Chef Francis Tolentino’s winning streak continues as he conjures up new and exciting flavors in the kitchen. But before he changes the current menu (running at 3-5 months since Taupe Dining opened in January 2024) , the dishes made a curtain all, if you will, to select guests at its chic BGC abode.
Last Sunday, Forefront Lifestyle Group top man Francis Flores gathered friends and family to an intimate dinner at the restaurant. Businessmen, media personalities and certain actors filled the 25 seater dining hall and soon after the dishes were served.
Of the 10 dishes in the menu, my favorites are the deux amuse-bouche consisting of guyabano cloud tart (sweet potato and guyabano espuma) and prawn butter brioche (lemongrass brioche, fresh local river prawn, custard butter). This starter duo set the standard for the night. Although the unassuming mini tart can be eaten in one bite, its dreamy light texture packs quite the flavor punch. After taking the first bite of the brioche, I immediately said how great it would be if the chef can size it up as a sandwich. My seatmates nodded their heads in unison. Next on my list is the Hokkaido scallops and corn (cured and smoked scallops, Japanese corn puree, shrimp head fat). This dish made me smile so wide as I covered the scallop with the liquid corn. Lightly sweet and savory, this dish hit all the right notes.
The carb and protein pairing tastes divine. The steak melts in the mouth as the diner savors each and every morsel.
The smoked Iberico skewer is another inventive dish. The smoky goodness on the tender meat is undeniable and sucking on the skewer at the end is pure fun! The star of the night is undeniably the A5 wagyu balbacua. Sitting on a bed of kadyos purée and beed tendons demi-sauce are slices of grilled dry-aged A5 wagyu ribeye which in turn is covered by a black squid ink blanket. The carb and protein pairing tastes divine. The steak melts in the mouth as the diner savors each and every morsel.
Finally, theres the dessert. I’ve never been a fan of spicy food but I’ll make an exception for this. Inside a fluffy Italian meringue is a mixture of local passion fruit, calamansi and vanilla egg custard. To make it more visually appealing, the top of the meringue is lightly burned with japanese charcoal. Sweet, citrusy heaven on a plate! One more please?
The night ended with my party giving rave reviews of the night’s gastronomic experience. A big congratulations to the exceptionally talented chef and his able crew. Cheers to Taupe! We’ll certainly be back!
Taupe by Chef Francis Tolentino is located at 26th St., Taguig City, Metro Manila
Call 0718 9892 for reservations
With a pocketful of glitter,
