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Archive for Filipino Cuisine

Ma’am Sir

Aug29

Restaurant: Ma’am Sir

Location: 4330 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90029. (323) 741-8371

Date: July 12, 2018

Cuisine: Modern Filipino

Rating: Awesome

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Chef Charles Olalia has been a guy to follow for quiet sometime and cooked us an amazing upscale Filipino dinner a couple of years ago at his apartment.

He’s had a really good Filipino rice bowl joint downtown called Rice Bar for a while, but finally he’s opened a new fine dining modern Filipino place in Silverlake.

Perfect location too as it’s a hip space in a hip neighborhood.

Notice the faux South Asia vibe.

The menu is short but excellent.

Tables are small, so we put our ice bucket on the floor.

From my cellar: 2006 Taittinger Champagne Comtes de Champagne Rosé Brut. VM 95. Taittinger’s 2006 Comtes de Champagne Rosé has come along nicely over the last six months. Intensely perfumed, Pinot-inflected aromatics carry through the mid-palate and finish as the 2006 shows off its depth and pure energy. Veins of chalky minerality give the red berry and cranberry flavors an extra kick of energy. The 2006 is both powerful and delicate at the same, with crystalline precision and fabulous depth. Hints of orange peel, mint, cinnamon and cranberry add further shades of nuance on the complete, beautifully articulated finish.

SHRIMP DEVILED EGGS – Palabok-Egg Salad, Celery Hearts. Nice textural component too.

Liz brought: 2010 Garofoli Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Podium. VM 91. Green-tinged medium yellow. Knockout musky nose combines honeyed pear, orange peel, quinine and iodine. Chewy, tactile and open-knit, displaying compellingly ripe but fresh flavors of yellow apple, almond paste and anise. Finishes very rich and long.

agavin: really food flexible wine, delicious.

ALBACORE TUNA SINUGLAW – Tomato, Onion, Avocado, Charred Pepper Vinaigrette.

And a close up. Really nice bright cerviche-like lettuce cups.

2017 Kruger-Rumpf Spätburgunder Rosé trocken. Nice dry rose.

“LUMPIA” – Savory Shat. Shrimp Mousse, Sea Urchin, Lardo, Garlic Vinegar. Probably the best lumpia I’ve had. Nice and light fry, uni notes, and then really taken up by the garlic vinegar.

WILD RIVER CRAB FRITTO MISTO. Green Lip Mussels, Garlic Aioli, Lime. Lots of lightly tempura-fried goodies.

Including these cute little Japanese river crabs you can eat in one bite! Both the vinegar and the aioli rocked too.

2015 Von Schubert Maximin Grünhäuser Abtsberg Riesling. 90 points. Like its Herrenberg counterpart, weighing in at 11.5 percent alcohol and analytically dry though not labeled trocken, this lacks the cut or refreshment of that sibling. But its aromas and flavors of seed-tinged apple and pear, accompanied by a coolingly minty side of Grünhaus herbacity, combine for persistent enjoyment.

BUTTER ROASTED GARLIC PRAWNS. Black Pepper Noodles, Calamansi, Scallions. Awesome garlicky shrimp and the pancit (noodles) below were great too.

LONGGANISA SANDWICH. Atchara, Hawaiian Bun, Kewpie Mayo. I could have eaten 2 whole “burgers.” Just awesome. Sweet, tangy, savory, rich.

Kirk brought: 1999 Dante Rivetti Barbera d’Alba Vigneto Gallina. 95 points. Very flexible red, totally worked.

CRISPY PORK LECHON. Lemongrass Sarsa, Pickled Papaya. The classic in miniature.

PORK SISIG. Sweetbreads, Maui Onions, Serrano Chili, Green Onion, Calamansi. and CRISPY OYSTERS.

Garlic rice.

Pancit Bihon. Yummy noodles.

Green Papaya Atchara.

1989 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg. 93 points. Great stuff!

MILKFISH INIHAW. Soy Glaze, Garlic Rice, Daikon and Tomato Relish, Fleur de Sel. Okay, but not my favorite dish. Lots of caramelized notes.

BEEF PEANUT CURRY ‘KARE KARE’. Oxtail and Tripe Ragu, Achiote, Shrimp Paste, Toasted Rice Powder.

Cabbage leaves.

Shrimp paste. You add the paste and the beef in the vegetables. I was really looking forward to this dish but it turned out to be odd with an incredibly strong smokey flavor (like that Hawaiian pig smoked underground). I didn’t really like that most smoke.

MANILA MANGO VERRINE. Coconut-Jackfruit Tapioca, Verjus Sorbet. Very mild and pleasant flavors and interesting textures. Super Filipino.

BANANA BIBINGKA. Pandan Whipped Cream. I don’t even like banana but I loved this chewy cake.

Chef Charles Olalia on the left and Liz Lee, owner of Sage Society and organizer of tonight’s dinner on the right.

Charles has always been an excellent chef and Ma’am sir is not only delicious, but really seems the right venue for his fairly ambitious take on Filipino cooking. The location is perfect in hipster central and the space very cute with a cocktail/bar emphasis. The menu is just about the right size with a lot of variety. Flavors are strong and well executed. Dishes are based fairly solidly on Filipino traditional dishes but they have been brightened, modernized, and restructured into modern hip small plates. About 2/3 the dishes were fabulous to my taste, but a few, like the kare kare, retained too strong a “weird” traditional flavor tone for even my taste — so it remains to be seen how some will react to those.

Fundamentally, this is a more Filipino datapoint in LA’s vast array of modern Asian interpretations, and a really bright one at that.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. A’postrophe – Filipino Fusion
  2. Quick Eats – Big Boi
  3. Luminous Lechon Pigout!
  4. Forget the Duck Soup, More Meat!
  5. Homestyle Korean Double Dinner
By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Charles Olalia, Filipino Cuisine, Ma'am Sir, pork, Sage Society, Wine

Quick Eats – Big Boi

Mar21

Restaurant: Big Boi

Location:2027 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. (424) 832-7199

Date: January 26, 2018

Cuisine: Filipino

Rating: Quick and tasty

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I’ve periodically been going to B-Sweet on Sawtelle, which despite it’s very odd hours (closed Mondays and Tuesdays), is a really tasty Filipino-esque dessert place.

The owners are branching out down the block with this savory Filipino comfort food spot.

It’s super fast casual. Order at the counter, get your food in a plastic container.

Take out (which I hate) or sit in the cut but tiny space with self serve silverware.
Basically you build a bowl or plate of Filipino stuff. You can pick which starches go underneath too like rice, garlic rice, pancit noodles.

This two protein plate is Longanisa, house-made pork sausage links known for its distinctively sweet taste and Pork Sisig, tasty crispy chopped pork belly with a little lick, drizzled with a spicy mayo. Underneath was a hella-of-a-lot of garlic rice. Both mains were tasty and rich, with grease oozing into the rice (yum).

This second plate was garlic rice and noodles. On top was BBQ Skewers, thin marinated top sirloin steak, and Pork Tocino, thinly sliced pork shoulder cured in soy, salt, sugar, and garlic. The sweet red BBQ was particularly tasty. Surprisingly, the roll was very good too, a bit sweet. I can see that there is a sugar factor here. Hey, B-Sweet.

Overall, this is a funny little place, but tasty and very reasonable. Plus it’s EXTREMELY Fast. So if you just want to grab some fast yummy grub, not bad. I wish the limpia came in smaller batches so you could realistically have it as one person (13 egg rolls!). Also, one of my serious foodie Filipino friends thinks it isn’t terribly “authentic.” I would have no idea.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

  1. Quick Eats – Tasty Noodle
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  4. Quick Eats: Tofu Ya
  5. Quick Eats: Panini at Home
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Big Boi, Filipino Cuisine, lunch, pork, Sawtelle Little Tokyo

Park’s Finest BBQ

Nov04

Restaurant: Park’s Finest BBQ

Location: 1267 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90026. (213) 481-2800

Date: October 13, 2015

Cuisine: Filipino BBQ

Rating: Rich & tasty

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Park’s Finest BBQ is a sort of Filipino / American BBQ hybrid located over in the North corner of Downtown.

The location isn’t much to look at, nor is the back of the building which literally abuts on the 101 freeway!

The menu.

Elote. Corn off the cob served with mayo, freshly grated parmesean cheese, topped with cayenne pepper. Delicious stuff. The cheese knocked up the corn.

Ann’s Cornbread Bibingka. A special take on cornbread – cornmeal is combined with rice flour, baked on a banana leaf bringing elements of a traditional filipino dessert. Wow was this tasty! Like cornbread with a bit of a sugar glaze.


Mt. Taal chicken. seasoned and smoke-roasted chicken. Pretty straight up.

Beef tri tip. tender season-crusted sirloin beef, cut deli thin and paired with home made horseradish sauce. Good, and lean as it goes for today’s fare.

Mt. Mayon hot link medley. smoked, sliced spicy sausages with sweet filipino longanisa. Awesomely tender, flavorful, and fatty.

Mt. Malindang pork ribs & riblets. seasoned, slow-smoked st. louis pork ribs and rib tips. Rich, fatty, and very smoky tasting.

Mama Leah’s coconut beef. smoked chuck roll, cubed, and stewed in a coconut cream. Awesome creamy beef — a must over rice.

Steamed white rice. a warm bowl of long grain jasmine rice.

Coconut banana leaf flan. Incredibly soft, rich, and delicious flan.

This wasn’t light fare by any means, but it sure was tasty. Definitely some of the most flavorful BBQ I’ve had in LA.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Related posts:

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  3. Fogo de Chao – Beef!
  4. Eating Saigon – Hoa Tuc
  5. Adventures in Street Food
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: bbq, Filipino Cuisine, Park's Finest BBQ

A’postrophe – Filipino Fusion

Jul15

Restaurant: A’postrophe

Location: Downtown LA

Date: July 11, 2015

Cuisine: Modern Filipino

Rating: Really fabulous flavors

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Liz Lee of Sage Society put together this special popup dinner at the apartment of chef Charles Olalia.


The chef (above) is a young Filipino with an instinctive knack for cooking. Over the last 12 years he has cooked at such establishments as the French Laundry, Patina, Coi, Mar’sel, and more.

The crew helping us out (+ Edith). Chef on right next to his lovely wife.


His downtown apartment plays host to the dinner for 13.

The menu is essentially Filipino comfort food reinvented through Charles’ fine dining experiences.

It should be noted that this was a BYOB event with most people bring roughly 2 bottles. They were loosely organized by course. Liz brought a whole bunch of great champagnes like…

NV Robert Moncuit Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut. VM 91. Pale gold. Pungent, mineral-laced aromas of pear, honey, lemon pith and white flowers. Densely packed orchard and citrus fruit flavors are enlivened by chalky minerality and a hint of ginger. Refreshingly bitter and precise on the finish, with the mineral note strongly repeating.

Amuse of toast with onion jelly and green onion. A nice crunch and sweet onion flavors.
2009 Bochet-Lemoine Champagne. A bit richer than the first one.


2005 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon. VM 95. The 2005 Dom Pérignon opens with the classic Dom Pérignon bouquet. Warm toasty notes meld into expressive fruit in a supple, silky Champagne endowed with stunning depth, nuance and complexity. Sweet floral notes add lift as the wine opens up in the glass. Overall, the 2005 is a relatively delicate, gracious DP, but what it lacks in depth it more than makes up with persistence and its open, totally inviting personality. Today it’s hard to see the 2005 making old bones, but it is a gorgeous wine to drink while the 2004 ages. In 2005, the release is scheduled to last about six months, which means production is down around 50% over normal levels. All I can say is the 2005 is fabulous, especially in a vintage that required considerable sorting to eliminate rampant rot in the Pinots.

Brand new!

Duck egg with uni. Yum! Plays up both these ingredients.

The pandesal or salt bread. The outside is a bit salty but the inside nice and sweet.

And it is served with this sweet distillate of coconut milk, basically a coconut caramel.

Coco jam. Really fabulous with the bread.

1999 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Cuvée Creation. VM 93. A big, explosive wine, the 1999 Brut Cuvée Création is gorgeous today. Perhaps it is the extra time in bottle or the magnum format, but the 1999 has really come along nicely over the last few years. Yellow stone fruits, licorice, flowers and spices are all framed by French oak in a voluptuous, full-bodied Champagne that should drink well for the better part of the next decade. Disgorged: December 2012.

2005 Domaine Michel Niellon Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean. Burghound 93. Chez Niellon, among his 1ers I almost always find the best in class to be either the Clos Truffiàre or the Champs Gain but much to my surprise, in 2005 that distinction goes to this wine. The nose is wonderfully complex and broad with ripe but reserved floral, citrus and menthol hints introducing rich, full and intensely mineral-driven flavors that coat the mouth on the explosive finish. This is an exceptionally impressive effort that will age beautifully on its impeccable balance.

agavin: I wouldn’t have thought this was a white Burg. It had a golden premoxy color, but didn’t taste premoxed — more like a mature Cal Chard.

2003 E. Guigal Ermitage Blanc Ex-Voto. VM 96. Medium gold. Incredibly complex bouquet of yellow plum, dried apricot, peach, floral honey, yellow Chartreuse, blonde tobacco and anise (among other things). Deeply concentrated and almost surreal in its expression of honeyed, ripe and dried fruits; its sappy, clinging texture; and its powerful impression of extract. The endless finish is surprisingly bright, with no tiring or cloying qualities. This should be served in homeopathic doses, such is its intensity and depth of flavor.

agavin: very gold and complex. I continue to have mixed opinions about these white hermitages. I have a moderate collection of them, but they might be too intense and hot for my taste.

Summer tomato salad. Salted egg, scallions, rice crisp. According to fellow Foodie Club founder and Filipino Erick, this is traditionally a condiment eaten with rice and salted with the salted egg. Here it is served as a salad. The vinegar and salted egg helped really compensate for the sweetness of the tomatoes to give it a very nice balance.

1989 Château-Grillet (Neyret-Gachet) Château-Grillet. 93 points. A bit closed in the beginning, the wine opened up with time in decanter. Intense mineral nose of flint, stone, white pepper, some beeswax, stone fruit. Very clear and impressive depth. In the mouth the wine is medium + body with some fatness in the beginning. The acidity is high giving perfect contrast to the fatness. Lively, vibrant with intense aromas in the mouth. Length is long with mineral, salivating finish. My first old Château Grillet and this wine really need patience in contrast with many other Viognier from Condrieu.

agavin: our bottle had a touch of cork.

2013 Caro’s Ridge Chardonnay Cavalleri. Hot hot cal chard. Not my thing at all.

Avocado Ravioli. Fried anchovies, black rice, lemon aioli. I really liked the salty/fishy crunch of the anchovies. I could munch on them as a snack food.

From my cellar: 1999 Louis Jadot Bâtard-Montrachet. Burghound 91. Big, powerful and rich aromatics of honey, oak spice and limestone merging into intense, medium weight flavors and a penetrating, relatively fine finish. While not especially big or complex by the standards of classic Bâtard, it is quite intense with beautifully textured, luxuriant, almost opulent flavors.

agavin: 93-94 points. Rounded, as seems typical for 99. Honied almost. Drinking very nicely.

2003 Henri Boillot Chevalier-Montrachet. Burghound 93. The nose is ultra elegant and pure with virtually no trace of oak yet curiously, the crystalline and mineral-driven flavors presently display more than a trace of wood toast. That niggle aside, this is an explosive effort with near perfect balance and huge length. This is my favorite of all the Boillot ’03s, not because it is necessarily qualitatively superior but in terms of sheer class it has no equal.

agavin: More minerality than the Batard. Very very nice.

Longsilog. Creamed rice, soft cooked egg, caramelized longganisa. This redefined Filipino breakfast food was pretty awesome (and I’m sure the original greasier version is too). The sausage was both spicy and sweet and paired awesomely with the rice and eggs. A 9 or 10 by my book.

2011 Emrich-Schönleber Monzinger Halenberg Riesling Großes Gewächs. VM 95. Savory aromas of cling peach, wild herbs and lemon peel. Luscious passion fruit and saline minerality form infinite layers on the palate. Densely packed, elegant and spicy on the dazzling finish, this is without doubt one of the three best dry rieslings of the vintage. Hats off!

agavin: Awesome. 95 points. Laced with grapefruit peel.

1997 Marcassin Chardonnay E Block Hudson Vineyard. 94 points. Golden color;fresh baked bread, light vanilla,nutmeg bouquet;subtle tangerine,lime flavors,complex, creme brulee flavors become stronger with time; unlike younger Marcassin’s this has very lively crisp acid in the finish- very Burgundian in it’s light touch instead of usual Calif heaviness; no hotness on the finish, just slowly fades to brioche.


Another Liz champy: NV Krug Champagne Brut Rosé. Burghound 94. Medium rosé hue. A restrained and highly complex nose, that is not especially fruity, displays a moderate yeast character along with slightly exotic aromas of mandarin orange and Asian tea, all wrapped in an enveloping array of beguiling rose petal scents. There is very good richness with a relatively soft supporting mousse that adds to the impression of richness to the superbly complex and highly textured flavors, indeed one could aptly describe this as more wine that Champagne. As such this is indeed a sumptuous Krug rosé and as such, while this could be drunk now with much pleasure or held for further development; it is going to be extremely difficult to stay away from! In short this is stunningly good and should only serve to add to the mystique of this cuvée. I should note that while I am not always wowed by the Krug Rosé this latest incarnation is strikingly good.

agavin: really nice, and a great pair.

Santa Barbara Prawns. Glass noodles, shrimp roe. Another perfect dish. The prawns were moist and succulent with yummy roe and prawn guts. All this soaked down into the glass noodles. They were baked perfectly such that a crispy layer formed at the bottom of the pan and could be scrapped off to enjoy.

F.X. Pichler Grüner Veltliner Reserve Dürnsteiner Kellerberg. Missed the vintage, but it was very good.

2001 Zind-Humbrecht Riesling Clos Windsbuhl. VM 90. Highly aromatic nose combines candied apple, mint, lime and a suggestion of banana chips. Dense, rich and chewy, with spiced apple and light resiny flavors over a firm mineral spine. Gives a softer, less adamantly dry impression than the Clos Hauserer but finishes with palate-cleansing freshness.

Steamed Black Cod. Lumpia Vegetables, soy garlic sauce. Super tender fish served over a mixture of the vegetables usually used in lumpia, Filipino spring rolls. Very nice.

From my cellar: 1996 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Fontenys. agavin 91. Nice lively ruby in the glass, the nose had notes of black pepper, roasted meats and lots of cherry – the palate was dense with a real iron/meat character to it, alongside some evident tannins- a fairly big wine.

2002 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Petite Chapelle. Burghound 89. Gorgeous crushed red fruit aromas lead to slightly dilute if seductive flavors underpinned by relatively fine tannins and a dusty finish. There is very good intensity here and if the flavors add weight, my score may be conservative.

What Filipino dinner would be complete without some suckling pig? In this case just the belly!

Lechon Cebu. Lemongrass, On Choi, Liver jus. Look at those fatty slabs. Served over rice and smothered in the rich liver sauce this was pretty incredible, although about 80% of the way through my slab I hit a wall of intense fullness. The skin was BBQed to that perfect crisp too.

1993 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares. Burghound 92. Earthy, deep and wonderfully fresh fruit leads to dense, solidly tannnic, beautifully delineated and focused, rich flavors of exceptional purity and length. While the finish is firm, it is by no means hard and there is excellent buffering sève all underpinned by vibrant acidity. There is plenty of wine here but this is a wine for the patient and it should live for years to come.

2010 Caro’s Ridge Malbec. Rounded, big, hot, young Malbec. Not really a pairing for anything we were eating, but would have been a nice grilled meat wine.

Bulalo. Braised mushrooms, bok choi, bone marrow broth. For a bone marrow soup dish this was surprisingly “light” and incredibly tasty simple broth.

2011 Saracco Moscato d’Asti. VM 90. Saracco’s 2011 Moscato d’Asti wraps around the palate with serious depth and richness. Green apples, pears and white flowers flow through to the expressive, nuanced finish. Like most wines of the vintage, the 2011 is richer than normal, but there is no shortage of personality or pure class here.

agavin: I loved this frothy blend of fruit and aromatics. Really quiet nice.

1998 Müller-Catoir Mußbacher Eselshaut Riesling Eiswein. variously 94-98. Lemon candy and pear drops in the nose. Juicy and elegant in the mouth, featuring pear nectar and peach preserve, with just a faint sharpness to the acids. Finishes with peach, vanilla and mineral salts.

agavin: a much more classic intense sweet wine, very different from the Moscato.

Iced Buko. Macapuno, sweet red bean, micro greens. Basically a coconut sorbet popsicle served over sweet candied red beans. Pretty awesome actually.

The chef and his lovely wife.

Family members helped out.

Overall, this was a really fabulous meal (as always when Liz Lee is involved). Certainly the best Filipino food I’ve had. Charles really took it to the next level with better ingredients and presentation than the usual buffet action I’m used to. That being said, I’ve never been to the Filipines itself where I’m sure there is much excellent eating to be had. But even independent of these relative judgments this was just a very good, very lively meal.

We had a fun time with the wine too. At Liz’s request Charles toned down certain of the wine phobic ingredients (garlic and vinegar) to pair better with our exotic mix.

For more LA dining reviews click here.

Liz introduces the chef

Related posts:

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By: agavin
Comments (1)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: A'postrophe, Charles Olalia, Filipino Cuisine, Foodie Club, Sage Society

Luminous Lechon Pigout!

Oct23

Restaurant: Eva’s Lechon

Location: 4252 W. 3rd st. Los Angeles CA 90020. 213-383-3179

Date: October 19, 2013

Cuisine: Filipino

Rating: Total Pig Out!

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Months in the works, it’s finally time for the highly anticipated Hedonist whole suckling pig out!


Elisabeth and Jake were very generous to host us at their lovely 20s Hacienda.


This setting definitely does NOT suck.


Wayne went crazy tonight and brought some really fabulous wines, like this top top champagne.

1996 Salon. Parker 97+. The 1996 Salon is yet another wine that is maturing splendidly. Once focused to the point of being painfully austere and angular, today the 1996 Salon has begun to soften and fill out. My latest bottles have been rich, generous and totally compelling in every way.


What is wine without a little cheese. Next to the nuts is a washed rind.


2004 Marcassin Chardonnay Three Sisters Vineyard. IWC 93+. Slightly deeper yellow than the Zio Tony. Pure, subdued nose hints at lemon, ginger, spring flowers and flinty minerality. Then almost shockingly fat, broad and rich in the mouth, with elevated alcohol contributing to the impression of plumpness. Dry yet luscious, with a honeyed flavor. Finishes with considerable breadth and power, and more obvious structure than the Zio Tony. But this one really calls for a year or two of additional aging.


And a blu cheese.

2006 Moraga Vineyard Proprietary White. Parker 92. The 2006 Proprietary White offers beautiful notes of honeyed lemon blossoms, melons, figs, and flinty undertones. Well-integrated acidity, wood, and alcohol has rendered one of the finest California Sauvignon Blancs money can buy. It should continue to drink well for several more years. This is one of the most distinctive little treasures in California. A tiny, 9.5-acre vineyard (5 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon Blanc) is planted on some of California’s most expensive real estate, the sloping hillsides composed of limestone and sandstone in Bel Air.


And a creamy (almost like butter) cheese that I think was Brillat-Savarin. I can’t be sure, but the style is right and I loved it, which makes it likely.


And a slightly moldy (on purpose) brie.


From my cellar, 1970 La Rioja Alta Rioja Viña Alberdi Crianza. It was a little shaken up by the journey here, including having been rolled down a bumpy street in my wine bag, so the sediment had mixed into the wine, but the flavor was there. Almost Burgundian, with a crisp acidity and a lot of “red berry” fruit.


1995 R. López de Heredia Rioja Viña Bosconia Coscha. 92 points. Dark red. A kaleidoscopic bouquet evokes candied red fruits, incense, pipe tobacco and potpourri, with hints of woodsmoke, leather and Asian spices gaining strength in the glass. Silky and sweet, with intense raspberry liqueur and bitter cherry flavors that take a darker turn with air. Tangy acidity adds lift and focus to a strikingly long, sappy finish. This wine belies its age with its vivacity.Dark red. A kaleidoscopic bouquet evokes candied red fruits, incense, pipe tobacco and potpourri, with hints of woodsmoke, leather and Asian spices gaining strength in the glass. Silky and sweet, with intense raspberry liqueur and bitter cherry flavors that take a darker turn with air. Tangy acidity adds lift and focus to a strikingly long, sappy finish. This wine belies its age with its vivacity.


1998 Clos du Marquis. Parker 90. A superb effort, the 1998 exhibits abundant quantities of black currant and cherry fruit subtley dosed with toasty oak. A medium to full-bodied, nicely-textured, pure effort, with a moderately tannic finish.


Wayne goes all out again, 1995 Guigal Cote Rotie la Turque. Parker 98-100. The 1995 Cote Rotie La Turque (about 7% Viognier in the blend) possesses a dense ruby/purple color, and roasted herb, olive, and Asian spice characteristics. It exhibits exceptional concentration and is velvety and concentrated. The fabulous 1995 La Turque is a virtually perfect wine with flamboyance, harmony, and remarkable opulence and length. It should drink well when released, and last for two decades.

Psych. We didn’t open it, too good for BBQ!


2009 Mouton-Rothschild. Parker 99+. The 2009 Mouton Rothschild has a striking label from Anish Kapoor. The wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Merlot that begs comparison as a young wine with what the 1982 tasted like in 1985 or, I suspect, what the 1959 may have tasted like in 1962. Representing 50% of their production, the wine has an inky purple color to the rim and not terribly high alcohol for a 2009 (13.2%), but that is reflected by the high percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a remarkable nose of lead pencil shavings, violets, creme de cassis and subtle barrique smells. It is stunningly opulent, fat, and super-concentrated, but the luxurious fruit tends to conceal some rather formidable tannins in the finish. This is an amazing wine that will be slightly more drinkable at an earlier age than I thought from barrel, but capable of lasting 50 or more years. Kudos to the Baroness Philippine de Rothschild and the entire Mouton team, lead by Monsieur Dalhuin.

More psych, also saved for another day.


1996 Dunn Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain. Parker 96. The 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon Howell Mountain possesses a black/blue/purple color, and a texture of unctuosity and thickness. Greatness is suggested by a wonderfully sweet mid-section, gorgeous purity, and this humongous wine’s overall symmetry. It also possesses sumptuous layers of concentration, remarkably sweet tannin, low acidity, and a 40+ second finish.

This one we drank!


2006 Lillian Syrah. Parker 94. The second release from Maggie Harrison, previously an apprentice at Sine Qua Non, the 2006 Syrah from Lillian is even better than the excellent 2005. Totally sourced from the White Hawk Vineyard, and aged in 65% new oak for 23 months, there are 508 cases of this beautiful Syrah. Notes of creme de cassis, blackberries, spice, incense, flowers, ground pepper, licorice, and subtle smoke are followed by a full-bodied, layered, multidimensional, big (15.6% alcohol) Syrah. Beautifully balanced, elegant, and pure, it should age gracefully for a decade or more.


1995 Vineyard 29 Cabernet Sauvignon Grace Family Vineyard. 93 points. Superripe, sappy nose combines blackcurrant, chocolate and brown spices. Sweet, supple and chewy on the palate; already displays expressive inner-mouth aromatics. A fairly big wine, finishing with excellent length and thoroughly buffered tannins. Faint notes of roast coffee and game on the aftertaste.


2005 Marquis Philips Shiraz 9. IWC 87+. Saturated ruby. Powerful, room-filling aromas of dark berry compote, vanilla, chocolate, cola and espresso aromas show a head-spinning quality (this says 16.5% alcohol on the label). Fat, soft and oily, with sweet cassis, plum and blackberry flavors sweetened by mocha and vanilla. Doesn’t seem especially tannic but maybe they’re lurking underneath the wine’s confectionary quality. An unctuous, jammy example of shiraz that could use more energy, but this style has its fans. (The other ’05 releases I tasted from this producer were all solidly made but on the jammy side.)


2008 Cayuse Syrah Bionic Frog. IWC 96. Bright dark red. Multidimensional nose delivers black raspberry, brown sugar, smoky cardamom and black olive. Superconcentrated, sappy and rich, showing a rare blend of power and delicacy. No single element dominates this outstanding syrah; flavors of red and black fruits, pepper and spices wash over the palate in a wave. Finishes with very fine tannins and great persistence.


2005 Cascina Tiole Barolo. Nice, if a little young.


2002 Plumpjack Cabernet Sauvignon Estate. Parker 95+. The 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Estate is an amazingly rich, full-throttle effort boasting notes of blackberries, creme de cassis, acacia flowers, graphite and wood smoke. This massive effort tastes more like a mountain-styled Cabernet Sauvignon than one from the Oakville valley floor. It should be forgotten for another 5-6 years and drunk over the following quarter of a century.


w

2005 Château Cap de Mourlin. 90 points. Eye: deep dark purple. Nose: berries, smoke, lots of fruit, spice. Palate: round, fruity, some structure hidden, slight sweetness, medium finish.


Most of the food came tonight from Eva’s, a traditional Filipino BBQ place that many say has the best pig in the city.


And here is the poor guy.


I’m not sure I’d look so cheerful if 25 Hedonists were about to carve into my back and chow down!


Pancit Bihon. Thin rice noodles with soy sauce, lemon, and cabbage. Very tasty, and our only starch (we badly needed rice).


Pinakbet. Chicken, green beans, and squash in a fermented fish sauce (probably some coconut milk in there too).


Pork and chicken adobo. Meat cooked in a mix of vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic.


Dinuguan. Blood stew with pork or beef (traditionally pork). The blood is pig blood and there are some peppers and potato in there. Despite the frightening appearance and scary concept it was quite tasty.


Arroz Caldo. Sticky rice porriage with chicken, garlic, and ginger. Surprisingly tasty with a congee like texture.


Lumpiang Shanghai. Or Shanghai eggroll. Little fried rolls stuffed with meat (probably pork and shrimp).


Kare-kare. A peanut curry with cabbage, green beans, and some kind of meat, maybe oxtail. Traditionally, it’s oxtail, brisket, and tripe. The meat was very dense and chewy.


The feeding frenzy.


Looks like Thanksgiving, but unfortunately, since there was no rice, all the stews blended. It still tasted good, but probably was a little chaotic.


Wayne strikes again with a magnum of: 2001 Château d’Yquem. Parker 100. There are 10,000 cases of this perfect sweet white Bordeaux. The 2001 Yquem reveals a hint of green in its light gold color. While somewhat reticent aromatically, with airing, it offers up honeyed tropical fruit, orange marmalade, pineapple, sweet creme brulee, and buttered nut-like scents. In the mouth, it is full-bodied with gorgeously refreshing acidity as well as massive concentration and unctuosity. Everything is uplifted and given laser-like focus by refreshing acidity. This large-scaled, youthful Yquem appears set to take its place among the most legendary vintages of the past, and will age effortlessly for 75+ years. Anticipated maturity: 2010-2100+.


Some lovely fresh fruit tart.


A nice cake.

We’ve enjoyed this Santorini Vin Santo before. It’s good, but after the D’Yquem…


Biko-biko. Caramelized sticky rice. Mild and pleasant.


Flan. I do love flan.


And fresh made whipped cream, whipped up by our host right then and there. I shouldn’t have, but I did.

Overall, this was another awesome evening. The pig was some of the best I’ve ever had, the wines were great, and the atmosphere and the company fantastic. What more can you ask for in an evening?

Discover more crazy Hedonists adventures on my Hedonist page or

For more LA dining reviews click here.


Hanging out.


And the lovely house by moonlight.

Related posts:

  1. Memorial Day Pig
  2. Hedonists at STK again!
  3. Big Bottle Madness at Kali Dining
  4. Hedonists at Dahab
  5. Hedonists at La Paella
By: agavin
Comments (0)
Posted in: Food
Tagged as: Dessert, Filipino Cuisine, flan, hedonists, Lechon, Philippines, suckling pig, Wine
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