Pinoy and Modern: Chef's Table with Chef Bruce Lim

* This is a pre-qualifying entry to the Intramuros Bloggers Challenge 2012 by IntramurosManila.Asia. This campaign is fully supported by the Intramuros Administration, Barbara's Restaurant, Celdran Tours, Mabuhay Guides, Pilgrimage Pilipinas,Castillan Tours, Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation, Inc., Starbucks Philippines, Starbucks Facebook Fanpage and Payless Pancit Shanghai.

'Tis the season to be jolly and festive! And since my luck during the Belle De Jour Fair won me a gift card to one of the poshest fine dining restaurants in the Metro, I invited my friends Nina and Brent to try Chef's Table at Infinity Tower, The Fort.

Just by entering the restaurant, you could already notice that you are in for a real five-star treat. The first thing we saw are the bald chefs that were busy with their own cooking. I even joked about Brent that they don't need hairnets anymore since they were all bald already. I found out afterwards that its for hygienic purposes. But hey, its still good PR since they looked as if they match one another.

After they had our orders, Brent noticed a pencil near my table napkin. Avi, Nina's daughter already drew at the brown paper that also serves as our placemats. And since I am such a frustrated artist, I drew a comic version of the four of us. Good thing Avi recognized who's who in the picture.

Since Brent has to go to work, and I trying to be a role model ninang, we just ordered Lemongrass Iced Tea (Php80) for drinks. We were tempted to try their house cocktails, but we'll just get one when Avi's not around.

For our appetizer, we ordered the Fried Pusit (Php230), which was not that much fried, but was super good nonetheless. The green mango salad put in a little twist that I felt as if its freshly caught and that I'm currently eating at the beach.

Next up, we had the Ginataang Sitaw (Php120). I never really imagined how they made me look at sitaw in a new light. According to the menu, it is sauteed with bagoong alamang. Now I'm not sure if there are any in it, but the dish seemed modern for good ol' sitaw.

Afterwards, the Kare-Kare (P450) came in. We were expecting that there will be a lot of sauce in it, but were dumbfounded when it was served. I enjoyed the bagoong and even raced with Nina for it. The pork was so soft and we chomped it until the last piece. I'm just not sure if the price is worth it, but we wanted more!

Lastly, we had the Kalderetang Lamb (Php510). How was it heavenly good? They separated the chili into the meat, while the potato were sticked to the sauce. If you do not fancy the chili stuff, you can just eat the remaining pieces. But then, its best eaten the kaldereta way. Spicy and succulent. I can have loads of this, thank you very much.

Good food and great friends, what more can I ask for? I'm glad my UST best friends joined me in my yet another food trip. My verdict? A whopping 9 stars for the service, taste and price. Chef's Table is one of the gems in the restaurant industry. Its homey, yet modern. The dishes were expensive, but basing on the satisfying feast that we all enjoyed, its very well worth it. Thanks to Celebrity Chef Bruce Lim, we had a great night, delightfully full and satisfied.

Nina and I, outside Chef's Table

And of course, we all love the very outspoken Avi. :)

Chef's Table is located at Unit 106, The Infinity Tower, 26th Street, The Fort, Global City Taguig. For reservations, call: 399-1888 or visit their website at www.chefstablemanila.com.