Finally, Restaurant 101 is now open in the Enderun McKinley Campus. I am a fan of the “restaurant lab” concept of Enderun and I’ve blogged about it before with regard to their Ortigas campus (Restaurant 101 @ Enderun and Falling In Love With Restaurant 101…). It is now branded as “101 by ADF (Alain Ducasse formation) + Enderun”. Alain Ducasse’s claim to fame is that he was the first chef to own restaurants carrying three Michelin Stars in three cities.
Well, we loved it and we hated it. We didn’t mind the awkward service from the first-year students who took our orders and served us throughout the entire meal with shaking hands. We hated the lousy food served to us — cold, hard bread, ho-hum starters, and tired pasta. We loved the Angus Rib, which saved the entire meal for us and the lady who took care of Aidan by giving him “kiddie” stuff and cupcakes in the end.
The ambiance is great, but the chefs in the kitchen need to give extra love and care to the food served. Unfortunately, Chef See was not in the kitchen that night (which probably explains the kind of food that we had). Then again, eat at your own risk since the kids seem to treat this more as a “practice lab” instead of a restaurant that would take fine dining to Michelin Star-level in Manila.
This is Enderun’s Atrium, which is the students’ lounge for activities or just for hanging out. Earlier that day, they had an activity for autistic kids.
The 101 ambiance — non-intimidating elegance…
There are two chef’s tables directly in front of the kitchen. I love reserving this because of the soft back rest and the illusion of privacy provided by the walls in between the tables. The acoustics are very good — you cannot hear the conversation of the people beside you.
This is one of the long tables you can reserve. It is good for 12 people and is near the Atrium. Reserve this for your big group.
Meet Mitch, a Cebuano and a first-year student at Enderun. Part of the charm in eating at 101 is that you help in the education of these kids by being a good customer. You also learn a thing or two from them and their teachers.
101 Opening Menu: 101 Main Menu | Desserts Menu
(all the menu prices are VAT inclusive and have no service charge)
We were seated at one of the chef’s tables. It was fun to watch the interaction of the kitchen and the servers.
One of the lady servers (Jena, I believe) knows how to make kids happy. She gave Aidan a lot of paper, a coloring book, a set of crayons and a balloon. Restaurants can learn how to entertain kids better from her.
After eating at 101, Aidan told us not to return there again because the bread was so hard. Even the “soft bread” was as hard as French bread. We don’t know if they were really that hard or they were heated a number of times that they hardened already. The first batch of bread served to us was cold and hard until we requested to have the bread reheated… Oh well.
Classic French Onion Soup (P160). Gruyere Cheese Crouton
La Cuisine Francaise has better onion soup. This looks like French Soup from a lab — very amateurish…
Gensan Tuna Belly (P180). Delicately Poached in Olive Oil, Aubergine Caviar, Roast Red Bell Pepper and Parsley Sauce
The Tuna Belly was a bit cold and almost dry. Not sure where the inspiration for this dish came from.
Baked Davao Goat Cheese Tart (P220). Tomato Coulis, Goat Cheese, Ligurian Olives and Fresh Arugula
This is the BEST! We cut it into pizza-like slices so everyone could taste it. The sweetness of its flaky base was very good. The best way to eat it is to combine the different complementary flavors of Tomato, Goat Cheese and Arugula. Highly recommended! 🙂
Although we were happy with the cheese tart, we were already complaining about the meal at this point. And then we saw the Angus ribs being served and sliced in front of us…
Angus Beef Rib (P1,680). Grilled to your liking, served with Braised Red Wine Shallots and Bone Marrow (Good for Two)
One of the best ribs in Manila! It is actually good for 2-4 people (we had to bring home half of it). We loved the deep red sweet shallots and the sweet vegetables on the side. However, the inside of the Bone Marrow was cold already and it was hard as a rock. We did love their secret sauce though — it was creamy and cheesy.
Homemade Tagliatelle (P80) and Risotto (P90)
The Angus Rib came with two sidings, both of which tasted pathetic in my opinion. The pasta was overcooked and looked tired, and the risotto was just like wet, ordinary rice with no taste. It’s a good thing the ribs’ secret sauce worked like magic because it turned the tired pasta and ho-hum risotto into something enjoyable.
Next time, we will order the other options of sidings, which include Potato Gratin (P100), French Fries (P80), Vegetable Bouquet (P80) and Creamed Spinach (P80).
Selection of Cream Custards (P140). Davao Vanilla, Green Tea and Coffee
These desserts were ordinary, but they were executed to smooth and crusty goodness. I loved the Coffee version.
This was a nice surprise for Aidan — complimentary cupcakes!
Outside the restaurant, you can find the bar, where the students learn bartending skills. I guess you can also hang around and order a few drinks/cocktails.
The lovely Enderun campus seems to transport you to Europe — you’ll forget that you are in Taguig (except around 5pm, when you hear all the planes landing in the NAIA airport, one after another).
The restaurant has been open for just less than a month, so we will be back to check it out once they iron out their operations… Let us know your personal experience with 101, OK? It is a very promising romantic place…
101 by ADF + Enderun
Enderun McKinley Campus
For Reservations: +632 856-5000 loc. 101
Anton Diaz
Founder, OurAwesomePlanet.com
Mobile: +63917-LOVEOAP (5683627)
Email: anton@diaz.ph
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Hi Anton, I am a 4th year student in Enderun. Thanks for the honest comments i will make sure that this reaches Chef See and Chef Marc Chalopin of ADF.
Thanks Tatyana! I appreciate it ü
Hi Anton,
Just want to know if this is the same as Chef Gene Cordova’s Upper East Training Restaurant? Thanks.
i saw pictures of this school online and their hallways and kitchens are exactly the same as one of the top culinary schools in new york city. i suspect that they may have sent someone to spy! the concept of a restaurant with students as cooks is also similar to manhattan’s L”ecole…although the food at L’ecole is much better judging from your pics and reviews. the steak plate looks too busy! anyway, what’s the point of having students work as servers when they’re at school to become chefs?! same with bartending.
and what’s with the pseudo-european look? couldn’t they take pride in filipino modern architecture? everything just looks contrived.
i think the ambiance (french feel) is just alright because this restaurant is after all a French resto. it’ll look ridiculous if a French restaurant’s motif is Filipiniana. for me, it’s just ok to pattern the kitchen or even the course program from a world class Univ/College so that students here can get the same quality of education. Nothing wrong with wanting to have the best education. Kudos to Endurun for this! At least Anton’s giving the kids another chance. Let’s see then…;-)
linksys… whoever you are, just shshshshutup.
Hey Anton,
I have been following your reviews in different restaurant I am very impressed with all the worked that you’ve done so far. Im not really Familiar with Enduran but by the looks of the food you were right. The students are treating it like a Test lab rather than a real kitchen and restaurant. Chef Alain Ducasse is one of the most renowned chef today even though he never cooks in the kitchen anymore due to his old age. he is still an Inspiration to many of us chefs here in the US. I currently live in Los Angeles right now and I have worked at 3 restaurants with 1 or 2 michelin star. The food that you posted is way to far from having a michelin caliber style of food. but as you said they’ve only been open for 1 month now and time will tell if they’ll start to improve. by the way i agree with the French Onion soup. that soup should be covered with a lot of gruyere cheese almost to the extent that the cheese is oozing out of the bowl. Hopefully Next year when I go in the Philippines I will have the chance to dine with you and show me to a lot of fine restaurants in Manila. I am 24 years old and hopefully in the future I can be a chef in the Philippines and give back to the community. I currently work at a restaurant owner is Chef Thomas keller. Owner of 3 michelin star Restaurant The French Laundry in Napa Valley Ca and Per se in NY
Hi Rheu,
Thanks for the comment! I love what I do and I would love to meet you when you are in Manila. Email me or Text/Call me. I'll show you around the foodie scene of Manila 🙂
Anton
Knowledge goes a long way. By learning from the bottom, you know how to interact with your guests. Chefs after all rarely talk to their guests. Bartending is also a good skill to learn. It would be nice for employers to see that the students of Enderun are versatile and are knowledgeable about the industry. After all, the hospitality industry does not only tackle culinary.
As for the european look, it is an international school. Enough said.
Hi Anton,
I loved the ambiance of Enderun! It can make for a very romantic evening with a special someone. The place feels isolated and to me, that is great. Although we didn’t eat at the restaurant. We had a party at the atrium area. The food was okay and looked very professional. The waiters also kept giving us drinks; they have good service.
What I noticed was the airconditioner seemed insufficient to cool the place nicely, as the atrium has a high ceiling and a lot of glass letting the heat from outside in. Also I was eyeing the sashimi because it looked very good, but when I got to it on the buffet table, I noticed there were a few flies on it enjoying themselves.
All in all I like the place. I will try their restaurant in the near future.
Oh I forgot to add, before the event was even done, the waiters were packing up all the utensils they could find on the table I was sitting at. I guess they were afraid that there utensils would end up in someone’s home.