ALL roads led to the SkyPark on the fifth level of SM Aura Premier last Monday, March 24, 2014, as the first and only celebrity chef restaurant in the Philippines, the Todd English Food Hall, hosted a media preview one day prior to the formal opening of the restaurant to the dining public.
A brainchild of multi-awarded celebrity chef Todd English, the Todd English Food Hall is undoubtedly the newest dining destination in Manila, where diners can enjoy a feel and taste of New York City and its authentic international flavors. It was the Rikki Dee Group, led by Rikki Dee himself and his son Eric Dee, who collaborated with Chef Todd English himself in deciding to bring the first and only celebrity chef restaurant to the Philippines and called it the Todd English Food Hall.
“It’s not a food court; it’s also not a buffet restaurant,”says Oliver English, son of Chef Todd, during the media lunch preview.
All of 900 square meters in floor space, the Todd English Food Hall is a European-inspired specialty food hall made up of nine diverse culinary stations, from which diners can order their favorite international dishes to satisfy their discriminating palates. These culinary stations include the Pasta Station, where an extensive and delicious selection of fresh pastas and flavorful pasta sauces are put together; the Pizza Station, where Chef Todd English’s famous flatbreads are assembled; The Grill, for some seared and grilled dishes, including burgers and sliders, made-to-order carved meat sandwiches, roast chicken, succulent prime rib, chilled Wagyu beef slapped onto the hot grill and cooked to perfect doneness; the Raw Station, which offers the freshest Maine lobsters, oysters, clams and shrimps; the Sushi Bar, for sushis, makis and sashimis prepared by a Master Sushi Chef; the Asian Station, where a wide selection of fried noodles, noodle soups and homemade steamed and seared dumplings, plus Asian fried rice selections such as Kimchi Fried Rice and Wagyu Fried Rice, are prepared; the Salad and Charcuterie Station, with its spread of homemade salad mixes and dressings, some farmstead and artisan cheeses and salamis, pancetta and other deli items; and the Dessert and Bread Bar, crowned by a ferris wheel of cupcakes, for delicious sweet treats to end a meal with.
The Todd English Food Hall also features a retail corner for gourmet items such as exquisite coffee blends, spices and flavored sea salt variants.
All these in a stylish dining environment created by acclaimed local interior designer Ivy Almario and her team using such elegant elements as mosaic marble floors, elegant wood paneling, ceramic backdrops and stained-glass windows.
For the media lunch preview, Chef Todd and his kitchen team served the celebrity chef’s famous flatbreads as appetizers. My husband Raff and I arrived a little late, and the flatbreads on the table had already been sitting there for a while, but when I picked up a slice and bit into it, it still had that all-important crunch and still tasted good.
Next up was Tuna Tartare wrapped with a thin slice of cucumber. The tuna was as fresh as fresh can be, which is important for a dish that banks on the freshness of the raw fish used.
Also served were a delightful salad and Asada Steak Tacos, plus Veal Agnolotti and Roasted Pumpkin Tortelli for the fresh pasta dishes, Sliders (small burgers) and, finally, the main course, Tuna Salmon. The latter was a generous platter of grilled salmon at the center of the plate, with two tuna steaks on each side of the salmon, topped with asparagus spears. I liked how the Roasted Pumpkin Tortelli made diners eat vegetables by cooking the pumpkin the gourmet way, and I loved the Tuna Salmon. If you’ve been following this blog, www.flavorsoflife.com.ph, you would know by now that I lean towards fish and seafood over red meat.
The icing on the cake, or the best part of the media lunch preview, was dessert, which came in the form of Dark Chocolate Pudding, also known as Chocolate Mello. It’s four small chocolate cakes bathing with chocolate syrup and crunch that’s simply marvelous on the palate. One spoonful and you’re hooked. It’s the best example of the saying, “Save the best for last.”
Chef Todd English promises that there will be more big things and more awesome flavors to come. “Lobsters, truffles, ostrich egg…” he declares, whetting everyone’s appetite even more.
So, if you hear raves and read good reviews about the food at the Todd English Food Hall, know that they are well-deserved.
