We went to Eastwood Mall for dinner. Our first choice was CYMA on the second floor facing the old Eastwood gimmick area. We were number six in their waiting list so we decided to go to the other side of the building where we found Uncle Cheffy.
The place was at the very end and a corner. All tables were occupied and we waited for about 15 minutes.
The way the menu was presented and their variety of dishes intantly gave me a hint that Uncle Cheffy belonged to a group of restaurants. Chef’s Corner? Kaya siguro may CHEFfy?
There were too many items on the menu, Edmund and I just went with what our daughter ordered- two kinds of panizza. Edmund saw a picture of mussels in the menu so we added Mussels Marinier.
The waiter assured as “mabilis naman mam, madaling mag-re-order”. With that assurance, we ordered muna the mussels and panizza.
I was kind of impatient because from “hungry” I progressed to “starving”. We decided to order an additional Grilled Tuna Belly after 20 minutes of waiting. We had to follow up thrice before the panizza arrived which was a good half-hour from the time we ordered. Then another 5 minutes before the mussels arrived. Then another 10 minutes before the tuna belly arrived.
The table near us ordered some other dishes and they arrived faster. We were wondering if the amount of time was due to the fact that we ordered dishes that took more preparation or cooking time? I doubt. I can make a panizza in 10 minutes. I can make Mules Marinier in 5 minutes. These are under the presumption that since in a restaurant all ingredients have been prepared, cut, washed, sliced, diced, in advance, talbog na lang ng talbog, season to taste, then whaaala, wala ngang lasa.
I will give the panizza a score of 7 out of 10. Konti na lang at masarap na.
Their version of Mules Marinier was different from the way I have known this classic French dish. Plain moules are cooked in white wine, butter (or olive oil), lots of garlic, parsley, ginger and onions. Adding cream sauce is another option if you want it to be a little bit creamier. Other countries in Europe such as Belgium, Spain and Italy have also adopted this dish and made their own variations. Moules Marinier is usually served with French fries or a slice of baguette which you can dip into the mussel’s sauce.
Uncle Cheffy’s very creamy, but I must admit that the cream was very tasty. The mussels however were so small, most of them closed and they were payatot. According to my chef instructor in Enderun, when it’s closed, throw it away. Dito sa atin, madalas talaga pangit ang tahong.
I am willing to go back to Uncle Cheffy just for their Grilled Tuna Belly. It came with a bed of sliced tomatoes and lettuce. The dressing and the way the tuna was grilled was just perfect.
We were not so full after our dinner. We bought tsitsirya from the food stalls scattered around the Eastwood Mall lobbies
P120 per pack
We bought one pack of hopia monggo and one hopia ube for P50 each. Ang liit-litt, ang tamis pa, parang sobrang mahal, we felt it wasn’t value for money.
We arrived home at 9:30 pm and Stitch was waiting for Edmund. Kawawa naman si Stitch, she has no more mommy.
