Probably the most exciting restaurant opening for me (aside from Mecha Uma by Bruce Ricketts), is CDP or Chef du Partie in Rockwell.
You see, we are always in Power Plant and we've tried all the existing food establishments in the mall from McDonald's to Jamaican Patties to Cibo, Mamou, Kuretake, Pepper Lunch, Cantinetta, Via Mare, Illy, The Cake Club, Boon Tong Kee, etc, etc, etc, to every single stall at the weekend Baker's Dozen, to my favorite taho stand (less syrup, more sago forever!)
There are many choices, but at the same time, I also feel there are not enough choices.
So imagine my delight when CDP opened over the weekend
How cute is this wall design?
"Stairs that lead to a fully-booked second floor," Malou jokingly pointed out
Malou Fores, also of Mamou fame, co-owns CDP with Katrina Alcantara-Kuhn
of Mesclun and Kristine del Gallego-Locsin, formerly of Lu. I've never met the
two other ladies, but I know Malou because she is always so hands-on in her
restaurants, she gives the best service, and is a human energizer bunny!
(Sorry for the grainy photo, it was taken with my phone)
On the menu cover is CDP logo with caricatures of the three owners
It's too neat! I loved the little drawings and doodles and took photos of every single page! Lol!
You must check out the drinks menu, too! Each wine gets a whole page feature with
information on the grape variety, flavor profile, tasting notes, and best food pairings.
Who needs a sommelier when you have this cheat sheet?
Homemade fruit-infused liqueurs they use for their cocktails
Butter knife love
Malou helped us curate our dinner menu, to which I added more dishes from Cyrene's must-try list (see it here).
Steak Frites Poutine - USDA ribeye, fries, gravy, kesong puti, blue cheese.
Our steak came with a bit too much litid. I know we should have asked them to replace it,
but we were starving and this was the very first dish to arrive. Better luck to us next time!
Pig's Ear Fries with Anchovy Vinaigrette
I imagine this would be something great to munch on with drinks. It was good,
but I guess I'm just generally not a big fan of deep fried food.
Fritto Misto
But this medley of deep fried seafood I quite enjoyed. My favorite was the tawilis,
then the squid, and then the shrimps
French Onion Soup - more sweet than savory, that's why I loved it
Japanese Mackerel with vegetable timbale basmati rice and tzatziki. Healthy and delicious.
Sancocho - a Dominican Republic version of a hearty pork, beef and chicken stew
complete with brown rice, corn, and topped with avocado salsa. Very tasty!
Except for the steak poutine, we enjoyed all our dishes (even Mom did!), but if I were to choose only 3 favorites, it would be the following:
Pork Trotter with red cabbage kraut and pommery mustard.
The house-brined pata was so crunchy on the outside, yet remained moist and tender inside.
See all that bits and pieces of yummy, gelatinous stuff? My brother-in-law Benjie
cleaned up the knuckle using his bare hands. But only because he beat me to it!
Truffle Maccheroni with grana padano and parma ham. No explanation necessary.
But I still want to affirm that this perfectly al dente pasta dish tasted as heavenly as it looked.
AND smelled. Oh gads, Jimmy!
My most favorite was the Maine Lobster Vongole.
It was definitely not cheap at P1135, but the lobster tails were impeccably
cooked and the clams so plump and the spaghettini so simple yet so flavorful.
The Maple Mascarpone Cheesecake was rich in flavor but light in texture.
I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't too sweet. Do request to have the syrup on the side.
Triade - saffron panna cotta, salted caramel pot du creme, red wine chocolate pudding.
I cannot decide which among the three I loved best. They were all soooo good!!!
What a perfect sweet ending to a delicious dinner!
CDP serves Yardstick coffee. How adorable the cup and saucer!
FINALLY, a good meal at a newly opened restaurant!
I swear, it has been terrible lately. :P
We will definitely be back to try more dishes and these gorgeous cheeses!
CDP: Ground Floor, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati (Beside Mamou Too)
Tel: +632 556 4454, +63917-8329828
