of experience in award-winning restaurants in the culinary melting pot that is Sydney, Australia. Chef Carlo leads a staff of 10 with many years of rigorous training in the culinary arts.

Mezzaluna
11th Street G/F Serendra Commercial Complex
Bonifacio Global City, Taguig Metro Manila
mezzaluna.mnl@gmail.com
For Reservations and Catering Call:

Chef Carlo Miguel, Executive Chef Mobile # (+63 928 502 3069)

Tel# +632 856-0718/ 856-0697
Office: +632 818 0209

Five Course Degustation Menu (1,500++) October 2007 Menu
The tasting menu offers a carefully-paced progression of flavors. An appetizer serves as the first course followed by a seafood or pasta. Two main meat entrees follow and are wrapped up on a sweet note with a dessert combination. The tasting menu, which changes every eight weeks or so, is a standard unique feature of the Mezzaluna menu.

Mezzaluna Main Menu Soup, Salad, Foie Gras, Home Made Fresh Pasta & Risotto, Pizza, Seafood, Meat & Poutry, Grill, Per I Bambini (For the children), Dessert. (October 2007)

So far, this is the best thank you I got for blogging. I loved it because the degustation menu was innovative. It included a food and wine pairing concept and they asked the guests to rate the food from a scale of 1-5. My mom got special mention and birthday greeting from the owners.

Special Wine and Food Degustation
Mezzaluna’s First Anniversary Celebration

Comments Rating System
1- No Comments
2- Not quite what I expected
3- I wouldn’t mind having this again
4- I really like this
5- Let me tell all my friends about this

Mini Wagyu Burger. Tender, juicy burger – like you’ve never had it before. Made from deeply marbled beef with gratinated gorgonzola; on homemade butter rolls.

Rating 3 – I wouldn’t mind having this again but I do hope they improve the quality of the wagyu.

Kir Royal. A cocktail of sparkling wine and raspberry liquer provides a warm welcome.

4- I really like this! How I wish that this could be overflowing and I can get drunk with this. Oh how I miss Sala’s Champagne Brunch!!

Snake River Farm Wagyu Rib Eye Salad with roasted tomatoes, mushrooms in balsamic vinegar. The richest of Wagyu beef- this time in its simplest form – is contrasted with a salad of crisp greens and roasted tomatoes topped with a balsamic reduction.

Rating 3 – I wouldn’t mind having this again but I do hope they improve the quality of the wagyu they get. Superbly done, and Chef Carlo admitted to change their supplier for their Wagyu beef.

Antinori Bianco 2006. Pale straw-yellow color, intense nose with hints of spring flowers. Well-structured, soft and harmonious. Sweet tannins and lingering fruit in the finish.

3- I wouldn’t mind having this again. My brother is also starting to become a wine connoisseur (kuno) and we liked the pairing of this white wine with the wagyu salad.

Russian cod roulade with fondant potato, asparagus, hollandaise and greens. When poached under vacuum seal, cod retains most of its moisture and texture and provides a unique taste experience. A creamy hollandaise sauce enhances the succulence of the fish while a herb salad adds bright notes.

4- I really like this! I liked the way they cook the cod. I think that the pondant potato does not go well with this. I imagined the entire dish to be soft and tender but then there’s the hard pondant potato.

Smooking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon. Aromas of sweet spring flowers, green tea, and a touch of fresh pineaple. The palate is framed by hints of lemon meringue, fresh papaya, limestone, and subtle nuances of clove finishing with nectarine and light vanilla oak tones.

5- Let me tell all my friends about this! We all agree that the Smooking Loon was superb! I don’t mind raving about it and you can get it from Premium Wines Exchange along Pasong Tamo (look for Andrea Jacob).

Lemon Sorbet

5- Let me tell all my friends about this! Bravo!! Sarap!! Deliciouso!!

Maple and brandy glaze confit Kurobuta pork Bell with braised Tuscan white beans and fennel orange slaw. Melt-in the-mouth pork belly served with crisped skin lacquered with maple and brandy. Fennel and oranges are added for contrast. This pork treatment paired with white beans mashed like potatoes is inspired by the comforting ribs and baked beans combination. Classic techniques and methods make all the difference.

3- I wouldn’t mind having this again. This is a sossy version of your pork and beans. This is Chef Carlo’s favorite but I’m not really a fan of pork and beans during my childhood days.

Twice baked gongonzola souffle with truffled honey, arugula, and walnut praline. A savory but light cheese course following an indulgent pork entree. Crisp on the outside and soft in the center.

5- Let me tell all my friends about this. I liked the souffle and truffle combination. Rache and Aidan loved the walnut praline.

Thank you to the hardworking Mezzaluna Staff!

Date and toffee pudding with butterscotch sauce and vanilla mascarpone. A classic Sydney dessert enriched with dates and velvety butterscotch sauce. A moist and memorable meal-ender.

5- Let me tell all my friends about this. The only pudding I raved about before was Tita Moning’s bread pudding and now this one. This is available also in this quarter’s degustation menu.

Happy Aidan with Happy Lolo Popsy!

Overall, it was a superb and memorable meal for the family.