He eats, she eats at Café Verbena

MANILA, Philippines -  What would the flutterings of courtship be without a meal?” So wrote Diane Ackerman in her best-seller A Natural History of the Senses. “A meal can be the perfect arena for foreplay.” This may very well be what chef David Pardo de Ayala had in mind when he developed Verbena’s signature “His and Hers” Valentine set menu, cleverly infused with traditional aphrodisiac ingredients.

An annual tradition now on its sixth year, chef David drew inspiration from Mediterranean cuisine “For Her” and Iberian flavors “For Him” for this year’s Valentine menu, “Passions.” He took the same set of ingredients, which he prepared two different ways, for him and for her.

The Mediterranean menu, for her, starts with oysters in fennel-saffron cream resting on a bed of vegetable couscous. A serving of three large half shells is just enough to open up the taste buds in anticipation for the next course, foie gras with Moroccan spices, fig jam and pomegranate glaze. The light sweetness of the jam and glaze serve as the perfect foil to the richness of the foie gras. Although it’s hard to imagine anyone not liking this calorific delicacy, “it’s not for everybody,” chef David noted. The foie gras is included as an optional course.

Meat and eat: His slow-roasted US beef in melted onion, shiitake peppered potato mousseline and blue cheese (above). Her slow-roasted beef with eggplant Provencale, arugula potatoes and Kalamata olive jus (below)

Her demitasse is a classic Italian soup, zuppeta pugliese with Tagaytay bell peppers and is served with a Chilean sea bass croquette, while the next course, her prawns and scallops, rests on a dainty pile of maccheroni with Tagaytay tomato sauce and topped with a single leaf of fried basil. The main course, slow- roasted US beef is served with eggplant Provencale and arugula potatoes and kalamata olive jus. “We make arugula pesto, which makes the potato green,” chef David explained.

What would an Iberian menu be without jamon Serrano? For Him, oysters sit on three appetizing pieces of Catalan tomato bread topped with jamon Serrano and a slice of fresh tomato. This is chef David’s favorite. “The bread has to be burned just enough, not just toasted,” he explains. The fresh oysters are sourced from Aklan. His foie gras is served with grapes, almonds and Pedro Ximenez sherry glaze, followed by crema de calabaza with aromatic pepitas, and spice-roasted pumpkin seeds, which add an interesting crunchy texture to the silky soup.

Her foie gras with Morrocan spices, fig jam, pomegranate glaze (above). His foie gras with grapes, almonds and Pedro Ximenez sherry glaze

His prawns and scallops are served atop a ring of crispy paella risotto and bell pepper saffron sauce. And for the main course, his slow-roasted US beef is served with melted onions, shiitake, peppered potato mousseline, blue cheese, and Madeira sauce.

The special Valentine menu may also be enjoyed with carefully selected wines. Both his and her menus end with sweet desserts, naturally. For him, it’s a chocolate marquise with saffron panna cotta and marinated orange segments. And for her, chocolate marquise with panna cotta al limoncello and strawberries. 

How many aphrodisiacs did chef David get to embed in his “Passions” Valentine menu? Not that we’re counting. Diane Ackerman wrote, “Looked at in the right light, any food might be thought aphrodisiac.” More so, perhaps, if looked at by candlelight on Valentine’s Day. An advisory on the menu card reads: “The well-documented aphrodisiac effects of chef David’s cuisine may result in a second date or an engagement ring.” To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

It’s a date: Verbena will be great for a romantic Valentine date.

Listed in the prestigious Miele Guide of Asia’s finest restaurants for the second straight year and ranked number two in the list of top five restaurants in the Philippines, Restaurant Verbena of Discovery Country Suites in Tagaytay is the best place to be on this special day of hearts. “We have a strong sense of place,” says chef David, a Colombian happily married to a Filipina.

In fact, not only the food but the place itself is said to be a most potent aphrodisiac.

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Restaurant Verbena at the Discovery Country Suites is located at 300 Calamba Road, San Jose, Tagaytay City. For more information, call (630-46) 413-4567/ 529-8172, Fax (63-46) 413-1076, email dcsrsvn@discovery.com.ph  or log on to www.discoverycountrysuites.com.