Food to fall in love with at Verbena

For those who have yet to decide what to do on Valentine's weekend, there's Restaurant Verbena's signature full-course Passions menu. It's a sweet meal that sounds expensive (and it is) but tastes exquisite. The "His and Hers" Valentine set menu is priced at 1,800 pesos per person. At a culinary preview for media last week at the Discovery Country Suites Tagaytay, Chef David Pardo De Ayala revealed what goes into a special menu like Passions. Apart from, well, passion, what the couple-specific menu holds is a lot of careful consideration. Like most full-course meals, the names of the dishes can be intimidating. But despite the fancy presentation and the painstakingly prepared recipes, anyone can appreciate the food. Everything is downright delicious, and unexpectedly easy on the tummy. For a chef who "started cooking almost as early as he started walking," Chef David's cooking is surprisingly down-to-earth. "I realized, they're never going to cook it," he says of fancier recipes with hard-to-find ingredients. It is with this practical approach that the Discovery Group's corporate chef presented the "His and Hers" menu six years ago. Although it started out as two entirely different meals, difficulties with pricing and accommodating special requests led the chef to simplify the menu. "It was nice, but very taxing for us. I think it's better for my team," he says of the new "His and Hers" set meal, which he says has become a tradition at Restaurant Verbena. The menu, inspired by the chef's own state of mind as well as the fresh ingredients that Tagaytay has to offer, features the same main ingredients, but with different flavors. Both meals include oysters, prawns and scallops, slow-roasted U.S. beef, and chocolate marquise. But the difference lies in the details. The Mediterranean-inspired For Her menu has subtler flavors like fennel-saffron cream and vegetable couscous on the oysters, Tagaytay tomatoes, fried basil and "maccheroni" with the prawns and scallops, eggplant "Provencale," arugula potatoes and kalamata olive jus with the slow-roasted U.S. beef, and panna cotta "al limoncello" and strawberry with the pistachio-dotted chocolate marquise. On the other hand, the Iberian-flavored For Him menu has bolder flavors like catalan tomato bread and jamon serrano with the oysters, crispy "paella" risotto and bell pepper-saffron sauce on the prawns and scallops, melted onions, shiitake, peppered potato mousseline, blue cheese and madeira sauce on the slow-roasted U.S. beef, and saffron panna cotta and marinated oranges on the chocolate marquise. For an additional 495 pesos, couples can add seared Rougie Foie Gras to the already indulgent menu. Like the rest of the meal, "His" version of the delicacy has heavier flavors with grapes, almonds and "Pedro Ximenez" glaze, while "Her" version is tinged with Moroccan spices, fig chutney and pomegranate glaze. Aphrodisiac effects Which tastes better? Couples can decide for themselves, because sharing is allowed. In fact, the different menus encourage sampling from your date's plate. And because it's a full-course meal, you have more than enough time to enjoy pleasant conversation. If it becomes an awkward date, the food will save you. After all, there's plenty to say about good food. That is, unless you're too busy chewing. Just so you know, the menu also comes with an advisory: "The well-documented Aphrodisiac effects of Chef David's cuisine may result in a second date or an engagement ring. Dessert will be with compliments for those happy couples." Although he says this year's offering does not highlight aphrodisiacs, he admits using a few in his dishes, particularly in the "For Her" menu. "This is a menu designed by a guy. Which one do you think is loaded with aphrodisiacs?" asks Chef David with a twinkle in his eye. However, he says that if you research hard enough, every ingredient is supposed to be an aphrodisiac. "Even the air you breathe," he says. Looking around the restaurant, it's easy to see what he means. The delicate decor is a delicious sight, almost as attractive as the picturesque view of the Taal lake and volcano from the screened al fresco balcony. The Tagaytay breeze is indeed refreshing, and knowing the food includes locally-grown vegetables adds to the menu's appeal. Many of the ingredients are freshly sourced from nearby farms, a back-to-basics approach which the chef says is one of the restaurant's core principles. Despite the apparent simplicity, the menu is most definitely above average, and quite deserving of the few hours it takes to thoroughly enjoy the food. "In the newer generation, there are few people who will give you two hours of their time for a meal. 'What's next?' they keep asking," laments the chef. "They just don't have the time." And anyone who experienced the sample meal knows that's a pity, especially if what they're missing is a meal like Chef David's. It was served by waiters with impeccable skills at an elegantly laid table marred only by a few pesky flies that managed to sneak their way in. Citronella candles were promptly lit, and the meal continued smoothly. Ring in a wineglass Making a weekend trip is the perfect way to slow down and savor every moment - or in this case, mouthful. Colombian Chef David, who was the youngest winner of his country's national culinary contest, the Nestle "Toca de Oro," does not disappoint. Nor does he wish to disappoint his diners. Unlike the stereotypical high and mighty chef, Chef David is open to accommodating special dietary requests, as long as they are, of course reasonable. "It has to be a two-way thing. If I have the ingredients, I will. If you are willing to wait an hour, or the time it takes, I could produce it. But if you want it in the same amount of time, then..." the chef trails off and shrugs. He adds that advance notice is best for special requests and dietary restrictions. Perhaps the chef is not so strict when it comes to his menu because he himself recognizes the need to adjust. "Like painters or fashion designers, we only like the last thing we do. If you show me the menu I did five years ago, I'll be like, I can't believe I did that. It's like if you look at your hairdo in high school, you'll be like, oh God. Because it's always changing, always evolving. It's the nature of this profession," says Chef David. Another thing about his profession is that special requests don't just pertain to the food. Chef David attests that the restaurant has seen its share of proposals, and he once placed a ring at the bottom of a wineglass. But engagement proposal or none, the delicious Passions menu is reason enough to visit Restaurant Verbena this Valentine's weekend. - YA, GMANews.TV