Date attended: 21 December 2015 Style: Restaurant Cuisine: Modern European, Mediterranean What to look out for: Pappardelle, Wild Boar Ragout, Chili and Rosemary Pangritata
“Chef Mackay and his team have definitely brought a little bit of Europe to humble Makati, with a Filipino culinary twist.”
I was travelling to the Philippines for the holiday break, and I decided to schedule my trip to visit restaurants around Manila. SALA was the first place on my hit list, and with good reason.
SALA Restaurant is just one of Scottish Chef and Restaurateur Colin Mackay’s successes; and is associated along with SALA’s succcessful significant others: SALA Bistro and People’s Palace. Although you may not have heard of him (or not much of him lately), Chef Mackay has received glowing reviews regarding his innovative fusion between Modern European/French and Filipino cuisine.
SALA during the day
The stairs that lead up to SALA work up your appetite!
SALA on the outside
Salt and pepper with your menu?
Inside the restaurant. Quite small, but very cosy
Quite an intimate setting
Bread: Crispy Flat Bread and Sourdough Baguette
Bread and Butter
Starters: Onion and Chives with Basil Pastry
Here’s a closer look
House Hot Smoked Salmon, Pickled Beetroot, Horseradish, Apple and Watercress
Crispy Baby Lobster Frito, Sweet Corn, Almonds and Dill
Pappardelle, Wild Boar Ragout, Chili and Rosemary Pangritata
A closer look of the Pappardelle
Spice Roasted Duck Breast with a Pear, Thyme and Ricotta Tart w/Port Wine Jus
Warm Orange Marmalade Pudding, Fig and Armagnac Ice Cream
SALA’s centrepiece for the holiday celebration: a bright wreath
What Lexxie Says: The degustation at SALA was an amazing experience. Chef Mackay and his team have definitely brought a little bit of Europe to humble Makati, with a Filipino culinary twist.
Only one minor criticism to a close ‘would-have-been-highly-rated’ degustation.
Sadly, my duck was quite chewy and the fat was not rendered enough, thus being only slightly undercooked. As the fat was not rendered enough, the duck skin was a bit chewy, and not as crisp as it should’ve been. Despite all this, the aromats and the Port Wine Jus flavour enriched the duck on every bite.
All the other dishes, including the starter – were amazing.
I like my sauces and spreads. So there was a good amount of horseradish for the House Hot Smoked Salmon. Chefs not putting enough sauces or spreads on the dish is such a rookie error. But not at SALA – they put the right amount required to the ratio of salmon required. Apple and Watercress – a perfect pairing.
The Crisp Baby Lobster Frito was a very flavoursome dish. That sweet corn just whets the appetite even more. It wasn’t overpoweringly sweet, and velvet smooth.
The dish of the night for me was the Pappardelle. The pasta was molto al dente, and then cooked through with the sauces. The sauce was slightly thick and absorbed by the pappardelle giving it such a rich texture. With that, I felt that the dish had the right amount of sauce and had a great balance of flavour to it.
Special mentions to the Warm Orange Marmalade Pudding. It was just a great dish that warmed up my heart. Yes, the pudding is ball-shaped. Some puddings I’ve had are usually dry in the middle. This pudding wasn’t dry at all. It was moist and the orange flavour wasn’t overpowering. I’m generally a fan of hot and cold desserts in the same dish so I absolutely loved the crème anglaise at the bottom for the pudding to soak up. The Fig and Armagnac Ice Cream on top that melts from the pudding’s heat and soaked into the pudding. It’s a real heart warming feeling.
One of my regrets was that I didn’t have enough time to visit Chef Mackay’s other restaurants SALA Bistro and People’s Palace. But I suppose it gives me a reason to go back to the Philippines to visit them – and I’ll definitely be back again to eat at SALA! I definitely recommend you visit if you’re hitting up Makati.