BLACK SHEEP: Modern Gastronomy with Single Malt Whisky Pairing!

UPDATE 12/6/2014: BLACK SHEEP Degustacion: The Culinary Brilliance of Chef Jordy Navarra! #BlackSheepBGC

BLACK SHEEP is a Single Malt Whisky Bar and Modern Gastronomy Restaurant by Chef Jordy Navarra, who formely worked at Bo Innovation Hong Kong.  

It is co-owned by Chef Jordy together with Jed Tiu Lim, formerly of Attica, Raphael Cruz, son of the late Larry Cruz, and Kato Chua of Super Sale Organizer fame.

They serve a 4-course set menu designed by Chef Jordy, which ranges from P1,900/head to P4,900/head on special occasions (Note: they don’t have an a la carte menu). Their selling point is a unique Single Malt Whisky Dinner Pairing experience — the first of its kind in Manila! 🙂

We recently visited Black Sheep with our Mercato partners and here’s our experience…

Black Sheep is located at the Penthouse of the W Fifth building (across S&R).

The main W Fifth lobby faces 5th Avenue and McDonald’s. You can drop off along 5th Avenue, but you’ll need to find parking at the back.

Just tell the guards you are going to Black Sheep and press PH in the elevator.

Black Sheep is the anchor bar tenant of the W Fifth . They were already popular as a single malt bar last year, but their set menu started getting more attention this January.

This is the view when you enter. I love the high ceiling and the open kitchen setup of the approximately 400sqm restaurant. 

I love watching the chefs work in the kitchen…it’s like watching a reality cooking show.

We were personally greeted by Raphael Cruz, who knows RJ from the PUA circle.

I love the privacy of the booth tables with this nice view of the Ortigas skyline.
 
Nice quote on the placemats. And I agree! 🙂

✮ BLACK SHEEP SET MENU DINNER (P1,900/person  +P1,500 for Steak, +P550 for Foie Gras + Optional Single Malt Pairing, +10% service charge).

There’s only one set menu but you can also have a vegetarian variant. The steak and foie gras are optional but we decided to try them out as well.

✮ BAR BY BABY BLACK SHEEP MENU: ( Single Malt Lowland Region and Highland Region | Single Malt Speyside Region | Single Malt Islay Region, Island Single Malt | Japanese Single Malt | Blended Whisky: Blended Scotch Whisky, Scotch Single Barrel, Bourbon Single Barrel, Bourbon Whiskey | Black Sheep Cocktails | Wine List: Red Wine, White Wine, Rose | Wine List: Rose | Patron, Beer

This is their rolling Single Malt bar. They have the widest collection of Single Malts in Manila.

 
Raphael introduced us to the world of Single Malt Whisky and was successful in convincing us to do the Single Malt pairing for our meal.

We tried all of them, but I split each shot with my partner RJ. 🙂

  

AMUSE BOUCHE

Chef Patrick Go explains each dish as they’re served on our table.

✮ CHICKEN & EGG. Chicken wing glazed in dark beer, salmon roe, and orange & Cointreau foam.

This was interesting, and an obvious play on the old Which-Came-First question. Love the combination of chicken wing with beer, salmon roe, and Cointreau flavors. 🙂

A great palate teaser to get you ready for the awesome dinner ahead. 

 

APPETIZER

✮ PRAWN TRIO: Steamed Prawns with Prawn Maltose + Prawn Dumpling made out of Prawn Head, Peanuts and Coconut + Prawn Spring Roll with Prawn Head Togarashi Mayonnaise.

You first taste the steamed prawn, then progress to the kare-kare with shrimp Xiao Long Bao-like dumpling, then finally to the shrimp lumpia, which goes well with the prawn head mayonnaise.

This is an interesting appetizer made more special with a Single Malt pairing.

GLENKINCHIE 12 years old (P400/glass or P6,300/bottle +10% service charge).

Lowland Region Single Malts. Malts developed here are lighter and drier in character than those of the Highlands. Malts from this region exhibit floral and cereal notes.

The dining experience is enhanced if you sip and coat your mouth with a little bit of the Glenkinchie, which is recommended to go well with the prawn. Sometimes I would eat the prawn and mix it with a bit of a whisky. A sip is all you need to enhance the flavor of the prawn.

Note: Best not to order the whisky on the rocks if you’re pairing it with your dishes.

TODAY’S CATCH. Butter Poached Scallps with wakame garlic and brown butter + Blood Clams (batotoy) cured in vinegar & salat, with clam broth.

Next is another seafood course with clam soup and scallops.

The soup is served table-side to ensure it’s at the right temperature.

The brown butter sauce is also served table-side to enhance the flavor of the scallops.

The scallop is recommended to be paired with some Lagavulin Single Malt.

✮ LAGAVULIN 16 years old (P550/glass, P8,800/bottle + 10% service charge).

Single Malt Islay Region. This westerly island lashed by gales, produces some of Scotland’s most sought after malts. The traditional smoky and peaty nature of whiskies from Islay comes from the local peat used to fire the malted barley. 

This whisky has a strong smoky flavor that enhances the flavor of the scallop well, and also recommended for the steak to give it a smoky spike.

 

MAIN DISH

The steaks were really good! Worth the P1,500 additional charge. 🙂

✮ KITAYAMA WAGYU STRIPLOIN. Grade 6 Wagyu, Sousivde and finished with torch, Beef Ju, Crispy leeks, Sorrel leaves, Squid Ink stained Mashed Potato.

The striploin is very good. It’s cut into pieces and cooked medium with a torched outer layer.  

I loved eating it with the black mashed potato and crispy leeks for added texture.

PORK & FREE RANGE CHICKEN. 36 hours pork confit, confit chicken covered in leek ash, truffle sand, vinegar foam, and watermelon radish pickle.

We did not enjoy this much because the pork was mostly fat. The chicken covered with leek black ash was interesting, but it was the truffle sand with oats and cheese that saved this dish.

 

DESSERTS

The star of the night, however, was pastry chef Lesley Onghay from ISCHAM, who created Black Sheep’s signature chocolate and foie gras dessert!

How I wish you could just order the dessert with single malt whisky.

CIGAR CAKE. Cigar Panna Cotta in mint glaze with coffee sponge & coco nibs, Singleton jelly.

This is Panna Cotta smoked with a 1881 perique cigar, with coffee sponge and coco nibs.

SINGLETON OF GLEN ORD 12 years old (P240/glass, P3,800/bottle +10% service charge).

Highland Region Single Malt. Malts from this region have a noticeable saltiness due to the proximity of the sea. Whiskies crafted here tend to be sweet and spicy.

We didn’t like cigar cake at first until it was paired with this Singleton Whisky, which is the same whisky they used for the jelly.

To best enjoy this, eat a piece of the cake first with the Singleton jelly, then sip the whisky right after.

✮ PRALINE CAKE. Coco Glaze, Praline Mousse with Dark Chocolate and Cake Brownie, Crispy Praline Base (Barquillos). 

The best dessert for the night was this chocolate cake inspired by Ferrero Rocher, using crushed barquillos as the base.  

CRAGGANMORE 12 years old (P460/glass, P7,300/bottle +10% service charge).

Single Malts Speyside Region. This is the heartland of whisky production. Speyside malts are noted for their elegance, complexity and refined smokiness. They are often fruity and floral.

It’s recommended to pair it with Cragganmore, but we forgot to order this.

We love the combination of smooth flavors of the Malagos 65% Hazelnut chocolate with the nutty texture of the barquillos. 

✮ PETIT FOUR PLATE. Foie Gras Rocher – Foie gras rolled in white cocolate and candied walnuts + Hopia Mani Popcorn Macaron – butter cream with red bean, pili nuts sprinkled with butter popcorn + Dulce de Leche – Salted Caramel rolled in Cocoa Powder.

This is the pastry chef’s best creation and I love that it’s made using local ingredients.

The Foie Gras is rolled into a ball with white chocolate and walnuts, and goes really well with the coco nibs.

I also love the Hopia Mani Popcorn Macaron, which is butter cream macaron with red bean inside, just like a hopia. It also has pili nuts and is sprinkled with popcorn. 

The chocolate truffle has dulce de leche inside and also goes well with a little bit of the coco nibs. 

I loved ending with this Dalwhinnie, for that sweet alcoholic whisky finish.

DALWHINNIE 15 years old (P460/glass, P7,300/bottle +10% service charge).

Highland Region Single Malt. Malts from this region have a noticeable saltiness due to the proximity of the sea. Whiskies crafted here tend to be sweet and spicy.

The bar showcases their extensive collection of Single Malt Whiskies.

You can reserve the Mezzanine Table, which is also the smoking area of the bar.

The Sky table is the special VIP section, as if floating in the middle of the restaurant.

It has 7 Chesterfield chairs for your Mafia meeting. 🙂

Note: This section is reserved on a first come, first serve basis.

Another special table is the corner table called View, also with Chesterfield Chairs plus a nice view of St. Luke’s Hospital. 🙂

Thank you to OAP friends who gave me a shot of Hibiki to end my night on a high note. 🙂

HIBIKI 12 years old (P720/glass, P9,800/bottle +10% service charge).

I like Japanese Single Malts like Yamazaki.

This personalized thank you letter was a nice gesture and well-appreciated by our group. Thank you, Black Sheep!

Cheers to an awesome 2014 from the Mercato Centrale group!

Overall, BLACK SHEEP‘s Modern Gastronomy Set Menu with Single Malt Whisky pairing is very impressive!

I personally like the Kitayama Striploin with Lagavulin, the Chocolate Praline, and the Petit Four featuring the Foie Gras Rocher and Hopia Mani Popcorn Macaron! 

I like the Dalwhinnie for dessert and the Japanese Single Malt Hibiki for casual drinking with friends. 🙂 

Congratulations to Chef Jordy Navarra and Pastry Chef Lesley Onghay for the awesome dinner experience! And thanks to Raphael Cruz for educating us and introducing us to the world of Single Malt Whisky!

Budget is P4,000/head for a full dinner with single malt whisky pairing.

Make sure to reserve the Sky or the View tables for the best dining experience. 🙂

BLACK SHEEP
The Penthouse at W Fifth Avenue, corner 32nd and 5th, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.
Telephone: +632 478-4498 and +632 506 1380
Mobile: +63917 871 4388
Email: dine@blacksheepbgc.com
Website: http://www.blacksheepbgc.com
Facebook: Black Sheep Bar and Restaurant
Instagram: @BlackSheepBGC

Operating Hours: Open from Monday to Saturday 7:00pm onwards

Note: For reservations via phone, call from 1:00PM-6:00PM

Related Blog Posts:

• Cheryl Tiu | My Birthday Salubong at Black Sheep, Bonifacio Global City
• Jin Loves to Eat | Black Sheep

Live an Awesome Life,

Founder, www.OurAwesomePlanet.com 

P.S. Watch out for the Le Jardin French Restaurant of Chef Hasset Go beside Black Sheep!