An addiction called Apero
MANILA, Philippines – There’s a new foodie addiction called Apero. It is a neighborhood café that serves mouthwatering breakfast, lunch and dinner — even after-dinner meals — in the French countryside style. The 80-sq.m. restaurant can fit 50 people in one sitting.
From 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., Apero wields magic in its kitchen. Are you ready to get hooked? Proceed to the restaurant found at Corinthian Hills Club House on Temple Drive, near White Plains in Quezon City.
The serving of breakfast muffin is unassuming in look and presentation, but it smells so appetizing that you are assured your breakfast will be divine. You cut into it and a treasure unfolds — there’s a soft-boiled organic egg inside, the bruised yolk slowly oozes down the cutup muffin. Take a bite. And another one. The muffin is finished in a jiffy. In its wake are the luscious flavors of homemade ham, flax seeds and chia seeds that lounge in your mouth.
It would be an error not to order the Duck Fat Pan de Sal. It’s so addicting that the six pieces in the porcelain container will prove not enough for your growing appetite. Slather the bread with Apero’s homemade cultured butter and jam. Heaven. The Sourdough Croissant, with its flaky and tasty crust and fluffy inside, is joy and delight masquerading as bread. Ditto with the Blueberry & Raspberry Scone and Porridge Waffles with homemade ricotta and jam. Bryan Chua and his partners at Apero ate waffles around the world to make sure they would serve the yummiest concoction in their restaurant.
There’s nothing fancy at the restaurant. Dishes here are so familiar you will get the feeling that you’re dining in the comforts of your home.
Apero, Bryan says, is short for the French word “aperitif,” which are drinks and savory snacks usually served before a meal. Together with Bryan’s business partners Jacqueline Tan (executive chef), Valline Go (pastry chef), his wife Kathleen and brothers Jamieson and Marvin, plus some of their friends, they made Apero a casual neighborhood café where one can just walk in, day or night. (By the way, the owners of Apero are the same people who run Duck & Buvette, the French bistro in Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong.)
In this neighborhood cafe, the simplicity of the dish is served and observed. The Asparagus & Grana Padano Firebrick Eggs is a simple dish that goes perfectly well with fresh country bread. On the other hand, the Apero Big Breakfast is a delicious combination of soft scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and English muffin with homemade cultured butter and jam.
If you want something light yet still addicting, opt for Good For You Bowl, which is a bowl of rolled oats, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, honey, and dates generously bathed in house-pressed almond milk. Yes, the almond milk at Apero is deliciously homemade, too — from toasting to pressing the nuts using cheesecloth.
Very modest in presentation is the restaurant’s Smoke Roasted Organic Chicken. But don’t be deceived — this 11-week-old, free-range, firebrick-roasted chicken rocks because it is brined for two days and smoked in apple wood so it tastes like ham. The balsamic shallots, salsa verde and “forbidden chicken rice” that go with the dish present an enticing combo that’s hard to resist.
Enter the Corned Beef Hash. No fuss. No frills. Simply house-cured corned beef and potato hash topped with an organic, sunny side-up egg. You dig into it and you are smitten. Falling in love with a dish is something unheard of until your teeth sink into the melt-in-the-mouth and tasty bite-size chunks of beef.
The freshwater mamale is given a delightful French twist with dill, lemon, garlic, smoked potatoes and the butter-based emulsified sauce called beurre rouge.
The rock-star duck confit of Duck & Buvette does not make an appearance at Apero. However, the Smoke Roasted Duck Porchetta will make you secure a seat at this restaurant on Temple Drive for lunch or dinner. In front of you is a delicious dish of wood-roasted crispy duck breast with wild mushroom, fennel, sage stuffing and panzanella with grapefruit vinaigrette. Word of caution: eat the duck breast as soon as it is served, while hot. The skin crackles like chicharon. There’s no gamy taste. It’s best with wine (and Apero does not run short of the best wine in town).
Among its wood-fired specialties that excite the palate are: Fire Roasted Whole Rabbitfish, Smoke Roasted Truffle Pigeons and Wood Fired Angus Ribeye Steak and Frites.
For that sweet, sweet ending, the Dark Chocolate Clouds dessert lives up to its name. It’s layer upon layer of Malagos chocolate on cacao almond praline, best with a cup of Intelligentsia coffee, the trademark brew of Apero.
You’re ready to call it a day, fulfilled, full and happy. Then you see a black rectangular dish coming out of the kitchen, and served to a diner who attacks it with gusto. The black morsels seem to sizzle with every bite. The aroma is inviting, appetizing, intriguing. It’s Burnt Black Pudding with Caramelized Apple. Don’t be fooled by the name — it’s chef Jacq’s homemade boudin noir with sweet applesauce. Simply put: blood sausage. And yes, it’s yum. A trip to Apero is not complete without trying this delight.
Time to get high on Apero!
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For reservations, call Apero at 532-8064 or 0917-511-3475. It’s also on Instagram @apero.ph.
